duane041

It amazes me what The Salvation Army considers 'trash'. One of the guys that works there brought over a bike today that was headed for the roll-off (it was on the forklift when he spotted it). Here's a rundown on it. maybe you can help me decide what to do with it.

Ross Signature 292S, S/N RA 85C216025
Ishiwata EX Cro Mo Triple butted tubes
Shimano components throughout, the ones with those Gold Arrows on them.
Shimano Golden Arrow Brakes and levers (levers have BR-Z57 stamped on them)
Shimano Cranks (same design, with those arrows again)
Headtube has "R" decal, and says "Allentown PA" underneath the R.
A number "73" is stamped on the top portion of the headtube, while a "61" is stamped towards the bottom.
Araya 700C rims
SR L84 hubs
Sakae Custom stem, Road Champ bars
Original (I think) Ross brand tires.
Really snappy 'Cannondale' front bike bag, amde of red nylon with the old train station logo on it (it's pretty cool, and came with this funky bracket that holds it on WITHOUT hardware)

Any idea if this is an unusual bike? I was surprised to see quality components on a Ross, as I always thought they were a discount store type bike. Any info would be greatly appreciated. i will have photos uo by tomorrow night.

thanks guys (and gals)!

cuda2k

Ohhhh, I love the Shimano 105 Golden Arrow stuff. The rear derailleur is a quite rare piece as far as I know. The only part of the set I see with any regularity is the downtube shifters. From what I've come to know about the group it was the first 105 level produced. A very lucky find for both the frame and the componets it sounds. I want pics!!... if not the bike.

(Here's my one and only Golden Arrow part)

duane041

Yeah! That's the stuff! those arrows are on everything! It even still had that wierd peel-off plastic covering on the rear derailleur (that thin film that you usually see covering plastic parts so they don't get scratched). The shifters were a bit stiff at first, but they are working OK now. This is my first bike with honest-to-goodness quality parts on it, and it was free. How sad is that?

I'll have photos for you tomorrow!

cuda2k

Wow, what's the over all condition of the bike and parts in? If the frame is the right size you have a keeper for sure, if not... is it a 58-60cm?

duane041

The frame has some scratches, the tires are junk.......otherwise, you'd think it was 3 years old. It's in amazingly good shape, and unfortunately (well, for you ) it fits me great. I can't figure out why someone would want to throw away a bike like this.

Photos tomorrow, I promise!

T-Mar

You have a mid-1980s model. It was a lower, mid range model that originally cost about $299 US, depending on the exact year. It was a good value and a nice bicycle, but nothing special. However, the early Shimano 105 components with the arrow logo, are growing in propularity with the collectors as the first generation Dura-Ace and Shimano 600 arabesque components become more scarce.

The Ross Signature line original started out as very high end series, hand built by Tom Kellogg. However, over the years the Signature name was applied to increasingly cheaper and mass produced bicycles.

As You Like It

What a beauty! Lucky you!