ecraig89

Hey I just picked up this Ross Eurosport bike for $80, the guy said it was from the 1970's but I don't know if that's definite. It is in really good shape for its age. Did I get a decent deal or? Here's the imgur address with the image, won't let me post it
i.imgur.com/I2u0xdy.jpg

T-Mar

I'd place it mid-1980s, low end.

wrk101

Depends where you live around here $80 would not be a good deal.

ecraig89

Well I couldn't find any bikes that were less than $60 and I didn't want to buy anything other than a "road" bike and every sport bike like this was in the $200-400 range and this was I could see pretty old but but in great condition, so he wanted a $100 for it and got him down to 80 and I went for it. Really don't wanna feel like I made a bad decision.

DiegoFrogs

You shouldn't feel bad about riding any bike.

I grew up near Allentown, where this bike was made, and have a really-beat-up Ross MTB from this time frame at my parents' house that I enjoy a lot.

This bike, however, wasn't one of Ross's best moments. It appears to have Shimano's Front Freewheel System (FFS), a sort of evolutionary dead-end, paired with some other low-end things like steel rims.

It does at least look like it was rarely ridden and stored indoors. We all start somewhere, and this might not be the worst place to start.

exmechanic89

Just get out there and ride it, doesnt really matter what it cost. What kind of distances are you planning with it?

Mooo

I think the front freewheel system was abandoned by 1981-ish. It worked well enough.

They aren't bad riding bikes. You could spend more for worse.

[edit: my first (sagged) tour was on one of these. It was more than sufficient.]

kunsunoke 

Let's put it this way - you didn't get ripped off. The bike is pretty close in functionality to the Schwinn Varsity, and likely it's a bit lighter. Should be pretty durable as a commuter for short distances. Longer distances may require a seat swap and careful attention to fitting.

thumpism 

Pic assist.


I built and sold a bunch of these. Yours is in almost new condition. The Shimano FFS was intended to be a user friendly intro to derailleur shifting for novices and works reliably but you'll shift at the mechanism's speed, not your own. Ride it to your heart's content. Plenty of time to expand your stable.

cb400bill

Thread moved from Classic & Vintage to Classic & Vintage Appraisals.

cb400bill

pic assist

T-Mar

Shimano's Front Freewheel System was in production at least as late as 1984, possibly 1985. The subject bicycle appears to be from this era.

zukahn1

Low end version of Front Freewheel system I would say avoid this bike. But since you already have it you do OK on the price you don't get much in a clean working bike for $80 in most markets. If everything is working good these ride fine the shifting is just a bit slow and clunky which really isn't a big deal since on a bike like these I doubt you will be doing a lot of shifting.

ecraig89

Thanks everyone for your replies! I do enjoy riding this bike so far and I just love the condition it's in for the age, I don't mind the shifting being a bit slow and what have you, and riding it with my girlfriend while she has a mountain bike I put her in the dust extremely quickly lol, I just love the speed I can get to on this thing compared to other bikes I've rode. The only other bike I've had similar to this one was a equally old Bianchi road bike but that was stolen a few years ago. With this bike now I might not have had the best deal, but it was the best deal I could find around me and it was one hell of a step up from the bike I was riding which was a one speed, beach cruiser type of bike that I found a few houses down from me that they were throwing away because it had two flat tires, man rich people throw away anything lol. But hey I'm definitely happy with the bike, it just got me down that it's a low end crappy model... But hey at least I have a road bike now that I can enjoy! Thank you guys!

Hatchet

Here is the Eurosport in the 1982 Ross catalog.