2cam16

Very nice! Yeah those Monzas are rare. A definite keeper!
Thanks and yeah I love the olive. I ordered a bottle of Tamiya paint that I hope will be close to this color. Crossing my fingers!

SriKrsnadread

Me too. Have a newer model 1998 M2 stumpjumper. But this would fit in my collectie as well

vintagepedals

my '89 DB Ascent Ex mtb now a with drop bar conversion.

TenGrainBread 

See this thread for an early Moots lugged steel MTB and a JP Weigle fillet brazed MTB.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...tted-wild.html

Patwoz

Great vintage ride, thanks for showing all the before and after pics. These old rigid rides are a lot of fun.

Patwoz

I have a Shimano Fin that came on an old bike project. I was able to remove it, clean it really good and reapply it to the stay using thin two sided tape. Works like new.

Patwoz

I refurbished a 1980's Giant Iguana this summer and have had a lot of fun with it on the single track. In fact sometimes I think I enjoy like riding it more than my modern bike because it really is light, fast and agile. I also like the fact that I feel and appreciate the trail more without a shock. Anyway, I thought if this is fun I may like a higher end vintage mountain bike and started looking for one. I found this amazing 1983 Ross Signature on Craigslist and bought it from an older gentleman who was the original owner and used is as a touring bike. In the mid 1980's he replaced the Deerhead drive train for a Suntour XCD 6000 accushift system, which seems to have made a lot of sense if you think about it. I found a brand new XCD 6000 set on feebay and replaced the "upgrade" once again. After researching this bike, I was amazed at how much history and importance this bike has in the MTB world. Ross was one of the first companies to produce mountain bikes, they were the first to have a MTB team and Jim Redcay was a legendary frame builder from the 1970's and 1980's. After refurbing and polishing this bike I decided to put cruiser tires on it and ride on the paved trails in order to preserve it. I unfortunately did not meet my goal of getting a higher end vintage mountain bike to ride on the trail, but I am stoked to own this bike.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/116878...57687980665235

2cam16

Nice Patwoz!

KonAaron Snake 

Cool bike. Personally I'd rather have that bike with Deerhead and think it warrants a faithful restoration.

Patwoz

I originally thought so too, I began looking for Deerhead parts and it sort of dawned on me, if I owned this bike in the mid 1980's I might have been caught up in the accushift craze too. Since the bike rides so well on the XCD 6000 and the fact that I had an opportunity to replace it with new; I chose to stay with the idea the original owner had. BTW, in response how I connected Jim Redcay to the bike; this bike was built in 1983 when he was in charge of the Ross Signature shop, and the bike is signed with his name on the left lower bb stay. The lug work and details are fabulous. This bike is absolutely the smoothest riding bike I have ever owned.

KonAaron Snake 

If it were me, I'd want the original bits around...even if I never changed it. But I'm a bit nuts. You do you...it's a damn cool bike.

I saw the Redcay on the stay...which is why I changed the post. This period is usually called "the triad", and I thought they all worked together as far as building. My initial thought was Jim's name is there, but that means managed more than made by. I'm certainly not an expert and am going with what I heard from others and a few conversations with Tom when researching my own Kellogg, Redcay and Kellogg era Ross.

Patwoz

Thank you, I only know what I know from the limited information on the internet. This is the first I've heard of "the triad" and it really does make sense the way you say it. Any more info about these early ROSS mtb, please share. I'd like to see a picture of your Kellog if you don't mind.

KonAaron Snake 

I don't really know much more about the triad era than you could find on line. Basically Kellogg and Redcay both spent time under Bill Boston (my pick as most under discussed, under appreciated pioneer in the country). I've heard different stories about drama between the three and I'm not sure about what's true enough to post. Anyway there's certainly a whole lot of appreciation for Jim from Mr. Kellogg.

Tom went out and built his own bikes under his name - Tom Kellogg - before becoming active in Ross. He did design, consulting and testing for a lot of other things as well. After leaving Ross, he founded Spectrum, where he still resides. Spectrum hired Jeff Duser, of the Ross triad, in 85'. Merlin had him design their road bike geometry, and Spectrum used Merlin for their frames. There was a motorcycle accident in the eighties that affected him greatly. He has actually built very few frames...and is really more of a designer/fit guy. From my Merlin and TK...I have a very high opinion of him.

Redcay also worked under Boston...leaving to build bikes under the name Redcay. He built more than Tom, but we're still talking paltry numbers. Redcay followed Tom as head of Ross's signature line and oversaw the triad. The MTBs were fully developed by Redcay as I understand it. I know he built all of the real team bikes (it's on the internet, so it has to be true). Redcay eventually worked in periodicals before leaving the industry. He passed some time ago.

I'm loathe to post these bikes here as they aren't MTBs, but I have a Tom Kellogg branded Kellogg, a Kellogg built Ross, a Recay and a Merlin. Missing the Spectrum and Redcay Ross. Maybe some day.

VintageRide

1985 Norco Sasquatch - all told the bike cost 30.00 to build up from a basic frame that only came with the bottom bracket, crank set, Dia Compe cantis and headset. All in all a pleasant cruiser that I use occasionally. Always a sucker for the earlier fork crown design vs unicrowns, the 1985 Kuwahara Sierra Grande I have being an exception since it was chromed, I manage to live with it.

fleslider 

A little rough but a 1986 GT Backwoods

Cranks were rounded out and trashed. derailleurs are wrong,but it does have the original Dia Compe Canti's in the front and the Suntour Roller Cam Brake among the original Shifters and Brake levers

After partial tear down and starting the cleanup:
in the rear.

Yes its a GT:

mattfeet

Love that frame.

3speedslow

GT's are always cool!

Thought I would throw up some fast and dirty pics of a project finally reaching the floor. Building again my 1984 Schwinn High Sierra. Just hanging around the living room setting parts up. Much to do but crushial bull moose handle bar on the way. Going for mostly period correct parts.

The tires I have saved for this are blue if you can't tell from the pics, matches the smoked pearl I think.

stucon 

Here's a bike I picked up last weekend. XL size Nishiki Pinnacle. All original and complete, although I think the tires might just be old and not the original spec. Pretty nice condition all around, with matching paint job on the stem and bars. Full XT everything. Not sure if I'll keep it as the top tube is just a bit short, and I can't bring myself to change that stem and handlebar.

2cam16

^^^
Love that paint job!

mstateglfr 

pm me if you end up looking to pass the full bike or just the frame on to someone else.
killer paint.

tiredhands 

That is incredible! What an insane stem!

beicster 

I remember the days of the super long stem. The longest I owned was a 150.

frantik

got this in the mail the other day

3speedslow

@frantik what am I ogling here?

dgodave

Yeah... what is it???

And is the little threaded tab for a Hite Rite?