JoeBass

I recently picked up a circa 1982 Ross Super Gran Tour XV sporting an Ishiwata 024 frame and Shimano 600 Arabesque group. Thing is still virtually new and looks to have never been ridden. The hoods have unfortunately rotted off and I’m having them replaced.

sd5782 

That is an amazing time capsule. Gearing is a fascination to me, so what are the sprocket counts on that freewheel, and especially the crankset? I see a 52t outer, so maybe a 38,45,52? Interesting!

andrewbross

Hi nice to see slime Ross bikes still on the road; posted entire history on this thread ~15 years ago; if you would like more info email me; andyrossesq@msn.com.

100bikes

BTW, its for sale.

JoeBass

If you're talking about mine, pictured above, I was trying to sell it for a while, but I decided to just keep it. I had originally intended to keep and ride it, but the "unridden" condition, even down to the unused original tires, made me not want to be the guy that actually started putting miles on this thing. I figured maybe it was better to just have it hanging on someone's wall as a "time capsule". I eventually decided "the hell with it" and that this thing was meant to be ridden anyway. Soon, it won't be "like new" anymore, but a "like new" bike is kind of a sad thing anyway. I'll check the freewheel and crank later, but I will say I was initially excited that the crank was a triple, only to look a little closer and discover that the small front chain ring was only a 39. Wow, times have certainly changed. Also, excuse the flopped down and drive side position of the front skewer in the photos above- I had just transported the bike home and was excited to shoot off some photos to show a few of my bike buds.

sd5782 

So, what’s the middle ring then? I see 52 on big and guessed 38 small and maybe 45 middle. It is always interesting to see stock gearing configurations. Really a curious choice by Ross on this one. Perhaps a double half step?

davester

Wow, that Super Gran Tour is amazing. I'd be (almost) afraid to ride it.

Here's my contribution to this thread, near twin Ross Mt Hoods that my riding buddy and I picked up over the last couple of weeks. Mine (I'm wearing the Cino jersey) is a 1986 with Tange MTB triple-butted tubes and mostly Suntour XC components (including roller cam brakes) and a funky black stem with steel bars. His is a 1985 with mostly Shimano components and a Tange high tensile forks sticker (no frame sticker). His head badge says "Ross Allentown PA" while mine only says "Ross". This suggests to me that mine was one of the first bikes to be made in Taiwan.

Note that just this last weekend we took these bikes to Fairfax CA and rode some of the classic trails that the originators of mountain biking made famous. We also were given a personal tour of the mountain biking museum there by Joe Breeze and Charlie Kelly (two of the founding fathers of mountain biking).


Ross Mt Hood chromies

JoeBass

Beautiful bike(s), Davester!

JoeBass

Checked today, and the front chain rings are 52, 45 and 39. The low gear in the back is a 32.

madpogue 

While we're on chromies (and specifically Hoodies...):

As bought - since replaced tires, fork and saddle, and removed kickstand, rack and lock bracket




I also have a chrome (and chrome-moly) Piranha BMX, but I don't reckon it's central to the company's history.

Velo Mule

The light bulb always burns brighter before it burns out. That was the saying when we all used incandescent bulbs. Ross made substantial improvements with the move from Far Rockaway to Allentown. They saw that BMX was a big market and although they were late, they made improvements. Where they really focused was on Mountain bikes and higher end road bikes.

Unfortunately, this was right at the time that everyone, except Schwinn, was stepping up their product lines and new companies coming in with good products. Trek, Gary Fisher, Specialized were all new and brought that new innovative vibe to their bike lines. Raleigh and other established bike brands were coming in with well built bikes from Taiwan. With all of these choices, Ross wasn't able to stand out as new or innovative because it takes time to change perceptions.

Now we have an era of Ross bikes that may be undervalued compared to their used market competition. So, if you are in the know, you may be able take advantage of it and get a good rigid mountain bike.

One of the things that I remember from 1981 or '82 is the Ross rep' that came to the bike shop I worked in and was excited about their lineup of bikes. Prior to this it was just how many Eurosports do you want? How many 3 speeds, 5 speeds and 10 speeds? Now they had something to talk about and a new direction.

Pompiere

I thought I had posted these bikes here, but it was in the vintage mountain bike thread. I found a pair of Ross Mt. Hood bikes at a local second hand shop a few years ago. I think they are 1987 models. I originally bought the grey one because it was my size, but after watching the green one sit out all summer, I went back and rescued it too for my wife. The tires and shift cables were shot, but other than that, they just needed clean and lube. The U-brakes have the thick motorcycle cables.

andrewbross

Hello, I am the grandson of the founder of Ross Bucycles FKA Chain Bike Corrporation; posted entire history at beginning of this thread; if you have any additional questions e-mail me at andyrossesq@msn.com; Rand in Farmingdale, NY purchased the trademark “ROSS” in 1991 and manufactured about 100k POS bikes in Taiwan 🇹🇼 in the mid 99’s ; these are not Ross bicycles proudly made in the USA for 40 years. My dad Sherwood Ross and last CEO passed in 2013 if you GOOGLE his name you can read his obituary which Ibwrote and appeared on the front page of the New York Times; provides much of the sam info whe I first posted on this thread, Andrew Ross.

brandenjs

Hello Andrew,
Glad you are still watching this thread. I have always had a love for Ross bikes and have had a few. My favorite was this 1985 Signature 294S. It is the only one I have seen that was equipped with Campy parts. I have since moved this on to a new owner that fell in love with it also. As you can see in this thread the MTB's still have a great following. Thanks again for staying in touch with us bike geeks.

grant40

1979 Ross Compact

tjfastback66

Back in the early 80's I worked at a local bike shop that sold Ross, Raleigh, Trek and Cannondale Bicycles. Ross was on the lower end of the scale but did make quality products.
In August this year I acquired a Ross Professional for about $70 just to harvest the Shimano parts for another project. Still have the frame and fork if anyone is interested.

Ross Professional 25"

due ruote 

+1 It's cool to have some input from the Ross family on this thread.
I also have a 294S, and it's probably my most-ridden road bike. A very nice riding and versatile frame that takes 28mm tires with fenders easily and has a generous complement of braze-ons. I have mine set up with Shimano 8-sp and downtube shifters.
The one thing I have pondered is the choice of Ishiwata 024 tubing rather than 022. I wonder if the slightly heavier spec was an attempt to make this an everyman bike - better able to withstand some casual knocks than lighter gauge tubing.

dukeofearl 

Interesting to learn the history of these bikes. I picked up this 81 Ross Signature recently. Too big for me so not quite sure what I'm going to do with it yet.