Which one to let go?
 

This
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...5/IMG_1319.jpg


or this
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...5/IMG_1899.jpg

The collection had gone through the roof quite literally (I live in a 1 bedroom apartment), so I'm now considering losing one of these two bikes. I have 3 other road bikes and the Ross is my go to/errand runner. But the Schwinn fits so nicely and its a little lighter than the Ross. I'm really torn on which one to let go. Please advice!
TIA.

Never thought I'd be inclined to side with a Ross. One thing though - the Ross' fork does seem to have a bit of a reverse bend to it, handlebar/fork alignment aside.

-Kurt

Bye Bye Schwinn

Send the Schwinn to me. I'll relieve you of the burden...

I have to agree with cudak. I never thought I would say this keep the Ross just because it is much cooler and classic 'old school' ATB. are that really a 'bull moose' handlebar/stem combo? I would chweck out the fork though, but it could just be angle

Sell the Ross. Your Schwinn has more inherent value.

Ross fork looks a bit "Iffy" to me !

sorry guy,s "iffy_ aussie slang" (must stop usin our Lingo, no one understands it) fork looks "suspect" to me !

We sometimes use "iffy" here too.

Ross or Schwinn
 

Do a pro and con list for both and decide that way.

Keep the Ross. You'll miss having a bike like that to run errands on. And you'll be able to pocket a lot more cash from selling the Schwinn.

The "iffy" fork comment bothers me, as I really wanted to keep the Ross ( ' just need reassurance from the Veterans ;) ), so I took some more shots. Let me know if its really bent. If this is the case, can it be unbent? :(
My apologies for the clutter on the background. :o
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...5/IMG_1921.jpg

Outdoor shot from this morning
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...5/IMG_1912.jpg




Yes, its Bull Moose handlebar. Stem and handlebar are incorporated together.



Sure, Its yours for the price of shipping....$200 regular ground? :p

Sell the Schwinn. The Ross may be a Ross - but it's got more *B*L*I*N*G* - value down the road to some poor schmoe.

Well, the Ross really fulfills the role of a grocery getter as its obviously a more robustly built bike than the Schwinn. The Schwinn is definitely faster and more fun to ride, but I do have other bikes that can do the same. I really wish I can keep both.

The fork still looks "iffy" to me ---BUT--- I think I would still KEEP the Ross , you can always get another fork !

Can it be fixed by re-bending?
Also, is it possible to see the stress marks if I remove the fork? What/where do I look?
Many thanks!

It looks as if the fork blades are bent back just a tad. Some simple cold-setting in the proper jig should do the job.

-Kurt

Steel forks can be re-bent - SOMETIMES. Re-bending any metal is always a coin-toss as to it making the problem go away, or finishing whatever off for keeps.

I,m never in favour of rebending because I believe once the damage has been done no matter how good a job of fixing the problem there will always be a weakness regardless, rem this is wot you steer with so its vitally important for it to be 100%, having said that I,m no structural engineer and this is only my opinion,there may be a good case for rebending but I,ll leave that explanation to the experts who know that frequent this forum,in any case I would keep it ! good luck in your decision !--- Ned.

Okay, I'll take it to my LBS and see if they can fix it, if its truly bent. Thanks to all!

If the bend is confined to the dropouts on a steel fork, I'll give it a shot. But I always warn people that this is 50/50 as regards as a fix. To be safe, I always suggest replacing the fork.

Phooey. Only if a fork is damaged to the point that cold setting is definitely impossible (for instance, if the tubing has a crease in it) can one say the fork is gone.

1cm adjustments do not kill a fork, and though it is true that the metal is weakened at any rate, it'll take considerable, repeated cold setting before it becomes completely unsafe to use.

The OP's fork as if it needs only a minor adjustment, hardly anything worrying over. Either that, or Ross fitted the blades so sloppily that this is the way it came from the factory.

-Kurt

If you haven't noticed a problem why do you need to fix the fork at all. If there is a problem it's only minor, and it's just a grocery getter, it's not like you're racing the thing. It might matter, but not that much

I too say keep the Ross and dump the Schwinn. How cool is an all chrome Ross? Well I spent a good 30-40 minutes a month or so ago getting a stuck seat post out of one from the scrap pile at the bike coop and then bought it for $25.

Keep for collector value or keep to use? If the second question is what you are asking, then don't bother asking us. Go with fit and the needs of your riding.

If the first, then I suppose I lean towards keeping the Ross as well. It is not a rare bike, and so will likely never have any substantial value. But it is interesting and shiney. The Traveller, while a decent bike, is very common and nothing in particular makes it stand out.

I have that same Ross by the way. It has an uncommonly beautiful fork. I just love the curve of its crown. If the fork has to go, then I would say that the Ross falls far behind the Schwinn.

j