Ok so how old is my Ross?
 

I'm curious as to how old my bike is? I can't find information that goes back past 1993 on Ross bikes.

It's a Gran Tour Professional model.
171.5 "SR" "meltforging"marked on the front of the cranks, 3 bolt. "Japan" on the back.

Shimano "touring" marked cantilever brakes and derailures.

27" wheels, "fingertip" shift levers

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/DSCF3819.jpg

Your best bet to age that bike is to get the two letter codes from the back of the Shimano components. Then go to Vintage-Trek.com and match them up.

http://www.vintage-trek.com/component_dates.htm#shimano

I am very hesitant to say this... but does the fork look bent to anyone else?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a/DSCF3819.jpg

andy

Wheel is slightly turned. Look at the angle of the stem shifters. I would guess the fork is fine.

So far no codes are visible without taking things apart, I'll run the boy to skool and be right back!

Just looking at the angle of the fork compared to the angle of the headtube... does not appear to be a straight line to me... my guess would be mid 70s early 80s?

andy

I think I see center pull brakes, rather than cantilevers. If so, they may well have a two digit date code on the back. The visible components --no water bottle braze-ons, stem shifters, non-aero brake levers, large flange hub on the front (and presumably rear) wheel, etc., all point to the early 80's or earlier. And is that an aluminum cottered crank? If so, that's pretty unusual, more likely late 70's.

edit: Ha, Andy, beat me to it! And I share your concern about the fork.

I checked the fork! It's not bent!

So far the codes aren't making sense, YI and YG on the center pull brakes(I tend to call all brakes with the cable loops cantilever)
ZB code on the front hub

YI codes on the turkey levered Shimano brake levers.

I can't find codes on the deraulers

That's showing 2000 and 2001 dates according to that chart!
I doubt that.... But you never know... I thought Ross was long gone by then, and it is a lugged frame...

BC code on the rear hub 1977 according to that, and the freewheel uses that goofy old tiny removal nut

I'm stumped, I have found a few pics of 80's Ross bikes and none have the 3 bolt chainrings, although most look to be 5 bolt SR cranks,

anybody got a clue?

Love the bike just want to know more about it.

As far as I can tell, the Shimano letter/number code goes back further than Vintage-Trek's chart.

YG would date to July 1974.

YI would date to September 1974

ZB would date to February 1975.

That sounds reasonable, older than I thought. Where did you find this info, google seems to be hit or miss on some things, but way better than bing....

That looks to me like 1975 to 1979 vintage year Ross, excepting the Brooks saddle. I distinctly remember the bike , especially the long spring loaded stem shifters.

Thanks for all the help, I have seen disparaging talk about Ross bikes in the past but this bike disproved all of those, the only thing I may do is add some bar end shifters, and maybe clean and buff the existing paint.