oreo173

That is a beautiful shot. I am glad you have the 21 . Its nice so many other people can enjoy looking at the other one . That makes me feel good...

Ranger63

Bicycle_Restoration (yahoo groups) just had a fella post a ton of history on the Ross Bikes
Back in the later 70s Ross contracted with several top frame builders to make high end bikes for the company.
Among them were Tom Kellog and Jeff Duser.
The very top end was the Signature series(with the signature of the builder)which were tange prestige tubing (I have sence discovered a model just above the signature was offered in very limited production that was 531 db tubing thruout with full campy NR)and shimano 600 equipped.
Below the Signature was the Tange#1 framed Paragon which came with SR/Dia compe/Sun Tour componentry.
These bikes apparently ran from late 1975 thru 1984.
Ross's asking price was rediculous ($2400. for the top signature back in the late 70s)and many shops wound up selling em for far less. The very top end signatures required the dealer send in the buyers measurements etc..As you can figure, this went over like a ton of......
By the late 80s Ross was sourcing stuff out to taiwan and bike production was stopped all togeather when the one son accepted a Govt. contract (to build whatever for the military)which never panned out.
(all this is available in detail from the posts on B_R by a guy who has a ton of info on Ross)
I have (in the process of being restored) both the Paragon (a 1983 model) and the Signature (a Tom Kellog Built 1979)

brandenjs

Thanks Ranger, Ok on this thread it is required to post pictures..I'd love to see those. I'd even like to see them in the building stages..Those bikes make my Gran Tour seem like a Walmart special..Even though I think mine was about mid-level quality.. Ross did make an effort to make it lighter, it's weighing in at about 20 lbs.

Little Darwin

Did all of the Signature bikes have the signature of the builder? And if so, where.

I haven't looked closely yet at my recently purchased Signature.

brandenjs

The ones I have seen have had a signature on the left side chain stay..And thats the first place my LBS guy looked when he saw mine, he thought some of the Gran Tours had a signature on them also..Needless to say we were both disappointed..

oreo173

All The custom signature bikes were hand built and in fact signed by the frame builder. Just so you know everyone under our roof was a Ross employee. We did not contract out that work to anyone. Those are American made Ross Bikes produced in our Factory in Allentown PA.

Joe McKishen

As Ranger63 mentioned above, here are the links to the two Ross catalogs I have posted at bicycle_restoration Group on Yahoo.

https://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group...ss%20Bicycles/

https://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group...ss%20Bicycles/

I am not sure if non group members can view these or not, but I am sure they would welcome new members.

mniccum

My parents took me to a bike shop in Shelbyville Illinois back in the early eighties and bought me a Ross bike. I had that bike forever and a day. They still have two Ross bikes hanging in their garage. Never paid much attention to the models.

brandenjs

OK..I'll tell ya before anyone else does..We must have pictures here.....I'd like to see what they are..And welcome to the forum...

tehrlich7

I see a lot of people talking about the history of Ross, and someone asked what the connection is to Bicycle Corporation of America.

My grandfather, Willie Ehrlich, was the former president of Ross and was the one who moved them to Allentown in the early 70's. He then started Bicycle Corporation of America in the late 70's early 80's and it was around until the early to mid 90's until my father sold it off and started a new bike company called Hyper Bikes...That is how they are tied together

andyross

hey, tehrlich, I worked for your grandfather in the 1960's in Rockaway Beach, he was the plant manager then. Your grandfather was a manufacturing genius. I was the paint shop foreman and unless there were TWO (my Dad, Sherwood (Jerry) Ross was President from 1969 until demise of company in 1989) presidents, I don't think Willie was ever the President. I think he had a VP title when the company moved to Pennsylvania. Again please send my warm regards, Andy Ross-andyross28@earthlink.net.

tehrlich7

Your right, I just checked with my Dad. My grandfather was named VP when he decided to move to the Lehigh Valley in the early 70's. Shortly after is when he started BCA...

It was funny, my grandfather was contacted by someone asking about the Ross bike that was involved in the recent NYC bombing. My father was looking at pictures of it and could tell that it was manufactured in Allentown, just by a few specs that were on the bike...

My name is Tommy by the way. The family is now almost completely out of the bike business for the exception that my father does some consulting work. In the business of Sports now. We own a sports complex down here, and a semi-professional soccer team looking to soon go professional.

Small world...

Mooo

It's too bad, really. The Ross dealer in our town stocked only low end, and if you outgrew what he stocked, you went across town to the Schwinn dealer or drove to a bigger town (which is what I ended up doing). What's worse, he really didn't understand or particularly like bikes. I liked the guy and tried to be loyal, but at some point I needed stuff (pumps, racks, etc) that worked, and it wasn't going to happen through him.

I only ever saw one of the 290/292's "in the steel" and thought it very nice. Bummer that to get one we'd have had to order it sight unseen.

reelfishin

Not many dealers stocked the Signature series, they were too costly and if I remember right they were sort of billed as a custom built bike. I think the first time I had seen one was when someone ordered one and never picked it up. It sat on the rack for years. The same dealer sold many brands, I remember him complaining that it would most likely antique before it sells since it was so much more money than several other of his brands. It was way too small for me, but I don't recall it being all that high, maybe in the $850 range or so, but it was a far cry from a $300 Peugeot or some of the Asian bikes then. The problem was that the really serious riders weren't shopping price, they wanted name brand and high end, while the rest of the market wanted cheap and didn't know or care about how is was equipped or what it weighted.

Mooo

I thought the 290/292's were "bottom end signatures."
I recall seeing a cream color Ross, a clear step above the Gran Tour, and with a price in the $300-$350 range in 1983-1985. If I hadn't just bought a 400 series Trek, I'd have very seriously considered it.

tehrlich7

Its weird, just days after I said that the family is out of the bike business, my father is going back in for a little work. My father and current Ross owner Mark Worksman go was back together, entering the business at around the same point through their fathers. My father was contacted today about helping Ross reopen some of their old accounts. He was in charge of the Toys R' Us account, and Ross hasn't sold any bikes to them since my father left the biz. Now they want to start doing it again...weird

brandenjs

I'd love to see a new line of Ross' come out. A resurrection of my Gran Tour would be cool...

Al Criner

Hey - there is some revival of interest in more comfortable road bikes. The Rivendell/Gunnar Sport/Surley LHT, etc. style with longer wheelbases, higher handlebars, etc. These are all somewhat related to the sport touring bikes like the Gran Tour. And these bikes are a lot better to ride for most of us than a 30 lb mountain bike which is what a lot of recreational riders have. There is a big world between the folks who really need an mtb and the road racers.

I say bring 'em back!

Mooo

Hmmm, I wonder if a Ross Signature "boutique" bike would have the right sort of appeal... maybe something more Kogswell/Surley than Rivendell. Could be sorta cool. A "Gran-donneur"

Al Criner

I like the Surley idea. Maybe you could just make a real affordable one. Actually, that may be what is missing from the Surley line. Something between the Cross Check and the LHT for the long-distance type of ride. This could also be a real comfortable all-around bike, maybe a tad lighter than the Cross Check.

Ranger63

That bike was probably the Ross Paragon. Ishawata 024 frame and forks, SR/DiaCompe/SunTour equipped.
I have the 84 (just back from being powdercoated)which was that maroon shade.
The Paragons are probably rarer than the signatures!
The Signatures had the 290 series and the factual Signature (usually Columbus or 531,Cpmpy equipped)with the builders signature on the top tube (as I recall)

campykestral

Here is my Ross MT. Whitney, its been fun restoring it, took a while to find all the Campy parts ! , Still could use new Ross stickers !
Thanks ...Jim

brandenjs

Very nice Jim, How many trails is that going to see?

nuovorecord

THIS probably isn't the kind of publicity Ross would want, were they still in business.

brandenjs

That looks alot like my Gran Tour. I'm wondering how long it will take them to come question me. I guess I'll ride one of the other bikes for awhile..Maybe I ought to take the pics of it off of my photobucket site.