Originally Posted by
thumpism
I probably assembled a hundred or so of those back in the late '70s and early '80s. Very basic bikes but they work, and I prefer the 3-speed versions to the derailleur ones.
IGH > derailer every time for any around-town commuter where stop-and-go is expected and top speed isn't a priority.
It's a pity these disposable Ross things are let down by brake calipers that wouldn't stop a flea from charging through a tuft of dust though - not helped by the steel rims as others have said, but it's not as if any other 3-speed from this era would have aluminum hoops instead.
I'd take one of the Sears Free Spirit Brittany 3-speeds any day over this though. A far better copy of a Raleigh Sports with a semblance of frame geometry actually made for an adult (because they're just copies of a 21" Sports), decent enough components,
real fenders (not the penny-pinching cutoff fender that Ross spec'ed here), and equipped with a real bottom bracket rather than a repurposed anchor.
-Kurt