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Anybody know the history of Ross bikes?

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Anybody know the history of Ross bikes?

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Old 04-10-08, 10:45 AM
  #251  
McDave
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Originally Posted by campykestral
If you come across a chrome road frame and fork , i am looking, Lightweight or Signature series ! I would almost "KILL" for a chrome Paramount !
You have a very nice Chrome collection by the way !
Thanks! I'm picky about the appearance of my bikes. All my keepers either have near perfect paint, or none at all!

What size are you looking for? PM sent with a possibility.
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Old 04-11-08, 06:39 PM
  #252  
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Originally Posted by McDave
Thanks! I'm picky about the appearance of my bikes. All my keepers either have near perfect paint, or none at all!

What size are you looking for? PM sent with a possibility.
55 or 56 should be fine, taking a long look at the le tour tho......
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Old 04-11-08, 10:45 PM
  #253  
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well, it did look good !

Originally Posted by campykestral
55 or 56 should be fine, taking a long look at the le tour tho......
the Le Tour is gone, i did notice the seller stated he could end early, the "buy now" left with the first bid, and today it ended, done deal, i would like to hear the whole story, kind of took care of worrying about it being a bit small,......Oh well back to looking !
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Old 05-02-08, 12:56 PM
  #254  
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Force One MTB

Just saw this in Dallas Craig's List, and wandered onto this link researching Ross. The bike is so clean looking I hope I don't regret passing it along instead of buying.

https://dallas.craigslist.org/bik/664731931.html

I'm not techie enough to post the oicture for future reference but maybe someone else can.
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Old 05-06-08, 10:54 AM
  #255  
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Gone !

Originally Posted by texastom
Just saw this in Dallas Craig's List, and wandered onto this link researching Ross. The bike is so clean looking I hope I don't regret passing it along instead of buying.

https://dallas.craigslist.org/bik/664731931.html

I'm not techie enough to post the oicture for future reference but maybe someone else can.
The craigs list item was removed by the one who put it up, most likely had a local buyer, or ? if you still have the picture, give it a try, its real easy with the setup on this forum, and we are all BIG on pictures!
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Old 05-06-08, 12:07 PM
  #256  
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When you fix up an old Ross do you have issues with obsolete sizes for components? My '85 Grand Tour came with a .833" (21.15mm) SR stem and an unmarked seatpost which I think is 23.8mm. I believe these were typical for American bikes at the time (e.g. Schwinn) but they are a real challenge if you want to change/update components.

By the way, if someone out there has a 23.8 setback seatpost (does this exist?) or a 21.15 threaded to threadless stem adapter (they have these in Canada for BMX bikes), PM me.
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Old 07-14-08, 09:04 PM
  #257  
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Wrecked my probably an 82-84 Ross Grand tour last year, needs a new frame. Bummer fine bike. I don't know where to start with finding another frame.

Last edited by toysarefun; 07-14-08 at 09:08 PM.
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Old 07-15-08, 11:00 AM
  #258  
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Sorry to hear about the wreck..What size was your bike. I have a Gran Tour that I was think about getting rid of. It is a 62cm I think. It's too tall for me, It is in excellent shape (all original). Let me know if you are interested..There are some pics on my photobucket link..
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Old 07-20-08, 11:27 PM
  #259  
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I found this bike and wanted to learn more about BCAmerica and my google search turned up this link, and it wasn't easy trying to find the information I could.

The decal on the front says it was made in Allentown PA. The only info I can find is for Ross. Does anyone know when these BCAmerica bikes were made? Were they an offshoot? Were they bought out?
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Old 07-21-08, 04:35 AM
  #260  
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No pictures (yet) but I picked up a 5 speed Ross Eurotour over the weekend for $2.00. Did a little clean up and replaced the rotted and bulging rear tire (front tire has many cracks and needs replacement too) and it doesn't look half bad.

Chrome fenders, light blue (and rust ) colored frame and the weird Shimano FFS system.
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Old 07-21-08, 05:35 AM
  #261  
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Originally Posted by sonatageek
No pictures (yet) but I picked up a 5 speed Ross Eurotour over the weekend for $2.00. Did a little clean up and replaced the rotted and bulging rear tire (front tire has many cracks and needs replacement too) and it doesn't look half bad.

Chrome fenders, light blue (and rust ) colored frame and the weird Shimano FFS system.
I have a silver ross eurotour that I love. I like the ffs you can shift while coasting
Roy
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Old 07-21-08, 08:13 PM
  #262  
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And here is a picture of this past weekends $2.00 Ross Eurotour purchase. It has been scrubbed up a bit, new tire mounted on the rear wheel and the saddle was swapped out for something from the parts bin.
[IMG][/IMG]
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Old 08-04-08, 07:40 PM
  #263  
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Ross Genuine 1020

I have a similar bike to sonatageek. Mine is blue with the saddle. All it needs is new inner tubes and brake pads. I was wondering what is the average cost for such a bike? My bike is a 3 speed hub, ross import division made in japan-genuine 1020-a super deluxe (according to whats on the bike frame)-high strength steel construction.
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Old 08-18-08, 08:31 PM
  #264  
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Ross with Shimano 600 gruppo

I went to see a Ross 12 Speed mens today. It had all Shimano 600 components that were beautifully engraved. It seemed to be in decent condition (not great though, there was some rust but not much) and it was quite light, maybe around 20 lbs. I decided not to buy it but I really liked the Shimano 600 engraving

There was nothing on the bike to indicate what model it was, but the headset (?) was Ross Professional as were the handlebars, a sticker said it was Chromoly, double butted, Ishikawa ?, made in Japan.

i read the first few pages of this thread before going to see the bike which was very helpful - thanks for that! The ad's off CL so I can't get the pic from there (I can ask the seller to email it to me if needed). I wish I'd taken pics of the Shimano while I was there....
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Old 08-19-08, 06:45 AM
  #265  
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sounds pretty nice..what was the asking price? Maybe a signature series? They usually had better components than the lower end such as the Gran Tour(check my photobucket link, I've got some pics on there of mine.see if it looks similar). 600 is nice stuff...
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Old 08-19-08, 03:13 PM
  #266  
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Originally Posted by brandenjs
sounds pretty nice..what was the asking price? Maybe a signature series? They usually had better components than the lower end such as the Gran Tour(check my photobucket link, I've got some pics on there of mine.see if it looks similar). 600 is nice stuff...
It does look similar to the Gran Tour in your pics, but I couldn't say conclusively. He wanted 99.00
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Old 08-19-08, 09:02 PM
  #267  
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Originally Posted by deburn
I went to see a Ross 12 Speed mens today. It had all Shimano 600 components that were beautifully engraved. It seemed to be in decent condition (not great though, there was some rust but not much) and it was quite light, maybe around 20 lbs. I decided not to buy it but I really liked the Shimano 600 engraving

There was nothing on the bike to indicate what model it was, but the headset (?) was Ross Professional as were the handlebars, a sticker said it was Chromoly, double butted, Ishikawa ?, made in Japan.

i read the first few pages of this thread before going to see the bike which was very helpful - thanks for that! The ad's off CL so I can't get the pic from there (I can ask the seller to email it to me if needed). I wish I'd taken pics of the Shimano while I was there....
Sounds like a Signature bike, maybe a 294S??? The Ishiwata tubing is great stuff-my 292S had the triple butted EX tubes, and they ride wonderfully. Not the stiffest in the world, but forgiving on the bumpy stuff.

$99 is a steal even if it was just a frame. Go for it.
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Old 08-19-08, 09:53 PM
  #268  
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Yep, I think I would pick it up for that..Could be a great find from the sounds of the components and frame...
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Old 08-20-08, 07:36 AM
  #269  
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Originally Posted by duane041
Sounds like a Signature bike, maybe a 294S??? The Ishiwata tubing is great stuff-my 292S had the triple butted EX tubes, and they ride wonderfully. Not the stiffest in the world, but forgiving on the bumpy stuff.

$99 is a steal even if it was just a frame. Go for it.
A steal...really? Wow, I passed on it thinking Ross bikes werent very good in general. I just emailed the seller to see if he still has the bike. Unlikely, but I'll buy it if he does!

btw, what is the difference between double and triple butted? And what are EX tubes? Thanks for the info

Bernard
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Old 08-20-08, 09:22 AM
  #270  
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In my opinion they are just as nice as some Schwinns that are out there. I'm sure that might ruffle some feathers,but that's what I think. I did a century on mine last year and loved it (except for some ghost shifting from the friction shifters).The signature series bikes are very nice and if you read some of the history in this thread you'll see why. They are a great piece of American bike history. Sorry I can't help you on the differences in the tubing. Hope you get it..
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Old 08-20-08, 10:29 AM
  #271  
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A local "everything" shop (the guy's shop looks like my Dad's garage - you have to step around, over, and through everything to get to that "one item you can see") - tells me he has a Ross Blackwidow in a storage building and he would dig it out if I was interested.

Should I be interested?
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Old 08-20-08, 12:21 PM
  #272  
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Originally Posted by brandenjs
In my opinion they are just as nice as some Schwinns that are out there. I'm sure that might ruffle some feathers,but that's what I think. I did a century on mine last year and loved it (except for some ghost shifting from the friction shifters).The signature series bikes are very nice and if you read some of the history in this thread you'll see why. They are a great piece of American bike history. Sorry I can't help you on the differences in the tubing. Hope you get it..

How would i know it's a signature or not? thanks
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Old 08-20-08, 01:27 PM
  #273  
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If you read further back in this thread you'll find some discussion (and pics)on what components they cam with. It looks as if you could have special ordered a Signature series with Campy parts on it. From what I understand Tom Kellog was the frame builder for the Sig.series and his signature was on the left chainstay.
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Old 08-20-08, 02:36 PM
  #274  
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Hi Branden, not sure if your last post ^^^ was addressed to me, but the bike I saw (which I just found out has been sold :-( had Shimano components not Campy. NEXT time I'll look out for the Tom Kellog signature!
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Old 08-20-08, 03:59 PM
  #275  
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Yeah I remembered that one had Shimano 600 on it. I just thought it was cool that back in the day you could have ordered it with either one. I'm sorry you missed it. I hope it went to someone who will take good care of it and know what they've got. Watch for the posts on here, they may look for info on the bike also. Keep looking good deals are out there...I am considering selling mine. I need to make room for a newer bike. It's a 62 or 63cm depending where you measure from.
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