BikePower

Thank you for the thoughtful offer. I never go back to Wisconsin anymore however and have no plans to at this time.

smd4

Yeah, just having the flickstand, bike color, and location are all in your favor.

BikePower

The definitive way would be to match the serial number with the serial number on the receipt from the bike store. My understanding is that bike shops keep records of every bike sold. I looked up the name of the store I bought it from which is Bike and Ski in Sheboygan Wisconsin on Indiana avenue but they apparently have gone out of business. The records may still exist on a computer somewhere. I dont know what happened to that receipt. Its probably with the catalog. it was in with my books that probablly got taken to the library when my dad moved. Long lost. I found a receipt from a drill press my dad bought in 1993 or so but no Ross Paragon receipt. So unless I can get a hold of the owner of Bike and Ski and see if he has records of all Ross Paragons from 1983 through 1985, I will have to go by intuition and clues.

BikePower

I think all the Ross paragons were the same color though. Bordeaux.

jdawginsc 

Yeah, this was the elephant in the room of thought for me.

$300 is an awfully high amount for a Ross Paragon in this (or any market). Those are CoVid prices completely restored methinks.

i could see the seller having you over a barrel of sentimentality at around $100. I don’t remember the model well, but I got a near mint Ross Centaur from roughly the same era during Covid for $50.

Nonethless, a really cool story, especially you selling your baby to help another person.

Edit: after doing some scouting around, I think initial estimate is too low. Ishiwata 024, bar ends, supposedly Cyclone? I could see $125 being pretty decent as a price.

smd4

Ah. Didn't know that. Still...two out of three!

dedhed

Mid 1980s Would have been paper records - Gone

thinktubes 

Maybe this is like getting together with an old girlfriend where you’ll be reminded why you broke up

BikePower

There is so much truth to that!!

Trakhak

No bike shop I ever worked for recorded bike serial numbers in the shop's inventory/point-of-sale computer. Very few shops even had computers in the early/mid-1980s, when that bike was in production.

hazetguy 

gotta disagree. below are pics of factory specs. no bar ends, Superbe derailleurs/shifters were the 'high end' parts on it, but everything else was middle-ish of the road. frame had some sizing quirks and the funky fork dropouts.

a few years ago i picked up a hammered, but pretty original Paragon at the local bike thrift store, in comparable condition to the one the OP is asking about, with the stock Superbe components, for $25 out the door. this was after it had sat there for several weeks with no takers.

also below is an 'as purchased' pic of a Paragon i picked up at the height of pandemic pricing, 2 hour drive each way, pretty much bone stock and mostly original, fully ride ready when i bought it.
i don't remember the exact price, but i know it was under, or maybe right at $200. pretty sure it wasn't more than that. i do not own it anymore.

i'll stand by my 'any old bike' 'valuation' of $25-$50, sentimental value to the OP could (should?) be higher if it's indeed their old bike.

again, best of luck to the OP to firstly determine if it is indeed their old bike, and secondly, acquiring it if it is.

BikePower

thanks Hazet for posting the spec sheet. I believe that is the 1983 specs. I notice the saddle says Viscount Aero. Indeed that is the seat that was originally on my bike. I noticed on the bike for sale it is a Velo. If it can be shown that Velo seats came on 82 or 84 Paragons then that would be strong evidence that it is NOT my old bike. Anyone happen to have access to those spec sheets 82 and 84?

hazetguy 

saddles are easily changed, and i sure as heck would not use that as any kind of determining factor.
no Paragon in the '82 or '85 catalog (i don't have an '84 catalog)

BikePower

i didnt see one in the 82 catalog either but i did see a 1982 price sheet that showed Paragon.

jdawginsc 

If I were a betting person, it is yours. Just too many close coincidences.

Chuck M 

Since the seller is somewhat willing to provide photos at your request, ask for a photo of the markings on the handlebar. If they are the SP alloy custom bars in the spec sheet it stands to reason these are the original bars as I doubt someone would have gone to the trouble to source original equipment bars if they did swap back to drop bars. If they have some other markings, then it may lean more towards being your bike.

As an aside, I too wish I could get my hands on my high school bike. But a few months ago I paid twice what I wanted to for a Takara like I had back in the day so nostalgia does have a dollar value. I hope this is indeed your old bike and that the seller realizes the asking price is too far out there to be reasonable. Good luck.

BikePower

Thats a good point and it occured to me that those bars are original and if so then its a lean towards not my bike.

But SR aluminum bars are fairly common on low to mid range bikes. So just because they didnt replace them with nitto or kmart steel bars doesnt mean they arent replacements. If they ARE steel bars or non SR alloy bars it is strong weight in our favor.

That stem is suspect to me. It looks awfully short compared to pics of stock Paragons. It looks to be an SR but about a 60mm?? The spec sheet doesnt say what size the stock stem was.

If the 1984 catalog says a Velo seat was the spec then its pretty safe to say its not my bike especially if the bars are SR alloy. That would lower my chaces to 90% not mine. I do not have access to an 1984 spec sheet. Do any of you?

polymorphself 

According to this old post it looks like user McDave may have access to the 1984 catalog. though the last time he posted here was 2008. Could shoot a PM anyways, maybe it goes to his email.

BikePower

good try Poly. when I try it says that he is not accepting messages

Chuck M 

The Nitto bars on two of my Takaras are also stamped Takara. Perhaps someone will know if Ross had their brand stamped on the bars they used. If so and these bars are stamped Ross, then the chances of this being your bike grow a bit slimmer. But on the other hand if they should be branded Ross and are not, then IMHO that increases the odds of this being your bike.

BikePower

Can you elaborate what you mean by sizing quirks on the Ross Paragons? Thanks.

Hummer

I have seen one serial number for the Pargon model. The format was for frames made in Allentown, PA.

Ross bicycles from Allentown factory were usually on the non-driveside dropout or the bottom bracket. According to the catalogue the Paragon and Aristocrat models had forged dropouts, so it is unlikely that the serial number will be there. I have seen an Aristocrat model with the serial number on the bottom bracket.

The first two digits of the serial number are for the month of the year and the next two digits are for the year.

BikePower

Thank you!!

The Golden Boy 

I have had 2 Flickstands in a drawer that came on bikes that I acquired- I took them off to put fenders on. But they were both 1980s bikes in SE WI with Flickstands, ostensibly on there for 35+ years. I've never gotten the impression that Flickstands were an uncommon accessory.

BikePower

thats not good. Maybe it was common in wisconsin in the 80s. ??