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Early Ross Mtn bike id?
- Thread starter 10~18kustoms
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THOR
Look Ma, No Hands!
Nice job on your Ross !! I have a 1983 Ross Force One. Yours is very similar, but definitely not a Force One. Probably a Mt. Hood. They only made the Force One in 1983 before being forced to change the name. In 1983 it didn't have any cable mounts on the top tube, they used Dia Compe clamps. Where your top tube has the "Hi Tech" decal(s), mine has "Force One" decal(s). The decals are clear with small black script = almost impossible to see. Your rear drop out also has "Ross". Mine does not. The "84" in your serial numbers, denotes 1984. Mine has has 83 at the beginning of the serial number. Yours pretty much looks same with gold Ukai rims, chrome bullmoose bars, etc. Would have come with Cheng Shin "Snake Belly" tires & a greyish Strada seat branded "Ross" on the back. The tires had "Ross" added on them, but that never stayed on the tires very long. Hope this info helps ya out 
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10~18kustoms
Wore out three sets of tires already!
Yep, that's pretty much what I have found out through asking the same question on a couple other sites. Definitely a '84 Mt. Hood. The original tires on it were the Snake Belly tires, but they were to far gone to save. Not sure if the seat was OG or not, it didn't have Ross on the back, and said Made in Italy. I recovered what was on it for now, and haven't had a chance to ride it yet due to the weather, but just setting on it, it seems really uncomfortable to me so may be looking for something else once I get a chance to put a few miles on it. Thanks for all the info. Would love to see a picture of yours? I can't wait for better weather so I can get out and ride it.Nice job on your Ross !! I have a 1983 Ross Force One. Yours is very similar, but definitely not a Force One. Probably a Mt. Hood. They only made the Force One in 1983 before being forced to change the name. In 1983 it didn't have any cable mounts on the top tube, they used Dia Compe clamps. Where your top tube has the "Hi Tech" decal(s), mine has "Force One" decal(s). The decals are clear with small black script = almost impossible to see. Your rear drop out also has "Ross". Mine does not. The "84" in your serial numbers, denotes 1984. Mine has has 83 at the beginning of the serial number. Yours pretty much looks same with gold Ukai rims, chrome bullmoose bars, etc. Would have come with Cheng Shin "Snake Belly" tires & a greyish Strada seat branded "Ross" on the back. The tires had "Ross" added on them, but that never stayed on the tires very long. Hope this info helps ya out
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THOR
Look Ma, No Hands!
Here's pix of the Strada seat & the cool Shimano Adamas Ax pedals. Have to try again to get the top tube photo right to show the Force One decal. If you look careful you can see ROSS on the back & STRADA on the side. Seat looks a different color in different light. Fluted seatpost. Not too many of these Adamas Ax pedals lasted on these because they would hit curbs/rocks due to clearance. Nice Takagi Tourney cranks & Suntour AG front (& rear) derailleur.
10~18kustoms
Wore out three sets of tires already!
Weather and schedule have finally aloud me to get Ed's Ross out and test ride it for final adjustments. First problem was a dragging sound from the rear hub area. A closer inspection reveled the metal part of the spoke guard was chewed up between the gear cluster and the spokes. Couldn't find an exact replacement so settled for a NOS chrome Dia Compe guard a friend had. With that replaced a short ride reveled the reason it was chewed up. Chain kept jumping up past the top sprocket, and multiple attempts to adjust it didn't seem to help. Then when I also noticed it wouldn't shift all the way down to the highest small gear on the cog, I noticed the reason was the derailleur mount bracket was bent inward. After a careful cold bend back to straight, and a few turns of the adjusters. Bam! Shifting great!
Now with the bike rehab (the easy part) behind me, the hard part starts. Every year Ed would ride this bike in the MS 150 in MO. So I plan/hope to get my old, fat, tired ass out on the Katy trail and log 150 miles on the Ross in his honor/memory. Then I will take it to Colorado and surprise his son with it.
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Now with the bike rehab (the easy part) behind me, the hard part starts. Every year Ed would ride this bike in the MS 150 in MO. So I plan/hope to get my old, fat, tired ass out on the Katy trail and log 150 miles on the Ross in his honor/memory. Then I will take it to Colorado and surprise his son with it.
Before:
After:
