# Ross Signature / Ishitawa EX / 105



## Lutarious (May 10, 2004)

I just rescued this bike from the abyss. It appears to be a 1984 Signature series (292 S on the chain stay) The frame is mettalic blue green with silver, in great shape. The grouppo is intact Shimano 105 with the embossed arrow logo. The rear Der has a few scratches but works perfectly, adn the whole bike rides/shifts/brakes perfectly.

Besides the quick blurb on the Spectrum cycles site, I can't find much about this bike. Anyone know anything about it? Designed by Tom Kellog, great tube set.... Blah blah blah....

I'll take pictures tonight and get em up tomorrow.

Thanks,


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## Durandal (Aug 31, 2005)

My dad has one, probably an '86 he says, in dark metalic Red. The 292 S was the lower end version, built on the same frame as the high end one. The high end came with all Suntour Superbe Pro, but those are rearly ever seen. I've ridden it a couple of times, rides nice.

It's a nice find, especially for nothing.


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

I had a roommate in college in the mid 80’s who had one, black. His was full Campy. I don't remember the tube set.

He said he got it for a song because nobody wanted a Ross for that kind of $$s.
2-$300.00 seems to ring a bell. He bought it in the Camp Hill PA area.

It was my first taste of a REAL bike. Shoes, toe clips, the whole 9 yards.

I would love to find another Campy equipped one.


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## Durandal (Aug 31, 2005)

Well, my dad got around to taking pictures of it before I did. A few specs my dad forgot to mention. Rivendell Barend silver shifters, Brooks B5N NOS saddle, Superbe Pro rear derailer, Suntour Freewheel, the front wheel was bought to replacer a crash damaged on another bike and is a Mavic CXP-10 32 hole laced 3x to a Shimano Exage hub. The rear wheel I built and gave to him for christmas, older CXP-10 than the front but still the same construction, we removed the label though so as to not make it stick out. I just used cheap Wheel master 14 guage spokes but was able to find a Shimano 600 free wheel hub in the back room of the bike shop I work at. Finally red cloth tape that was hemped and then shelaced.

<a href="http://web.mac.com/mindhammer/iWeb/Site/Ross_Completed.html">Here</a href> are the pictures.


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## tube_ee (Aug 25, 2003)

Nice bike!!

I've seen a couple of high-end Ross bikes, one touring model and one road model. Both looked to be very nice bikes, and, due to lack of name recognition, sold for small money. I may keep my eyes open for one.

Beauty job!!

--Shannon


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## duane041 (Feb 5, 2006)

The Ross Signatures were originally designed by Tom Kellogg, but by the time your 292S was built, he had left to start Spectrum. Mr. Kellogg was nice enough to email me with some of the details about the bike. He said that the frames were probably built either in Japan or Taiwan (not Allentown PA), and for the money, and at the time, they were great bikes. The frames still used his geometry. The model were 290, 292, 294 and Triad in 1985 (which is the year of your aquamarine 292S). I use my 58cm 292S for almost everything; commuting, weekend rides, long-hauls, and grocery getting. Still has allof the original Shimano Golden Arrow 105 components, and still gets the occasional compliment.


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## ngs (Jan 1, 2007)

I have one....a 1986 (Jeff Duser told me how to date it) in black & silver, w/ Campy Triomphe components. It was my first "real" bike...I bought it used in ~1991 for $125. It is in excellent condition and rides great.


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## fbagatelleblack (Mar 31, 2005)

I have never met anyone who owned one of these and did not love it. They ride REALLY well.

Very nice find!

- FBB


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## ngs (Jan 1, 2007)

fbagatelleblack said:


> I have never met anyone who owned one of these and did not love it. They ride REALLY well.
> 
> Very nice find!
> 
> - FBB


I got my first custom road bike this September.....the frame is almost exactly the same size as my ROSS! I am going to rebuild the wheels on the Ross w/ the existing Campy hubs and some classic alloy rims, a new stem and wide 46 cm handlebar, put on a Brooks I have sitting around and set it up to mirror the position on my new road bike, which should be easy to do. I am so excited to get back on the ROSS. It got me excited about biking back when I was ~15...used to ride it out in the farmland of PA w/ running shoes and a backwards baseball hat!! I felt fast.


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## zracre (Sep 3, 2011)

I just got a 292s from a friends garbage...bike sat on the side of the road for weeks then moved to next to his garbage can. I saw it and went to pick it up expecting to pull my shoulder...it was pretty light! I had to cut the tires off of it as it had been sitting forever somewhere and rear spokes half missing. lots of cleaning and lubing (and a rear wheel relace) seat/seat post tires and it rides awesome! I want to modernize it but I cant bring myself to do it...


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