Yeah, I'm here.
John, sometimes I think we need to hire a translator for you. I think you're hilarious but I but wonder if people can figure out what you are talking about. ; )
I worked at Ross in 1989 after they went bankrupt and were bought by Rand International, and moved to Long Island. I was supposed to resurrect the Signature Division. Tom Kellog and Jim Redkay were long gone; so I am not knowledgeable about the bikes they built.
That being said; Ross did have several imported models that were also labeled "Signature" and it sounds like the one on ebay is just that.
While we are on the subject let me reminisce a bit.
I was hired by Nile Nims who was the president of Ross at that time. Before he went to work for Ross Nile was a distributor for Holdsworth. He still had about 60 Holdsworth frames that he had brought to the Ross facility. His plan for the Signature line was to repaint those frames and badge them as Signature bikes as a way to liquidate his stale inventory and jump start the new Signature line... That never got done.
I left Ross and opened Centerport Cycles. I wound up buying some of those Holdsworth frames for $50 each. Some of them were very nice and some were pretty rough. I couldn't see the frames before I bought them. I was ordering off a list that just gave model, size and color; so there was no way to know if you were getting a nice one or not. It was kinda fun...
I remember one in particular that was very well crafted. It was a cream colored mixte; 531 and Campy drop-outs. I wonder where that bike is now...
Regards, Jamie Swan - Northport, N.Y. http://www.centerportcycles.com (mapped) http://www.limws.org http://www.liatca.org http://www.cabinfeverliquidations.com
On Sep 21, 2005, at 9:56 PM, John T.Pergolizzi wrote:
> Joe Bender-Zanoni wrote:
> "Is it possible that no one wants to venture an opinion?"
>
>
> Don Giuseppe,
> O.K., ya really wanna hear it huh?
> Ain't a signature. Not no way, not no how.
> IMHO anyway.
> The domed style at the stay ends ain't anything I ever scene on a
> Kellogg built anything. I remember building up a red road and a white
> track
> Ross Signatures back in the day (1980?) and man o man a shevitz WOW!
> I
> would take either or both right now.
> All they needed were chrome faces on the dropouts to be PERFECT.
> Called Tom about that and he said that there was no chromer in the
> area. The
> frames would have to be sent out and it would be too complicated.
> Think watcha like, I want you to be happy.
> Ask Swan, he worked down there for a while. Swan, Swan? SWAN, you
> out
> there?
> Next week Joe, you and I will have a little talk about Santa Claus and
> the
> Easter Bunny.
>
> Sorry,
>
> John T.Pergolizzi
> O.D.
> BVVW
> Brooklyn, New York