![Vintage Ross Bicycle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Vintage_Ross_Bicycle.jpg)
Ross Bicycles Inc. manufactured over 15 million
bicycle
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.
Bic ...
s
under the Ross brand between 1946 and 1988. The company began in
Williamsburg, New York
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. As of the 2020 United ...
, United States, later moving its headquarters and manufacturing to
Rockaway Beach, Queens
Rockaway Beach is a neighborhood on the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is bounded by Arverne to the east and Rockaway Park to the west. It is named for the Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk, which is the l ...
.
The headquarters remained in Rockaway when manufacturing was later moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania where Sherwood could focus on designing his high end Gran Eurosport model which featured synthetic grease, polished bearings, and 26 skip tooth front sprocket for friction reduction.
Sherwood Ross,
against the advice of his vice president Randy Ross, retooled the Allentown factory and experimented in unrelated bicycle endeavors involving government contracts. Randy Ross moved Ross bicycles manufacturing to Taiwan to keep margins competitive and bicycle manufacturing profitable, but Sherwood Ross's decision to keep the Allentown factory working on government contracts ultimately led to the company having to file for bankruptcy protection in 1988 Ross Bicycles was re-established on July 31, 2017 by Shaun Ross, the current CEO of Ross Bicycles.
Ross competed domestically with bicycle manufacturers including
Schwinn
The Schwinn Bicycle Company is an American company that develops, manufactures and markets bicycles under the eponymous brand name.
The company was originally founded by Ignaz Schwinn (1860–1948) in Chicago in 1895. It became the dominant manuf ...
and
Huffy
The Huffy Corporation is a supplier of bicycles with headquarters in Dayton, Ohio, United States.
Early history
It has its roots in 1887 when George P. Huffman purchased the Davis Sewing Machine Company and in 1890 moved its sewing machine f ...
, and was noted as a pioneering manufacturer of
mountain bike
A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which ...
s.
History
Ross was started by Albert Ross as Ross Galvanizing Works in 1940, "manufacturing and galvanizing pipes and pipe fittings for the fencing industry and later galvanized steel parts for military ships during World War II."
After World War II, it was incorporated as Chain Bike Corp. in 1946.
Ross' first factory was on Kent Avenue in Williamsburg, New York, near the
Schaefer Brewery and the
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...
before the company moved to Beach 79th Street in
Rockaway Beach, Queens
Rockaway Beach is a neighborhood on the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is bounded by Arverne to the east and Rockaway Park to the west. It is named for the Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk, which is the l ...
some time around 1960.
In 1973 manufacturing was moved to a new, purpose-built plant in
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...
and on May 21, 1982 the company was renamed Ross Bicycles Inc.
In 1982, Ross Bicycles was the first ever bicycle manufacturer to mass produce the
mountain bike
A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which ...
. In 1983, Randy Ross created the first mountain bike race team, the Ross Indians. Ross had models that directly competed with the Schwinn Side Winder called the Ross Diamond Cruiser. Ross introduced their first production MTB, the Force 1, during the first Interbike Show in October 1982; the bike's name was later changed to the Mt. Hood.
In early 1982 Ross Signature (hand made bike department) was making custom mountain bikes. Jim Redcay was the builder; Tom Kellogg was working on road bikes. Redcay was also involved in the Force 1 frame development. This was the first bike Ross had built in Allentown with cantilever brakes. The Allentown factory was said to be retooled for government contracts by Sherwood Ross.
Ross moved bicycle production to Taiwan in 1986 to keep the margins profitable, but the government contracts and financial strain from the Allentown factories unsuccessful government endeavors, led to Ross Bicycles filing for bankruptcy protection in 1988.
In addition to bicycles, Ross manufactured
ammunition box
An ammunition box or cartridge box is a container designed for safe transport and storage of ammunition. It is typically made of metal and labelled with caliber, quantity, and manufacturing date or lot number. A rubber gasket is commonly fou ...
es for the US government at its Lehigh facility, and cited the government contract as the source of its financial difficulties at the time of filing for
Chapter 11
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wheth ...
protection.
The Ross name was purchased by Rand Cycle in
Farmingdale, New York
Farmingdale is an incorporated Political subdivisions of New York#Village, village on Long Island within the Oyster Bay (town), New York, Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York. The population was ...
, which suffered a recall of 11,000 mountain bikes in 1998. Randy Ross, grandson of Albert, introduced a stair stepper bike in 2007.
Shaun Ross re-established Ross Bicycles on July 31, 2017.
Albert Ross' son Sherwood (Jerry) B. Ross (1921-2013)
was CEO of Ross Bicycles from 1946 to 1990,
held several bicycle-related patents, served as President of the Bicycle Institute of America (BIA)
and the Bicycle Manufacturers Association (BMA),
and acted as an expert witness in product liability cases.
Bicycles
Ross began making bicycles in 1946, and by the late 1960s, manufactured about 1 million bicycles per year.
By 1985, it had sold 10 million bicycles. The company, still known as Chain Bicycle Corporation, marketed bikes under the Ross brand,
including children's bikes as well as
BMX,
touring,
cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles.
The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...
,
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...
,
racing
In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...
,
wheelie
In vehicle acrobatics, a wheelie, or wheelstand, is a vehicle maneuver in which the front wheel or wheels come off the ground due to sufficient torque being applied to the rear wheel or wheels, or rider motion relative to the vehicle. Whe ...
, and
stationary exercise bicycles.
In 1968, Ross joined the muscle bike craze with models such as the Marlin with a console mounted stick brake, the Barracuda with a chrome twin stick shift console, and the Barracuda Beast with a Futura sports car steering wheel.
In 1982, Ross introduced one of the first production mountain bikes, the Force One, at
Interbike
The Interbike International Bicycle Expo is the largest bicycle industry trade show in North America and is held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada. Exhibitors consist of companies interested in selling their products and services to bicycle retailers ...
. In 1983, they launched the first professional factory sponsored mountain bike race team, the Ross Indians.
With the rising popularity of mountain bikes, Randy Ross,
Sherwood Ross's
[ ] son and executive vice president of Ross Bicycles Inc., said in the ''New York Times'', "these bikes are one of the biggest things that ever happened to the biking industry. Its basic look constitutes 'a total shift in image' for the industry."
By 1989, Nyle Nims, then a vice president at Ross Bicycles (and later founder of
Cycle Force Group), said that 40 percent of bicycle sales were mountain bikes, adding, "we see a lot of people who previously owned the dropped bar, 10-speed bike buying the wide-tire bikes, they are people who don't want to ride fast; they want to ride for recreation."
References
External links
RandyRossStepper Corp.
{{American bicycle manufacturers
Rockaway, Queens
Mountain bike manufacturers
Cycle manufacturers of the United States