I recently got my hands on a blingy vintage mountain bike – a 1984 Ross Mt. Hood. My love affair with classic hard-tail MTB’s has been documented here before, with articles on customized Univega Alpina Uno and Bridgestone MB-2‘s that I’ve built in the past. But this one needed no work at all, except some careful hand polishing. It’s 100% original, down to the tires! Read on for more details…
Ross Bicycles Inc. manufactured over 15 million bicycles in the United States between 1946 and 1988, and was headquartered in one of my favorite places, Rockaway Beach, Queens. Ross was an early entrant into the mountain bike craze that swept across America in the 80’s and 90’s, debuting their first MTB in 1982. The Mt. Hood came along soon after in 1984, and was proudly made in the USA.
While Ross made the Mt. Hood for many years, this example is one of the first. The Ross brand name is often associated with lower-end vintage bikes, but the Mt. Hood was near the top of their production line, second only to the Mt. Whitney.
What set the two apart was just the components; the Mt. Whitney featured Shimano’s M700 Deore “Deerhead” group while the Mt. Hood used the RD-AL11 and FD-AL11 derailleurs – functionally the same but with a simpler finish.
The cranks were Sakae CR and the brakes were Dia-Compe’s 980 series, which have a classic look reminiscent of the MAFAC cantilevers. They provide plenty of climbing and stopping power, respectively. It has a cool built-in shoulder pad that makes portaging the bike easier and a little less painful – it’s a beast made of tough 4130 chromoly tubing and not exactly “lightweight”.
The Ross Mt. Hood is a ton of fun to ride around the city. It eats potholes for breakfast and jumps curbs easily. The “bullmoose” style handlebars are ridiculously wide, but I won’t change a thing about this bike. It will probably wind up on eBay sooner or later, because I know there’s a collector’s market for these bikes and this one is a near-perfect example. But every time I ride it, I’m having too much fun to think about selling it just yet. Check out the gallery of photos below!
Man, that was my first MB. It was a brute, but I got a lot of good years out of it. Enjoy!
I’ve got two identical Mt. Hoods that I bought in 1984 for my bride and me. Still great bikes, but not quite in mint condition. We still ride them occasionally. Mechanically…. Very durable. I’m glad to see some appreciation, because in 1984, that was a BIG purchase for a poor boy like me.
That was my first mtb and still the only one I own.
I Upgraded the rear rim and hub along with a few
Other things over the years by choice,not due to
Damage. Even though it weighs a ton I love it
And wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
I am an original owner of a Ross Mt hood crome and looking to sell it because I am 65 now and I think I still have the original book that came with it. It is a cool bike and it is in good condition I can send photos it still has all the stickers and head badge the seat is gone. Thanks Cliff
The ’84 Ross Mt. Hood was my first mountain bike. I was 12, and it was part birthday gift, part savings, and part loan I had to work off with the parents. $300 if I remember right. I was the first person I knew to have a mountain bike. I rode it as a commuter for the next 10 years, through high school, and college, with daily winter riding in college. On icy days I’d air down the tires and lower the seat, and used it to get from my off campus apartment to class. I also regularly rode it on local forest hiking trails. A great bike! Very comfortable. Long after all the components had be replaced, the frame still looked great. I’d love to have a restored model.
Howdy,
I need to learn to adjust the 1986 Mt. Hood RD-AL11 and FD-AL11 derailleurs – brakes & would like to see a DIY video on it or a copy of the pages from the manual. Can anyone help me out? Many thanks in advance!
Chuck
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Hi Chuck, I suggest checking out Velobase.com. They have a lot of old Shimano manuals and catalogs. The AL series is functionally the same as Deore “Deer Head” so you can also look up those.
What’s the chrome Ross Mountain Bike worth these days? I have one and someone just said they would like to purchase. I don’t use it anymore but other than tires, its in great shape. Any ideas?
Hi Tom, as always eBay is the best way to determine the market value. In general, one of the high-end models in original condition (all original components and a clean chrome finish with no oxidation) could get up to $800 on the collector market. But it all depends on finding the right person who’s been searching for that exact bike, in that size. If you want to sell it now, you should accept whatever amount you’re comfortable with. If you want a premium price, put it on eBay and Craigslist and be prepared to hold out for a couple of months or maybe even a year or two.
I recently purchased an all original 1985 ROSS HI Tech Mt Hood. After some time ( Lots of time 70 hrs) polishing it. I now have a respectable looking bike.
Could have sworn I posted a comment on this already, but can’t find it. I just got one of these and modded it to be a commuter/shopping blingy bike! Pics on my IG @johnoliva1 Its a little chubby, but stable especially on windy days. Great bike for potholes and shit roads. Love your blog here dude, and love all of these bikes… keep em comin! – Oliva
Hi John, thanks again for the kind words! It’s been years since I’ve updated the blog, but I’ve continued collecting, and occasionally frame-building, bikes. I suppose I should start adding them!
I have a chrome Mount Hood ,in really good condition complete with manual.
I am moving and would like to sell this bike ,what do you think it’s worth?
I’ve been reading everyone’s stories about their bikes. I love it! . I bought my my Whitney in 84. The year earlier I had bought Mt hood and sold it to buy the Whitney. I’ve still got it ? and since brought it down from the attic. I’ve disassembled everything and started to clean it up. The chrome has oxidation all over and after all the polishing it’s showing small oxidation pits everywhere and a two little rust spots. Not too shabby for all these years. I wasn’t sure how everything was going to clean up but all the decals are better fair condition. I can’t wait to get it all back together. The axle cones, hub bearings And tires are all that I need to finish the bike. I just want to say thank you to all that have left their stories for my push to bring life back to a great bike. Thanks
My first mountain bike was a Mt. Hood by Ross and it looked nothing like the bike pictured here. It was a very heavy frame with wide tires. The shop i bought it from is now long gone. But that bike took what most other bikes of the time couldn’t.
Does anyone still have their MT Hood bike and would like to sell it?
I have a chrome Ross that can be considered a “resto mod”. Frame, head set and bars are mint originals. All other components are new Shimano, including 16 spoke race wheels.
Looks awesome !! I’m 71 years old and can’t ride much.
I am original owner of a Black Frame, Gold Rimmed 1984 Ross MTB, 24” model. I wish I could definitively claim it’s a Mt Hood, but I have misplaced the purchase-receipt and cool instruction booklet.
I’d love to sell it to person who can appreciate the obvious quality and attention to detail that Ross’s move to US manufacturing brought to this model.
Please contact me by email if you are interested in viewing the bicycle.