Ross Apollo

[hamqqea]

The Apollo experience. Gazing down through the frame's open space is quite a unique sensation. Iconic bike.
She's been around, far from NOS. Spent the night straitening and cutting. Considering drilling a bunch lighting holes for effect.
Sits nicely with a Sears MX fork. Not much steering tube to work with thoughFew old type fork options with a 6-1/4'' head tube. Has a Euro BB, glad it's 24 TPI.

Very closely resembles the Apollo No clue what the original looked like. Frame only. Came with a Shimano 333 fulcrum.
Seat post could be the same as the Ross.
Clean the mess, keep at... eventually it'll be something


Aristotle said the aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance...
I get it.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Aristotle said the aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance...

Art, philosophy, a rad little bike...
Thanks for classing the place up again, Hampp!

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Surprisingly close...

Yours has integrated cable guides? That tidies things up a bit. Funkier dropouts on the og too.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Whoops

Time to stop searching, just added one more to the wish list.

 

[hamqqea]

Whoops View attachment 197731
Time to stop searching, just added one more to the wish list.

$100 shipped, DEAL! oh, that was in 2013.
Never saw an Apollo copy, can't find one. I was thinking European market perhaps.
Seller had two frames. The blue was a previous sale, ref https://ratrodbikes.com/forum/threads/ross-apollo-copy.116055/#post-1216310. Orange was posted after... apparently the bad one. Low cost, had to have it. The euro model has wider box tubing. The rails are 9/16'' tubing. I was hoping for a precision build but the frame has substantial construction errors and trauma. Not afraid drill it anymore.
It appeared someone pushed the drive side box stay out. My thinking was chain clearance which is an issue with elevated chainstays. There was no reason to trying a bunch of sprocket crank combos though.
The drive side stay is bowed out at the 22'' mark in the image. It's suppose to be straight.

Corrected it and there was still crank arm interference with a wide crankset. The non-drive side arm cleared no problem. It was a uh-oh moment. The frame's stay is offset. It was necessary cut a portion of the brake mount to set the stay in further.
The piece cut out attached to a magnet in the image where it cam from.

170mm cranks working fine.
Frame's made of pretty decent steel. Heavier and harder than I expected.


I don't have an Apollo for comparison. Perhaps a Ross owner can provide the top tube length to centers.
Thanks

 

[kingfish254]

This is gonna be cool. I can't find that clone like frame searching around.
Love the green nanner with it!

 

[hamqqea]

Not long enough. The fork must remain. I have a method for lengthening a steering tube without welding.

Been posting in the How To forum https://ratrodbikes.com/forum/threads/steering-tube-obstruction.116072/#post-1216895

The bike requires so much mending that I'm feeling like a doctor dealing with a patient. I'm utterly fascinated by it's design at the same time.
Looking at many of the other BO bikes I realized mine is in the right place.

 

[Captain Awesome]

Not long enough. The fork must remain. I have a method for lengthening a steering tube without welding.
View attachment 197886
Been posting in the How To forum https://ratrodbikes.com/forum/threads/steering-tube-obstruction.116072/#post-1216895

The bike requires so much mending that I'm feeling like a doctor dealing with a patient. I'm utterly fascinated by it's design at the same time.
Looking at many of the other BO bikes I realized mine is in the right place.

No doubt it'll shine when you are done with it

 

[hamqqea]

Severed a finger at the skate park on my SE getting air. Clipped the coping edge coming down.
Doc said the phalanx bone fractured in multiple places... bad as it gets. Required a Tetanus shot and antibiotic IV for the open fracture. Hope the nail grows back. Had a compound finger fracture on my other hand from another biking incident and it grew back but this time it's worse. Going back reconstruction soon. They asked if I ever had stitches before.... um, yeah lots.

My boys call me ET
Recovery's about a month or more. I'm still going out for a ride today.
Holding off on the build for a bit.


On a happy note, I received a leopard suspension polo and Ross sprocket absent from my collection

Messing around with ideas meanwhile. I dig the orange and green. My best friend had an Orange Apollo, think about those days working on it. I do love the open down tube design. The head tube seems like it's connected by strings. Being able to see the front wheel in motion is fascinating to me. One foreseeable issue though. No way I'm using a front fender. I may need to add plexiglass under to prevent slug guts and such from flinging up at me trough the frame.

Nice day.

 

[kingfish254]

It is the year for holes and dimples! That concept looks awesome!

 

[hamqqea]

Speed holes is the way.

Extreme... ok

 

[Ulu]

Wow! I don’t know how you’re going to weld anything with that finger!

In all my years of bicycles and motorcycles and skateboards I have never hurt myself that bad. Just a minor fracture here and there & a bit of rash.

Anyhow the rendering of the dimpled frame looks tremendous. I hope you can pull it off. Or put them in. It seems like any motion at all is going to be painful.

 

[Ulu]

Now that you’re gonna have to work the drill press left-handed, I wanna give you more places to drill holes!

 

[hamqqea]

Now that you’re gonna have to work the drill press left-handed, I wanna give you more places to drill holes!

View attachment 198089

I like your dropout design a lot. My Flying Wedge in the back for comparison has something similar. The Apollo clone towers all other 20'' frames of the type. Those are BMX OS20 wheels in the picture(22''). Friends 6 feet+ compliment the Wedge's roominess. It's very heavy though. I'd definitely want to build a lightweight wedge using the open down tube(rails) from the Apollo in the future.

Already started a hole in the box stay to help straitening the frame quicker. Lighting holes, especially the dimpled type are interesting. They add a level of depth by removing materiel. With the frame on its side I placed coins on the square tubing for a look-see. Holes are the way to go. Regarding materials. I dabble with 3D modeling software. A tank can be printed. I was considering filling the entire sides of the frame, possibly even a woody. Hidden potential everywhere... Haven't past tech stuff to get it rolling properly yet.

People, protect your fingers! Basic & essential activities become near impossible missing an index finger! Detail work will have to wait. I'm a quick healer fortunately.

 

[Ulu]

I’m not sure how you’re gonna click the mouse with that finger. O M G !

Just a little bit worse and you could’ve wound up with a titanium Borg finger that has dimples and lightning holes. (Designed for iPhone lol)

Sorry I don’t mean to laugh at your misery.

Back in the old days I did CAD CAM CAE and coded levels for video games on the side. Before any of that stuff came around bigtime, I did engineering with a pencil for 20 years.

My clicker finger is worn out bro. The other ones ain’t in great shape either because of age. I can’t TIG weld with the button more than about two minutes. I must use the pedal.

Be sane. Not like me, taking painkillers and ignoring it.Rushing the recovery is bad juju bro.

Don’t be overly tempted by the fleeting fun of custom bicycle glory.

 

[hamqqea]

I’m not sure how you’re gonna click the mouse with that finger. O M G !

Just a little bit worse and you could’ve wound up with a titanium Borg finger that has dimples and lightning holes. (Designed for iPhone lol)

Sorry I don’t mean to laugh at your misery.

Back in the old days I did CAD CAM CAE and coded levels for video games on the side. Before any of that stuff came around bigtime, I did engineering with a pencil for 20 years.

My clicker finger is worn out bro. The other ones ain’t in great shape either because of age. I can’t TIG weld with the button more than about two minutes. I must use the pedal.

Be sane. Not like me, taking painkillers and ignoring it.Rushing the recovery is bad juju bro.

Don’t be overly tempted by the fleeting fun of custom bicycle glory.

manipulating the mouse buttons with the middle and ring fingers sucks!
I was thinking one of these dressing the wound for the first time.

I still ride pretty hard for 50+. I try to refrain, but when a youngster goes higher off the coping I gotta go next. This latest injury is a wake-up call to start backing down... I hope. It could've gone much worse. The look of a mother with her kid in the park seeing my finger tip hanging off Cycling has caused me much pain and bills over the years. Completely lost the skin of my palms not so long ago. Remarkable how fingerprints grow back eh.

Appears we have bit in common. I wrote early netcodes for gaming simulators way back. I've been online since the 90's. I remember using the first BB codes





Hey @Wildcat, nothing of mine you liked?

 

[Ulu]

Yeah we got a lot in common. Lots of Sports injuries!

I haven’t been in a pool since they tore down the Mogul Bowl here about 1979. I learned to quit while I was ahead.

Now I’m just riding bikes and skating for fitness. I don’t do downhill anymore either.

 

[hamqqea]

I just wanted to Like your post to acknowledge I read it without responding and fumbled the click

Sounds good Ulu. Carry on making interesting, cool and inspiring stuff

 

[threeforks]

Sorry about your finger tip.
I feel your pain.
The last finger tips injury for me was not bike related.
I was removing a shock nut/bolt on a class 8 truck, down underneath where i could
not see it and hold the impact wrench at the same time..
1 & 1/8 " deep impact socket, with a swivel attached .
Socket slipped off the nut and hammered two fingertips before i could stop.
Very quick. Very crushed . not fun. About 3 years ago.

And they did grow back. Nails and all.

 

[Gimp]

Speed holes is the way.
View attachment 198074
View attachment 198075
View attachment 198076
View attachment 198077View attachment 198078

Extreme... ok
View attachment 198079

Loved to watch the jalopes race on our dirt track. Think it was 75' was the last year they ran regular. Throw some red clay