Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.mswantak
10-26-04, 01:17 PM
Last month I asked you guys about a $15 Centurion at the local thrift store; I decided to take a pass on that one. Yesterday I stopped in again – mainly looking for ‘donor’ bikes for a couple of projects. I spotted a pair of DiaCompe brake levers I’d been looking for, and it took a couple more seconds to appreciate what they were connected to: An absolutely pristine Centurion Le Mans 12 women’s model, of unknown vintage but not terribly old. Stunning gold metalflake finish.This example had much higher quality components than the $15 job:
- Suntour ARX derailleurs
- Sugino GT aluminum chainwheels & crank
- DiaCompe brakes
- Araya alloy rims with 27" x 1 1/8" IRC Super HPs and QR hubs
- Selle Royal saddle
- Vetta aluminum rear carrier
- Upright bars
- Weight: 23 lbs.
Most of the bikes I find there have seen their better days, but I doubt this one had more than five miles on it; completely spotless – it still had mold flash on the tire treads and not a trace of dirt on the sprockets. In fact, no discernable wear on anything. It has a tool bag and dealer sticker reading ‘La Paz Cyclery’, in Mission Viejo, CA. It seems like somebody in a well-to-do neighborhood went to the trouble of having their LBS fit the bars, rack, and bag to a new bike, then never rode it for whatever reason.
The price tag said $30, and the wife had just gotten done complaining after a ride about how heavy her old Raleigh Superb was, so it was a no-brainer. It’s a quick, sweet-riding little rat, but I confess I know diddley about Centurions apart from their being Japanese. Can anyone tell from the description and pic what year this might be? Are they still in production?
http://home.comcast.net/~mswantak/wsb/media/1477/site1318.jpg
- Suntour ARX derailleurs
- Sugino GT aluminum chainwheels & crank
- DiaCompe brakes
- Araya alloy rims with 27" x 1 1/8" IRC Super HPs and QR hubs
- Selle Royal saddle
- Vetta aluminum rear carrier
- Upright bars
- Weight: 23 lbs.
Most of the bikes I find there have seen their better days, but I doubt this one had more than five miles on it; completely spotless – it still had mold flash on the tire treads and not a trace of dirt on the sprockets. In fact, no discernable wear on anything. It has a tool bag and dealer sticker reading ‘La Paz Cyclery’, in Mission Viejo, CA. It seems like somebody in a well-to-do neighborhood went to the trouble of having their LBS fit the bars, rack, and bag to a new bike, then never rode it for whatever reason.
The price tag said $30, and the wife had just gotten done complaining after a ride about how heavy her old Raleigh Superb was, so it was a no-brainer. It’s a quick, sweet-riding little rat, but I confess I know diddley about Centurions apart from their being Japanese. Can anyone tell from the description and pic what year this might be? Are they still in production?
http://home.comcast.net/~mswantak/wsb/media/1477/site1318.jpg