My wife picked up an old '86 dave scott ironman w/ 600 groupo just last year. She loves it - we kept it the way it was but we're also into older bikes. If this DW person likes it the way it is - you'll save yourself $650.
It's in good condition, very little rust on the frame, nothing on the bottom bracket. I'll have lots of questions concerning restoration, and more pictures to follow.
South of Raleigh, North of New Hill, West of Harris Lake, NC
Posts
6,973
Originally Posted by TromboneAl
Got It!
It's in good condition, very little rust on the frame, nothing on the bottom bracket. I'll have lots of questions concerning restoration, and more pictures to follow.
Fortunately you've come to the right place. Robbie Tunes and I will be glad to take the bike and ride it through that painful "break in" period.
Seriously, very nice bike for a VERY good price. That frame will ride much better than any of the $750 entry level bikes that will depreciate to half their purchase price in three years. Meanwhile, your Centurion is like money in the bank, gaining in value while you ride it. How can you beat that deal!
Just finished the first cleanup. Clean and lube chain, cogs, all other moving parts, disassemble and clean/lube derailleur cogs, etc. New seat. Adjust fit. Felt great to get some lubrication on the poor dry, rusty chain.
Cogs before:
Cogs after:
Here it is after this first pass:
And most importantly, wife is almost as excited about it as I am (it's her bike):
It's in good condition, very little rust on the frame, nothing on the bottom bracket. I'll have lots of questions concerning restoration, and more pictures to follow.
I like the color scheme MUCH better than the yellow/purple paint on mine:
Top
the butterfly + flower pattern in the window behind it doesn't help haha. but...if you don't want it, i'll gladly take it off your hands...not to mention it sports the colors of my Lakers
the butterfly + flower pattern in the window behind it doesn't help haha. but...if you don't want it, i'll gladly take it off your hands...not to mention it sports the colors of my Lakers
At the moment it's a frame and a box of parts waiting for decent paint.
We New Englanders truly enjoyed watching the Lakers this season
Top
Yon know it's going to be a good day when the stem and seatpost come right out.
It's in good condition, very little rust on the frame, nothing on the bottom bracket. I'll have lots of questions concerning restoration, and more pictures to follow.
.
Hi,
.
Looks like a 1987 Expert. Should be Shimano 105 SIS (indexed)
shifting so if DW doesn't mind a short reach down to the
shifters, she'll have no trouble shifting and no trouble
with them mounted on the downtube.
.
The Shimano 105 SLR brakes are among the best. The ones on
my '88 Expert are the best set on any of my seven bikes. You
may need new pads but maybe not. Mine are original and fine.
.
Your brake lever hoods look as dirty as my white hoods looked
when I received mine. I scrubbed mine and the bar tape too
with a fairly concentrated solution of liquid dish soap. They
came out like new.
.
The original saddle on my '88 is a Vetta, leather with the
rough side out. Brushing an old one with a soft copper suede
brush can do wonders for one that is not too worn or torn
and hasn't been in the rain.
.
Original pedals were Shimano 105 platforms with toe clips
(plastic) and straps (nylon). I like them but I like Shimano
600EX better so upgraded mine.
.
The '87 frame is, in my opinion, nicer than the '88 or '89
Expert\Master frames. The '87 still has the nice investment
cast fork crown, which gave way in '88 to the ugly TIG-welded
fork\steerer. The latter was a cost-cutting measure that
marked the biginning of the end of nice Centurion road
bikes.
.
Be sure to overhaul headset, bottom bracket and hub bearings
as the grease will certainly be dried out and useless or
nearly so. And it will ride sooooooooo much smoother when
all is lubed and adjusted to perfection. DW will call you DH.
.
If you haven't already done so, have a look at:
. www.sheldonbrown.com/centurion
.
It will give you a little background on Centurions bikes
in general and the Ironman series in particular.
.
Oh, one more thing. Have a look at the seatpost. See how the
flutes run nearly the whole length of the post? That is a
double-edged sword. If your seatpost gets stuck due to corrosion
you can eyedropper strong ammonia down the flutes and get it
free in a hurry. But if the flutes didn't extend so far down
the seatpost in the first place, water wouldn't get down
them and cause corrosion.
.
I happen to like these seatposts so I've kept mine but put
LOTS of grease on them and deep down the inside surfaces of
the seat tube to ****** corrosion and bonding.
.
I saw one of these graduated (in centimeters) seatposts
going on eBay a few years back. The seller pointed out that
they were good for making sure your catch was legal when
trout fishing. I suppose they're graduated for fine
adjustments in saddle height but graduated seatposts were
probably more useful to marketers than to cyclists.
.
The '87 frame is, in my opinion, nicer than the '88 or '89
Expert\Master frames. The '87 still has the nice investment
cast fork crown, which gave way in '88 to the ugly TIG-welded
fork\steerer. The latter was a cost-cutting measure that
marked the biginning of the end of nice Centurion road
bikes.
I'm pretty sure my bike is an '87, and has the TIG welded fork. Late in the model year production?
Top
Yon know it's going to be a good day when the stem and seatpost come right out.
Yes it is indeed an 87, according to the serial number.
I had the same thoughts about "water entry" slots on the seat post. I've regreased it, and will add more to the flutes. Happy to find that the stem was not frozen.
Plan to relube everything. However, the front wheel is so friction free that placing the valve at 4 o'clock causes it to rotate down to 6 o'clock. Think I need to overhaul it anyway?
BTW, DW already got a "Nice Bike!" comment when she was out riding today.
------------------
1980-1990 Japanese models:
Japanese models during this period use a serial number format WXYZZZZ where;
W = a letter, purpose uncertain, but probably indicates manufacturer or Centurion
X = a number, indicating the calendar year of manufacture
Y = a letter, indicating the fortnight of manufacture (A = wk 1 & 2, B = wk 3 & 4, etc)
ZZZZ = four digit number, probably indicating frame number during fortnight
Example: N4E0283 indicates the 283 frame manufactured during the period of weeks 9-10, for the year 1984.
Take a deep breath, and ask--What would Sheldon do?
Posts
21,609
I came late to the party, but I have to agree with everyone that your DW has gotten a very nice bike indeed.
Top, if your bike was a tiny little thing I would love to own it! I think that the tiny ones with the small front wheels only came in salmon/white though.
East Hill
___________________________________________________
TRY EMPATHY & HAVE LOVE IN YOUR HEART, PERHAPS I'LL SEE YOU ON THE ROAD...
Top, if your bike was a tiny little thing I would love to own it! I think that the tiny ones with the small front wheels only came in salmon/white though.
Alas, it's just a touch too tall for me. But since I've been riding bikes that were 'too tall' for 30 years I'll manage.
I keep looking for a Miyata 512 with the smaller wheel in front for you. I do like those Miyatas....
This year I didn't notice as many Terry-style bikes in the Trek Across Maine, but I think that was the fault of my 'early out early in' style this time.
Top
Yon know it's going to be a good day when the stem and seatpost come right out.
give it a year. and don't dare paint that bike green and white...
No, that would be my daughter the redhead. She looks good in green....
I'm thinking metallic blue/grey and yellow, like my '86 Miyata.
Top
(I'll bet you're just old enough to remember Magic and Bird, but not Russell and Chamberlain).
Yon know it's going to be a good day when the stem and seatpost come right out.
I'm pretty sure my bike is an '87, and has the TIG welded fork. Late in the model year production?
Top
.
Hi,
.
Yes, my '88 MODEL Expert (red & white FADE color scheme;
late '87 MANUFACTURE serial number code) has a TIG-welded
crown too. A very nice bike indeed, but I sure wish it had
that nice semi-sloped investment cast fork crown.
.
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Originally Posted by Little Darwin
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