Originally Posted by
BengeBoy
You can find 24" tires, but they aren't common.
The Centurion is a nice bike. Japanese-made, steel, lugged frame. Seems somewhat pricey to me but the unusual wheel sizes will either make it very hard to sell or very desirable to someone who wants that - who knows?
Here in Seattle 80's Japanese bikes (Univega, Fuji, Centurion, Lotus, Sekai) go for $50 to $300, depending on equipment and condition. I personally really like the 80's Japanese bikes and would look seriously at the Centurion (if you like the color, which I do).
I imagine one of the benefits for a shorter rider to have a 24-inch wheel is that it would help you avoid toe overlap - that's when at slow speeds you turn sharply and front wheel hits your toes. I would imagine on smaller frames with 700c wheels that could be a problem; maybe this arrangement helps avoid that?
I really like the way it looks, but it is hard to get used to the look of a big wheel in back and small in front. Does it look like it was originally meant to have a 24in wheel in the rear as well? Are there even decent 24 inch road tires out there?