Dustintendo

Description:

Centurion Ironman "Dave Scott" Expert road bike for sale. Originally marketed as a tri bike, there's nothing particularly "tri" about the frame - it has a good geometry for long rides and sprinting around town. I rode to Ithaca and back twice last summer on this bike with a full load of touring gear.
The good: The frame is 56 cm, 32" standover height. This is a classic 80s steel frame, made of Tange no. 1 double-butted chromoly tubing. It was (maybe still is?) the lightest "street-legal" steel tubing around. Equipped with a period Shimano Exage crankset with Biopace chainrings (if you really, really don't want these, I would consider removing them and adjusting the price, but they it's a great crankset - smoothed out my cadence a lot). Stem is an original Nitto quill, wheels are "deep-dish" Matrix 700c rims on Specialized sealed-bearing hubs, with Specialized Armadillo tires installed. ALL bearings have been replaced or re-greased recently.
The not so good: the paint could use some touching up. I've covered up chips periodically to prevent rust, but it could benefit from a re-spray. I just didn't want to lose all the decals.
I don't have a scale, but I'd call the whole bike about 30lbs. (The frame only weighs 2.2kg, according to the manufacturer)
Would make a great fixed gear, although I would discourage mutilating a perfectly good bike like that - the frame has horizontal dropouts with threaded holes for adjuster screws (not included - original ones were broken and I didn't need them).
Price includes a spare folding bead 700x23c tire and a few presta tubes and a presta adapter if you need one


https://img164.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0384c.jpg

gamecat

Tip: not giving the URL isn't going to stop anyone around here from finding the listing. Especially if you're going to provide verbatim ad copy. You're better off listing the sale/auction in case the seller is known/notorious.

To wit: https://rochester.craigslist.org/bik/1129895383.html

$250 is probably the very upper limit I'd pay on one of these, unless it had been built/upgraded w/a set of components I really wanted. These are not those components. And this bike looks a little beat up to me. And I like almost every other Ironman paint scheme I've seen better than this one. Give me the Miami Vice paint any day. So.....I'd want to pay a little less for this one.

Of course, I already have lightweight steel bikes I like, and this one isn't as light. If you actively need a bike like this, that changes the math.

T-Mar

Looks to have the UniCrown fork, so it should be a 1988 or 1989. However, beware, it sounds like the current owner built it up from a fame, as the only specified components are non-original and 30 lbs is about 8 lbs too heavy. The cranks are a definite downgrade, while the wheels are arguable. Before preceding, I'd be asking for a complete list of the components.

Dustintendo

how does exage stack up in the product lineup of the time? also i suspect he is overestimating the weight. that said i wont be buying the bike sight unseen

PunctualAlex

For a complete bike in working order with good rubber, I'd say that's pretty fair. Not the bargain of the century, but if you go much lower than that you'd be expecting to replace tires, bar tape, repack hubs, etc. You could certainly do worse.
To be honest: I have kind of a thing for Japanese bikes of this era, so this might be clouding my judgment.

edit: Tange #1 really is great stuff. It might never be a race bike, but if you take care of it, it could outlast you.

thenomad

At that price I'd expect new brake cables, new housings, new derailleur cables, new bar tape and brake hoods, the bike fully washed, waxed and shiny, new tires and a complete lube and rebuild of all bearings and hubs and BB. I'm probably asking for too much but darn if that's not the higher end I'd pay for a bike that basically looks untouched except for essential maintenance.

CardiacKid

None of the components on this frame appear to be original, except the reflectors. The pictures aren't very good, but the parts listed and the parts I can see are of lower quality than a stock Dave Scott. I wouldn't pay more than $100 for this bike.

jet sanchEz

Fork looks a little bit too far back, doesn't it?

thenomad

Odd bend in the fork possibly?


And geeze, clean up the house or take the pic outside or something if you're going to sell a bike!

top506

Upper tier Exage (ie 500EX) is basically the same as 105 with a different (cheaper) finish.
Pretty good stuff for the money; I built up my Miyata 512 as 'full Exage 500EX'
Top

Rammer

This thread should probably be in the valuations subfolder.

Searching eBay for completed Centurion bicycle sales suggests $250 is at the high end (and that includes shipping/handling).

In my area, I think $150-180 would much more realistic.

Little Darwin

For $250, I would want to get a Master level bike, which would be basically the same frame with Shimano 600 level components. And, I would expect it to be in good condition.

RobbieTunes

Sorry I'm late to the party....

+1 for Little Darwin, and he had a much nicer one, all original, a Master, which I bought.
+1 for Cardiac Kid and thenomad. I mean, a cable set is $10 at Walmart.

Maybe the market is really high there, but that bike wouldn't bring that in San Francisco.

Of 130 Ironman bikes on eBay in the last couple of years, $250-$275 is avg and condition makes a huge difference.
I've been keeping a database, but have since stopped.
I've run about 15 of these bikes through my life, so I guess I'll venture an opinion.
And I've bailed on a lot nicer ones at $250.00, OEM-equipped.

1) This should be on the valuation thread, but glad to help no matter what, as long as you aren't the seller.

2) That frame is a 1989 Centurion Dave Scott Ironman Expert. Not much else of it is.

3) The stem was a Nitto, bars B115. Seat post fluted, saddle Avenir or Turbo. Not sure what's on that bike.

4) The following items are not OEM on that bike:
wheel set (should be GPX hubs w/Araya CTL-370 rims),
headset (should be Tange Levin CD-black),
brake set (Suntour GPX),
shifters (Suntour GPX),
FD (Suntour GPX),
RD (Suntour GPX),
crank set (Suntour GPX 52/42),
and cassette (Suntour Accushift 7-sp).

I haven't a clue about what bottom bracket is in there. It's supposed to be a Sakae.
It isn't in that good of shape, and someone ***** the bike and swapped in lower end components from a Lemans, I'll bet.

I wouldn't give $150 for it in it's present condition. I would give $100. A pretty clean, all OEM one just sold on eBay, same year, model, size, for 192.50 plus 80.71 shipping. I bid 190.00, but bailed when I bought a much better Lemans RS than this thread's bike for $100. If I put $150 more into that, it will make this bike look, er, bad.

I paid $120.00 plus $30.00 shipping for an identical, very clean frame set from Canada, built it up and simply don't need to show it again on BF. Like new, modernized, and sparkly, it went $600. I've tried to buy it back for $450 after he's used it a year, he won't sell it. I guaranteed him 75% back if he upgraded, and he did, but gave the "upgrade," a Trek 2000, to his girlfriend. He won't part with the Black Dog.

If someone had the time and perhaps another frame to put all those components on, it could be a nice build-up. Otherwise, $100-$125, even if it was next door. Just my thoughts on the matter. The frame is one level, the components another, and neither are in good condition.

And oh, yeah, OEM weight was 22.4 lbs with 700x18 Panaracer Tecnova II's that everyone hated.

I wish the seller luck, as the sale of that bike at $250 would really help the sale of an intact one in good condition.
However, I think the seller's way too high, and he's juicing the ad to puff the bike.

babyhook

I came across this forum because I am also looking to buy a used road bike. I have done casual biking in and around school for the past 5 years, but now I want to get more serious about it.

To be completely honest, I know I want a road bike, but don't know much beyond that. I am posting to this thread because I also found a similar Centurion as was previously mentioned and I wanted to know what you all thought about it. I'd love any and all feedback about the bike linked below as well as finding a first used road bike.

CENTURION "Dave Scott Ironman" 56cm ROAD BIKE for $350
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bik/1278145446.html

Thanks!

leegrant

I have a 1985 ironman master nearly pristine, bought it at a yard sale for 50 bucks. a really nice riding bicycle comfortable on long rides swapped original rims for a set of mavic 192s with Victoria pros bike weights just under 22 lbs. and of the four bikes I own it gets ridden the most.