OutnBack

Seller seems to think this is a Centurion. Thoughts?

Aubergine 

Are those your pictures? Pictures of the parts won’t help. To identify the bike people will need good photos of the dropouts, lugs, bottom bracket, and serial numbers, if any.

wrk101

Its all about price, is the bike light in weight, and condition of the components. Realize touring models were never super light weight. Most of the better ones were 26 to 27 pounds +/-. But they weren't heavy either. IMHO, if it is a Centurion, that does not matter much as Centurion never made a bicycle, they out sourced the production.


Chrome is always good. Touring is a plus too, including braze on for lower front rack. SORA is kind of underwhelming but actually functions well. DT braze on for aero/top mounted shifters is a clue to early to mid 1980s. Lots of bikes from that era had that shifter design. Only one set of bottle cage mounts is unusual on a touring model. That will eliminate many choices in your hunt. Has a CO2 peg on the underside of the DT, another unusual feature.

Just buy it based on condition, size and price. Don't worry about the exact brand as they all kind of ran together at that time. Brand has little bearing on price. And so many brands only made brochures back then: Univega, Nishiki, Centurion, Lotus, and many, many others. Then add brands that made their own bikes but also outsourced a portion of their production: Schwinn, Raleigh, Bianchi, on and on. Is a Panasonic built Schwinn a Panasonic or a Schwinn? Once all the markings are gone, you will just know it was made by Panasonic, but not whether it was sold as a Panasonic bike.


Looks like someone did a nice job modernizing that bike, if that is what you are seeking.


I've owned enough bikes I no longer sweat the exact model, brand or year. Looks Japanese to me, they had dozens of brands back then with hundreds of models.


Looks like a compact crank on there. Budget for a triple crank replacement if you are going to tour with it. As a regular bike to ride, a compact crank is nice!

Bianchigirll 

Were the Fuji America bikes chromed? I think someone just stripped the paint off a bike.

wrk101

Yes, if someone stripped the paint, typically the chrome where the paint was will not have the glossy finish as where the chrome was meant to be exposed. I'd want to see it in person to see how the chrome looks.


With a serial number, you can just head to TMar's excellent Japanese serial number database. Again, that will only tell you the manufacturer, not the actual brand that was on the bike, and never the model.

cdmurphy

Without detailed photos of some of the frame details, I can't say 100%, but that looks to be an early 80s Centurion Pro Tour. Very nice bike, with a Tange #2 or #3 frame. It looks like it's been modernized, probably a plus from a ridability standpoint, but probably a knock to it's value. Depending on your market, it's a $150 to $300 bike.

OutnBack

Photos are not mine, & the seller says she thinks it is a Centurion with the paint removed to expose the chrome underneath.

Thanks for all the help/suggestions/advice.

coolkat

I also suspect that it is in fact a Pro-Tour, frame details certainly look like it and it's the only full-chrome grand touring bike that jumps into my mind. I agree the components are unfortunate, though they're totally functionally good. IF it was for me, I'd be looking at it as a frameset, and sell off the components. 150-250

bwilli88 

It looks like one of my Chrome Pro-tours
centurion chrome 3 by Bwilli88, on Flickr

OutnBack

It does look like your chrome Pro Tour. Did you strip the paint off your bike?

bwilli88 

Nope I bought it that way.
here are a few more
centurion chrome 8 by Bwilli88, on Flickr

centurion chrome 11 by Bwilli88, on Flickr