So a buddy of mine at work knows I like centurions, and he saw the "centurion" sticker sticking our from a trash pile in Marin so he drug it out. He cleaned it up a bit, decided it was too big, and gave it to me. Score! I only had 1 second to snap a pic of it before I had to head out the door.

but first impressions - its in heck of nice shape to be in a trash pile. but you know, Marin county trash piles are of a lot higher quality than we get around these parts. tange 2, looks to be 60/62 cm - mix of sugino, 600, dia compe

Congrats! Does it fit you?

Want

Wishing there was better quality trash in the midwest

yep. should fit just fine. sorry for the tease and will get better pics + serial number for the database tomorrow when I get back to work. he even lubed the BB - though he did not do the hubs yet. so its near ready to ride!

For his reward I gave him a paint stripped pinarello frameset that was too small for me.. and i'd been holding onto for several years for no real reason and was never going to build up. so we both came out ahead.

Now what we have here is a good ol fashion frame trade without a thread. Glad to read both of you got something you both wanted.

Don't forget to check if your trash is stolen.

I've heard the end of spring term is a good time to cruise for freebies around college campuses.

That's a nice looking bike, but I'm having trouble comprehending why it was in a trash pile. It appears to be well cared for.

Flat Tire?

Or simply unused. A lot of people buy bikes, ride them a few times and hang them up the garage forever. They move, or die, then someone left to clear the place out just tosses stuff.

Too many, a bike is a bike. MTB or road bike, they're all the same.

So, they may not realize the value of a vintage road bike.

Score is right! Congrats! Don't you just love the bikes in the Bay?

It is hard to understand why anyone would throw away something so nice and shiny.

I appreciate your taking the time to investigate the S/N. FYI, it's a 1985 model.

[MENTION=20650]T-Mar[/MENTION] Serial number KP510677 (as far as I can read)

some rust!


nice brakes-


nice cranks-

Interesting and thank-you. It was built by Katakura in 1985. However, this is the first Katakura serial number I've seen with the 3rd character above 'L'. Until now, I've thought it was a month indicator, but if it really is a 'P' then would suggest a fortnight indicator. Still, it could also be a partially stamped 'B" or a poorly stamped 'F'. I'd really appreciate it if you could take a closer look. TIA.

Must be an F, the paint is chipped off at that spot, but closer examination shows it has only the top and bottom line, and does not close to make the p- you are, of course, correct! sorry my phone pic was not as clear as i'd hoped, but IRL you can see its an F.

so: KF510677

Thxs for taking the time to do this! Gotta try to keep the database as accurate as possible!

Disagree. I'd recommend fabricating a number of fictional serial numbers and throwing them in there just to make sure everyone is paying attention.

Seeing that saddle , now I know why they threw the bike away...

[QUOTE=jetboy;19506654]

heh. the saddle is a Dahon- if you look closely you can see it folds up to be a much smaller saddle.

it actually was not on the bike when he found it, he put it on there because the seatpost was stuck and he needed something to pull on. Probably the most useful use of the thing. I should hang it on the tool wall and label it: "seat post remover"

Beautiful Score. What are your plans for it?

+1 nice score. Might want to put some crank bolts in there.

Looks like a bike that was in need of maintenance and was dumped in lieu of spending the $$$. As a victim of bike theft, I would still check with the local authorities to see if the bike is a hit. You could make somebody's day. If not, you've made your own day.

I'll check to the extent that I can, but i highly doubt it was stolen. a stolen bike would have been stripped down to the bones, or complete and dumped in an alley. no reason for a thief to find a trash pile to put it in. it was also lacking seat and pedals.... which is pretty standard for just someone moving on. No one was riding this before it was dumped.

nice eyes on the crank bolts... I had not even noticed! my attention to detail needs some work ---