T-Mar

Probably the best way to narrow down the year is to check the component date codes against the info the Vintage-Trek website. The model year is generally the the same as, or a year later, than the component date codes.

You don't mention which "ho-hum" tubing it used, but it t doesn't sound like a 1983 Pro Tour 15, as it used Tange #2 and came in blue or black.

a77impala

I have a Centurian Cavaletto frame in my back yard that was given to me as a parts bike from my LBS, it was complete, I used parts for my Trek 500 frame. Looked like a dept store bike.

steveeh

I have a Centurion Elite GT which I picked up at a garage sale. Tange 900 CRMo butted tubing, Suntour mountech derailleurs, Sugino RT cranks, chainrings 50,42,28, and a cassette with a 14-28 range. Anyone familiar with this model?

Point

The Elite GT was, I think, a mid-range model from the mid-80's

Centurion also made a line of aluminum racing bikes in the mid 80's, sponsering a women's team in the 86 Coors Classic

My Elite 12 from 1983/84 is now a semi-cyclocross/foul weather trainer. Still a nice frame

noisebeam

Thanks - That makes a lot of sense. My dad bought it new in the early 80s (he doesn't remember when exactly) and entry level model sounds about right. Its nice to know about the tube materials.

Al

Brian

Great thread. I'm trying to negotiate the purchase of a friend's Iron Man. I guess I need to get some more info from him to determine a fair price. I'll email him and post my plea for help at a later date.

bigrider

I just ran across a centurion marked "omega" in a local thrift store. Was running out of time and did not get the details on the bike. What I recall was that it was lugged frame, a beige overall color, and was in near new condition. My impression was that it was not a high end model. I did not see this model mentioned in the thread. Any info. on this model? If it is still there, I will take a look at it in detail in the next few days.

henryfool

I have too many bikes, but I often wish I'd bidded on this Centurion. Sort of a Ramboillet / Specialized Sequoia type bike: pretty and versatile. Check out the chromed lugs and braze-on centerpulls.


https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=7176599062

metal_cowboy

When people ask me how I got into cycling, I tell them about a picture I saw of Dave Scott and his ultra cool pink and yellow centurion. This was 1987, a year of two before the big triathlon explosion.

I could not afford the Dave Scott Ironman, but I did scrape up enough to buy a Lemans RS for $429. Fully lugged frame, beautiful two tone paint job.

Man, do I miss that bike.

MajikMan

Hey! That's the first verification I've gotten that I was right in guessing '87 on my new pink/yellow Ironman. Any information about the wheels on those models - they say 'Wolber super champion alpine'?


I still think I might have to strip the (quite good condition) paint and get some more tolerable colors (and something that accents the lugs better).....

T-Mar

The correct wheelset are Wolber Alpine, 32 hole, dark anodized rims, laced to Shimano 105 hubs. Tires are 700x20C Panaracer Technova. Cogs are 13-24T. By the way, Wolber is a French company.

Bikesmith

Great History lesson!!

If anybody is interested, I have just listed my 56cm CENTURION Carbon on eBay.

In my opinion, the smoothest riding racing bike money can buy.

This was the last year before WSI was sold off to China Bike.

I hate to loose her but I'm broke and I need the money.....

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MESE:IT

Wildwood 

Noisebeam -- I have an '84 ProTour model that came with a 5 speed freewheel, so I would guess yours to have been a year or more after that, given 6 cogs.

Wildwood 

The tubing on my ProTour is Tange "Champion #2", ho-hum simply because it was the heavier tubes for touring application. I still like the ride for days when simple enjoyment is the purpose.

Artkansas 

Wah! I had a Pro-Tour for one month. It was soooo sweet. Then, not one but two gangs attacked me at the same time and took it away.

Lambo

I hope y'all don't mind if I jump in on this thread but I recently came across a Centurion Comp TA at Goodwill. I got my mom to buy it for my birthday. It was only $65 plus tax.
It has Shimano 600 brakes and derailleurs, campy hubs, mavic tubular rims. Tange Champion No. 2. I've read in this thread that No. 2 is the lighter, and the heavier, tubeset than No. 1. Anybody have a definitive answer? I'm a big guy so I don't mind if No. 2 is beefier.

Silver and light purple in color.
No pics as of yet, I'm afraid.

cuda2k

My Centurion Sport DLX rebirth project is nearing completion. Finally got the photos and some details of the work up on my website. Link (Custom Barracuda Mk.I) in my sig for the photos. it started out as a humble entry level bike but is getting the full work over with all new paint and component group.

brotopher

centurion 'trac' bike: my local bike shop tells me that they didnt make too many of these, or that they were pulled from production...anyone have any history on this model? its been beat on, but its a stirdy and fairly light (20lbs-ish) ride. thanks!

alanbikehouston

I had not thought to "click" on the links to the 1976 "Bicycling" review of the Pro Tour until re-reading this thread today. That article was not the only "rave" review for the Centurion Pro Tour. Richard Ballantine's "Richard's Bicycle Book" included the Pro Tour on his list of "Best" bikes in both the 1978 and 1982 updates of his book.

Ballantine said "The Centurion Pro-Tour is purely, firmly, and beautifully, a touring bike. It is made for comfort, and stable handling of heavy touring loads".

The bike that followed the Pro-Tour on Ballantine's list was NOT designed for touring: the Schwinn Paramount P-13...a bike that sold for two or three times the price of the Pro-Tour. To place a mid-priced Centurion touring bike on the same "best bikes" list as a mega-buck" Paramount road bike was a high compliment indeed. Most of other bikes on Ballentine's best list also cost two or three times as much as the Centurion.

The long wheelbase, long chainstays, and steel frame and fork of my 1984/1985ish Pro Tour absorb the shock of Houston's bombed out roads better than any bike I've owned. As best I can tell, my Pro Tour's parts are all originals, except for the tires. And, after 21 years of wear and tear, the bike still rides as well as when it was young. I wish that was true of the rider.

It is a shame that most younger riders may never enjoy the experience of a long ride on a first-rate steel frame/steel fork touring bike...the best ride on two wheels.

jimshapiro

Thanks for all the research and information. I have two Centurions, an Elite RS (pictured) that I converted to a fixed gear and a 15 speed with cantilever brakes that I keep where I consult to ride daily at lunch. The brakes and pedals on the Elite are (now) both Shimano 105 and I replaced the original brake levers and even added in-line brake levers. The seat is a neat white Selle Italia. The wheels are high-flange Suns. I have more expensive bikes, but this is my ride of choice.

MnHPVA Guy

I should find a good home for my '77 Pro Tour. I've got too many bikes, and when I want to ride a bike like this, I've got a Jack Taylor Super Tourist. Not that the Taylor is in any way a better bike, but I'm into old British iron and recumbents now.

Is there anyone in the Mpls/St Paul area, who is interested?

It's a 58 cm C-T, fine metallic Robbin's Egg blue. Price would depend on what equipment you want on it.

If anyone is interested in originality, I have almost all of the original bits, and an NOS set of rims.

alanbikehouston

Thanks for posting your Centurion history at Sheldon Brown's site. Hopefully, it will get seen by a lot of folks and perhaps some of the people who worked for Centurion will come forward and add some information.

Your article "ranks" various Centurion models. Certainly, ranking "road bike" models is reasonably easy to do. An all "Dura Ace" bike was designed to be a better bike than an all "105" bike, even when they use identical frames, and have similar wheels.

But, it is not possible to "rank" the Centurion Pro Tour against bikes designed for racing. A bit like comparing an SUV with a Miata. The Pro Tour was designed for "loaded" touring. Wiring for generator lights. Rack mounts front and rear. Fender mounts. Geometry that enables the bike to remain stable, even when carrying 300 pounds of rider and gear. Brakes powerful enough to STOP 300 pounds of rider and gear.

The stronger frame and fork, beefier rims, hubs, added spokes, and wider tires made a Pro Tour three or four pounds heavier than a "pure" racing bike of the early '80's.. However, a 26 pound bike that can take a 300 pound load ANYWHERE on the planet is a more useful bike than a 22 pound bike designed to carry 160 pound loads over smooth roads. (A 26 pound touring bike is NOT a "tank"...that is the weight that Schwinn listed for the Paramount Touring model of the mid-seventies.)

The Centurion Pro Tour compares well with the best loaded Tourers made in Japan in the 1980's, regardless of their original price. I continue to be mystified how the "loaded tourer" category failed in the marketplace. No other bike is more comfortable to ride, or better suited to urban commuting, shopping, and of course, none is better suited for loaded touring.

But, customers wanted "racing" bikes...sigh.

well biked

Well said-

alanbikehouston

To be clear, when Ballantine selected the Centurion Pro Tour and the Schwinn Paramount for his "best" bikes list, he was not suggesting they were both "touring bikes". He was citing them as being the "best" of their type...the Centurion for "loading touring" and the Paramount as a fast road bike. To my knowledge, there was never a Paramount that was truly designed for "loaded" touring.

In 1979, the "standard" Paramount was the P-13, which Schwinn called a "Road Racer". It has the same geometry (73 degrees/73 degrees) as the P-10 and P-15 "Deluxe Touring" Paramounts, but the touring versions had slightly longer chainstays and slightly longer wheelbase. The "Touring" Paramounts were closer to being "stage racing" bikes than to being loaded touring bikes...the beefier wheels and tires accounted for most of the three pound difference in weight between the touring versions and the "Road Racer".

Ballantine's "Richard's Bicycle Book" was a best-selling guide to buying bikes throughout the 1970's bike boom. In the 1972 edition, it was clear that Ballantine considered the "best" bikes to be the light European bikes with top-of-the-line Campy components. An Asian-made bike with Asian-made components would never have been considered a "first class" bike in 1972.

The role that Centurion played in the 1970's American bike market was (along with Fuji and the Bridgestone-made Schwinn bikes) to change the image of Asian-made bikes. In 1972, Japanese bikes were considered to be just cheaper bikes for folks who could not afford the "best" bikes. By 1978, the cycling media and many cyclists had come to realize: the best Japanese-made bikes were very fine bikes. The bonus for consumers was their "bargain" prices.

MnHPVA Guy

I think your comments, while accurate, could give the wrong impression to those who have never owned a ProTour. It was hardly a tank, not weighing that much more than the SemiPro. More like comparing a Miata to a Subaru WRX wagon than an SUV. I used mine far more for centuries and 1 day club rides than for loaded touring.

By the time I'd had mine a couple of years I had aquired all the skills needed to build a lighter frame, but never felt the incremental improvement in performance was worth the effort. Besides, at that time I was still ignorant enough to believe that a stiffer frame was more efficient.

I know a guy who says his Rivendell is the only bike he needs. He's right, it will do everything a Pro Tour would, 25 years earlier, and look even better doing it.