Thank-you for posting. Unfortunately that is one of the several miscellaneous serial number formats for which I have little data. However, Based on the rear derailleur and badge it should be circa 1976-1979. It would appreciated if you could post a picture or two (drive side please) and the two letter dates codes on the bacj of the deraileurs. TIA.

Surely you wouldn't complain if a 1989 turned up? I think the marble is just as nice as the smoke.

You're welcome. It's been fun and satisfying to help so many forum memebers.

Since we're talking about the smoke paint scheme, here's another little tidbit I've uncovered for your Centurion page. The inspiration for the scheme was apparently Jeff Lindsay's small production Mountain Goat brand, which was offering a smoke paint job, as a $100 option, as early as 1987.

Continued from post 1002.

A big THANK YOU T-MAR for your hard work.

Here is a couple pics. I also could not find letter codes on the derailers,Just 4532,meada Ind. made in japan on both both.I'll take a closer look after she's cleaned up.

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/c...urion008-1.jpg


http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/c...urion011-1.jpg


http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/c...urion012-1.jpg

Michael K, that looks very much a 1975. However, the 1975 LeMans were VGT equipped as opposed to SEVEN. Given the similarity in decals and the introduction of the SEVEN derailleur for 1976, its probably closer to that end of the timeframe (i.e. 1976 or 1977). The two letter code should be on the back of the inside parallelogram arm for the rear derailleur and the back of the inside cage plate on the front derailleur. Typically, they are about 1/8" font. TIA.

T-Mar made the thread possible, and keeps it going. I tend to shoot posts out there, and wait for him to correct me. I need to find him an Ironman, too. Kudo's.

What size does he ride? I think that a 'keep an eye open for an Ironman for T-Mar' project would be a small payback for all the help and knowledge he's provide to folks here, myself included.
Top

I'm in. I think a 56 or 54

Hi. I've bought a Centurion frame on ebay, no components on it. Would be nice if it's possible to get some info on it. I'm not sure if the fork has been replaced.

Serial is pretty hard to read, but i think it's: S6050048

Any other info i could collect that's helpful?

Pics:

http://bike-vintage.eu/ebay/FOTO2/centurion/foto078.jpg

http://bike-vintage.eu/ebay/FOTO2/centurion/foto071.jpg

http://bike-vintage.eu/ebay/FOTO2/centurion/foto075.jpg

http://bike-vintage.eu/ebay/FOTO2/centurion/foto073.jpg

Frame has been shown here before, I think. Back end looks a lot like a Turbo, but the headbadge decal is different. The fork appears identical to that on the Prestige, and came painted but a lot of folks stripped the paint off once they found out it was chrome under. Definitely a high end frame for it's time, and one worth fixing up and riding. I don't remember the consensus on what it actually was.

Ok, thanks for some info! I'm actually going to use it as a fixie, atleast until i get my hands on a nice track-frame. Does anybody know what seatpost size fits with this frame? I tried to measure with caliper, but it's hard to get accurate measurement. Bought a 26.2 mm seatpost, but turns out it's to small.

Do i have to buy one of these just to get accurate measurement?

http://www.bikepartsplace.com/images/med/31057957.jpg

Petterovski's Centurion resembles the few European models that have turned up. As such, I can't provide much useful info. The seat post is most likely 26.8mm, assuming it uses Tange tubing like the North American models.

Seat-tube outer diameter is 29 mm, does that say anything about what tubing it is? Thanks a lot for help, i guess I'll have to take it so my LBS for measurement, just to be sure.

Seat tubes have a standard outside diameter of 28.6mm. 29mm is close enough to indicate it is not one of the exceptions. The resulting seat post diameter is determined by the thickness of the tubing, which is also an indicator of the level of the tubing. Larger seat post diameters are indicative of stronger, higher level tubing with a thinner wall. If it is Tange tubing like the North American models, it should use a 26.8mm post. If it uses Europen tubing, the post may be as large as 27.2mm. Taking it to an LBS for measurement, is the safest approach.

Both my Turbo and my Prestige, same era thereabouts, had 27.0.

I've found the same "all over the map" situation to be true here.

I just sent txvintage a red/white frame, with a 27.0 seat post that fits (1986)
My '89 Ironman pair both use a 27.2, my Comp TA had a 27.0, as did my Prestige
and my Turbo (both of which I wanted to use polished 27.2's in, but couldn't.)

My Equipe is, indeed, a 27.2, a Gipiemme in this one, a Campy in the previous one.

I'm wondering if it isn't simply a case of some tubes working with some posts.
Works for me, as I'm not one to look at specs or instructions until my trial is an error.

I forgot about the Equipe, which would indeed have used a 27.2mm post by virtue of its Columbus SL seat tube.

However, I am surprised at the range of posts used on the Tange frames. Normally, I would attribute this to a heavy handed person at the seat tube honing/reaming operation. However, I see that the 1984 Turbo was spec'd with a 27.2mm and the 1984 CompTA with a 27.0mm. To me this is unfathomable. Both Tange #1 and Tange #2 use the exact same seat tube. To carry it further, Tange #3 and even the plain gauge Tange #5 have the same wall thickness as #1/#2, at the top of the seat tube. This afforded the manufacturer the cost effectiveness of stocking only one post for a wide variety of frames.

The theoretical inner diameter for these Tange tubes is 26.8mm. After a light reaming/honing operation to clean-up the inside, most other brands using these Tange tubesets install a 26.8mm post. I could see a manufacturer opting for a slightly heavier removal, particularly if they regularly experienced distortion but to have two distinct sizes is puzzling. Besides losing the volume cost reduction from one size of post, there is the added cost of two distinct set-ups and the possibility of production and assembly errors. Very strange.

(Thumb typing here so forgive typos)

I'll get pics and a serial number uploaded tonight or later this week, but in the mean time I'll ask a blind question on the Centurion I recently got.

It was repainted by the previous owner (I'm getting deja'vu as I type this so maybe I asked this already), so all the decals are gone. He said it looked exactly like the Dave Scott Ironman (that one went to a new owner yesterday who is very happy with it) I had with the pinkish and yellow paint.

Here is what I know of the one I have now:
Wheels are Wolber rims with Shimano 105 hubs, 6-speed on the rear.
Seat tube measures 55cm ctc, top tube measures about 56cm ctc.
Stem is about 100mm
Rear der is a Shimano 105
Front der is a Shimano 600 with a color bar below the text
It has 105 cranks, brakes, and brake levers
Handlebar is a Nitto B115 in a 420 width as noted on the bar itself.

I did a little side-x-side comparison between the bikes before the smaller one went away and apart from the front der and handlebars they looked the same. I haven't written down the s/n yet, will try to do that tonight.

Does anyone have a guess if the front derailleur is maybe stock or a swap? I'd wager a guess that the bars are a swap at some point in the bikes history. Any other guesses about it with this limited info?

I'm probably going to end up repainting the home paint job on it, and in a few small nicked spots it appears the old original paint is probably gone instead of just being painted over.

Thanks for any input on what I know so far.

The bike you bought is a repainted 1987 Ironman Expert, with 2x6 105 group. The FD is likely a swap, but the bars are OEM, Nitto stem, B115-420 bar. There was an '88 Expert in the same color and setup, but I believe it was 2x7, and by 1988, the rims were Araya.

Centurion measured the seat tube from the center of the bb to the opening of the top tube on the side, so you've probably got a 56cm, as they came in even sizes.

You can easily find a Shimano 105 (1050) FD with a 28.6 clamp size, probably under $20. It appears the bike is OEM from there on out.

You can upgrade to 7-sp with a freewheel change on the rear and 7-sp shifters, easily.

If you got it at a great price, you may want to consider a powder coat. Wisconsin is a good place to get a frame powder-coated, and you could probably get it blasted and painted for $75-$100. Aircraft stripper would take the paint and decals off if you decide to do it yourself.

I'd love to have that frame, even in the lavender and yellow, in an OEM 56cm.

Hello guys! As promised to contribute on your date bases of Centurion bikes(paging T-Mar and Robbie Tunes), here is my Centurion branded bikes and thank you for all this massive info which could only be found on this forum. The green one is a Diamondback Prevail with all Shimano 600 components with Tange Prestige tubing, very light serial number: U101106616. The second one is Centurion Lemans Craiglist purchase kinda dirty not clean yet but seems to me all original except the saddle, Shimano Exage components with Tange #2 tubing. Serial number is: N7l6432. You all have a great day!


<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/roughreynoso/MyPictures?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_yNw_dvQQkwo/SuXOuNglwRE/AAAAAAAAADo/vzWaJLUcFS4/s160-c/MyPictures.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/roughreynoso/MyPictures?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">My Pictures</a></td></tr></table>

Thanks for the input and verification Robbie. I may look into the powder coat at a shop up in Sheboygan Falls, or I might try my hand at a home pearlescent job if I can get a spraybooth set up. I can live with 6 or 7 speed so no issue there as long as it stays functional. I've also got a Shimano 600 group I saved from a large frame that wound up destined for the SS/Fixie world. I might try that if the 105 doesn't play nice.

(I should probably take this discussion outside of this thread so as not to clutter this one up too much. )

Here's the s/n: N7K5691

and some pics of the state it is currently in, definitely needing a little attention (hung in a garage until I saw it at a rummage sale and the owner decided to get it down from the rafters to let me look at it a little closer. It's now in my garage, not hanging from the rafters.

The brake hoods have seen better days and are probably too far gone to save, might work for initial setup though.

The face-on pic shows some wrap tape peeled back from peeking at the handlebar text.

Freewheel is starting to get a little stiff and needs lube at a minimum.

Best looking Diamondback I've seen, and best equipped, too.
Nice Lemans, that's a decent group on an underrated frame.

Okay, which one is your size?

Here is my recently acquired 25in, '86 Ironman. Serial number N6B7281. It is about 95% original. The front wheel was changed to a Mavic MA40 but other than that it was original when I got it. It was in rough shape when I picked it up but for the most part it just needed some elbow grease and TLC. Paint was in bad shape but no dents or dings. I swapped the Nitto bars and stem for Cinelli 66 bars and XA stem. I swapped out the seat with a Speciaized Toupe, the seatpost for a Nitto, and the original Dia-Compe Gran Compe Aero brake levers I swapped out for some new Shimano levers. I bought the bike to ride everywhere, not just to look at. And to be honest, the Dia-Compe levers combined with the Shimano 6207 single pivot brakes were scary on some steep twisty descents. The Shimano levers deliver so much more braking power to the single pivot brakes that it's not even funny. I don't mind because it still looks vintage/original with the Shimano levers. There were some other issues with the bike, but once I got it going it turned out to be my favorite bike. I have been riding it everywhere. The geometry is great. Very comfortable. It's been a great bike for both climbing and descending. It's really fun to ride.

NNNNice, I have never seen one biggie sized. Looks like theirs hope for me yet. :love:

Ah, My "twin" 1984 Elite RS still has the sticker and it says Tange Champion #2....
:)

Here is my 1986 Centurion Ironman Dave Scott edition. Serial no. N6H6894
It is a tad small frame for me, but I was able to set the seat as high as possible and ride it.
Anyone in LA want to trade me for a bigger frame?
The bike is a beauty overall.