Background: Getting back to an Ironman, and a sub-reason: complete overhaul and re-assembly of my Cinelli.
As if I needed a reason to build another Ironman, but this is going to be my go-to bike for about 4-5 months.

It's getting there. Nothing is set in stone.
Taking suggestions. I have thick skin, so let it fly, so to speak....I think there's too many choices for a poll....

Whoa. Great.

There you go.

I know it's all about marketing, but I feel the labels on modern V rims detract from an otherwise beautiful rim. And modern cranks just look heavy with their nearly full coverage of metal, if you know what I mean. Yours is one of the more "open" I've seen - is it a variant of octalink? Similarly, these new cranks with the spindle integrated into the crank so there is no spindle bolt on the drive side seem asymmetrical to me for some reason, and again, it just looks like solid metal and heavy. The chainring looks like it has been pressed so there are folds in it (ie it's not perfectly flat)- do you think it is to increase lateral strength and prevent it from folding over?

I've become a curmudgeon at age 40, sheesh. Usually I'm a fan of silver, but the black rims, seat post, stem and crank arms are a nice accent to the red and white. The more I look at it, the more I like it. What do you have in mind for brake levers, shifters and bar tape?

Hey, all opinions are welcome, and I've seen so many nice Centurions here, I figure I'd ask around. Can hardly beat the experts who've been there, done that.

1-Yes, that is an Octalink crankset, FSA Team Issue Carbon Pro (a mouthful for a simple crankset). It bolts in from both sides.

Got some figgerin' to do.

Thanks for the advice.

"Keep those cards and letters coming, folks." - Dean Martin

Far be it from me to tell you what Your Final Ironman should look like, especially since you'll change it around anyway.

But I do think it needs a headset.

Well, you have me there, Doc.

What is the year of manufacture of Centurion F-RIDE 3000, s/n: 0IC00080062 ?

I think that's a completely different Centurion firm. They also sell carbon frames. Perhaps someone here can help you with that, and welcome to the forum. Glad to have you.

Different Centurion firm? Two Centurion firms in Germany???

Most of the members here are American (or Canadian). Our Centurion disappeared about 25 years ago. It was a shock to me to see Centurion well and alive here in Europe when I moved to Sweden last year.

Your bike is also quite recent, probably falling beneath the radar of folks here in the classic and vintage subforum.

I always check out road bikes when I see them in thrift stores, garage sales etc.

I think it is looking good. I like the black stem/post/rims that let the paint job do its thing. For the same reason I agree with mountaindave about the decals on the rims. I think the red there competes with/detracts from the very nice red of the frame. I like the look of the crankset but if you have options I'd also try out an all-black one... Looking forward to seeing more!

I'm asking for year of manufacture for my bike, because I have a problem with a potential buyer who claims that my bike was produced in 2001, but I know that it was produced in period 2010.-2012. For example, central shock absorber DT Swiss M210 is produced since 2009...

You can also use date codes for equipment like derailleurs and cranks to date a bicycle. Or you can find a different buyer who believes what you say.

The "old" Centurion of C&V lore is by WSI, an importer.
No relation, other than the spelling of the name, to any modern bike seller, that I know of.

I agree with you. I would peg that as a lot newer than 14 years old.

Unless you're the original owner, that shock could be a replacement. Mountain Bike Magazine (German) lists a X- Fusion 02 Super as the shock for what looks like the same bike. Could be a different year version of the same named bike though. Your bike also has a stem, which is different from other online pictures of this bike.

Yes, it is possible

I agree

History of one Centurion, German Centurion...

History - CENTURION Bikes

It seems that my bike part of some third Centurion... But, Manitou Six Super is generation according 2002. ...

N7E5899

87 ironman master:


still a bit of a work in progress even though i ride her: dang seat post is still stuck! I may have to cut it out. currently I am using ammonia and then riding without the bolt -hoping it will seep in and eventually free it.

anyway. seat height is about 1.5cm too short for me.. keeps me on my toes!

Weird--so there were two entirely separate and unaffiliated Centurion companies making triathlon bikes?

my other one (bought the frame from an inmate here)

N7M0548

Ironman expert- built up with whatever I had on hand. I'd say I was influenced by RobbieTunes but the colors are really just happenstance. I do have some black bar tape and will probably go black with the tubing. the grey stuff is old that I am just using to test lengths.

This is not at all strange. It all depends on how you have registered your company name. Most companies start out on a small scale and minimize costs by registering their brand name only in the their own country and only for a single product type (i.e bicycles). Consequently a company in another country could use the same brand name or another company in the same country could use it for an entirely different product.

The bicycle industry, was originally dominated by England and the USA, whose larger companies sold worldwide. However, as smaller countries started to establish their bicycle industries, they set up protectional tariffs.Consequently, national branding was quite common around the turn of the 20th century, . However, as these eased off and opportunites for foreign sales increased, manufacturers started broadening their registration. At the start of the 1970s bicycle boom, continental registration seemed to be most common. For instance, a USA brand might be registered in the USA, Canada and Mexico while a German company might be registered thoughout Europe. However, the bicycle boom blew that wide open, at least for bicycle companies, leading to the global registrations that are commonplace these days.

WSI, the original owner the Centurion brand in the USA, appears to have had little aspiration beyond the USA market, consequently leading to the establishment of a non-related brand in Germany. When Weiner decided to sell WSI, all the bicycles were consolidated under the Diamondback brand, which had previously been used for the BMX and ATB models. What it did was allow global marketing of the bicycles under the established Diamondback brand, particularly the sale of road bicycles in Europe, which would not have been permitted under the Centurion label. Whether this was a pre-sale move by Weiner to facilitate the sale of WSI or a post sale decision by the purchaser, China Bicycle Company, it was clearly a move to take the bicycles global by avoiding brand name conflict.

There are numerous other examples within the bicycle industry. Being Canadian you're probably familiar with the Canadian brand of Miele bicycles, originally owned by Guvin and currently owned by Procycle. However, they was also a German bicycle brand named Miele, and it is apparently the same company that makes appliances. Even though the companies are unrelated, appliance and bicycles can be both be marketed in Canada under the Miele name, apparently because they do not impact each others' sales. That seems to the gist behind the brand registration regulations. It certainly would be interesting to see what would happen if one company developed such a poor reputation that it could be proven to have impacted sales of the other company's product via name association!

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank everybody for their continued contributions and support of this thread. 2.000 posts is quite an achievement and your input has significantly contributed to expanding the public knowledge of the brand(s).