Thanks for the compliment Jan, but I know my photos lack the look of Dobbins' work. I did learn that 2 shop lights at 250watts each isn't enough to bounce the light off the ceiling, therefore the shadows on the backdrop. Of course the lights were only $5 apiece at Home deopt, so not an expensive lesson. Next time I'll get some of the 500w jobs and do it right. Still, I was fairly pleased with the results anyway. I did spring for a roll of heavy paper backdrop, no other way to get that kind of look. It was $50 for a 9X36 ft roll, which should last me roughly, oh, the next 20 years.

So I got a very nice response from Cyclart today, advising that they did not do this re-paint and they didn't know who might have. She also was nice enough to enclose the below response regarding these bikes sent to another inquiring mind who was trying to get his re-painted.

"Although there is no reason we could not restore one of these to original, we have never done so. We have refinished probably a dozen of them, and removed the peel-prone decal and touched up several others.

Typically when these frames come in to CyclArt it is with instruction, “please repaint my Cinelli with the classic Cinelli decals”. We won’t do that. The bike was not made by Cinelli. I spoke to Cino personally just after he sold his company and he was very adamant about how the old graphics should never be used on the new stuff. Investment casting arrived about the time he sold out. He felt that this removed much of the hand crafted nature from framebuilding and frame made with investment castings were not deserving of his crest logo. Perhaps he felt that the new ownership had not paid for the old logo design, or perhaps was offended that is framebuilders were being displaced by outside sources in any case we have always respected his wished by distinguishing between product produced under Cino and later product through proper application of the graphics.



The Centurion Cinelli Project frame that you have was part of an effort by a California based distributor to mainstream and vastly increase sales of Cinelli branded product. Antonio Columbo had purchased the company and intended to use the name for a much larger and broader scope of products. Most of the product was produced by others. In the case of the Centurion Cinelli Project bikes, the distributor showcased as the full range of Cinelli offerings at the time. The frame was produced in Japan using Cinelli investment castings but is twice removed from the “true” handcrafted Cinellis. The good news is that the frames are significantly lighter and much better crafted than the Cinellis produced by the new company in Italy at the time.



So, we can restore the finish to original either as a repaint/rechrome or as a touch up with reproduction decals, we can do something completely custom, or perhaps you would like the decal set I designed that plays up the Cinelli name down played the Centurion, but does not misrepresent the bike. It also avoids the 1980’s Japanese fixation on the color lavender..."


Very cool of them to respond in such detail, and they'll get my business when it comes to me finding and old classic someday. I actually love the decal Cyclart uses on these that shows "Centurion Cinelli Equipe" in a nice logo format, but the paint's way too nice on mine to even consider it on this one.

I'll wait for A.Winthrop to weigh in on this one. I believe his speculation is that the Centurion project frame was designed by Cino, but it took years to come to fruition (yes, after Cino had left). Additionally, the 'Made in Italy' decal on my frame conflicts with Cyclart's theory that the frame was produced in Japan.

I agree, of course, that any Centurion Cinelli Equipe frame, if refinished, should bear proof of its corporate parentage. I wouldn't have it any other way!

Thanks for weighing in A. Winthrop...I forgot about that ad copy you sent me. It sure sounds like you have the most reasoned and authoratative answer on this great bike. Thanks again for all the info, BTW. Restoring this bike within this forum has been a very educational and rewarding experience, and for me this is the best part of the C&V forum.

I'm late to the party, I guess. And since mine is as original as any out there, and maybe more so, I'll chip in my thoughts:

I don't quite understand how a Japanese frame maker, supervised by Gino Cinelli or not, would put a "Made in Italy" decal on one of their frames, or stamp the obvious Cinelli logo on that frame and fork, and not want some kind of credit.

As far as the high-end Centurion lineup, Tange seemed to have it going on pretty well. The 83 Turbo is a very, very nice chrome example, was produced in 84, also, and the 85 Prestige was even lighter. I can't see Tange stepping in and making a Cinelli-like copy for the kind of price the Equipe went for.

My Equipe had nothing Japanese on it. Cinelli, Campy, Ofmega, Regina, Fiamme (replaced by Suns). I wonder how you could import the parts to Japan, then import the bike to the US, and still undercut the market so much? It was an expensive bike, but a lot cheaper than the SC was going for, which was heavier and more expensive.

I'll never figure out the lavender decals. I figure someone at Western States Importers had the horsepower to determine that "look," because it's consistent with other Centurions. And totally inconsistent with the rest of the bike. I'd think it would be easier to import Japanese decals to Europe than European bike parts to Japan.

Then again, who knows? This bike is simply great subject matter, the child no one and everyone wants to claim. It rides more like a Cilo and a Pinarello, and a lot less like any Centurion I have, but I've yet to build and ride the 85 Prestige, so the jury's out on that one.

I'd love to have mine in red, so it would go faster. But, when I pull up to a group on a Sunday afternoon, and 90% ask about the bike, I say it's a Centurion. Then the 10% who look hard enough at the lugs and group chime in, and we've got something to talk about for a few miles.
And that alone keeps me from using lacquer thinner to reduce those lavender decals to zero.

Here are some photos, but the bike went away from the OEM bars and stem so it fit. It's back to the black 1R stem it came with, and some 66-40 bars. I have the OEM saddle, a Cinelli Volare in black suede, but I'm not using it, as a NOS one went on eBay for $240 and heck yeah, I'd sell it.
I also use SPD's on it.










This is how I knew poprad's honey was a Centurion. The headset/lug combo.
JYB caught it, too.

I need a snakeskin paint job on one of my bikes.

That is beautiful!

East Hill

My Centurionelli got a new RD today. Most of the rest of the Campy on her is Corsa Record and Croce D'Aune, but none of the rear derailleurs representing those groups are anywhere near affordable. Especially the Corsa ones!! Ludicrous!

But this Athena, NOS, was $25. As one of the last Campy mechs with the traditional parallelogram, I think it's pretty. Never mind whether it actually works, compared to the SunTours of the era. It's Campy! (and this lady, my one and only garage queen, honestly does not see the mileage of the others. Mostly I just sit and stare at her)





PS: RobbieTunes, what happened to your images?

Very beautiful bike, Jan.

I could just sit and stare at it too.