Greetings, I recently purchased a 1970's Centurion LeMans that I use for commuting to work. Both the roads I ride on and the way I ride are pretty jarring (potholes, hopping curbs, etc.), and I'm wondering if there are alterations I should consider for my bike to help it cope with this, or if it's a bad idea to ride this way on such a bike to begin with. I know steel frames seem to be often preferred by urban cyclists, but I'm not sure if there are particulars that I should be aware of or not.

Thanks.

fatter tires would be the quickest/easiest/cheapest solution.

Yup, fatter tires and lower pressure. If your LeMans has 27" wheels, going with a 700c wheelset would allow wider tires.

Neal

The steel frame will likely take the punishment okay.
From what I remember of that bike (yeah, I'm old), they had steel rims? But that's not really the issue as far as making the bike (and you) better suited to the rough commute.

First thing to consider is the tires. It's probably the most cost efficient improvement you can make. Look for something like 1.25/32C width with flat protection.

Second is to give you butt a break. In Europe, where many people use bikes for basic transportation on rough roads, sprung saddles are commonplace. Another option is a Thudbuster seatpost.

Third is to give your hands a break with padded handlebar tape and/or gel gloves.

Unless you're thinking of trying to preserve the bike for historical reasons, the changes will be inexpensive enough to help you get by for commuting. If you're thinking about spending more than $100 or so to make it more comfortable, you might be better served with a used 10 year old mountain bike.
Potato/potahto.

Enjoy the commute!

I keep my weight off the saddle when I go over bumps. My knees become my suspension system. I ride on narrow tires at high pressure, and the only times bumps bother me are (1) when they catch me by surprise and (2) when my bike is carrying cargo, because I can't spring that weight.

Tremendous help, thanks all around. I'll probably look into the wheels/tires first of all. For myself I'm not as concerned because I take a similar approach to what noglider mentioned. Also my wife surprised me with a B17 so my butt is pretty happy.

I have an early LeMans myownself and consider it to be one of the smoothest-riding, inherently stable bikes I've ever owned. Put a sprung leather saddle (Brooks or VO) and a set of Panaracer Pacela TGs on it and glide down the road in comfort and style.