Awesome score! As said, that doesn't happen very often. Take good care of it and keep it for a good long time. It looks freakin' great! Well done.

Dude! I had no idea they came in this color, which I love.

Great goggly moogly.

WOW. It looks great now! And what an amazing find. Lucky you - enjoy it!

Very nice! As it sits, this bike is *really nice*. Were it me, I'd get rid of that gnarly blue bar tape and put something more suitable on it. This baby is screaming for Brooks leather tape or Cinelli Corky in natural cork.

If you were closer, I would come over and pitch in. Having lurked here since I bought the bike, I have admired your bikes and would love to learn more about restoration from you.

I struggled with this question and still do. I am not thrilled with the tape, but I do like the texture and comfort of the fake leather. I wish I could find it in brown at a decent price. I am not thrilled with the potential cost of the Brooks, but I may bite the bullet. I may look at the Cinelli natural color...

See, that is why I like this place. I knew that some generous soul would offer to alleviate my burden. That said, my guilt would be even greater if I were to force it upon you, so in the interest of brotherly love, I will keep it to avoid abusing you.

I am riding the heck out of it. What amazes me is how well it coasts and just plain screams down hills.

To clean it like this, you have to basically commit to doing EVERYTHING necessary to get it as good as you can. I hesitate to say “perfect”; because that is not how I characterize my work (there are others way better). That said, you just have to really want it and go whole hog. You best friend is searching here. I was amazed by the wealth of information here. This site here and this one https://www.sheldonbrown.com/centurion/ gave me the inspiration and knowledge to get it done. I can’t thank the contributors enough, it is a fantastic community.

The first step is to completely disassemble the bike. This means all the way, down to the bearings. The only thing you won’t do is remove bearing races or unlace the wheels… unless it is needed. Everything comes off the frame and is cleaned.

Next you will do is clean. IMO, the best thing here is clean hand towels. You can remove an amazing amount of dirt and grime with the clean/dry towel. When needed, you can use a light spray of WD-40 as a cleaner. You can clean the freewheel well with a toothbrush and ATF. 0000 steel wool is another great tool, use it liberally on bare metal to remove corrosion, grime, and light imperfections (rims, spokes, etc. respond well to this). Brakes were completely disassembled and wiped down, fresh grease added to the bearing surfaces, same with the shifters. Derailleurs were cleaned with spray carb cleaner. The spray cleaner is good for those places you can’t reach, just be careful to not use it near paint or places where you don’t want it (inside a freewheel). When you have the parts cleaned with the spray, hit it with a light coat of WD-40.

As others have stated, be patient, have a plan, keep to it. The end is WELL worth it.

Best Centurion deal I've seen since I got my free Purple Haze Master.

Excellent work, sir. A $25 purchase makes all of the subsequent purchases and hours of hard labor worthwhile

Looks like it got into the right hands!

BTW, you should see what I scored for $20!

Definitely a deal!



1979 58cm Centurion Semi Pro- Absolutely beautiful!





https://cgi.ebay.com/1979-58cm-Centur...-/190533875498

Item condition:--Ended:May 22, 201112:11:33 PDTBid history:20 bids
Winning bid:US $453.50Add to list

Gorgeous bike!

Okay Robbie, you win. I want a Centurion...(Semi Pro that is, you all can keep the pink ones).

Good choice!

Hubs.

While I understand this on a superficial level, how is it that one hub is so much better than another?