Centurion Carbon Build
 

This one I just finished yesterday. Full Shimano Dura Ace 7400

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I've not seen these before. Very cool. What year?

1987

This build is so complete and correct!
If there's anything missing in my C&V CF collection, this would be the bike to represent the Japanese C&V CF bikes.
I drool in envy looking at these pics!

She's purdy but toss some matching purple cable crimps on the brake cables and it'll be perfect. lol.

Very nice- love the early 7400 stuff. Corncob and huge front ring- you must live in a very flat, wind-free area!

May have been built in 1987, but model year is 1988. Centurion produced the Dave Scott Ironman Carbon and the Carbon, both for 1988 only. "Squiggle" graphics were also 1988 only. The Ironman Carbon was OEM Dura Ace, 7400 series, 2x7 DT shifted. The Carbon model was 6400 series, 2x7 DT shifted. The seatpost size was 25.4, and the cockpit was Nitto stem/B115 bars. Fast and flexible. That frame size probably is a bit stiffer. Beautiful bike.

It looks fast standing still, nice work.

Nice build. That crank lettering fits perfectly with the Centurion lettering on the frame. love it.

Great work! The big chainring is interesting. That's quite the liquor selection you have.

Just bumping this most recent thread about these one-year-only Centurion Carbon models after buying one for myself the other day.

Thanks, Robbie, for the detailed info!

I had known these were very flexible, but the one I found was heavily upgraded with a Look fork and 7402 8-speed gruppo parts, so with my 145lbs and the upgraded fork, I wanted to see for myself how these bikes ride!

First impressions, after five consecutive ride days, is that I have now finally adapted to it's flex and very steep angles (74.5 degrees square).
Steering is not the most precise/responsive, but at my weight it doesn't do anything unforgivable and I have adapted to it's wiggly steering when I'm riding off of the saddle.

Complete weight including pedals is 18.8lbs, it's a big frame but with Helium wheels, Flight/American-Classic Saddle/post, light bars and stem.

Not such a bad bike after my initial disappointment, but again it's ok for me but wouldn't much suit heavier riders. I went to a lot of trouble truing the chainrings, fitting 9s chain and slightly spreading the front derailer cage so as to eradicate chain rub across the entire range of the cassette (without having to "trim" the front shifter). A major heave to the pedals might induce intermittent rub if I perhaps got caught two gears two high, but it seems fine for routine hammering over our local rolling hills.

Robbie, do you perhaps know who the builder was? Japan, hmmmm, could it be Miyata?? It says that the tubing is aluminum wrapped with carbon, so I like that it's not a factory clone of the Taiwan-built Cadex, CarboLite and Epic models from other same-period builders.
The tubing size on this one is a steel-standard 1-1/8", versus those other brand's models O.S. tubing dimensions (so looks more like a TVT-era Look frame).

By the way, I was inspired in part to buy this bike because of the restoration by a young bike forums poster somewhere down under iir. His bike was SHARP as are all of his projects.

Pegraider, have you done much riding on your Centurion yet? What are your impressions with the stock fork in place?

I took this pic today, showing my new bars and stem (previous owner had fitted very wide/long Cinelli bits). Oh, and the 700x20mm Michelin HiLite SuperCompe HD tires appear brand new, and measure a full 22.3mm on the Helium narrow rims, so very usable after all at just 100psi. It appears that the previous owner replaced literally every component part (incl hdst and bb) except for the brakeset (still 6400, NJ code for 10/'89).

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I really like that. Great straight-line bikes, and my last one made good use of a Slice fork, much like yours uses the Look. Kinesis made a fork that looked like it was made for the bike, with a polished aluminum unicrown and carbon legs. I found one, but the steerer was too short for my frame.

No idea where they were made, and the only indication was the same "Designed in USA, Made in Japan" label that the steel Ironman bikes had. There was also a "Japan" decal on the base of the front of the head tube, and on the fork. I think Pegraider's decals are intact, hopefully he can contribute...

I was at a triathlon years ago, and there was a competitor with a near-identical frame, 28.6 tubing, wishbone rear, aluminum fork, and I think it was a GT, but I can't remember. (All I remember was him laughing at me with my milk crate and bucket of tools, until he realized his R shoe cleat was broken, and I just happened to have a spare, and the tools....).

Thanks, Robbie, it looks like I may never know who in Japan built these bikes, since nothing else like it came out of Japan that I can recall.

There were bonded Miyatas, Schwinns, SR-Litage and maybe a few others also made in Japan, but none that used this style of lugs.

Mine was stripped of all decals but for the one that says "100% Carbon" on the monostay. That leaves the fork with it's LOOK logo to suggest that the bike is a Look. I have to say that after finally getting up into the hills on a longer ride, Monday, that I can't fault the handling on the faster return trip back down, so perhaps the Look fork was a good choice.
I just installed a much lighter SRAM 8s, 12-26t cassette in place of the Shimano 12-25t cassette yesterday, so the bike weight is now down to 18.70lb with the SPD pedals.

Who knows, this bike might end up becoming a keeper. I paid 350 for it, but with my bars/stem/cassette and time investments all figured in I would not want to take less than 525 or so for it.