kristonenicolas

k, he wont hold it for me, and i'm NOT gonna paypal. lets just hope its still there by monday. thanks guys, i'm trying my hardest not to JUMP on a bike. Like mentioned above, i'd rather lose it.

lol THANKS FOR BEING PATIENT WITH ME

bigbossman 

Listen to this man. If you can't go look, stop shopping and do research for when you are available.

kristonenicolas

I'm doing exactly that. I just figured, while out of town with spare time, I'd post up pictures of bikes on sale back in my town and hopefully learn a thing or two about buying vintage road bikes. which is why i greatly appreciate everyone's feedback. I'm making sure I don't rush this.

I looked into the centurion because everyone said "GET IT". Instead of jumping into my car and buying it (if i could), I'm doing research for myself as to why people told me to get that bike instead of the other bikes I posted.

This is a HUGE learning experience for me and in the end i hope to get a great bike that i could keep for a very long time.

bigbossman 

Centurion Ironman Expert and Master's are very nice quality frames and ride very well. In general, you cannot go wrong with one, assuming it fits you and is in good trim. The only difference between the two are the component level, with the Masters being on top.

Problem is, everyone knows this so good ones are seldom seen under $300 as they are in demand.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Smart.

Here's some reasons why people like that frame:
1. Good Tubing - The frame and Fork are Cr-Mo tubing. This is what you want if you want steel. In addition this is Tange tubing which is well regarded. Other well regarded tubing to look for would be Reynolds, Columbus, and Vitus...
2. Good Marque - The Manufacturer Centurion is well regarded and known mostly for making quite good bikes. Almost all manufacturers made a couple of high end bikes, but some are known for making consistently good bikes nearly completely across the line.
3. Ready to Ride - sorta self-explanatory. Its hard to figure out if a bike fits you if you can't ride it. Especially if you don't know your size really well
4. Seller Seems to be an honest flipper. As we know from several of our members here you'll get top notch service and a great machine at a fair price if you deal with an honest bike flipper.

I'd call him up when you get back in town and see what he's got around and maybe just go down and browse. Dude seems honest enough and if he knows he's got a customer for it you could even ask him to keep an eye out for something in your size.


**edit**

gahhd now I want that centurion ....and its not even close to my size and its got a carbon fork!

if you go with the centurion ask what happened to the original fork.

Capecodder

What do you think of this? This bike is near me and is the price we pay around here, I'm sure I could get it for $150.00

https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/bik/1994348488.html

kristonenicolas

can someone please explain what is tange tubing? i've tried searching. is tange a company that makes frames?

kristonenicolas

nevermind, i got it. i got so caught up with asking questions on here i forgot how easy it can be to find my own answers.

atmdad

Just out curiosity sake, how sold are going the "vintage" route. Only saying because I saw some postings from my LBS in the last day trying to clear out some inventory. They recently changed ownership and the new guy is going a different direction. Not going to bore you with the details that I picked up on. Anyways here is a bike I've seen in there for awhile.



https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/bik/1992406894.html

You could probably talk them down even a little more. It is a nice bike and you would have a factory/shop warranty. The only allegiance I have to this place are to the wrenchs in the back and the previous owner, haven't met the new guy yet so I don't know what the future holds.

Just throwing options out there.

bigbossman 

That's a pretty good deal.

kristonenicolas

would it be "frowned upon" if i bought that 1983 electric rose bianchi trofeo and repainted it a different color (since the paint is faded anyways)?

Fasteryoufool

That's awesome!

kristonenicolas

i'm not sure what the do's and don'ts for vintage bikes.

bigbossman 

Not by me. . But, a professional re-paint is going to cost at least $350. Might as well find a bike that already has decent paint. Unless you're considering a rattle-can job.

kristonenicolas

no rattle canm not at all. i've read that some people have had their bikes powder coated for $100 tops.

wrk101

The frowning would be about the tremendous cost to do so. Getting a vintage bike repainted is a very expensive undertaking, one that often exceeds the value of the bike when you are done. First thing I look at is the quality of the paint (I mentioned that earlier in this thread). Bad paint = donor bike.

Much cheaper to just find a bike with decent/good paint.

tmh657

The Trek 330 is now at $250. He says it's firm but also said firm at $300. Probably won't last long now. Not my size and IMO Mrs tmh does not need another bike but I am sure she would like it.
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bik/1995461609.html

kristonenicolas

wow that sucks. i called him on wednesday and he said it was sold. he said someone is looking at it tmrw. lets just hope its still for sale then.

btw, thanks atmdad for the advice

Capecodder

Just a thought on sizing for you....... Don't look for a 50-52cm bike just cause the charts tell you that is your size, PLEASE go out and ride some different size bike to determine what size is best for YOU. All the charts say I should ride a 52-54cm bike but I'm most comfortable on a 58cm with no ill drawbacks. A smaller frame will force you to have the seat higher than the bars and a little larger frame will allow for the seat being more even with the bars (meaning more comfort). Just a thought for you to ponder.

kristonenicolas

I spent hours sitting on different bike sizes and different brands. Although the 52 is what I was supposedly suppose to ride I was more comfortable with a 50cm.

auchencrow

^ what he says - evaluate what's best for you and ignore the charts. Be very mindful of the distance between the saddle and the grips as well.

jimmuller 

This is a fascinating thread. It's great to read input from so many different people.

Here's a few thoughts from someone who doesn't collect bikes and doesn't wrench bikes as much as some folks here, someone whose bikes are all old (a.k.a. "vintage") and a bit abused but highly usable and ridden often, someone who has been riding for decades and wrenching bikes and cars for decades too.
If you mean sitting on a bike in a LBS instead of riding, then it doesn't count. Actual riding is the only sure way to judge size and comfort. The dynamics of a moving bike and the work to drive it forward change the entire equation.

Re painting, you can do anything you wish with your own bike. But consider: It is really really really hard to make it it look good. And if the bike could possibly have any value to someone else as an original or unusual item, once it has been painted it is no longer original and therefore less valuable. So the ethics of painting are a bit more complicated if you take this into account.

Just my opinions.

Capecodder

+100 As Jim stated above you really need to ride the bike not just sit on them..... You may feel more comfortable on a smaller bike when just sitting due to the fact you could probably easily reach the floor while sitting in the saddle, but this is not what you want.


Also stated above by (Auchencrow) pay close attention to the distance to the bars (again while ridding) as you want just a small amount of bend in the elbows as this will allow your arms to act like shocks providing a more comfortable ride. When your arms are fully extended it allows road shock to travel up your arms to your back, and neck sometimes causing discomfort.

You have a lot to think about so do more searching the threads here and make a good not hasty choice. Let us know when you buy your bike, and pics will be mandatory!

wrk101

+1 Ride a bike for sizing, rather than sitting on one.

Some great news, with several of the deals on this thread already, just buy one. When you buy right (good deal), you can pretty easily resell it later if you find something better/different/or whatever. So I would just get out there and buy one. I seem to trade out a keeper bike every 3 months or so. I thought I had finally settled in to exactly what I was going to keep, then I found three Paramounts. So much for stability.

kristonenicolas

Thanks guys. So it turns out I got the guy to hold the 89 trek 330 for me so I'm taking a look at it tmrw! Hopefully everything will turn out okay.

When I was trying on the bikes at the shop I was paying close attention to the distance of the handlebars instead of the height of the seat. But I'll make sure to take the bike around the block.

When I go there tmrw is there anything I need look out for? Is a stuck seat a big big deal? Anything else to look out for in a 21 year old bike?