Centurion bike

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by alex001
has any one heard anything about the centurion bike company? are they any good.?

If it's the same brand I'm thinking of, Centurion was the trademarked name of a line of Japanese-made steel frames, mostly sold in the '80s. As far as I know, no one is selling new bikes under the brand name Centurion.

Sheldon Brown's website has a section focusing on bikes made by Japanese affiliates, or in Japanese factories here; he briefly profiles the Centurion line.

I just sold my Centurion "Triathlon Master" roadbike which I've had for a few years but bought second-hand. When I picked it up a few years ago I tried to find out a bit more about it and it seems that they eventually became part of Diamondback. As Lokstah mentioned above, the frame made a point of "Made in Japan, Designed in the USA". Wasn't a bad bike for its age.

If I remember correctly, Centurion was the name Diamondback used for their road bikes before beginning to market them under the Diamondback name in the late 80's early 90's.

They're decent bikes. I actually have an old touring model myself that was my sole road bike for a few years. It is heavy, but it rides and handles well. It's actually chrome plated under the paint, so you can't scratch it down to the bare tubing - no rust.

I may strip it down to the chrome. It's my cyclo-cross bike now, so that might be kinda cool. Not that anyone really cared...🙂

its an old centurion lemans 12

how many models of road bikes did centurion have out? mine is a le mans 12

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by alex001
how many models of road bikes did centurion have out? mine is a le mans 12

Dave Scott was the big rider who they sponsored to really push Centurion into the limelight at its peak time in the late 80's early 90's. They were good frames for back then. Now they have seemed to fade into the long lost frame graveyard.

Best Wishes,
Vector7

I had a Centurion in the late 1980's, I believe it was a "Dave Scott Ironman", but it had standard road racing geometry and was not meant to be a time trial bike at all. Dave Scott's name was used primarily for marketing. I can confirm what was said above, Japanese made, American designed and distributed.

I used it as a training bike for 3 years and eventually lost it to an encounter with a motorcycle making an illegal turn. I really liked the bike though, very stable, tough as nails, a good steed. I would not hesitate to buy another for a practice bike if it came along in good condition.

I bought a Centurion Signet when my walmart piece-o-[censored] died and tried to take me with it. It was the only one a the thrift shop that looked worth fixing, and I fell in love with it at first ride. I don't care if it high or low end, because it seems to fit a need I didn't know I had when I was plodding along with the mountain bike!

alex001 said:

its an old centurion lemans 12

Had one.Close to bottom of the barrel in the lineup,but functional and sound.

dave scott won the hawaii ironman triathlon 6 times ('80, '82, '83, '84, '86, and '87) riding a centurion bike. I know this because when I first started racing (in the 80's) I was a big time fan of his and was looking to purchase a centurion. one hell of a man to win the ironman 6 times. then he comes back in '94 and places 2nd overall. don't know if it is a testament of the bike or him. I do know that the centurion was one of the only top rated bikes at the time that was still a steel frame.

Dave Scott raced a Centurion bike to 6 Hawaii Ironman Triathlon Championships in the 80's (80, 82, 83, 84, 86, & 87). I know this because when I was first interested in racing he was the big man. I had a poster of his on my wall, hoping and dreaming of being like him one day. I took a test spin on a Centurion during that time. He also shocked the world in '94 by placing 2nd overall in the Ironman Triathlon at the age of 40. Then again in '96 finished again overall 5th.

I had one and I think that it was a bottom of the line model. It had cotter pinned steel crank arms, steel chainrings, Suntour friction shifters on the stem which worked very well, and steel wheels. Most of my problems were with the bottom bracket where I tore up the caged ball bearings regularly. Once I went to uncaged balls the bracket settled down and I had no further problems. I paid $115 new for it, and it was 10 times the bike that a bottom line Schwinn Varsity or any of that Sears "free spirit" trash of that time was. Last saw it when I sold it to a friend 5 years ago for $40 for a gift for his teenage son.

Long dead thread zombies diggin em up again.Somebody must sure be bored.