Upgrading help Centurion Ironman

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by kcstueber
Hi. I would appreciate some feedback on my situation. I have a Centurian Ironman Dave Scott in Mint condition ., Shimano 600 SIS, Biopace that I purchased new a bunch of years ago. I am starting to ride more seriously again, primarily 25-100mi, 20mph pace or so, mostly pleasure, fitness, but some competitive. I am wondering if it is feasible and worthwhile to upgrade this bike or just leave it as is and purchase a new bike with current technology.

If it is worthwhile, whom or where would be a good place to turn to help with getting those upgrades. The labor would not be an issue.

If it wasn't worthwhile, I would like to assemble a bike from componants. What are the upsides and downsides to doing this vs. buying assembled, and are there any good sites or references other than this forum to provide advise to do this?

Thanks very much for all help and opinions on this.

Kurt

Retire the Centurion and embrace the new technology involved in the new frames and components, you will grin from ear to ear on your first ride

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by kcstueber
Hi. I would appreciate some feedback on my situation. I have a Centurian Ironman Dave Scott in Mint condition ., Shimano 600 SIS, Biopace that I purchased new a bunch of years ago. I am starting to ride more seriously again, primarily 25-100mi, 20mph pace or so, mostly pleasure, fitness, but some competitive. I am wondering if it is feasible and worthwhile to upgrade this bike or just leave it as is and purchase a new bike with current technology.

If it is worthwhile, whom or where would be a good place to turn to help with getting those upgrades. The labor would not be an issue.

If it wasn't worthwhile, I would like to assemble a bike from componants. What are the upsides and downsides to doing this vs. buying assembled, and are there any good sites or references other than this forum to provide advise to do this?

Thanks very much for all help and opinions on this.

Kurt

I bought an Iron Man back in June. The only upgrades I made were to use a 7-speed freewheel instead of 6-speed and install Sora STI shifters.

I paid 150.00 on Ebay and leave many $1000 - $2000 bikes behind on my Saturday morning rides.

Oct 18 I took it to the Texas hill country to ride in the thcrr Bike Classic which boasts the steepest ascents and descents of any Texas ride. I finished well ahead of most of the other 100 milers and blew by all whom I set my sights on on the descents. (like a bowling ball falling off a cliff). At 24+ pounds, and my lowest gear a 39-24, the climbs were a bear but, nobody ever passed me on a descent and if I could have traded in this 52 year old, 215 pound body I probably could have passed more of them on the climbs too.
By the way, I was a complete couch potato before this summer.
As it turned out I finished the ride with a 16.7 average speed.
Not bad for a fat man from the flatlands.

I fixin' to get a TCR 2, but I'm not sure I'll quit riding my Centurion.

Good luck with your decision,

Bill

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by kcstueber
Hi. I would appreciate some feedback on my situation. I have a Centurian Ironman Dave Scott in Mint condition ., Shimano 600 SIS, Biopace that I purchased new a bunch of years ago. I am starting to ride more seriously again, primarily 25-100mi, 20mph pace or so, mostly pleasure, fitness, but some competitive. I am wondering if it is feasible and worthwhile to upgrade this bike or just leave it as is and purchase a new bike with current technology.

If it is worthwhile, whom or where would be a good place to turn to help with getting those upgrades. The labor would not be an issue.

If it wasn't worthwhile, I would like to assemble a bike from componants. What are the upsides and downsides to doing this vs. buying assembled, and are there any good sites or references other than this forum to provide advise to do this?

Thanks very much for all help and opinions on this.

Kurt

Given the questions you are saking,you should probably buy a new built bike. If the Centurian is 6 or 7 speed,you could stick 7 speed sora sti shifters on it. For $875 or so you could buy a complete veloce or 105 9 speed build kit from excel or some other online source. The Ironman was not a bad frame in it's time,but you need to decide how much you want to spend on it.Maybe better it's better role would be as a backup or beater.

Thanks for all of the input. It did help quite a bit. I ended up purchasing a leftover Trek 5200. What a great bike!! My riding season is winding down a bit in NE Wisconsin, but I have managed to get a couple of hundred miles on it already.

Kurt,

As I mentioned earlier, I've decided to buy a TCR 2 to replace my Centurion. I am not altogether convinced that I will see noticeable results.
My Saturday morning club rides are 40 miles and I usually come in at about a 20.5 - 21 mph average.
I'd be interested in hearing how the new bike affects your average, climbing, etc.

Bill
[email hidden]

I have a 1984 Centurion Comp T/A that had all Shimano 600EX components, friction shifters, brakes, derailleurs F/R, and I could get NOS parts from eBay that were exact replacements. It weighed 21 - 1/2 lbs when I bought it new in 1984 for $600. This bike rode like a dream, and I had no complaints. I loved this bike. But at age 55, the double chainring and 6 speed - 11-21 cluster with the terrain where I ride (1000 ft elevation gain for each 15 miles, no matter which direction I go) forced me to consider an upgrade.

When I decided to upgrade it to new stuff, I went with the 2003 Campy Centaur triple gruppo that cost me $600.00 total. The down-tube shifter standoffs work perfectly as cable guides, just like, say, a new Bianchi. Then I had the paint color reproduced with a powder coat for $70. Then all new decals that are indistinguishable from the original for $90. This required digital photos that allowed the graphics artist to reproduce the exact fonts and logos. (Did I mention I love this bike?)

So, for less than $800, I have a nice Tange Champion steel frame with a decent component group, that rides even more like a dream than before. I still love this bike, and now it weighs about 1-1/2 lbs less since I added a carbon stem and handlebars to replace the SR Laprade aluminum pipe stuff. This upgrade is somewhat frivolous, but then I'm sentimental, and, in case I forgot to mention it, I do love this bike. I trade off with my 2002 Klein Q Pro Carbon with Record components. The biggest difference I notice is the gentler ride, especially noticeable after 50 miles or so. Oh, and some frame flex on the really steep hills.........

Cheers,

Rousslang
,_~o
-\_<,
(*) /' (*)

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by rousslang
I have a 1984 Centurion Comp T/A that had all Shimano 600EX components, friction shifters, brakes, derailleurs F/R, and I could get NOS parts from eBay that were exact replacements. It weighed 21 - 1/2 lbs when I bought it new in 1984 for $600. This bike rode like a dream, and I had no complaints. I loved this bike. But at age 55, the double chainring and 6 speed - 11-21 cluster with the terrain where I ride (1000 ft elevation gain for each 15 miles, no matter which direction I go) forced me to consider an upgrade.

When I decided to upgrade it to new stuff, I went with the 2003 Campy Centaur triple gruppo that cost me $600.00 total. The down-tube shifter standoffs work perfectly as cable guides, just like, say, a new Bianchi. Then I had the paint color reproduced with a powder coat for $70. Then all new decals that are indistinguishable from the original for $90. This required digital photos that allowed the graphics artist to reproduce the exact fonts and logos. (Did I mention I love this bike?)

So, for less than $800, I have a nice Tange Champion steel frame with a decent component group, that rides even more like a dream than before. I still love this bike, and now it weighs about 1-1/2 lbs less since I added a carbon stem and handlebars to replace the SR Laprade aluminum pipe stuff. This upgrade is somewhat frivolous, but then I'm sentimental, and, in case I forgot to mention it, I do love this bike. I trade off with my 2002 Klein Q Pro Carbon with Record components. The biggest difference I notice is the gentler ride, especially noticeable after 50 miles or so. Oh, and some frame flex on the really steep hills.........

Cheers,

Rousslang
,_~o
-\_<,
(*) /' (*)

...and the price of wheels,bar and stem? Glad you mentioned frivolous and sentimeantal. I also have a lovely old lugged and brazed masterpiece,and even tho it was worth a paint job,it looks fine,IMO in an inexpensive mix of retro gear, including an old 110 crankset setup with 50/34 chainrings.