This weekend someone gave me an older road bike.

[NuclearNed]

My wife's uncle gave me one of his older road bikes this weekend. He used to really be into cycling, but as the years have crept up on him he has begun having trouble with his back and has had to give it up.

I'm wondering how good of a bike it is. I don't know much about bikes, but in spite of its age (@20 years old) and the fact that it needs a good cleaning, it is obviously a much better bike than the one I bought a few years ago.

The frame is from a company called Centurion Cycle Works. Apparently this was a Japanese company that now goes by the name DiamondBack. From what I have read online, these were supposed to be really good bikes. I am not sure what the frame's material is, but it is extremely light. The model is LeMans 12 (its a 12 speed).

I rode it yesterday and its like being on a rocket. Its so light compared to my bike that it took a little practice for me to handle it well.

Does anyone know anything about these bikes?

 

[GasX]

Centurions made very good steel frames back when this was purchased. You have a nice little bike there.

 

[broon]

I used to sell those long long ago. They were mid to upper line for non-specialty bikes. Back then they ran about $500 (late eighties). With inflation it would sell for about $1000 now. Not a bad bike...especially for free.

 

[DaWhim]

give it to me!!!!

 

[NuclearNed]

I'm glad to hear that its a pretty good bike. It needs a really good cleaning - he's had it in storage for probably 10+ years. It has a thick coat of dust and grime on every exposed surface. It looks like all the mechanical parts are in good shape, but could probably use a good clean & lube. The brakes and seat look brand new, but the grips on the handlebars are pretty worn out.

I hope I don't sound ungrateful, but he told me a few weeks ago that he was going to give me one of his bikes. His other one has a frame made by the Lotus Motor Company, and I suspect is even better than the one I got. I was kind of hoping that this was the one I was going to get, but I'm extremely happy with the Centurion.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Sounds like a great bike. I'd have it tuned up at your local bike shop before riding it much. A bike that old might need some adjustments and/or cables replaced.

Just curious, what kind of components are on it?

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Sounds like a great bike. I'd have it tuned up at your local bike shop before riding it much. A bike that old might need some adjustments and/or cables replaced.

Just curious, what kind of components are on it?

I don't have a clue, and I'm at work so I can't get the brand names right now. I remember that virtually everything on the bike was made in either Japan or France, and I wasn't familiar with any of the brands.

 

[broon]

It's either Suntour or Shimano. It's likely that it's the old Shimano 105 gear.

 

[GasX]

Originally posted by: NuclearNed
I'm glad to hear that its a pretty good bike. It needs a really good cleaning - he's had it in storage for probably 10+ years. It has a thick coat of dust and grime on every exposed surface. It looks like all the mechanical parts are in good shape, but could probably use a good clean & lube. The brakes and seat look brand new, but the grips on the handlebars are pretty worn out.

I hope I don't sound ungrateful, but he told me a few weeks ago that he was going to give me one of his bikes. His other one has a frame made by the Lotus Motor Company, and I suspect is even better than the one I got. I was kind of hoping that this was the one I was going to get, but I'm extremely happy with the Centurion.

Hose her off (avoid cables and bottom bracket).
Liberally spray moving parts with Simple Green
Let soak in and brush with toothbrush
Rinse
Dry
Spray WD-40 on cables
Put bike lube on chain while running it through all of the gears
Wipe off remaining water and excess lube and oil

If you also repack the bottom bracket, you will have a brand new bike. almost...

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: broon
It's either Suntour or Shimano. It's likely that it's the old Shimano 105 gear.

Neither one of those names sound familiar, plus my bike has a Shimano gear assembly, so I would have recognized it for sure. I suspect that at one time or other some or all of the original gear was upgraded and/or replaced.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: NuclearNed

Originally posted by: broon
It's either Suntour or Shimano. It's likely that it's the old Shimano 105 gear.

Neither one of those names sound familiar, plus my bike has a Shimano gear assembly, so I would have recognized it for sure. I suspect that at one time or other some or all of the original gear was upgraded and/or replaced.

Campagnolo?

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: Mwilding

Originally posted by: NuclearNed
I'm glad to hear that its a pretty good bike. It needs a really good cleaning - he's had it in storage for probably 10+ years. It has a thick coat of dust and grime on every exposed surface. It looks like all the mechanical parts are in good shape, but could probably use a good clean & lube. The brakes and seat look brand new, but the grips on the handlebars are pretty worn out.

I hope I don't sound ungrateful, but he told me a few weeks ago that he was going to give me one of his bikes. His other one has a frame made by the Lotus Motor Company, and I suspect is even better than the one I got. I was kind of hoping that this was the one I was going to get, but I'm extremely happy with the Centurion.

Hose her off (avoid cables and bottom bracket).
Liberally spray moving parts with Simple Green
Let soak in and brush with toothbrush
Rinse
Dry
Spray WD-40 on cables
Put bike lube on chain while running it through all of the gears
Wipe off remaining water and excess lube and oil

If you also repack the bottom bracket, you will have a brand new bike. almost...

I doubt he has the tools to do the BB. The old cup/cone versions are a bitch to adjust anyway, so I'd let a shop handle that.

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: NuclearNed

Originally posted by: broon
It's either Suntour or Shimano. It's likely that it's the old Shimano 105 gear.

Neither one of those names sound familiar, plus my bike has a Shimano gear assembly, so I would have recognized it for sure. I suspect that at one time or other some or all of the original gear was upgraded and/or replaced.

Campagnolo?

that doesn't sound right either.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: NuclearNed

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: NuclearNed

Originally posted by: broon
It's either Suntour or Shimano. It's likely that it's the old Shimano 105 gear.

Neither one of those names sound familiar, plus my bike has a Shimano gear assembly, so I would have recognized it for sure. I suspect that at one time or other some or all of the original gear was upgraded and/or replaced.

Campagnolo?

that doesn't sound right either.

It's pretty much got to be one of the three.

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: Fausto

Originally posted by: NuclearNed

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: NuclearNed

Originally posted by: broon
It's either Suntour or Shimano. It's likely that it's the old Shimano 105 gear.

Neither one of those names sound familiar, plus my bike has a Shimano gear assembly, so I would have recognized it for sure. I suspect that at one time or other some or all of the original gear was upgraded and/or replaced.

Campagnolo?

that doesn't sound right either.

It's pretty much got to be one of the three.

I'll check when I go home for lunch.

 

[pancho619]

Does it look like this? Centurion

Nice bike if it does. :thumbsup:

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: pancho619
Does it look like this? Centurion

Nice bike if it does. :thumbsup:

Thats it exactly, except for the color.

For the other people who were asking: it has Suntour components.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: NuclearNed

Originally posted by: pancho619
Does it look like this? Centurion

Nice bike if it does. :thumbsup:

Thats it exactly, except for the color.

For the other people who were asking: it has Suntour components.

Suntour actually made nice stuff back in the day. Kind of a shame they went under.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Fausto

Originally posted by: NuclearNed

Originally posted by: pancho619
Does it look like this? Centurion

Nice bike if it does. :thumbsup:

Thats it exactly, except for the color.

For the other people who were asking: it has Suntour components.

Suntour actually made nice stuff back in the day. Kind of a shame they went under.

I have an old road bike with Suntour Superbe/Superbe Pro which was an exact copy of Campagnolo components. In fact, some of the Superbe Pro parts could be used on Campy and vice versa IIRC.

 

[Future Shock]

That's a very nice bike - I still own a bike from that timeframe, a Bridgestone RB-1, which is fairly comparable. The Centurian had a steeper seatpost, and a lot of triathletes liked them because of the headsdown positon they could get on them with aero bars.

BTW - even though it's a nice bike, you still want to ensure that it FITS you correctly before you put in any time on it. You want to ensure that the seatpost and handlebars are well adjusted - if they are too short or too long (especially the handlebar stem reach), you can always buy new posts/stems. Most bike stores will actually custom-fit the handlebar stem when you buy it there - if you can't get comfortable on long rides then buy a new one. It's always easier to make a smaller frame fit a larger person (I ride a frame a size smaller on purpose, because I like the geometry for criterium racing, at least when I was young enough to do so), but even bikes that are too large can be adjusted closer.

I suggest that you replace the saddle - modern saddles are lighter and possibly more comfortable. Modern seats have cutouts to prevent the crushing of the veins in your groin, which seats from that time did not have - this can affect your sex life, so I suggest an upgrade.

Future Shock

Future Shock