roccobike

Many of the old brand names have been resurrected by new owners. Schwinn is marketed by Dorel, although some wish they wouldn't considering some of the low end offerings. Nishiki, one of my ATFs is now the Dick's house brand for their entry level bikes in the USA (wish they'd market some nice bikes) and there is a small group in Europe marketing much nicer bikes using the name. Motobecane and Windsor have been resurrected by Bikes Direct and marketed on their website. The Motobecane logo is attached to some pretty nice bikes. Some would argue that their fate could have been worse. But what about Centurion?
IMHO, of all those names, Centurion is the coolest. When I first got back into cycling and heard that name, I knew I had to own one. Then I learned about the Ironman line and started drooling over pictures of red & white Ironman rides. So what happened? How did such a cool name get overlooked? Think about it. Would you rather ride a Centurion Iron Man or a Giant TCR? Heck I don't know what TCR stands for and don't care and I own an OCR-C. And what's so special about Specialized or for that matter Trek is a great name for a mountain bike, but Centurion is a bold name for the leader of road bikes.
So what happened? Anyone have any thoughts on how this cool name got left behind?

McBTC

Centurion seemed to be solid but nothing remarkable, Miyata for some reason I associate with a Japanese tour bike (must have come with a rack), Fuji's were built like a rock, Bridgestone sounded American, I had a Panasonic--good components, Univega's were cheap... not sure I ever saw a Lotus.

mattk42

Centurion made some really great bikes in the late 80s with nice tubing. Then, I think, they morphed into Diamondback, so it may be that the Centurion name is still owned by Diamondback and could explain the lack of a return of Centurion branded bikes.

icepick_trotsky 

Ditto. Centurion as a company is still around, just called Diamondback now.

Diamondback Bicycles - Home

thumpism 

WSI (Western States Imports) owned both names but Centurion was already licensed in Europe by someone else so WSI could not sell their Centurion bikes there. By combining both road and ATB under the DiamondBack label that would no longer be an issue and the company could sell the DB bikes anywhere. Don't know who now owns the Centurion name, but I've been out of the biz for a few years and no longer keep track of that stuff.

ThermionicScott 

Hmm, if they still own the "Centurion" name, they're missing a big opportunity (I'd think) to apply that brand to their tri/TT line...

CroMo Mike 

The name game. Funny watching the 2015 TDF and seeing them riding bikes with all those big box names and names you never heard of.

oddjob2

There is a boat company by that name, so it would be foolish to take them on. Also, Centurion Bikes was a distributor/design entity, with no manufacturing capability.

Centurion World Championship Towboats

Centurion Bicycles From WSI (Western States Industries)

DiegoFrogs

I see new Centurions here in Sweden quite frequently. Typically sportier-type men's city/commuter bikes with internally geared hubs. I believe they're Danish. They seem quite nicely done for the style. Sometimes with threadless stems and rear handbrakes, which makes them a bit different from the Swedish style city bikes. There are also some German MTBs with the same brand.

Interestingly, Nishiki bike frames sold today here in Sweden are actually welded in Gothenburg. Kind of the opposite of Bridgestone: Japanese name, domestic origin.

roccobike

Yes, that's the same thought I was having. Whoever owns the name is not realizing the heritage associated with Centurion. I don't recall Centurion ever marketing any really low end, steel wheeled, bargain basement bikes. Their big push seemed to be the mid-level and upper mid-level bikes, targeting the serious cyclist. By comparison, Nishiki was all over the place even reaching out to department stores to sell bikes.

mstateglfr 

I have come across 2 Centurion bikes that were hiten steel and lower end components. Plenty nice for riding around, but also hardly anything to get excited about or call 'good' for any of the many reasons we all like older bikes.
One was a 70s LeMans and the other was a Cavaletta which was probably early 80s. The LeMans was all hiten. The Cavaletta was cromo main tubes and hiten stays and fork. Suicide levers on the Cavaletta too.

The LeMans got A LOT better thru the years and mid/late 80s had Tange Infinity(I think) tubing with nicer components, but earlier offerings from Centurion certainly were at times what most here would consider lower end(or uninspiring).



I wish the Schwinn name would have died 14 years ago. I love my Schwinns and hate seeing the association to the current stuff.

And if Miyata ever started selling in the US again, I would be first in line.
hakusen | Rakuten Global Market: MIYATA SPORT (sport Miyata) EIGER ? Eiger ? chromoly touring / Randonneur The Miyata Eiger is just fantastic. The largest it comes is way too small for me, but its a great looking bike. Classic splined triple butted and lugged frame, 650 wheels, hammered fenders, non-aero levers, and a timeless looking crankset.

USAZorro

I always associated "Centurion" with the Roman Empire, and I've always considered them to be the "bad guys". I realize it has nothing at all to do with those bicycles, but merely to point out that there may be other considerations for naming.

RobbieTunes

roccobike for President.

fcboyd

Just saw this on craigslist after reading this thread. Looks like Diamondback used the name for at least one model
Diamondback centurion 61cm bike

Lascauxcaveman 

LOL, I come from the same Judeo-Christian background. All those biblical epic movies with those Roman soldiers just slaughtering the hell out of my spiritual forebears

As I got older and more agnostic, I just became to think of Centurion as a dorky, overly-macho sounding name for bike; maybe a bike for folks who "like movies about gladiators."


I briefly had a (1990?) Diamondback Centurion TG Expert which I sold to a fellow forumite a year or two ago. Great bike, but too similar to too may other bikes I have.

ramzilla

Doesn't matter in the least to me. They are all made by the same robots now.

roccobike

roccobike

I had a large frame LeMans that I flipped some time ago. It was Tange 2, I think it was 1987 vintage. It was black with yellow seat tube and head tube.

roccobike

Good point, I hadn't considered that.

Hummer

Read Tmar's comments in this thread:

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...l#post15570881

eschlwc

i associate "centurion!" with monty python.

and on that note, do you currently have a '73-'75 lemans or super lemans?

i'm looking for the seatpost size.

don't make me "thwow" you to the floor.

Bikedued

Shogun is back, but makes things like OS tubed junk cruisers, and mountain bikes with fake suspension frames. It's quite sad, really.,,,,BD

24" Shogun Shockwave - Pink and White - Kent International

mstateglfr 

Was that bike a Le Mans RS? I passed on buying an RS to refurbish last fall and regret not picking it up. I think it was an 87 and had Shimano light action indexed shifting. Your mentioning Tange 2 is right I think, they must have continually upgraded the tubing thru the years even after using Infinity.

USAZorro

There was an initial religious component to my attitude, but my study of history, and they did as they expanded their Empire and subjugated other peoples is what crystallized the association. I found myself reading the history of the Punic wars, and rooting for Hannibal (who was a detestable and ruthless SOB in his own right). Not too many years later, Star Wars came out and... I suppose you can guess it.

On a visit to Rome a few years ago, I saw just how small Romans were, and that set me to imagining how many of them I would have been able to slaughter in an arena battle. Crazy that my brain heads in that direction before even thinking about the bicycles with the name.

From all accounts here, Centurion made some very high quality bicycles. I think how the C & V community, and the broader public would respond to a re-launch would be heavily dependent on the attention they would take to doing the original marque justice.

brandon98

Step out of your bubble. The name's been dead closing in on 25 years. It's unlamented and other than the Ironman series, it was another Japanese McBike made with some form of double butted chromoloy tubing with parallel 73 angles +/- 1 degree and a top tube 1-2cm shorter than the seat tube. Good machines, but they were utterly interchangeable under the "How Ya Like Me, now?" paint with any other bikes in their price point.

Let it be. Just let it be. Ideas like yours end up with Schwinn Paramount "full suspension cruisers' being sold at Target with the fork installed backwards. And this makes Judeo-Christian baby Jesus cry.