J.S.

I have a frame in need of rims and would like to confirm if the originals would have been 27". I found a reference for 1978 Centurions that would suggest original rims were likely Araya 27" alloys with sunshine hubs and a 5 speed cassette (Suntour) with gears somewhere between 13 and 30 using Suntour Cyclone Derailleurs'. I'm thinking about trying to put it back to original specs but I am open to any suggestions/opinions. I really don't know what I'm doing I just took a notion to get an old road bike that would actually fit me and came across this frame. I have a few old road bikes I've picked up over the years all of which are to tall for me and I still have what's left of my old volkscycle (basket case)from back in the 80's. I am wanting to get back into riding again and am hoping this Centurion will do the trick. Thanks for any help your willing to give.

Aubergine 

J.S.

Hi Aubergine and thanks. The bike needs a wheelset, pedals, and chain. It's all there otherwise but could stand being taken down and cleaned and reassembled. I would like to put it back to original specs and restore it to as good a condition as I'm able. I am however not entirely against the idea of making changes if it would make sense and improve the bike and get it back on the road sooner. I've read that 700c conversions are popular but that the brake calipers sometimes must be changed to accommodate the smaller rim. It currently has Dia-comp-G sidepull calipers and I think their probably original. I don't know if their good calipers and worth keeping on the bike though. would I need to find and use a Suntour gear cassette to use the Suntour deraileur's and would I need to find a specific hub width or are they standardized?.....Thanks again.

Bad Lag

If your brakes allow you to lower the pads down that extra little bit, get 700C wheels
If your brakes do not allow you to lower the pads that extra little bit, get 700C wheels and some new calipers.

Aubergine 

DiegoFrogs

I love Centurions of this era. I have a 1977 Pro Tour that I have changed a bit in the 8 years that I have owned it.

I wouldn't go out of my way to get 27" wheels. There's nothing wrong with them if you have them already, but if you're getting new wheels, there's no solid mechanical reason to go with 27" and a lot of practical advantages to 700c these days. I'd be very surprised if the Dia Compe brakes didn't reach easily down to the rims on 700c wheels. I've done this on several other bikes for various reasons, keeping the original brakes, and it's never been a problem. The most difficult cases involve ones where there are cantilever brakes on older bikes, but you don't have that problem.

In the short term, you can use whatever pedals you would like. My Pro Tour came with 'Mikashima Unique Road' pedals, which responded well to some intense cleaning. Today, the brand still exists, and goes by 'MKS'. I do many of my miles on MKS pedals that I bought 14 years ago with a couple cleanings that are a bit nicer for riding with soft sneakers with clips and straps, and a surprising number of miles on a couple sets of modern $10 Wellgo BMX platform pedals.

An affordable KMC or SRAM 8-speed chain will work well with everything.

Keep in mind that if you go with old wheel technology, the technical term for the rear sprocket assembly is 'freewheel', which is incompatible with the more modern 'cassette' style. They have to mate properly with the style of hub, which use the same nomenclature. Yours would have used a freewheel, probably a 5-speed, Your bike is likely spaced at 120 mm on the inside of the dropouts. Normally the over-locknut-dimension (OLD) of the wheel should match this number, but people sometimes slip in a wider wheel. Standards advanced as the number of rear cogs increased, to 126, 130 and 135 mm. 130 and 135 are common nowadays. It's possible to 'cold set' the rear of the frame to accept wider wheels, but maybe start with the easy stuff first. I cold set my rear from 120 to 135 mm on my Centurion.

Your shifting is friction, so you aren't married to any particular brand, which can be nice. Suntour is fine, but I actually recommend a modern freewheel (or cassette, if you go that direction). The Shimano and similar stuff usually shifts really nice. I've been using Sunrace cassettes now for some time and I'm happy with them, so maybe a 6 or 7 speed freewheel from them could work for you.

fleslider 

I agree, i would do a modern take on the frame , except for trying to find all of the original parts. the Super Elite is a nice bike but not rare, so i wouldnt worry about making catalog correct, i would make it a rider.

I am currently working on doing that right now with a 1977 Pro Tour.

Lascauxcaveman 

Conversely, @J.S., if you find a nice pair of 27" wheels for free or cheap, that works pretty well, too. No new calipers needed. (And again, your old brakes may well work with 700c, too. If any of your old road bikes have 700c, swap them in for a test fit)

It's true there are a lot more tire choices with 700c, but there are plenty of good ones with 27", too.