sd5782 

Hello all. My name is Steve and I have been enjoying the info here for quite some time, and decided to post. I am 61 years old and still have and ride my beloved 1973ish Schwinn Supersport that I bought used when I was 18. Several years ago I got a very pleasant riding Bianchi Boardwalk hybrid that info here showed to be from perhaps 1991.


I really don't have the strength and lungs to ride fast, but thought I would like to get a lightweight road bike anyhow just for the enjoyment of ownership of quality mechanics. The more I researched, it seemed that steel was the way to go. I live in NW Ohio, and a Centurion Ironman Dave Scott was advertised in Ann Arbor Michigan which I purchased for $230. Researching afterwards seems to show I got a pretty desirable bike and a long thread here is dedicated to just the Centurions.


The Centurion is in fantastic shape and seemed to be in very stock configuration; different seat, tires, tape and added aero bars appear to be the only changes which leads to my question. The brake levers are the Dia Compe which are shown on the 1986 model. The levers don't really look as they have been added, but perhaps 30 years ago someone did so as to not have the cables of the 600 levers interfering with the racing aero handlebar accessory. Could my bike be a late 85 with the 86 levers?


It is definitely an 85, as I have looked at pics, specs, colors, etc. Shimano 600 friction shifting, Tange 1tubing, titanium color frame with navy blue steering head. Whiling away the winter hours here in the midwest. Vacation time in a few weeks, so maybe I can get the bike cleaned up for pics.

RobbieTunes

The DiaCompe from '86 were not used for the '85 models.

Like any 34 year old bike, changes were likely made.

Set it up so it works for you, then make it better, until it disappears beneath you.

texaspandj

Welcome and Congratulations. You picked a good one. Looking forward to your pics.

oddjob2

Classtime 

mountaindave 

canklecat

Good bike. Well balanced and easy to handle, soaks up rough pavement and chipseal with the right tires so it's pleasant and fast to ride. And plenty of fans here to encourage you.

Even though I nitpick about my '89 Ironman Expert sometimes, it's nothing serious -- just me wanting to get faster. Easier to blame the bike when I'm having engine problems. Got it set up pretty well now and really enjoying our few warm but windy days this month/year so far -- even slogged into 20-30 mph headwinds for several miles Friday afternoon since the temp reached 70. After I replace the damaged jockey wheels next week (just waiting for replacement to arrive) I think I'll leave the bike alone and just ride it for awhile. Can't think of anything else it needs. New cables, got it shifting perfectly. New chain and tires that'll be good for the rest of the year. Trued the rims while the tires were off. Already overhauled the hubs and bottom bracket by December so it's pretty much set to just ride and enjoy.

And I keep being tempted by this very similar early '90s Diamondback Master TG that keeps popping up on craigslist nearby. Pretty much an Ironman in different paint, with Shimano group. But it'd be fun to have a different flavor.

Cougrrcj

Welcome Steve. Nice bike.

There are several BF.net members in the northern Ohio/northern Indiana and southern Michigan. In mid-June, there is a week-long cycling event in your backyard. GOBA 2019 | The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure Ride as much- or as little as you want... I'm a bit east of you outside of Lorain, but the terrain is pretty much the same -- flat! That lends itself to taking longer and longer rides as you build up your endurance, speed and stamina.

Pompiere

Welcome Steve. I am another one from NW Ohio, midway between Toledo and Sandusky. Toledo Area Bicyclists(TAB) has rides nearly every day of the week. Many of them are split into different groups, depending on ability or fitness. I try to catch the one on Tuesdays in Elmore.

markwesti

Hey Steve , Welcom ! What are your plans for this bike ? I can't wait for the pictures . Mark .

TXsailor

Big mistake getting a Ironman! Now your other bikes will get neglected since the Ironmn is so fun to ride even for us old codgers. I bought one that was pretty much original and loved it but kept thinking how it would be with a modern 10 speed drive train. Then I found one with no wheels & only the seat post and headset were original. I thought it was the perfect project to modernize. It already had a triple crank so I left it replaced the bottom bracket and put 10 speed chain rings on it. I used Ultegra brakes & chain and Dura-Ace down tube shifters. Right now I have some Giant wheels on it but they are subject to change. Current project is a 89 that my granddaughter & I are building for her with a little help from my C&V friends.

canklecat

Another 61 y/o here too, and also thought I was too old to play with the fast kids. Actually the latter is true. In real life I'm still pretty slow, even among the hardcore roadies close to my own age.

When I resumed cycling in 2015 after 30+ years away, I started on a 35 lb comfort hybrid. I'd been off a walking cane for only a year and was still recovering from a car wreck that broke my back and neck in several places. I was happy to ride a mile without needing a hit off my asthma inhaler. The first month I often needed to stop every 400 yards or so to catch my breath. Took almost two months before I could ride 10-12 miles, and even that was with lots of rest breaks. That felt like a huge accomplishment. And it really was.

Never occurred to me that I'd ever be on a road bike again, let alone moderately fast for 20-30 miles without needing to stop. I'm pretty much stalled at that level but I'm satisfied with my progress.

Getting the Ironman in 2017 really motivated me to see what this aging body could still do. "Workouts" and "intervals" became part of my vocabulary. It's just light enough and aero enough to make it easy to improve my average by 2 mph with the same effort, compared with a more upright and heavier steel frame hybrid. The problem with that is it opens the door to thinking more and more about speed.

I'm not fast but I play a fast guy on Strava, the reality web show for MAMILs. I'm a tailwind mooch and all my top tens are heavily tailwind assisted, including another Friday. I took advantage of the 20-30 mph wind coming in ahead of the winter front while the temperature was still 70. Just barely sneaked into a tie with the 10th place on a tough climbing segment that had always thwarted me before. It amuses me to see my name alongside actually fast riders, including some local pros.

But the difference is those folks average 18-22 mph over distance, while I'm pretty much topped out at 16 mph over the same distance. I loaf between segments, wait for a day with a tailwind or at least neutral wind conditions, sprint for the segment, then slow down and huff and puff to catch my breath. For them, a top ten is just one part of an ordinary ride. For me, it's a leg burning lung bursting eyeball popping effort.

The Ironman has been great fun and there's a terrific group of fellow enablers here. My only problem is I don't know how to just relax and enjoy riding the Ironman. Every ride turns into a workout. So I still have a hybrid I'll ride for days when I'm supposed to be resting or taking it easy.

TXsailor

Funny story about Strava. When I first started riding again I was on a Giant hybrid. I started looking at routes and segments around here on Strava and Map My Ride. I saw one that was 10 miles or so that started about 10 miles from home. It hadn't been rode much so the really fast people weren't on it.There was a lady who had the fastest speed and it looked like maybe I could beat her. I had no idea who she was but she became my nemesis. I rode more and worked on my speed. Then when I was ready I rode slowly to the starting point and then rode as hard as I could to the end. I did it! I beat her. Not too long after I met her and she talked me into getting road bike & doing a group ride with her. She then became my riding partner and a very good friend. I just went to a surprise birthday party for her today. We have learned that we ride pretty much the same speeds (neither of us are really very fast)

RobbieTunes

Well, now you've met the long winded amongst us.

TXsailor

Yeah us Texans are prone to ramble a bit

canklecat

I blame my granddad for my loquacious tendencies. He was full of tall tales. After his story about spanking a misbehaving young Howard Hughes I got the Munchausen infection (not the unfortunate and overused "by proxy" bit).

sd5782 

I didn't take any "befores", but all stock except the aero bars and the aforementioned Die Compe aero brake levers, tires, tape, and seat. I will have to investigate adding photos here to see if it is the same as some of my other hobbies.

sd5782 

Thanks all for all of the nice words. I will try to maybe address several responses and suggestions.

I have long seen the GOBA ride in Ohio, but it isn't my style.I guess to each their own, but I am a lone rider, and go for the peace and solitude and seeing nature. A bit tough here as I am on the edge of town and need 5 miles until I can see a field and get away from traffic lights. My normal ride is perhaps 20 miles.

As I just got this bike in the fall, I have only seen less than 50 miles on it. I din't want to get too far away without means to fix a flat, especially with the 23C tires. I did get outfitted up nicely and did a 20 mile ride before the cold weather. After riding the Schwinn SuperSport for 40+ years, I wasn't quite sure what to expect with the 23C tires which I aired to 100psi. Actually it was quite ridable, but one does have to pay a bit more attention to stones that are on the road edge more so than on my Schwinn. As an aside, the Ironman is a fair bit twitchier than my 40 year frame of reference with the Schwinn. Not good or bad, just an observation.

As for the bit of riding I did, flat ground and my age/condition puts me at maybe 17-18 mph on the "wired" Sigma computer I added. The old Schwinn gets me about 14 mph. No reason for me to really want to go fast, except maybe to be able to go further easier and enjoy more country riding.

At this stage of my life with my kids gone, simple toys and hobbies are fun. I have several other hobbies, but I like fine mechanical things. My research showed that the steel road bikes, especially from this era from Japan are fine mechanically. Indeed, my SuperSport is also crome moly and is very well built and a fine representation of mid level quality of the era, but that is for another post.

Now for photo questions. I do see a box to manage attachments. Other hobby forums I am on require hosting services such as Imgur. Is it as easy here to just drop an jpeg file into the box?

I guess I will have to get busy cleaning my new to me bike if I will be taking pics. It is in the 22-23" frame size that is desirable for many including myself at 5'10". Reading the Ironman sticky, I see that measurement is a bit confusing.

Thanks for all the friendly chatter, and looking forward to posting more, and also on another recent bike acquisition, a 1964 Huffy Sportsman, aka Raleigh Sport.

sd5782 

jetboy 

as long as its not a story about being spanked by a misbehaving Howard Hughes.