zs3889

For anyone who lives in the area...(not mine)

https://ventura.craigslist.org/bik/d...298801158.html

RobbieTunes

The Carbon may have been '89, as the Ironman Carbon was 1988, $1295 and full DA vs. the Carbon full tricolor and perhaps in '89.

Serial # is inside the L rear dropout, dot matrix printed.

The fork was pretty flexible, rounded "shoulders" and long thin fork legs. In 1989 or 90, WSI had a model in the Asian market called the Carbon-R. They changed the fork and took a lot of the flexibility out of it by lowering the "shoulder" to below the rim, angled instead of rounded and the shorter fork legs helped.

I believe that model was tricolor as well.

If you need decals, I have a full set for your bike

texaspandj

Two reasons I haven't posted about my tri race using my Miami Vice Ironman. First I've been busy trying to sell bike stuff on the C&V Sales Thread. Wish I could have posted here first as its mostly Ironman related stuff. But heads up will be posting more stuff today though not Ironman related.
Second cause I got beat pretty bad by three Old Geezers. I came in 4th in the 50 and up. So no medal or trophy. The funny part is when I saw one old guy I told my wife if he beats me I'm gonna be disappointed. Then he took off his shirt and he looked extremely fit, and I was ok never mind.
The race itself was as I envisioned very hilly out and back bike, however relatively flat run. I came out of the 300 meter swim in good position but very fatigued. I hopped on my bike and immediately a short very steep hill I had to put in the lowest gear to get up. Immediatley followed by a half mile climb out of the transition and down a short steep hill to the main road that was mostly Rollin hills. And then turn around then same very steep short hill then a extremely fast half mile down to the transition again.
What stood out the most was how tired I was after the very short swim. Zero swim training makes a difference. For me not so much in speed but more so in fatigue. When you swim on a regular basis you just aren't as tired at the beginning of the bike.
Second was how light my wheels felt. Specifically up that first hill I literally lifted my rear wheel off the ground. I've been using a disc wheel with sew ups/tubulars for races but was using my roval with sew ups/tubulars. In comparison, my training wheels are stock to the Miami Vice and the tires are Specialized pro all condition. I don't think the tires are heavy but the added strip for flat protection makes it so. I noticed when I first put them on but don't notice the extra weight now.
Third was my gearing. Instead of using my regular 13-24 stock freewheel I used my 13-26 dura ace freewheel. The same one I've been using in races. But when I'd go from 4th to 3rd it was too much of a drop and I'd lose momentum. I just wasn't used to shifting that much in a time trial type ride. Also I really missed my aero bar end shifters.
Back in 86 when I got my first real road bike the gearing was perfect for me. It was 52,42x 13-24. Two years later In 88 when I built a pinarello I went with 52 , 42x 13-21. And it was perfect for me. A few more years later In 90 I switched to 53 , 39x 13-18 and it was perfect for me. Now I'm back to 52 , 42x 13-24 and it seems perfect for me.
I keep telling myself and really believing that it's my weight and not my age why I'm so slow. I finished the 300 meter swim, 12 mile bike and 3.1 mile run in 1 Hour 14 minutes. 25 years ago and 40 pounds less ago I would have been busting an hour. It's cool getting old but it's hell getting fat. Later Irongents.

canklecat

I know what you mean about those minor gear changes. I used to fiddle with replacing cogs on my 1976 Motobecane to get the perfect gearing for my rides and preferred cadence and effort.

And now I'm about to do the same thing with my '89 Ironman, fiddling with the chain ring and freewheel. But I wanted to get into better shape over the summer first, so I'd have a better idea of my physical capabilities and limitations before swapping for a smaller inner chain ring or freewheel with larger climbing cog.

I never participated in triathlons back in the 1970s when I was in peak condition and it was becoming a big thing in Southern California. Back then the San Diego Ironman was mostly dominated by a fellow who ran a pub -- I think his name was Tug? Or maybe the name of the pub was Tug's?

Anyway, I was a decent swimmer but hated running so I never got into it. Kinda wish I had done it back then, just to have the experience. Running would be impossible now -- splintered C2 vertebrae makes any jolt too painful.

canklecat

Ah, here we go... Tom Warren, former owner of Tug's Tavern in San Diego. (And a Sports Illustrated story from 1979.)

I remember reading about him in the San Diego Observer back in the day. Sounded like the quintessential amateur athlete, in the purest and most positive sense of the term.

texaspandj

Well I didn't get to post my for sell stuff today , will do tomorrow. I had to get new phone.
But since I got my new phone I plan on posting updated pics of my Ironman.

diomekes

Here's my '87 Expert that I bought on eBay for $275 total. It seems to be all original except for what I've done to it: tires, tape, clips and straps, and some cables.

It's a 58cm. I think a 60cm would fit me better, but this is what I found. In my color, of course.

The brown saddle looks weird to me, but I think it originally came with a white Lycra saddle, which I might try to get to protect the suede some.

texaspandj

Very Cool Ride. Good buy too. Congratulations and welcome.

diomekes

I'd like this info, too, since my rear brakes tighten when I let the bar flop either way.

markwesti

Hi guys and gals , as usual not mine and I don't know the (ahem) owner . A 54 cm Master for $ 70.00 . Yes it's going to need some parts .
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/...295926426.html

markwesti

This is a much better deal . https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/...305248234.html

Matt2017

I have a Centurion Triathlon Master, frame bought new here in Australia in ~1989. Note that it's called Triathlon and not Ironman. Are these related to the American WSI Centurion Ironmans?

Jotan

Here is my new Centurion object.

texaspandj

Sure are. Welcome to the forum. Post more pics for us to enjoy.

T-Mar

Matt, Western States Imports owned the Centurion trademark in the USA but failed to register it elsewhere. Consequently, other companies were allowed to market Centurion bicycles elsewhere. The rights could be owned by various companies depending on the country and year. However, H.Tano & Son, who was WSI's major source, held the rights in many countries and I believe this was the case with Australia, during the period in question. These bicycles often have several similarities to the USA models, with minor variations due to local preference and we've even seen cases of Australian Centurion with 'Designed in USA' decals. The serial number will tell us if it is a Tano frame and the exact year. If it's not Tano, the other source that pops up frequently on non-USA Centurion of this era is Merida of Taiwan.

zs3889

Any idea what's causing this noise on my 87 MV Ironmna? It's been driving me nuts. Sounds like it's coming from the pulleys. I cleaned the pulleys and greased them but that didn't help. The pulleys are not rubbing the cog and the chain is well-lubed. Shifting is as smooth as it gets so can't be the cable tension. New pulleys? New chain?

https://streamable.com/sa72h

texaspandj

My current MV had the same sound/squeak. When I aquired it, it looked like it had been sitting in its bad condition for 25 years. There wasn't anything on it from the last 2 decades. So I tore the bike down and over hauled it but only squirted some oil in the pulleys. And the bike squeaked. Very irritating. I narrowed it down to the pulleys and took them completely apart, cleaned oiled and No more squeak.
BTW if you plan on doing that remember the pulleys are not identical. One is a guide pulley and the other is a tension pulley. The upper guide pulley wheel is marked centeron G.

zs3889

That was the first thing I did. I cleaned and greased the pulleys, and installed both back accordingly. It didn't help with the noise. I also adjusted the B screw so that the pulley is not rubbing the cog. No luck there either.

Some suggested that the hanger or cage might not be perfectly aligned. I think that might be there cause here.

texaspandj

Cool, try that.
FWIW the last irritating sound/feel I had turned out to be the chain even though it was well oiled.
Seems like the squeaks and sounds that come from our bikes are amplified tenfold by our own ears.

zs3889

I just looked at the pulleys and they are properly placed (guide and tension). Are these pulley directional? If so, having them installed in the wrong direction might be causing the noise.

texaspandj

They are not directional, but I'd probably try reversing pulleys anyway.

In fact if I were you and knowing me I'd : Use oil in the pulley bushings, if that didn't work,
I'd oil the chain and freewheel, if that didn't work,
I'd replace with a new chain, if that didn't work,
I'd replace guide/jockey and tension/idler pulleys.
If that didn't work I'd ask [MENTION=170517]rccardr[/MENTION]. After all, after my ordeal of fw,bb,hs,hubs,pulleys, pedal overhauls , I asked could it be the chain? He said could be the chain and it was.

zs3889

I just reversed the pulleys and the noise is still there. Already greased the pulleys and lubed the chain.

I'm guessing next step would be a new chain (current chain only has less than 1000 miles), and then new pulleys. Thanks!

texaspandj

Oops forgot to add check derailleur hanger alignment.

Classtime 

zs, I had a similar squeak on mine--tried many brands of lube, rebuilt r.dr., swapped wheels, freewheels, etc. I ordered a new chain, BUT, the one that came on my basically new MIami Vice showed 100% of its life still to go. After 100 miles or so of squeaking, I put the park chain cleaner on for a double wash with fresh kerosene. After drying overnight and then Boeshield, no more squeaks. Whew. I have a new HG71 ready to go AFTER THIS ONE GOES TO 75%.

RobbieTunes

This may irritate some, drop some pics off of older posts, but sometimes, ya gotta do....

I moved my Carbon-R to the dark side over last weekend, took about 4 hours, and only with a quiet determination to "just do it" did the endeavor complete itself. Wrenching with a cup of self-doubt on your shoulder tends to change the center of gravity, so to speak. I didn't feel really centered on the bike until I rode it.

OK, OK. texaspandj said "pics, already." Pics first, specs after. Ride report? Extremely good. Best this frame has presented itself to me, yet, and I'm certainly of a mind that only a wheel set upgrade may change that. (Discounting SRAM Red22 or one of the battery-powered systems...)

Not quite as striking as the previous version with more red and larger lettering on the wheels, but I'll deal with it. Perhaps less bike conversation at rest stops on large rides. So, we'll talk about women and drinking instead. Always a trade-off.


The cables are centered, the pic is just a bit off. I like them tight and right. Others prefer a bit more slack. I don't. The hoods are comfortable enough, and the cable routing is easier than previous "along the bar" STI's. The cables exit the shifter body side by side and stay that way.


Yes, I should have wiped it off. I ride it too much to keep it as clean as I should. I'll try to get better. I imagine I could save some weight with a lighter seat post. Good luck finding one in 25.0



I think the drivetrain looks decent with the black/polished mix, much like the frame's presentation. Several locals kept telling me "you gotta go 11-speed." I still don't think they're right, but I got a deal on the group and don't regret it. I'm now running 2 compact crankset bikes, and I've got no problem with them at all. The new FD arm system has me in "no noise, no trim" mode.

Prior to this build, I was fairly certain that the DA 7700 would always be the smoothest, lightest shifting STI system, followed closely by the DA 7800. I considered the "newer" routing to be one of the drawbacks to smoothness. The 9000 is "pick it and flick it," and just like the 7700, with what seems like a shorter paddle throw. Maybe it was just me, being satisfied.


1989/90 (Asian market) Centurion Carbon-R
56x56 Carbon tube/Alloy lugs. Aluminum fork.
Shimano 6400 headset. 3TTT quill 90mm stem. Nitto B115-420 bars.
Prologo Nack saddle w/carbon rails. 3TTT Fluted 25.0 seatpost.
Dura Ace 9000 compact crankset. Dura Ace 9000 FD and RD.
Dura Ace 9000 STI's Dura Ace 9000 11-28 cogs.
Dura Ace 9000 calipers. Shimano BB6700 bottom bracket.
SRAM PC X1 chain. Jagwire stainless cables/Jagwire Racer housing.
DT Swiss/Bontrager hubs with 2016 RXL hoops. Cont GP4000II 700x25 skins.
Fizik Microfiber wrap. Look Keo2Max Carbon/Ti pedals.
Runs a Garmin Edge 500 on an SRAM out-front mount.
Pearl Izumi bag, Ibera carbon fiber cage. Shimano cable stops.

Sans bag, 17.1 lbs. Sans bag, pedals, cage, GPS and mount, I figure 16.6-16.7 lbs.