RobbieTunes

I "outed" the salmon one on the "are you looking for..." thread. The seller is in no hurry to sell, per his response to my email.

The seller with the '89 obviously has some shortcomings in the photo/bicycling/spelling department. One of the way to weed them out is to offer to come by and look at it (he's also listing it on Charlotte CL) to see if it's real. Could be a steal, could be stolen, could be a scam. You just never know.

Update: The salmon one is down to 250.

Teon

Admittedly, the back seatpost clamp-on rack is a bit out of place on the bike, but I haven't gotten the other two vintage bikes with rear rack mount points built up yet, so this rack will have to do for now. (It looks even uglier on the Nishiki Tri-A.....lol)

rccardr 

I posted this about a month ago, but have been delayed in my efforts by The Renovation Of The Secret Underground Laboratory. A truly major project involving new overhead lighting, laminate flooring, built-in cabinetry and a paint job. It's been a month since I've been able to get any work done in there.

At any rate, The Lab should be completed in the next few days, at which point this Ironman goes onto the stand. I'll strip it down to the bare frame, get some matching auto touchup paint and refinish the few minor scrapes and scratches, then rebuild with Phil grease and new comsumables as required, including white bar tape and Jagwire housing, Shimano stainless cables, Vittoria Rando 28's, a white Ritchey Streem saddle, and a kinda special rear wheel: new modern Shimano freehub laced to the original bronze Araya rim, with a 9 speed 12/27 cassette and 9 speed chain. I intend to use the existing Shimano 600 components (they are pre-SIS = friction) so it will look original until you peer at it closely. I think I'm going to need a shorter stem, too, but have a nice Cinelli in the box.

Not sure how crisp the shifting will be (I've heard reports at both ends of the spectrum) or whether I'll have to replace the brake pads with Kool Stop Continentals, but should make for an interesting and entertaining foo-foo bike.

RobbieTunes

The touchup paint is Testors Red Metal Flake (looks a lot darker in the bottle). The silver is probably fine with the Testor's silver, but you can get a Sharpie fine point paint pen in silver and re-line the lugs. The '85, of course, is the only one with lined lugs. The same Testors Red Metal Flake works on the Comp TA and the Turbo.

I have taken the same setup to 9-sp friction, using the same setup as you, with newer wheels (Mavic CXP33's in the same dark red metallic). It worked fine, but the individual shifts are "dainty" compared to what you're used to. Mine was on a Comp TA, same color, same group. Just takes some getting used to, is all. The RD will reach.

I just threw in the towel on my '85, same color as yours. The stays and R side of the TT were just too far gone to touch up. I'd send you my touchups, but my Cinelli uses the same silver, and the shipping on the red would be more than the 1.59 it cost. Mine is now in the powder coaters, and I've chosen white, with the option to put constrasting colors on the head tube and rear stays still open.

That thing looks great. The chain rings match the wheels.

horatio 

Doc, I'm running an 8-speed cassette (12-26) on my Basso Gap with the same 600 shifters and no problems at all. Hitting #9 might be a stretch, though.

RobbieTunes

If it reaches 8, it will reach 9. You just have to have a light touch. Use the "6-sp" throw and you'll shift 2 cogs every time. It took me about 75 miles to be able to do it without looking, another 75 or so to do it right 99% of the time.

It's really nice to see you posting. I know you've been busy.

horatio 

I should have known that! The cogs are just spaced closer. Doh!

That gives me an idea to try one of my 9-speed wheels...


If that's addressed to me, I've been lurking. Things are pretty quiet now that the brood has been squared away at college. Too bad your son had to take the beater. It would be the same for my kids. I don't like the outside storage they offer students.

Doc, where's that red beauty I sent you?

RobbieTunes

I think the good doctor has been filling Ironman prescriptions.....

RobbieTunes

I sent him some questions on eBay and offered to come pick it up on the CL post, and it simply disappeared from Charlotte....re-appeared in Asheville....I'm going to be in Asheville tomorrow night, so I sent him another email. We'll see what comes of it. He dropped one of the pics.

rccardr 

Like Robbie said, built a bunch of to-order bikes this year (including a couple of MV's), then went into a total Lab refurb. The Red 'N White goes under the knife over the winter.

horatio 

Can't wait to see how it turns out.

rccardr 

Progress:

frantik

mmm shiny 600EX

RobbieTunes

If only mine was in anywhere near that condition... Such a beauty.

xn7

anyone know the top tube length C-C on a 52cm '85 ironman? what sizes were they available from between 49-53cm? by 2cm increments?

RobbieTunes

Not 100% sure.

But, ST increments were in even sizes, as far as I know. Centurion measured funny, but basically, from the c-bb to the t-top tube, on the Ironman frames. They actually called it "to the lowest part of the scallop on the side of seat lug." Visually, this is about the same as the top of the top tube.

I've heard it told of 61cm Ironman frames, and a certain lady who raced for them had a 49cm Ironman frame, but there is no way of knowing if the 61cm "factory" frames were mismeasured, or the 49cm frame was even an Ironman frame. She wasn't racing for them when her frame's color scheme came out.

Now, the frames were pretty square at 54cm and 56cm. As they went up from 56 in 2cm increments, the TT seemed to go up about 1cm each time. As they went down from 54 in 2cm increments, the TT seemed to go down about 1cm each time, but I've never measured any of the smaller ones.

My experience is that my 56's were square, and my 54's had to be close to that, because I probably could have gotten by on a 54ST/55TT, but they were just way too short, so I'm assuming they were 54TT, as well.

rccardr 

I picked up my re-jiggered wheel today. Think Bronze Araya goodness, but 9/10 speed.

xn7

i see.. essentially "square". thanks as always for the reply robbie, easy way to remember it.

as for the quoted text.. it is interesting how centurion measured ironman and it seems other models of their bikes. i'm accustomed to taking the length from center of bb to center of where the seat and tt meet.. but always came up with a odd number like 51cm or 53cm. mystery solved lol.

xn7

well i picked up a 89 expert over the weekend.

it's in okay shape but far from great.

still has the original sampson clipless pedals and avenir gel seat.. well what is left of it.. the shell.

brakes need some serious adjustment.

will have to get tires and then i'll be tuning it. hope the gpx will shift a rear shimano 6 speed correctly, if not i'll have to start my search for the original suntour 7 speed freewheel. it's sitting on wolber alpine rims at the moment.. wish it came with the original araya ctl-370 and gpx hubs.. my wheelset is from a 1987 expert.

as far as finding hoods for the gpx levers.. i don't think i'll be having luck with that anytime : )

RobbieTunes

Good find, though. Did you get the "Black Dog" or the "Smoke on the Water?"

I'm not sure if the 7-sp GPX shifters will run that 6-sp Shimano rear, wish I knew. I know the spacing is a little off with the 7-sp Shimano vs. the 7-sp GPX. There may be someone here with a 7-sp GPX freewheel. The other option is to use 6-sp Shimano shifters. The FD and RD anc cranset will work fine. For the hoods, that's a toughie, as the eBay seller of those things they're priceless.... I've no idea if the Cane Creek aero hoods will work or not. Those are nice calipers, too, with the hidden springs.

xn7

just when things were getting exciting i've caught some kind of cold/flu.

the expert is black. didn't expect to find a black one.. but there it was. funny though, i had my heart set one of the various white + smoked ones.. or older the red + white. but gpx was one of the things i was aiming for.. so i guess that eliminated the red + white ironmans.

honestly i'm sick of black. i have 2 black cars, a black and yellow lemans, a black mountain bike.. did i really need a black ironman? it is a pretty and sexy black though

edit: back to my question/your answer about geometry a few days ago.. definitely square. 21 inch top tube to a 21 inch seat tube.

oddjob2

I just picked this Centurion Comp TA yesterday, photo is "as-is." Very clean frame, silvery grey metalflake, full Shimano 600 tricolor. Nifty textured saddle. Per SheldonBrown.com, the Comp TA was the predassessor to the Dave Scott Ironman. The name change was due to BF Goodrich's trademark on the name. Imagine if the Comp TA were a Bridgestone bike!

rccardr 

OK, so we're back from our trip to Ireland and The Secret Underground Laboratory has been completely refurbished. Here's the first finished product to emerge:



Original Araya bronze-tone rims with 6200 series Shimano 600 front hub and polished 4500 series 10 speed rear hub. Yep, a 10 double run through mid-80's Shimano 600 friction-shifted goodness! Those are Vittoria Rando 28's- a very plush ride.



Original BioPace rings work fine with the 10 speed chain. Shifting is very smooth!



Ritchey Streem saddle cossets the behindside. I thought I'd have to replace the original brake pads with Kool Stops, but these work very well.



Brake levers are like new, but as one would expect, the hoods are starting to separate. New ones are on their way. White Jagwire housing, Shimano stainless cables & Nashbar gel wrap.



Don't you wish all bikes had lugs outlined by hand and nice, shiny shift levers?

cehowardGS

The bike is SICK!!

T-Mar

The infringed party was B.F. Goodrich, not Goodyear.