I rode my 1976 Centurion Pro Tour for over 20 years before I crashed it back in 1999. In fact, that crash and the resulting quest for a suitable replacement bike is what has led me here – to an appreciation of the rarity and quality of hand made vintage bicycles and to a side career as a bike mechanic, collector and restorer.
When I hit a car that had suddenly stopped in front of me while going about 20 mph, my front wheel collided with the car’s back end and I went down hard on the trunk. (Thank you, helmet.)
The fork legs were pushed back and the steerer tube was bent right above the crown.
You can see the tell-tale paint cracks which clearly indicate a sudden impact. The fork was definitely toast.
The frame itself sustained some damage to the downtube (left photo) and top tube (right photo). You can again see the tell-tale paint cracks right at the lug points, but the cracks are not very pronounced. And, looking at the tubes and holding a straight edge up to them, I cannot see any significant bends or twists.
The rest of the frame looks great, with plenty of “buesage” evident in the scratched paint and fading logos. But, overall, this is one nice frame. If I could bring this bike back to life with a new fork, and any needed repairs to the tubes, I would be overjoyed. Interestingly, this frame is “too big” for me – at 54 cm, but I managed to ride all over the place in tremendous comfort. I did install a stem with shorter reach, plus rando bars (which my Pro Tour did not have originally), and that gave me a comfortable position. After all, with the really tall frame my stem didn’t need to be tall because it was already even with my saddle height.
Once I remove the paint (to reveal the fully chromed frame underneath!!!), I’ll know for sure the extent of the damage. Since I am really fond of that baby blue color, I might still decide to paint it again after stripping it, but it will be sad to lose the Centurion logos. An experienced painter may be able to recreate them. If all goes well, I’ll be riding this amazing bike once again.
Centurion Pro Tour – San Juan Islands – c. 1985
