Centurion Road

When I first moved to Seattle, my only bike was my beloved and ridiculous brakeless fixed gear. I rode it hard for two years as my only vehicle. It was a blast. After a time, I realized the practicality of bikes with gears, and even brakes. I bought a used steel road bike from a local shop and sold my fixie. I was all the way in.

Several years and multiple bikes later, this lovely 1979 Centurion Semi-Pro was relegated to wall bike status. Its deep blue paint, chromed lugs, pinstripes and lug lines make it stand out. Meanwhile, my trusty Surly Straggler was evolving from a road bike, into a randonneur rig, and presently to a light tourer. A fast and light road bike was sounding more and more appealing.

A plan was set: using my recently improved wrenching skills, I would overhaul the bearing systems, do my own full tuneup, replace the cabling, and completely replace the entire cockpit. After the work it feels like an entirely new bike. More comfortable, faster, tighter. It rides like a dream and brings out a powerful feeling in me while I ride.

Now that the Centurion was overhauled and felt new, it seemed a perfect time to have it sit for its portrait. Also a fantastic time to practice with my new Fujifilm XF50mm F2 portrait lens. These are all taken with my Fujifilm X-T3 and that lovely little fujicron 50 prime, using the Velvia film simulation.

What a fantastic bike. A blast to ride, easy to work on, and gorgeous to boot. The cockpit overhaul has me eyeing my Straggler and dreaming about what’s next. I think I’m gonna need all my bikes to have inline brakes, for one. Either way, I can’t wait to show it off when it’s done.

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