Strange frame - mix of old and newer fittings

[bikeworkshop]

Maybe it was just a basic 5-speed?

Quality frames from the tip are the exception not the rule

 

[FiveAlpha]

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1987 is a somewhat late date for Campag 1010 ends

they were sometimes employed that late for touring applications

the square cut sockets of the shell are quite suggestive of "production"

have you been able to make a tubing determination?


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It is a catalogue of contradictions - it's not a touring bike - clearance and geometry suggest road/training frame.

I don't know what tubing it is, but Danish Centurions were normally made with Tange tubing - Champion #2, Tange 2 and Tange 3, and latterly, Tange Infinity. The BB shell looks like the kind of thing one would find on a Centurion Super LeMans (though every one I've seen has down tube shifter mounts).

 

[bikeworkshop]

Maybe it was just a basic 5-speed?

I'm with this.
And I suspect it was originally sold with an allrounder bar, gear lever on the stem or the bar.

I think the 2 cable guides on the down tube are for rear derailleur and rear brake - like you see on mixte/open frames, and occasionally on double triangle town bikes.
Hence the lack of toptube routing, for a tidier urban look.

All the fittings are basic, the quality of work is functional - the dropouts are cast, but you're not saving much money using stamped ones, the framebuilder used what was to hand to make a functional bike.

 

[FiveAlpha]

Maybe it was just a basic 5-speed?

Possibly - it’s not a fancy frame, but it’s not gas pipe either. I was curious about the choice of frame fittings (70s and 80s) rather than the quality.

 

[FiveAlpha]

I'm with this.
And I suspect it was originally sold with an allrounder bar, gear lever on the stem or the bar.

I think the 2 cable guides on the down tube are for rear derailleur and rear brake - like you see on mixte/open frames, and occasionally on double triangle town bikes.
Hence the lack of toptube routing, for a tidier urban look.

All the fittings are basic, the quality of work is functional - the dropouts are cast, but you're not saving much money using stamped ones, the framebuilder used what was to hand to make a functional bike.

It weighs 2.100g which is not bad for a 58cm ‘dad bike’ at that time.

 

[bikeworkshop]

It weighs 2.100g which is not bad for a 58cm ‘dad bike’ at that time.

I think it's probably a reasonable quality frame built for commuting or town use - Hence the lack of frills or fancy details.

We often assume that if the quality is ok then it must be a sport or lifestyle bike, but that's not always the case.

In Europe, nice quality urban bikes are a little neglected, although an interest in touring, rando and porteur style has started to redress that.

 

[FiveAlpha]

Okay, so I chatted with a neighbour, who used to own a bike shop - he said that it is almost certainly an early 80s Centurion Super Le Mans, and the down tube double cable guides were for the Suntour BarCon shifters that were specced then. So, it was a drop bar sports bike, made of Tange 2 tubing with 12 speed Suntour gears. Very average.

He also thinks the VIN is misleading - possibly an older bike imported later (or an error).

I will build it, ride it, and see if it is worth painting.