The Bicycles: Centurion Le Mans and Masi Gran Corsa

 "Be your own master, and look at things as a man, as a human being, as a citizen, as a mortal creature" - Marcus Aurelius

In 1987, my enlistment with the Navy ended, and I gratefully became a civilian again.  At that time, I lived in an apartment with another shipmate, whose enlistment had ended several months earlier.  My roommate decided to take up bicycling as a hobby, and he convinced me that I should do the same.  We had several friends who were cycling, and it seemed like I was missing out on a lot of fun.  Bicycling was booming at the time.

Neither of us owned a bicycle, having recently been assigned to a submarine, so one sunny day we went shopping at a bike store in Mission Hills in San Diego.  My roommate, who earned considerably more money than I did, bought a higher-end Centurion Iron Man.  After spending a little time being fitted and deciding how much I could afford to spend, I purchased a teal-blue and white Centurion Le Mans RS.  

The down tube logo had a bit of 80's nu-wave aesthetic.

I had some serious doubts about this purchase, because it was more than I could really afford at the time.  I think the bike cost around $350, and I wasn't even sure if I would use it that much.  Buying the Le Mans turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Above: A 1987 Centurion Le Mans RS.  If you look at this bike with the eyes of an experienced cyclist, you can tell it's an entry-level commuter bike: 

• The pedals have cages with leather straps instead of clip-in pedals - to be fair, those were somewhat new and were usually only found on higher-end bikes at the time. 
  
• The rear gear set has only 6 cogs, so this is pretty close to an old-school "10-speed" bike.
  
• Each wheel has a white plastic reflector attached to the spokes.  
• Attached to the seat stem is a mount for the rear reflector, and attached to the steering tube is a front reflector mount.
  
• There is a clear plastic "spoke protector" (also known as a "Dork Ring") behind the sprocket set on the rear wheel.  This is a dead giveaway of a bike intended for a newbie.  The shield prevents an inexperienced rider from shifting the chain completely off the sprocket set and onto the axle, thereby locking up the rear wheel and causing a crash.  Experienced riders know what gear they are in, and don't do this.
  
• The rear sprocket has a large diameter, indicating lower gear ratios for riders with a low fitness level and/or leg strength.  You see huge rear sprockets on mountain bikes, but those are intended to climb up steep inclines, so the gearing is very low. 
  

None of that stuff would be found on even a modest enthusiast's road bike.  After I removed all that junk and installed clip-in pedals, this was a really sweet bicycle!  The riding position was super-comfortable, the bike had excellent handling, and it had a very forgiving - as in not harsh - ride. 

I just remembered that the Le Mans came with Shimano "BioPace" chainrings.  The chainrings on a bike are the big sprockets up front - on older inexpensive bikes these are made of steel and the entire gear is a solid unit, but on lighter bikes the teeth are made of light aluminum alloy.  This wears out faster than steel, so they are manufactured so that it's possible to swap out the alloy ring without having to go all the way into the bottom bracket and remove the crank bearings. 

The effect of a straight-up elliptical chainring is that when the pedals are straight up and down - where you generate the least force, it takes the least effort to turn them.  When the rider has maximum leverage on the down stroke, the ring is widest, and greater torque can be produced - however ordinary elliptical chainrings are very hard on the knees.  

The BioPace chainring is cut in a complex double ellipse that looks remotely like a square with very rounded off corners.  The shape of these was developed by doing a lot of ergonomic research and computer modeling of riders throughout the knee/crankshaft rotation to reduce knee stress. 

It was a little weird having continuously variable gearing at first, but it worked well enough.  It was a little odd seeing the rear derailleur swinging back and forth as the chain tensioned and de-tensioned twice per crank revolution.  I don't recall whether or not I ditched the elliptical rings for round ones.  Biopace was also a bit of a marketing gimmick.  The bike in the top image has them, I can see the yellow "BioPace" sticker still attached to the big ring.

The frame of the Centurion was made with Japanese Tange #2 tubing, a light and strong Chrome-Moly steel alloy.  Tange tubing was Japan's excellent answer to British Reynolds tubing and Italian Columbus steel tubing.  

 The frame of the Le Mans was manufactured using lugs.  Lugs are specially made brackets that the tubes slide into, and which are then brazed in place.  The brazing process requires much less heat than welding the frame tubes together.  The reduced brazing heat keeps the tubing ductile.  The lugs also spread out stresses that would tend to concentrate on a weld joint, strengthening the frame at the joints. 

Below, a set of lugs and tubing to be inserted and brazed in place.

Shifting on the Le Mans was not indexed, which meant that you had to finesse the shift levers somewhat to ensure the derailleurs didn't rub or clatter after changing gears.  They were low-end Shimano "Light Action" groupset parts - a little bit heavier and lower quality than their better (index-shift) offerings.  But they always worked well, and it was a first bike.

I routinely did 40-60 mile rides all over San Diego county.  It was a fun and inexpensive way to spend the day, and this was in a bike-friendly time and place.

At one point I did a group ride on the Centurion from Half Moon Bay to Point Loma in San Diego.  It was a 560 mile journey over the course of eight days.  The Le Mans was an absolute champ.  It was a pleasure to ride the entire distance, whether grinding up hills, or racing down them.

The friends that I spent most of my time riding with were avid riders.  A couple of them were semi-professional racers, and they rode pretty high-end Italian bikes: Colnago, Pinarello, Tomassini, De Rosa, and Olmo.   A couple of them owned newer titanium and carbon frame bikes by Litespeed, Merlin, or Kestrel.  After a while I developed the desire, skill and stamina to make use of a higher quality bike, but always lacked enough money for one.

One fateful day, I dropped in to a tiny bike shop in a strip mall in Rancho Penasquitos.  They had a beautiful "Ferrari Red" Masi Gran Corsa frame on clearance.  The Gran Corsa is an entry-level *racing* bike frame, made with Columbus SL steel tubing.  If you have ever seen the movie "Breaking Away", you will want a Masi.  Just sayin'.  The desirable high end Masi frames were the Volumetrica 3V and the Gran Criterium, but those frames cost close to $1000.  My frame was a mere $500 - on clearance.

The frame was just a bit small, but I figured I could make do with a taller seat stem and handlebar stem.  In retrospect, I should have saved up and bought a larger frame.

I bought the Masi frame, and it sat in my apartment for several months while I saved up for everything else:  Wheels, brakes, shifters, crank set, handlebars, seat, etc.  I bought higher-end components, although not top-end, and that stuff (like a 7 cog casette, and clip-on pedals) combined cost quite a bit more than the frame did.  I bought a Shimano 600 Ultegra "Tri-color" Groupset with indexed shifters, Mavic MA-40 rims, and a nice Modolo handlebar stem.  Once I had everything gathered, I took it all back to the bike shop for proper assembly.

I don't remember what I did with the Centurion after replacing it with the Masi, but I miss it, and really wish that I still owned it.  I may someday try to find a replacement.

I've put several thousand miles on the Masi - although none recently.  It's definitely a racing bike - It rides harsh, has twitchy handling and steering, is uncomfortable, and probably weighs 2/3 of what the Centurion weighed.  It's been a process trying to enjoy riding this one.  Fact is, if I had just bought a bigger frame, and not tried to compensate by using a longer seat and handlebar stem, it would probably be just as awesome as the old Centurion.  The Masi is uncomfortable, but I spent a lot of money on it, and it does perform better.  

Anyhow, with that bit of history out of the way, I've decided to dust off the old girl and get her moving again for next spring.  Hopefully I don't find it so uncomfortable that I don't want to ride much...  I no longer weigh in at 165 lbs clothed, so bumps will be magnified.  She's a bit dustier than the example at the top of the post, but she will be gorgeous when clean. 

I love the "MASI" pantographs that were milled into the frame and fork.  It's a nice touch that manufacturers no longer bother with.  Nowadays maker marks are just slapped on paint and stickers.  This frame also has lugged construction.  The tubes slide into the seatpost lug, where they were brazed in place.

The front forks are chrome-plated.  You won't see much of this any more.

One of the nice features that many Italian bikes had was chromed chain stays.  The chain stay is the horizontal part of the frame that runs back to the rear-wheel axle.

 

As you can see below, the chain goes around the chain stay.  When you remove the rear wheel to repair a flat, the chain will hang down and rub on the chain stay.  Over time this will damage the paint, so many frame builders plated them with chrome - chrome being harder than the mild steel that a chain is made from.  Unfortunately this model of Masi has a sticker that looks like chrome, instead of chrome plating.  Whatever, it looks OK and protects the paint.

Below:  This is the second cycle computer I've installed on this bike - a Cateye Astrale.  Hopefully the battery in this one hasn't blown out and ruined the electronics.  One of the nice things about this computer is that in addition to displaying speed, distance and elapsed time, it displays crank RPM, or cadence.  Since you are the engine, that number is important!  If this is ruined, I'll go to a wireless type.  Of course I'll replace the handlebar tape and dispose of the duct tape.

 Back in the day, these were the ticket!

 Update January 2021.  The Masi has been refreshed and is now ready to go.  The 1987 Centurion LeMans has been replaced by an equivalent vintage Novara Trionfo.

 Lately I've been - on and off - entertaining the idea of building a mountain bike.

These cost a fortune if you purchase a good one, but if you buy your parts direct from China via Ebay or Alibaba, you can build a $2500 carbon-frame mountain bike yourself for about $800 bucks, and it will weigh in at about 16 lbs.  Note the rear cog set diameter compared to the front! 

It's an appealing idea:  

• Ride where you won't get run over by someone texting and driving.
• Get off the pavement and visit places you don't normally see.
• Develop new bike handling skills that you would never use while riding on asphalt.
• Great exercise!  Going up hills is intense.
  

There are some down-sides to switching to off-road, of course.  You need to buy/build a bike, and get all the accessories.  A crash could tend to be more serious, depending on the terrain and vegetation.  Also you might find it more difficult to get assistance or first aid out in the middle of nowhere. 

Update:  I bought an entry level Specialized Rock-hopper.  Had some good rides on it!

On the other hand, I've also been entertaining the idea of finally getting my dream bike: a vintage Titanium Litespeed or Merlin.  I may just let my beloved, but under-sized Masi go, and pick up a slightly lighter, larger and more forgiving titanium bike.

 

Whatever path I decide to go down, it will definitely be a pleasure to clean the Masi up, replace the old rubber, and get it looking good again!