# Garage find Centurion LeMans RS



## Blue Sugar (Jun 14, 2005)

I located a Centurion Le Mans RS recently. Appears to be mid to late 80's with black and yellow paint. Bike appears to have been modified for its female owner with short stem and narrow bars. Bike appears to be in excellent condition under a thick layer of dust. The wheels are true and all the bearings spin smoothly. Quality lugged steel frame with sticker "Tange No. 2" on seat tube. Even the chain is rust-free. Paint looks good. Alloy presta valve rims. Owner is willing to part with it for 100 bucks. This would be my first vintage purchase although I owned bikes similar when I was a kid. A good deal?


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## paredown (Oct 18, 2006)

Blue Sugar said:


> I located a Centurion Le Mans RS recently. Appears to be mid to late 80's with black and yellow paint. Bike appears to have been modified for its female owner with short stem and narrow bars. Bike appears to be in excellent condition under a thick layer of dust. The wheels are true and all the bearings spin smoothly. Quality lugged steel frame with sticker "Tange No. 2" on seat tube. Even the chain is rust-free. Paint looks good. Alloy presta valve rims. Owner is willing to part with it for 100 bucks. This would be my first vintage purchase although I owned bikes similar when I was a kid. A good deal?


Found this on another forum--


> Ashley Wright says this about the RS:
> 
> "...the LeMans RS model, Centurion's very popular, income-generating, mid-priced machine. It first appeared in the 1970s as a 10-speed with a high-tensile steel frame, but by the early 1980s appeared as a 12-speed with a Tange Infinity tubeset and a mix of Suntour and Sugino components. By 1987 it boasted the somewhat lighter and seamless double-butted Tange #2 tubeset and Shimano's "Light Action, Light Touch" group. Later still it appeared with the Tange #2 tubeset but fitted out with Shimano Sport LX components. My guess is that this transition reflected the demands of a highly competitive market environment which forced continuous upgrading of both frame materials and components within a single popular model to stay in the game."


Around here, if it has two wheels that are round, $100 would be a bargain.


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

offer $85...


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## Kuma601 (Jan 22, 2004)

The frame is the best part. On the wife's Le Mans, it had Shimano Exage and a 105 hub set laced to some Araya hoops. $100 may be about right if in very nice condition, getting it for less would sweeten the deal. 

The wife's with flat bar conversion for short lazy around the block stuffs. The Exage cranks with round chainrings replaced Biopace and shifters remain from the OEM build.


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## oldroads (Dec 8, 2008)

Did you buy it?
$100 is a great price.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

Kuma601 said:


> The frame is the best part. On the wife's Le Mans, it had Shimano Exage and a 105 hub set laced to some Araya hoops. $100 may be about right if in very nice condition, getting it for less would sweeten the deal.
> 
> The wife's with flat bar conversion for short lazy around the block stuffs. The Exage cranks with round chainrings replaced Biopace and shifters remain from the OEM build.


She did a nice job on that bike, it looks really cool.


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## Slimpee (Nov 20, 2012)

That's a gorgeous build!


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## tijuanaderosa (Nov 28, 2012)

FOUND THIS ON MY UNCLES GARAGE LAST WEEK DONT KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

That is a real nice older, maybe early to mid 70's De Rosa. Give it a real good cleaning and wax it with a non abrasive automotive wax and it will shine pretty decent. Since it's been sitting for a long time it will need a complete gone through, also the chain rings look well worn, but I doubt your going to find those exact rings, but the rear gear cluster looks good.

Nice find.


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