Centurion Accordo RS Finished

Hello and Welcome, I`m a little lost with this new format so please bare with me. Here is the Accordo RS finished.

I put the finishing touches on the Centurion Monday morning. I am very pleased with the finished product. Originally I was going to get rid of the white handlebar tape and matching hoods. My plan was to go with natural cork tape, gum hoods and a Brooks Leather Saddle. Or a leather like knock-off anyway. For some reason I decided to see how the white hoods would clean up. When I saw how nice they were coming out using just Armor All Cleaning Wipes my plan totally changed. .

I started to warm up to the idea of not only staying with the white handlebar tape but also going with the white saddle. Looking at the beautiful original red and white paint job, I thought "this is gonna look awesome" I did not go with the classic gum-wall tires. This bike needed some racy looking black tires with good graphics. The CST Compressor fit the bill perfectly.

The only thing I have considered changing is the pedals. But these (Dimension I think)pedals are very close to the originals. And their racy look and black color compliments the tires nicely. I do have a set of the Shimano 105 Pedals "knock-offs" but I think I am going to use them on the Fuji S10S.

Below: Here are a few more pics of the Centurion RS

All the things I decided not to do on the Centurion I am going to do on the Fuji. Except maybe the tires. I have rebuilt the threaded headset and 2 speed crankset. And have started working on the front wheel.

I just found out the spoon saddle for the Fuji will not be shipped till June 20th. That really sucks I wish they would have showed it "out of stock when" I first ordered it. I did not find out till I checked the shipping status. I was gonna give them a call and say some things I would have regretted latter. But after a good nights sleep I decided to just wait for the saddle. This was my first order with this company. Next time I will check the shipping status right away. Then I can just cancel if the wait is too long.

Before I sign-off. My Uncle Tim called the other day from a garage sale. He found a classic 10 Speed road bike He thought I might be interested in. I was very interested so he purchased it for me. And He even negotiated a great price for the bike! The bike will be a first for me a RAMPAR "RAPEDE". I think RAMPAR might be connected to Raleigh, but not sure about the details yet. My uncle will be in this part of the state July 2nd. And I can`t wait to see this thing and start making plans for it.

I will be updating the Fuji S10S project real soon. Till next time RIDE SAFE and as always please remember to RESCUE, RESTORE&RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

Centurion Accordo RS Update

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Above: Using my Hozan Lock ring Tool on Headset. I don`t know why I did not get one of these sooner. And No, I did not take the threaded headset completely apart until after I removed the front wheel.

Above: After cleaning, polishing & brushing there is still a bad spot on the reflector mount bracket. I will have to "touch it up" remove it or replace it.

Above: I have to stop touching those white road brake lever hoods! I have already cleaned them up twice. The adhesive on these bars was not too bad. The Goo-Gone jell removed it with a little bit of elbow grease.

Above: The Rear Derailleur cleaned up easily with a little White Lightning Clean-Streak. Then I hit it with just a wee-bit of Mothers.

Above: The Front Derailleur got the same treatment. Except I used "Turtle Wax Chrome Polish & Rust Remover". It is chrome plated not alloy.

Above: The Shimano Road Brakes I hit with a little "Clean-Streak". And then Polished it with Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish

Above: The Rear Shimano Caliper Brake received the exact same treatment as the front. I removed the calipers for cleaning but did not take them apart. They just did not need that much attention. I honestly can`t see any difference In the results. They were not very dirty. Normally I would take the calipers completely apart and polish them with Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish.

Above: I cleaned the Chain and Free Wheel with White Lightning Clean Streak The rims may "look like chrome" but they are actually polished alloy. The Hubs and Rims were polished with Mothers. The Spokes just got wiped down with Armor All Cleaning Wipes (disposable). The original tires were a real tight fit. I warmed-up the rear tire with the heat gun before removing it. It seemed to help a little. I also trued both wheels after removing the tires.

Above: The micro adjust seatpost also got the Mothers treatment. I had to go-over it a few times. That`s typical as these rarely ever get touched or cleaned.It took some patience, but it eventually polished-up pretty good.

Above: It is now ready for new Brake Shoes and Cables. The Derailleurs are ready for new Cables too. Once those are done work will stop till the new Saddle and Handlebar tape arrive. I will most likely start taking the Fuji apart, and get the parts ordered. I do have a few minute nicks in the paint to touch-up. Here is a QUICK-TIP Fingernail Polish is excellent for touching up small nicks in the paint. And it comes in most of the basic colors. I have gotten a few "strange looks" while rummaging through the fingernail polish at the drug-store. Also small bottles of modeling paint work well too. If anyone knows where I can find modeling paint let me know. I think Testor`s was the name of the brand I used when I was doing model cars years ago in the 1960`s. Well it is almost noon 06-05-10. I started this last night but I was exhausted and gave up and went to bed. Now I need to "get to work" routing those those cables and and adjusting (if needed) the derailleurs. Till next time RIDE SAFE and remember to always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE! Cheers,Hugh