The bike is shown with the new wheels and the STI lever, but still with the old cranks.

Another year as an exchange student in Texas (this time in college), time once again to buy a bike for a year. Like in Kingwood eight years before, I was extremely lucky: I found a rideable bike at a pawn shop. The wheels were shot, so I could convince the salesperson to give me the bike for $175. I even got a pair of time-trial bars for free! And to make the story even better: As 'Centurion' used to be a brand-name used by DiamondBack in the 80s, this bike is the closest thing to a direct heir to my first American bike, a 1988 Centurion 'Dave Scott Ironman Expert'. Today, DiamondBack, like Raleigh, Nishiki and several other bike manufacturers, is owned by Derby Cycle.

The bike had a TIG-welded steel frame and a 7-speed Shimano RX 100 gruppo. I built up new wheels using Mavic Reflex rims and bought new tires. My bike was ready to race, and it cost less than everybody else paid for their Kestrel forks! I added an RSX STI lever after my first race, because I had had to realized that you can't really win a sprint with down tube shifters anymore.

The only other change I made to the bike was before the 1997 Tour of Texas: I replaced the 170mm cranks for 175mm one from the 105SC gruppo. I am more of a time trialist, so I figured the extra length might help me.

I raced the bike in a ton of collegiate and USCF races for the UT Cycling Team and Team Bank United / Loco Velo, but I also used it as my commuter bike to get around town. I was able to sell the bike for $300 at the end of the year without the STI lever.