Retina-vibrating, skinny-tired time capsule

Yes, that's me in spandex and clipless shoes, not a common sight

UPDATE 18 Sep 2014: I've added a post featuring seatpost size and images of the seat tube cluster, per a reader request. See it here.
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This post veers far away from Big Dummying or Daddying. In fact it's about a bike with no provision for fenders or cargo at all. Nevertheless, rest assured it is chock full of the bike nerd-ness you've come to expect.

You may remember my recent encounter with speed on two wheels. I was surprised to find that as non-competitive as I am, I enjoyed racing, at least against myself. I had fun as part of a team triathlon, even though my equipment was not well suited to all-out speed. While all-out speed for me remains a distant possibility, I now have a real road bike.

Enter a 1991 Diamond Back Master TG via Craigslist that I picked up for a mere $6.52 per pound. It has a 60cm center-to-top seat tube and a 58cm center-to-center top tube. The bike has been a garage ornament for the better part of the past two decades. It was obviously un-ridden, with grease having seeped out of every bearing assembly, collecting a translucent encasement of oily dust. 

1991 Diamond Back Master TG as it was when I got it

The Master TG has a full Shimano 105 7-speed group including Look compatible pedals. No unserviceable STI or finicky 9 or 10 speed parts, and it has a threaded headset; all big pluses for me. The tubing is Tange oversized chromium-molybdenum steel, TIG welded together. The bike maximizes use of quality steel with an Avenir 4130 heat treated seatpost and a Tioga Prestige stem. The rims are hard anodized Sun Mistrals, 36 hole front and 32 hole rear.

The previous owner bought it new from Pauli's Bicycle and Lawnmower in Metairie, Louisiana. He later equipped it time trial style, with a Profile aero bar, a Vetta C-10 cyclocomputer and a CO2 cartridge emergency pump. Other than these additions, the bike was stock catalog spec. The original bars were included, as were a pair of size 44.5 Lake shoes (unfortunately a bit too small for me) and a seat pack containing two new tubes with their receipt from a bike shop dated 9/10/91, a bottle of Motrin that expired 6/94 and a multi-tool.

The OEM 22mm Vittoria Zefir tires were flat but in good condition and held air confidently when I pumped them up. I've always liked the look of gumwall tires on dark gray hard anodized rims. I wonder why good gumwalls are so hard to find anymore?

Tange 100% OS CRMO tubing and a slightly askew dealer sticker

Dig the cool matching pink splattered black Paramount bottle cage

Other than old grease, dust and a few paint chips from leaning against things, the bike was immaculate. The photos don't do the intensity of the salmon pink color justice, which I have to admit I quite like. Although the color clashes with current ideals of a proper color for a bike, the paint itself is impressively high in quality, flecked and streaked with gloss black over top. The combo of garish 90s era paint, non-horizontal dropouts, lack of lugs and oversized tubing makes this bike unappealing both for hipsters looking for a fixie frame and collectors looking for a holy grail classic. These features contribute to a lack of respect culminating in low market value for what is really a great road bike, well suited for my purposes.

The frame is a descendant of the highly sought Centurion Dave Scott Ironman road bikes. It was made less than two years after Western States Imports (WSI), the owners of the Centurion brand, apparently decided to capitalize on the name recognition of their Diamond Back mountain bikes by re-branding their road bikes. As a remnant of this lineage, the bike has a decal on the left chainstay declaring it "Designed by Centurion." Sheldon Brown has some info about Centurion bikes, but there is very little info on the web about the short era of high quality steel Diamond Back branded road bikes, starting in 1990 and going to about '94 or '95. 

Furry with dust, prior to cleaning

WSI owned the Centurion and Diamond Back brands

The frameset was made in Taiwan, and appears to be of very similar quality and build characteristics as the two Surlys I own, which were also built in Taiwan. In this respect, it seems a bit like an antecedent to the Surly Pacer road frame. Overall, the welds are clean and the finish work is more than competent, though well short of custom. This is actually preferable to me; I am averse to owning a bike that is too expensive or pretty to ride. That propensity once kept me from buying a Rivendell Atlantis, and I'm glad to now know and acknowledge it.

I enjoy working on a bike as much as riding one, so as soon as I had the time I completely disassembled the bike and cleaned, adjusted and rebuilt everything from the bearings outward.

After cleaning and a coat of wax, it's almost factory fresh and completely rust free

The bike rides smoothly and quickly. After reassembly, I took it for a ride to Chatfield on the Platte River Trail and it performed well, with the resilient liveliness and subtle road surface feedback of a good steel frame. It's not the lightest or the quickest thing out there, but neither am I. At about 23 pounds, the Master TG feels like a svelte and nimble rocket after having ridden so many miles on a loaded Big Dummy.

1991 Diamond Back Master TG, resplendent in Pepto-Bismol colored glory

I've never been a fan of lycra-covered gel saddles, so the original Avenir saddle is off in favor of a vintage Flite from my parts box. I also temporarily swapped the Shimano 105 pedals for some SPD compatible units until I have the time to install Look cleats on my shoes. I returned the stock Centurion drop bar to its place, bringing the bike back close to original spec, with the exception of saddle and pedals. I haven't taped the bars yet, because I may exchange the stem with something that has a shorter extension than 130mm. I might go with a 110mm Salsa CroMoto to keep the TIG welded look, but a Nitto Technomic is also a possibility.

It's a little odd for me to ride a bike that doesn't have a utilitarian purpose, but I enjoy it anyway. I'll definitely be doing some more road riding, and who knows, maybe even some casual racing.