Centurion (US bicycle brand)

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Centurion was a US - Japanese bicycle brand . The German manufacturer of the same name has been the sole owner of the naming rights since 1991.

Centurion was born in 1969 a. a. founded by Junya (Cozy) Yamakoshi in the USA. The company had almost all frames produced in Japan, including at the traditional bicycle manufacturer Tano in Kobe . The import for the US market was carried out by WSI (Western States Imports). From 1976 Wolfgang Renner , at that time still as Nowack Radsport-Vertrieb, imported Centurion to Germany and also commissioned completely own models from Tano, such as B. 1982 the first German mountain bike "Centurion Country".

Because of being made in Japan, Centurion is sometimes referred to as a Japanese manufacturer. Later models were also produced in Taiwan by Merida , among others .

In the 1980s, Centurion gradually became Centurion / Diamondback in the USA, and from 1990 WSI only used the Diamondback brand for bicycles , which WSI had founded in 1977 specifically for the BMX sector. The company was taken over by Derby Cycle in 1999 and production stopped in 2000. Today Diamondback is part of the Accell Group and is managed from Kent, Washington .

The naming rights for Centurion were acquired in 1991 by Wolfgang Renner and are now in Germany. Renner expanded Centurion into a completely independent manufacturer with design and construction in Germany. Centurion has maintained close relationships with Merida again since 1998 .

Many classic racing bikes from the brand's WSI days are still around today and have a small fan base.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://velobase.com/ViewBrand.aspx?BrandID=c0d4531a-1865-49f7-bbef-283acc8513b3&From=T
  2. ↑ History - CENTURION Bikes. (No longer available online.) In: www.centurion.de. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016 ; Retrieved April 27, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.centurion.de
  3. ↑ Darla Ferrara: The History of Diamondback Bikes | LIVESTRONG.COM. In: LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved April 27, 2016 .
  4. ↑ History - CENTURION Bikes. (No longer available online.) In: www.centurion.de. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016 ; Retrieved April 27, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.centurion.de
  5. ^ Centurion Bicycles From WSI (Western States Industries). In: www.sheldonbrown.com. Retrieved April 27, 2016 .