It’s always a long way from first idea to final product – not only with respect to bike development. Rough outlines, final drawings, feasibility coordination between designers and engineers, resulting prototypes and, finally, functional models – involving many specialists with different responsibilities being individually essential for the complete development process. Only then we can guarantee final products matching all strict design requirements and technological standards which are especially demanded by such a venerable brand.

For MY 2011, CENTURION has aimed at nothing less than self-reinvention from scratch: Design, “look and feel” of each bike have been overhauled thoroughly to prepare our traditional brand successfully for the future. As a matter of course, all CENTURION products are still characterized by their well-proven and traditionally established main features: Totally reliable materials – optimally adapted to their specific fields of application – had to be transformed into new modern bikes designed to evoke the “suspensionless steel horse” spirit of the early MTB days. Therefore, our main 2011 objective was nothing less than the realization of “Classic Modernism”.

As already in the past, CENTURION strongly focused on close coordination between design and development to create a brilliant basis for all necessary processes. Logical at first sight, but often working contrarily during actual realization: While designers always strive for best possible look, engineers want to achieve maximum technological performance. Thus, we again enjoyed the inspirational support of the renowned design office SLOGDESIGN which already won highest laurels e. g. for the TRAILBANGER and OVERDRIVE designs. So the German design specialists from Biberach also created the CENTURION 2011 model concepts that our in-house R&D department transformed technologically into MTBs, road machines, cross and trekking models, children’s/juvenile bikes and – last but not least – into our specific lady line EVE. 

At this point, the always hard competition between wish and reality started again as permanent struggle for the best possible compromise. Because: The best CENTURION bike is not only light-weight, but also safe. Not optimized towards short-term performance, but towards durability. Not only equipped with best possible components, but also affordable. As soon as there is consensus about optimum realization of all those factors, meticulous testing measures are taken: According to ultra-strict criteria, all bikes (incl. components) are checked for flawless functionality, best possible safety and maximum performance. In the CENTURION test lab, our developers thoroughly analyze all relevant safety and performance data – such as head tube stiffness which is essential for a bike’s steering and speed stability. Equally important: BB stiffness defines how much pedal power is transferred actually and effectively to the drive train – the more, the better! All those technological tests follow the well-established as well as accredited TOUR standard which also takes the fork’s comfort and lateral stability (crucial for precise steering performance!) into equal account. Only when all tests are passed with flying colours, our bikes are ready to bear brilliant names such as Backfire, Numinis or Megadrive.

So we encourage you to experience the literal “cycle” of effort and ambition represented by each CENTURION – even more in 2011!