I'm guessing that some contributors to this thread may have seen this 1986 red Cimarron on eBay. Well, I caved and bought it! It arrived today, and the condition is just as in the photos -- excellent -- so I'll just post the main auction photo here:
The Araya RM-25 rims are this cool deep bronze color I've never seen and have almost NO wear on them. Minor scuffs on the paint. The seller said he thinks it's the original grease on the chain. I paid $550 before shipping and tax, which is higher than I wanted for this project but a fair price, I thought, considering the condition. That, and I'd been searching for mountain bike frames for nearly three months, and I think there's something called buyer's fatigue..I was ready.
I plan to make it a commuter and touring bike. I have done a fair bit of touring, but I have never owned a frame that would accommodate large tires with fenders and not have toe overlap. I'm excited! I'll likely throw a new wheelset on there with an 8s cassette, so I'll spread the rear triangle to 132.5 mm-ish. Front and rear Tubus racks. I'm thinking bar-end shifters on a Nitto Bosco bar. This bar appeals to me, because I'm going to use a Yepp Mini child carrier up front, and the bar ends will wrap nicely around the kid seat. I got the frame on the large side (this is a 21") for me because I like my bars high, and the long TT (23") will give extra room for the child carrier.
I'll post pictures of the build when I get it finished, and I'm happy to post additional photos of this bike as is, if anyone feels like it would be helpful for the thread. Thanks to all who have posted on this thread. Lots of inspiring builds, and you convinced me go for this bike. She's a beaut!
mparker326 -- was this possibly your bike? My seller is in Athens, TN. Your photo is no longer viewable... There's a sticker from the original shop: Travis Cycles in Massachusetts....