reluctantsuburb

I'm starting a thread to document my newest (and by far most ambitious) bike project: building up a vintage Schwinn Cimarron. A bit of background: I currently commute exclusively on bike after switching to a job with only a 4 mile commute in hot, flat Dallas, TX. I've loved commuting by bike, but my current set up, a Marin Nicasio RC that I got for a deal, is a bit too small for me, and was also my first serious bike purchase. Since then, I've come to understand that I am after a more relaxed, upright riding posture. I have been inspired by a few threads here, especially What is the Poor Man's Rivendell, Let's See Your Vintage Schwinn Cimarron, and Upright MTB Conversions. All of these hit on aspects that I'm looking for in my build: long chainstays, slack geometry, upright posture, fat tires to cushion the road, and, if I'm being honest, a certain aesthetic.

On to the build at hand: I picked up this 22" Schwinn Cimarron Frame for $110, including headset and bottom bracket. I have nothing else at this moment that is to go on this bike--everything will be purchased or stolen from another bike. I don't really have a parts bin to speak of.

I'm in the early stages of figuring out where to take this build, and it seems there are two paths immediately before me:

1. I can go as close to period-correct as possible, finding another MTB from the same era and swapping over parts. This seems to me to be the fastest way to get this thing to a rideable state. This Schwinn Sierra listed for $170 is a contender if I go that way, although it is pricier than what I want to pay
2. I can go more modern, picking and choosing as I go, but I honestly don't know enough about drivetrains and wheels to know what is compatible with what. This is my first time doing something more than installing brakes or running new cables on a bike. For example, I would not be opposed to running this with a 1X drivetrain--it's flat here and I don't need a great range of gears. Likewise, I don't much care if I have original wheels...you get the idea. I'm open to more modern components, but would need some hand holding.

Regardless which of the two paths above I take, I do plan to run the bike with swept back, upright handlebars, a rear rack, hopefully a front rack, and some fat, slick tires.

If I could solicit advice on two things:

• If you were considering the above two build paths, which would you go, and why?
• If I'm looking to touch up the frame, what's my best way to go about that? A hobby shop for some paint? I assume I should paint now while it's stripped of components. A part of me even wondered about getting this powder coated. I've also seen reference to people waxing a frame, but have never seen "Frame Wax" in my LBS.

Looking forward to any feedback or tips you have. I'm aiming to document the process throughout.

The frame:

bear_a_bug 

Sounds like a fun project! I had an '85(?) Cimarron at one point, too. I ended up putting drop bars and barcons on it, and selling it locally as a city commuter.



Before that, I had it set up as "Poor Man's Rivendell":


It was a little too big for me, and I ended up with a wonderful mid-80's Trek MTB in a slightly smaller size.

I think without a robust parts bin, going "period correct" will end up getting more expensive than you think, unless you have access to a co-op (an open one, at that), or like you say, find a similar intact MTB and swap over parts. In the end, you might be dissatisfied with what you get for all that effort.

Personally, I would just pick and choose the parts that I like, have experience with, or want to try out. The nice thing about old MTBs like this is that they're great platforms for experimenting with different riding styles (trail, upright, drop bars).

Looking forward to seeing how you decide to build it up! I broke my foot 2 weeks ago and unfortunately won't be riding ANYTHING until mid-June at the earliest, so I'm living vicariously until then.

reluctantsuburb

Awesome builds, thanks for sharing. What is the Trek you're on now? Your "Poor Man's" is very similar to what I'm hoping to accomplish. What crankset/derailleur is that?

Yes, I think that unless I can find a vintage Schwinn someone isn't trying to flip but is just getting rid of, it may be the most expensive part. I think the thing I am most confused on is the gearing: how many cogs in front and rear and then which shifting system to use. Seems like there are cranks a'plenty on Ebay but I can't tell one front chainring from another.

Hope your recovery is speedy!

bikemig 

Great platform to start with. There is no better way to get started than to find a donor MTB. It will save you a lot of money. I'd look for one that has quality parts (deore level).

reluctantsuburb

Question on this--do I need to worry about matching hear hub spacing? Or am I looking to potentially expand the rear dropout spacing if I find something more modern?

Any thoughts on the Schwinn linked about as a contender? I'm not really sure if it's a good deal or overpriced

bear_a_bug 

I don't recall exactly which crankset I used initially on the Schwinn, but positive it was a standard 1980's 110 BCD Sugino/Sakae thing. You can get down to 34 teeth on those, and they're ubiquitous and cheap. IIRC on the Schwinn, I had to use a very long BB spindle and maybe a spacer to get crankset clearance with it. With a flat commute in Dallas, I don't think you'll need the granny gear that 110/74 BCD triples use. I'm currently using a Sugino AT on my Trek, though I don't have a granny gear installed.

Trek 870 (repainted):


I use a 7 speed cassette with indexed thumb shifters. Pretty sure it's all Shimano, but I haven't looked recently. I live in flat Chicago, and even with a strong wind, I don't find that I really use more than about 4 gears, EVER. If I were you, I'd think about keeping it simple with a 7/8 speed rear cassette, and maybe just a single chainring up front, something in the 40t range. YMMV, of course.

The nice thing about building up with mid-80's MTB components is that they tend to be easy and relatively cheap, and pretty durable. Something quick and easy would be Shimano Deore groupset. Here's a groupset I just found for about $150 that gets you pretty close (probably more than you'd want to spend, but IDK). I'm sure others here will have many good recommendations. I'd aim to get as many parts in one deal as possible, though, as picking up one piece at a time can get pretty expensive if you're going the Ebay route.

bikemig 

The Sierra is fine; vintage MTB prices tend to be high in the Dallas area.

The spacing is no big deal. You either have 130 or 135 in the back and the frame can be spread if need be.

Clyde1820

If interested in roughly-comparable components parts for the period, I agree that probably the simplest would be to find a complete donor bike and use most of the parts from that.

I'm in much the same boat, now. Have a '90s Trek 970 that I acquired which was rideable and period-correct. Am going through each part, one by one, cleaning and fixing minor issues as I go. Have purchased a different saddle, stem, bars and grips. Am completing installation of new cabling (and related tuning). As you're doing: a more-upright riding position, meant for around-town leisure and commuting riding.

Had to search high and low to find a complete period piece that as puny enough to be in my size. Luckily, other than refreshing the cabling and adjusting the riding/cockpit position, it's technically in need of nothing. So, a good donor base to start from. Still need to get the wheels trued and tensioned, once it's all back together.

It'll be interesting to see where you go with this and which parts you choose.

Have fun.

Classtime 

Don't paint it. Use Car wax after you use polishing compound (from the same auto parts or hardware store). For a parts bike, look for something a bit more neglected than that linked Sierra to get a better price.

reluctantsuburb

Thanks for the tip on polish/paint!

reluctantsuburb

A told a friendly guy on the local CL about what I'm trying to do after his donor bike didn't quite seem to be a match, and he was kind enough to direct me towards a Mid-90s Yokota, specs pasted below, at a price of $75. Seems like that may be a real winner:


So now for my very ignorant question...if I want to take a bike like the Yokota but switch up the front chainring and put on a new cassette/freewheel, how feasible is that? Thinking of something like a 11-34 in the rear

Padgett

I would go with that Schwinn parts bike. Its might seem a little expensive, but I think you would nickle and dime yourself way over that price point trying to source parts individually. (especially with that hawk Robert the Bike Guy) Plus, you could post the frame up for sale with any parts you do not use, or build up that parts bin you mentioned not having!

bikemig 

$75 is a very decent deal for these parts assuming that bike (really the parts) are in reasonable shape. Buy the bike first, worry about the gearing later. With a 24 small chainring, you likely won't need or want a 34 on the back. In any case, you are limited to what is available for 7 speed hyperglide. Here is a 12-32 for example: https://www.amazon.com/SRAM-PG730-Sp...reation&sr=1-6

I have no idea whether an 11-34 7 speed is available but I doubt you'll need it with that triple even if you were touring up the Rockies with a loaded bike. There comes a point where walking is your best lowest gear.

reluctantsuburb

LOL to the walking. Sorry, I was thinking if I had only one chainring on front! (Assuming later conversion)

bikemig 

I like the parts on that $75 bike other than the rapid fire shifters but this will get you started. Maybe you'll like them. If not, new friction thumbies are available and there are other options out there both new and used.

wrk101

Rapid fire sucks. But a donor bike is all about SOME of the parts. I upgraded my Cimarron recently. Donor bike was full XT, with very little wear. Crankset, wheels and dérailleurs went into my Cimarron to replace the slap worn out parts. My Cimarron started as s disgusting, rusty, beat to crap bike. Bought at a garage sale for $15. Treated the rust and touched up the paint. Looks good from ten feet. Sold the donor frameset for more than I paid

for the bike so upgrade was ~ free.

wrk101

I’m always on the lookout for older high end MTBs. They get very little respect. Latest donor I picked up was a Klein Pinnacle XT. Price was silly low. Not sure what others are looking for deal wise.

im agnostic on brand, model and size, I’m just looking for parts. Kind of wish the Klein was my size but oh well.

reluctantsuburb

So I ended up snagging a parts bike today for $30 from a neighbor. Not everything fits on the Cimarron (e.g seat post, stem) and some of the parts are in pretty rough shape, but the wheels fit the frame without having to do any widening of the rear dropouts, so I figure that's a win. The donor bike is a Marin Redwoods, and it included a set of v brakes, a Suntour crankset, and a 24 speed Shimano Alivio drivetrain.

Pulling off some parts:


The helpers:

reluctantsuburb

A little bit of googling and I'm seeing fair reviews for the Alivio group but that it's definitely not great. Should I keep looking for another drivetrain or stick with this for now? Again, mostly I was trying to buy the wheels on this purchase. Hoping I didn't make a mistake...although if I did, I live two doors down from the seller and can likely talk to him.

Classtime 

A threadless stem adapter is an option. And then a Kalloy seat post and you can build your Cimarron, ride it and think about the next round of modifications.

Chris Chicago

I had to replace a bunch of parts on an old mongoose atb. It takes time and effort cleaning parts and getting things set up right. In the end you'll be better with nice working DX parts on there. I'd go get the yokota.

Clyde1820

For details on the components, you can search the specs and details at the Shimano website: Manuals & Tech Docs @ SI.Shimano.com .

The Deore RD-M650 rear derailleur looks to have a 38T max capacity, and 32T max for the largest cassette sprocket. (Though, many people say that Shimano's gear typically is spec'ed conservatively and works a bit outside that range as well.) Standard period cassettes for that derailleur were up to 28-32T. A quick check on eBay, Harris Cyclery and a couple other places shows 7spd 32T max cassettes; didn't find any larger.

The Deore FC-MT60 crank looks to have a 110/74mm BCD spec, for the 48/36/24T chainrings.

reluctantsuburb

Thanks for the info here, but I honestly don't know the significance of any of it! :/

wrk101

I'm always on the look out for upgrade donor bikes. Now my Cimarron has lightly used XT parts, it would be hard to upgrade much. But I have a short list of target groups on donors that I will gladly buy, and XT is one of them. Brought home three XT bikes from my pre-virus trip. XT, 600, DA, and any Campy, this is most of my short list.

reluctantsuburb

Based on what I'm seeing here, I think I'm still going to go get that Yokota today. I'll chalk the $30 bike as a learning experience and parts bin filler.