bconneraz

Happy Birthday to my 85 Cimarron- born on July 2nd. Whoo-Hoo!!

neo_pop_71

Finally done!



I started a thread dedicated to the rebuild, the full specs and plenty of photos:

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...oto-heavy.html

It's nice to finally have a Cimarron worthy of posting in this fine thread dedicated to these American made beauties!

C'mon, there has to be more proud owners out there... post 'em up!

neo_pop_71

Happy Birthday ! ! !

That gem hasn't aged a day... lookin' amazing for being 29 years young!

Bikedued

I've always wanted one of these fine bikes. Regrettably the only one I've ever seen for sale in person was a small frame. I did finally get the black chrome High Sierra I've always wanted, dripping in black/polished XT goodies. Good enough for me, for the moment at least.,,,,BD

bconneraz

looks beautiful! It turned out so well- did you take any more pics of the frame when you stripped it? It's really interesting to see what's under the paint. Congrats again on a beautiful build-

neo_pop_71

Hey compadre, thank you again for the flattering words... I'm blushing!

I did take one other photo before it went off to get media blasted and powdercoated at Pena's. I didn't need to sand the frame, sandblasting is going to remove all the paint but I always sand the tubing to check for cracks or pitting in the steel. I figure the time spent is worth it, better safe than sorry.



Just a FYI, if you want to give a bike an affordable facelift, Pena's in Downey will sandblast and powdercoat a frame and fork for $65.00. That's exactly half of what I used to spend at Xtreme Powdercoating, they are one of the best but you sure pay for it!

bconneraz

My search for an un-molested 88 is finally over; It'll ship Tuesday. As soon as it's cleaned up, I'll get it posted here. Until then, it looks just like this:


Now it's time to find an 89

bconneraz

arrived this afternoon; my new 88. More pics to follow; it's a cream puff for sure.

The Golden Boy 

Have you started a thread yet?

I'm dying to see how this thing is built!

neo_pop_71

Does this make 4 in a row in your stable?

1985
1986
1987
1988

1987

Looks really versatile.
What's in front? An air horn?

bconneraz

Indeed it does. I'm now on the hunt for an original 89. Once that happens, I figure I've got all the build years covered. Then again, I don't have a black 88, an LE, or an 86 in seafoam....lol. It's really a sickness; I love these bikes.

Golden Boy- while I won't be doing a dedicated thread on the 88, I will certainly post a ton of pictures on this thread, with a scan of the original spec sheet as well. I spent the entire day cleaning the bike; it's every bit as nice as my 85 and 86; I can't believe it. I should have it done tomorrow and then I'll take and post up pictures.

1987- yep, that's an airhorn. That's my 87, and regular commuter. Best bike I've ever owned, and I've owned some nice ones.

bconneraz

I spent the day in the garage, finishing up the light cleaning of my 88. She's a gem; here are some pictures, and my overall thoughts of the 88 production year.

Overall, the bike is in outstanding condition; it was in a storage locker, and doesn't appear to have been ridden much; nearly no brake wear on the rims, or wear on the pads. I love the color, but certainly prefer the graphics on the 85-87. I think overall, the bike looks a lot like a mountain bike, and less like a comfort bike ala 85 and 86 with the tall riser bars.

Here's a picture you don't see much; the underside of an 88, with the Dia Compe 990. While perhaps not too popular, I've gotta say, these brakes feel amazing while putting around the block.

These are the funkiest looking brake levers I've ever seen; they're slick and pretty for sure. Original foam grips. The Deore index shifting performs perfectly. The headset is a Shimano Deore.

SR Seatpost, Suzie QR and San Marco Mtn Pro Saddle

Rear Hub is a Shimano Deore

Front hub is a Deore as well, laced to an Araya RM 20 black rim

not a lot of miles on this bike

Deore Cranks, Deore FD, and SR pedals

Deore RD

Who doesn't love chrome on an 80's bike? Dia Compe 982 front brakes

So there it is. Overall, the frame is beautiful, just like all the other years. I love the chrome fork, and the fact that they added a chain hanger. It rides awesome- after I cleaned it up, I took it around the block for a total of a whopping 3 miles just to make sure everything works. Let the search for an original 89 begin.

bconneraz

A few more random shots. Anyone ever see these tubes before? Upgrade at purchase, or from the factory in 88? I've never seen them before

Nice cr-mo stem with internal cable routing

990 rear and the bb cluster

came with this Paramount cage, and a red Schwinn bottle

another shot of the Dia Compe lever

born on March 18th

my new avitar...lol

bconneraz

let me know if I missed anything.

Metacortex

Wow, what an amazing find! Thanks for posting all the component details for such an original bike. You have really been on a roll lately with these Cimarrons, how did you find this latest one?

wrk101

Fantastic pics, thanks for sharing!!

Sirrus Rider

Digging that orange paint!

mnmkpedals 

cool to learn about a bike I'm not familiar with. Interesting too that they are hard to find-- almost made me pick up the phone for a look at these two listed in the seattle area:

seattle bicycles classifieds "cimarron" - craigslist

bconneraz

Thanks- I'll scan the spec sheets and catalog ad as well. This one was listed on ebay, with a high price and local pick-up only. I did a quick CL search in the sellers area, and sure enough, the bike was listed on CL as well. I sent the seller an email, with the heartfelt story of my love for these bikes, and they were kind enough to agree to go to town, and ask the bike shop what the cost would be to pack it up. The bike shop was great; they charged a reasonable amount to do a fantastic packing job, the seller and I agreed on a price, and I'm now the proud new owner. I can't get over how beautiful it is. Aside from a couple goofy scratches from being knocked around while being stored, it's perfect.

Metacortex

I'd definitely check out that '89, which is being incorrectly listed as an '87!

bconneraz

that's the year I'm looking for; it appears to be an 89, not an 87 based on the bottle braze on's. And, it looks like a 23". If it was a 21, I'd be calling. That bike is worth every penny of 200 bucks.

bconneraz

thanks for looking out!!

Bikedued

Unfortunately this is the only Cimarron that popped up on Houston CL.,,,,BD

SCHWINN BIKES

wrk101

1989 should have a mid fork braze on for a front low rider rack. Otherwise, that Seattle bike looks like a 1989 to me. Picture of the fork is not that good, so maybe it has them?