likebike23

If you don't want to rewrap your bars or bend the clamp on that thumb shifter, you could probably slide it onto the quill and use it as a stem shifter. I'm 99% sure that the clamp diameter of the shifter matches the 1" quill stem (22.2mm). If you want indexing, you'll need 7 in the back. If you're ok with friction, you can keep the 6 speed freewheel you've got on there.

WNG

^ I already tried to test fit the Deore thumbie over the quill. But there isn't enough length sticking out to allow the thumbie to clear the headset. The stem is already set to max height.

Glennfordx4

Hey Will now that I see what you are working with I am pretty sure I have a set of those stem shifters missing the rubber covers but the clamp is there, there yours if you want them. Looks good so far, I just realized the crank you are using also, I have one saved from a bike that didn't make it through super storm Sandy, it has all three rings and I will double check the BCD but I am sure it's a 94 if you want the rings I can send them & the shifters down to ya to get that thing finished up.

Glenn

likebike23

Bummer.

WNG

^Glenn...
Neat! I didn't know where to source the band hardware for that Shimano stem shifter. It's new, and can go friction or 6spd SIS. So it'll work with more cogs. Plus it'll be a cleaner looking build with it.

LOL on the zen of handlebar wrapping....you'll get the hang of it! Psst, look closely and you'll see a few goofs.

PM sent.

SeanBonham

Need some advice on what bars to go with. I have a set of Nitto Noodle bars, but they don't fit the dirt drop stem I have as it is 25.4mm. So, I could buy a set of Gary II bars that would fit the stem I have or I could buy a new Nitto Dirt drop stem that fits 26.0mm Noodle bars. Gary bars are about 30 bucks cheaper. The frame is just on the edge bigness for me. Fits great, but pretty tight standover. I will be using this bike for fire roads and on and off road commuting etc. Noting technical, maybe very easy single track stuff. What y'all think?

frantik

^ im a big fan of the Gary II bar myself...

SeanBonham

Just picked the Gary II up. Stoked.

frantik

andyfloyd

Im picking up a 1994 Univega Alpina 5.5 tonight for pretty cheap. Im going to make it my drop bar conversion bike. Its got all Deore LX/XT. Silver/Red fade on the paint. Ill post some pics when I get it.

Taxi Rob

No dice. It has short horizontal drops that set it apart from others with fastback seatstays and chainstay mounted u brakes. It has a few different very long serial numbers in various spots around and on the BB shell.

Taxi Rob

FYI there is a Schwinn High Sierra chrome fork with U brake studs on the bay right now.

cs1

Actually, he has a box of them NOS. Email and see if he's interested in selling one.

bennie222

I just converted this one a few months ago. Forgive the bad pic... Based upon a Cannondale V500, 8 speed 105 brifters, dx rear derailleur, dura ace front, deore dx crankset with little ring removed. XT hubs and Mavic rims. Fun!

Yo Spiff

Unlike myself, who sold him the Gary bars, because I hated them. I'm much shorter however. I do like the Woodchippers I've more recently obtained. The Woodchippers and Gary bars only look similar, but are actually shaped very different. The bend in the Gary bars is much further out, putting the hoods farther away, while the Woodchippers drop off fairly quick. Depends on how long a reach you prefer.

neo_pop_71

Hello all, I hope you're enjoying the weekend!

I had to shelve my bike projects for a week while I wrapped up some loose ends but today I was back at it and made some progress on my '88 Cimarron. Ever since Bill took the gloves off and built up his 25 pound Cimarron, it's been my goal to build up the lightest dirt drop racer I could put together. With light weight being the goal, I had to scrap the Bi-plane fork off my '82 Stumpjumper, instead I went with a double butted Tange unicrown fork off a '85 Fisher. Today I removed the threaded eyelets off the fork's drop outs and sanded most of the paint and rusted chipped areas. I still need to remove the threaded eyelets from the Cimarron's drop outs and finish up the sanding. The frame and fork need about an hour of prep and they'll be ready to head to my buddy's shop for paint. Bi-plane forks are always cool in a build but the aesthetics of the "sloping" unicrown are a better match with the fillet brazing on the frame.

Since I couldn't work on the bikes, I spent my free time gathering parts for the build... I have a new 1" cartridge bearing headset, a Salsa Shaft seatpost, a new sealed bearing bottom bracket, I polished up my set of TA Specialites cranks, I decided to go with some 1st generation XT cantilever brake calipers, I found an older set of XTR/Mavic wheels hanging in the corner of my shop, I have a XTR rear derailleur to go with the XT front derailleur, I'm running 8 speed STI brifters mounted on SOMA Sparrow handlebars, and any day now the Nitto MT-10 "Dirt Drop" stem I ordered will arrive. I haven't decided which tires or saddle I'm going to run but I figure I can wait until the build is done to narrow down my choices.

mainstreetexile 

Why? Is that for lowering the weight or improving the aerodynamics?

Creme Brulee

whyyyy?! they don't weigh anything! the bike is already a brick who cares about tiny eyelets? now the bike is half as useful as it was

neo_pop_71

Thanks for the comments mainstreetexile & Creme Brulee, I suspected I might catch a comment or two slammin' me for mod'ing the frame and fork. Don't sweat it fellas, this is my 4th Cimarron, two are bone stock and the other I'm finishing up as a full rack and fender commuter. This bike is my custom "race" Cimarron, the eyelets came off for purely cosmetic reasons. It was not done from a weight shaving standpoint and I definitely did not care about the utilitarian aspect... all I cared about was the aesthetic of nice smooth lines! I hate the look of those threaded eyelets! They scream utility production bike and that's what I want to get away from with this custom build. No "race" bike I've ever owned came with eyelets, not my Ritchey, not my Land Shark, none of the GT Zaskars, nor any other frame that I bought for the purpose of racing. I don't race anymore but that hasn't diminished my love of race bikes. Certainly you are not suggesting that I can't take a fillet brazed and lugged 4130 frame and build it around a racing aesthetic. The ability to modify is at the heart of customization! I approach building hot rods in the same manner... I don't do restorations (as much as I respect the efforts involved) because I love the look of something out of the ordinary and I am addicted to the creativity involved in building a custom bike.

Creme Brulee

fair nuff... i guess there aren't a shortage of cimarrons.

frantik

neo_pop u gonna take off the rack brazons on the seat stays?

neo_pop_71

Exactly frantik, that is my goal for today! I'm heading to the specialty tool shop today to find a larger grinding disc for my Dremel tool, the discs I have are small and don't give me a clean shot at removing those eyelets off the seatstays. I'm hoping to find a different sanding attachment too, gotta get into those hard to reach places. I'm in my 40's now but this stuff still makes me happy... just like when I was a kid workin' on my Mongoose back in the 70's!

cobrabyte

Just returned from a 6 day tour of Florida State Parks on my 1986 Specialized Rockhopper drop bar conversion. I swapped out the WTB dirt drop bars (from a previous drop bar conversion) and set up a half-step+granny gearing. Also added some racks and some gold braided cable housings.

As purchased (for a cool $50 off cragslist)

First Conversion (with WTB dirt drop bars and slick tires)

Touring Conversion (with half-step+granny gearing, racks, bags, and Nitto Noodle drop bars)

Fully Loaded




Dirt Rag Mag: an excellent publication if you're into anything off-road bike related.


Rough Stuff Fellowship: these guys have been touring with bikes off-road since the 1950's


Some action shots:




Overall I couldn't be happier with the performance of my bike on tour. With daily miles ranging from 50-75 miles (much of them on dirt roads) the Nitto Noodle bars were a huge improvement over the WTB dirt drops as far as comfort goes. I'd venture to say the Noodle bars are the best drop bars I have used.The WTB Slicks 1.5" tires were great on and off road, even on the sandy FL back roads we travelled, they did a great job keeping me stable. The half-step gearing definitely saved me during windy days.

Enjoy this video of one of the more "challenging" roads I encountered (an old mining road that more resembled the surface of the moon!)

mainstreetexile 

Great stuff, I love to see these drop-bar mtbs in action! Jandd makes some great panniers. Is that handlebar bag a jandd w/ a nitto mount?


I seem to recall hearing the same reasoning in the past for shaving off those pesky derailleur hangers and downtube shifter braze-ons...

To each, their own. All of the braze-ons on the cimarron and early touring-style mtbs are part of what really interests me in those frames. I'm curious to see how lightweight you can get it, but with the 70 degree angles, it seems like there would be better starting points for your project. There were other racier MTBs with steeper angles and no fender/rack eyelets made around 85-88 (some of the higher end bridgestones etc).

cobrabyte

Thanks! The h-bar bag is a NOS Kirtland bag, it works great with the Nitto mount. The panniers are Jandd and I agree, they make some great bike luggage products. Some of the best available today IMO. I'm thinking about laying down the cash for their full sized MTB panniers (the ones pictured are the "mini MTB panniers".