hubbabubba

Hi,

I guess since this bike is nearing 20 years old, it can be considered vintage. I got it for $60, it looks great, especially with the chrome fork, and everything is in good condition. Some have mentioned that the stock DEORE parts are good also. Its great that such an old bike can still bring joy!

Any comments or ideas for upgrades? Some have already mentioned just to leave it the way it is.

Thanks!!

ilikebikes

Nice looking ride! Id def leave it just the way it is, but thats just me

fbagatelleblack

The Cimarron was a GLORIOUS machine. Near the top of the Schwinn ATB line.

No "upgrading" necessary. Just tune it up, replace anything that is broken, and ride the living bejeezus out of it.

$60? SCOOOOOOOOOOOORE!!!

- FBB

BobHufford

You should upgrade the saddle and sell me the old one ...

Bob

McDave

Sweet! I watched that auction too. That bike is worth much more.

I tell ya, New York is a No Shipping goldmine. One could make a living just off buying the ebay bikes from New York and relisting them WITH shipping. There was a guy that listed a half dozen Paramounts a few months ago and he would not ship (I tried). They ended up selling for ~$600 on average! IIRC

alicestrong

Beautiful! Nice as-is. I believe it was the top of the line offering in mountain bikes...

It would also convert to a nice touring bike or beach cruiser...

Bill Kapaun

Good buy! I sold an 87 Sierra on CL a couple months back for the same price. MUCH different quality level!

BobHufford

Just below the Project KOM that year.

Bob
'87 Cimarron (two of 'em -- will trade a very nice small '87 frame for a comparable 56-58cm full tourer frame -- or a 18" lugged '91 Trek 990 frame towards same)

alicestrong

OK...stand corrected. Just below King of the Mountain... (Prince of the Mountain?)

..definately make it into a beach cruiser then...

hubbabubba

Hi,

Thanks everyone, I really don't know much about bikes. I just wanted to get a bike that would be inexpensive, so I wouldn't have to worry about it much. Finding a used one that would fit me was realy difficult, but I'm so glad that I got it. It actually looks so surprisingly good that I am going to be worrying about it!

Any thing I have to worry about with the chrome fork - rusting, etc? It really adds to the look of the bike. I also love returning to the smooth shifting!!

Bob,
I though the seat was hideous when I first saw it, and thought it was a cheap knock-off. But it was the first time that my rear end and groin haven't hurt after riding.

And definitely the no shipping from this auction was the biggest thing. The seller was really cool too.

Thanks!

Bill Kapaun

Just use some automotive wax

joejeweler

It's kind of an old thread, but i decided to sign in just to bring out what a great buy that bike was!

I own a 1987 (edit: not 1979 as i first though) Schwinn vintage Cimmaron,.....red in color. Bought it brand new back then from a local Schwinn bike dealer with rear bike rack, water bottle rack, fenders, and a red nylon saddlebag that goes over the rear rack. I put a gel seat cover over the original leather seat also.

The i'm pretty sure the total cost (with accessories) was a bit over $700.00 back then! 1987 dollars!!!

Somewhere around here i even have the booklet the dealers had on this model, maybe 10 pages or so detailing the bikes construction and features.

Not sure if the later models changed, but mine has a chrom-molly frame, with wonderfully clean and smooth frame junctions. Simply top class work. I believe the wheels and spokes are stainless steel also, IIRC.

Anyway,.....i rode it only a short time, and then moved on to motorcycles and cars. The bike has gathered some dust over the many years,......might be time to get here cleaned up and put some miles on her,..........

.......to match the miles on me now at soon to be 56!

Probably will need new tubes and tires, simply due to age and dryness. But worth the cost for sure.

cheers,
Joe T

mudboy

I had a red one. Loved the fillet brazing. I liked the fact that it could take the big 2.5" Specialized Ground Control tires.

cycleheimer

Large frame MTB...N-I-C-E!!!! And it's a Cimarron!

Specs listed here .... https://mombat.org/Schwinn_Specs.htm

$60? Who over 5'11" could have walked away from that deal?

Metacortex

The Cimarron was available from '85 through '89, and in Sunrise Red only from '86-'89.

The Cimarron cost $719.95 in '87, which is equal to $1,458.18 in 2012 money!

In '87-'89 the wheels were built from Araya RM-20 or RM-25 hard anodized aluminum rims laced to Shimano Deore XT M730 low-flange aluminum hubs with 36 14g non-butted (straight guage) stainless steel spokes. Extremely strong and good looking IMHO.

The Cimarron is one of my favorite bikes from the '80s, especially the '87 and '89 models in Sunrise Red ('88 had an undesireable U-brake). '87 was the first year it had SIS (indexed) shifting, and in '89 they changed from 18-speed Uniglide to 21-speed Hyperglide cogs and went from 2 bottle braze-ons to a whopping 5, including one on the stem.

joejeweler

You're right,....i mispoke. (i'll edit that and make a note) Mine was bought in 1987, and in that wonderful RED! When the sun comes back out raining now) i'm going to get her out and snap a few "before" and "after" cleanup pics. Mainly lots of dust.

Rim brakes seem "old school" with the move to discs now,......but they worked just fine! Maybe i'm getting too old (almost 56), but disc brakes on a bike? Really??? lol Maybe for racing and constant use on downhills, but the average recreational rider,....doubt it's needed. Haven't tried them though, so i'll reserve final judgement.

I suspect i'll need new tubes and tires to get it readworthy again. Just went out and took a look,....still have a black plastic front fender installed to keep the mud off. I had a rear one also,....somewhere i took it off and it may have disappeared when i moved a few times. (were aftermarket accessories as i recall)

One thing still on the bike is a clear vinyn hose that i split and placed along the right side bottom frame member, to keep any chain slap from wearing at the paint in that area. I did that almost immediately as i recall. I doubt it was just me,......but i suspect many have chipped paint in that area????

In 1987 i was just 31 rears old, and making maybe $150/week, so the cost was substaintial for sure. Bought it from "Rudy's Schwinn Cyclery" in the north part of Troy, New York. Still there from what i can see on the net. His shop was a block from where i worked and lived,.......wanted to support the local business. Good service too..............

Oh,....that CPI calculator likely to be a bit off in figuring the relative cost in todays dollars for the Cimarron's over $700 cost back then, "IF" the calculator is using the ****erment's numbers! REAL inflation factors in ALL relative costs, including those which they ignore such as food and energy.

Since we all have to pay for those to live, in real world terms the Cimmaron is nearer or over $2,000.00 probably. If figured against a more useful guide, just compare the dollar value of gold and silver in 1987, to it's current price. (and the metals are down from their all time highs in april of 2011)

Through all of 1987, silver was between $5.30/ounce to a spike in april of $10.90 or so. chart: https://www.kitco.com/scripts/hist_ch...rly_graphs.plx

Current silver, down from it's high of around $49.50/ounce in April of 2011, is currently $28.03/ounce, over 3X it's 1987 spike and 5X it's average price for that year!

Gold through 1987 flucterated between $390/ounce and $500/ounce.
chart: https://www.kitco.com/scripts/hist_ch...rly_graphs.plx

Gold today was $1625/ounce, or over 3X it's 1987 top (4X it's low of that year)

Gold and silver are REAL money,.....takes effort and time to extract from the ground and process. Paper dollars can be printed easily, or created out of "thin air" and added to a computer screen. ONLY gold and silver were Constitutionally "Money", btw. But the government CAN'T Print that!

Considering ALL the paper (more like toilet-paper money created over the last several decades, and especially under the current president, REAL inflation is MUCH worse than the "reported" CPI numbers indicate.

.......just go shopping for groceries or gas,....or most anything, and you know the truth.

The Cimarron produced today in this country would be well over $2,500 probably.

PS,...buy a little gold and siver for "insurance". (not from me)



cheers,
Joe T

PS: just check eBay, and 2 Cimarron are listed,.....at the $3,500 level. Seems my evaluation on "inflation" numbers might just be more accurate!

Not sold yet at those levels, but certainly an indicator of substaintial value beyond the $1,458.18 CPI inflated number. (with a bit of seller over-enthusiasm, perhaps?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1985...item43af3907a1

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-23-S...item43afc3ba23

mparker326

Nice bike, but those prices are just dreams.

I've got an 86 in the 23 inch frame. I love it.

The Cimarron isn't a collector's bike so the prices for them used are usually in the $150 to $200 range. The early MTB's other than some boutique brands and Specialized usually can be found at a good bargain. They make great tourers, grocery getters, commuters, etc.

joejeweler

Maybe not collectable in the sense of it being "rare", but certainly i would think ANY Cimarron aquired in the $150-$200 range is a screaming STEAL! (most likely an uninformed seller)

The new Chinese crap in that price range doesn't hold a pimple to the Cimarron's quality of construction and componant list! (for it's time)

The Cimarron is S M O O T H ..................both while riding, and also the welds are scrumptuous! Fit and finish about the best Schwinn was capable of i think. THAT's what sold me on the bike as a young man. I retired a few years ago at 53, but was a bench jeweler/diamond setter for 35 years. (started at 16, appreticed),......

...... I "knows quality whens i sees it! "

But nowhere close do i think a mintish Cimarron is worth anywhere near that pricing. I'd buy up ANY i came across that wasn't beat to hell at those prices,......just haven't seen them for sale like that.

.....pricing at that low end you suggest is usually just a "dream" also.

"Fair",....i think not,........ for the seller.
But it does happen.

Metacortex

Schwinn actually included a chainstay protector on most of its bikes at the time. The one that came on the '87 Cimarron was black plastic with "Deore XT SIS" printed on it:

Many upgraded this to the Shimano "Shark Fin", which first appeared in the '87 Shimano MTB group catalog and served as both a chainstay protector and chain-suck preventer:

These can usually still be found on eBay even after all these years.

Note that the referenced CPI calculation includes food, energy, and much more. It is the most accurate basic calculation of the cost of goods and services vs. time that I know of. You can read more about it here: https://www.bls.gov/cpi/home.htm

The CPI covers the cost of new goods and services, collector items or investments are fickle, unrelated and do not apply. Also it seems you are mistaking a couple of insane "asking" prices on eBay for the price of items that were actually *sold*. The seller of one of them (bbcbikes) is notorious for its insane pricing, which has no bearing on the actual market value except perhaps to fool a few other sellers into placing similarly unrealistic advertisements. <g>

If you check for ones that have actually sold you'll see that the actual value is considerably less. In fact the last one that actually sold was a pretty nice late '86 (with an early appearance of Sunrise Red) that went for $132.50: https://www.ebay.com/itm/200760544827

joejeweler

Hi,....somehow mine never got a chainstay protector when i bought it. The soft vinyl tubing i fitted offers much more protection though,(maybe 2mm thick or a bit more) and the red paint still shows thru nicely. Even the nicer shark fin protector allows some chain slap on the outer edges of the chain stay from what i can see in your photo. The split clear hose tubing does not.....

Re: the CPI numbers,....i never checked the source you cited, but i did say "IF" the source was using the ****erment's numbers......which exclude those very real food and energy price rises.

I think you will find continued "aggressive" actual price rises (severe inflation!) over the next few years,....due mainly to the irresponsible printing of the dollar to pay bills we can't afford! Once the US looses it's "reserve currency status",....all bets are off! C

China's likely to be a strong contender to replace the dollar as a reserve currency, at least in part,.....so sad we got away from using real money in our trading,..... gold and silver. The vast unpayable US debt could NEVER have happened had we stuck to spending only what we "had".

That ebay bike selling for $132 was a great buy, IMO. Certainly funds spent like that a much better value than can be had with "new" at that level. Might be a way to build a haram and build an inventory of similar old gals,....


Edited to add: Just got some pics of my Cimarron done today. I filled the original tires with 40 lbs of air today.(called for between 40 and 50 lbs). Surprised the tires (marked "vinyl" on the sidewalls) didn't show any dry rot after 25 years. The tubes i may still change out,...i KNOW they are all rubber!

Here's the vinyl hose chainstay protector i mentioned earlier.



And one of the complete bike "before" i did any cleanup:



I hosed the bike off pretty good, lubed the chain, and took the luggage off to dry under a fan in the house.

Here's the bike in front of my 2009 Mazda MX5, pretty close color match!
Yes, that IS a gel seat cover over the original leather Italian made "Mountain Pro" seat. I wanted more cushy for my tushy!



The large front fender is likely to be cut back to about 1/3 of it's coverage,.....a bit much now,....and i'll pick up one of these short rear fenders that clamp to the seat post to get some protection for flying debree since i can't find my original rear one.

Nice getting on the old girl today and drive to the hand held car wash 1 block away. (i need a new hose at home)

cheers,
Joe T

Chris_in_Miami

Nice bike Joe, looks like you've kept it pretty original and clean!

Metacortex

What are the numbers stamped on the bottom bracket and the headbadge? The BB has the serial number while the headbadge has the date of assembly. I absolutely love the black Nitto MT-5 "dirt drop" stem combined with the Nitto aluminum 50mm rise handlebars (both exclusive to the '87 model) and the Tange Supple Grip (aka anatomic/ergonomic, SK-120, HG-3, "batman", Schwinn p/n 04 959) grips. Those grips were used on the Cimarron and several other high-end MTBs in the '85-'87 timeframe and are *extremely* cool and hard to find.

joejeweler

Thanks, all the components are original.

The accessories i added, of course, were not original on the bike as from Schwinn. They are, however, "period" correct as i purchased them when i bought the bike back in 1987. Gel seat, fenders (i found the rear but need new hardware), pedal straps, rear luggage rack, water bottle rack, and "Voyageur" red nylon saddlebags. The water bottle will need replacement as the plastic broke down, and the lip fell off cleaning it up tonight!

Felt good riding it again,....been a long time. (20 years maybe?)
At almost 56 i could sure use the exercise. Not too bad though. I'm 5'10" and weigh 182. I was 205 a few years ago but been eating healthier and LESS!

I'm thinking the bike might be a bit tall for me though, as i don't have the recommended 3" between my "boys" and the top bar when standing flatfooted with sneakers.

Even though i'm 5'10" tall, i was "blessed" with just a 29" inseam. Been a problem with most motorcycles made today also, so i drive a 1982 Susuki GS850GL Cruiser with 30" seat.

Anyway, the frame from the center of the crank to where the seat opening is measure 18" (1/4" more actually), and from the center of the crank to the ground 11 1/2".

Using the formula i've come across i add 1" to my inseam to account for the shoes i usually wear (sneaker) and end up with 30" to start.

So starting there.................................................................................. 30 inches

Subtract 3" (on MTB) to allow for "jewel" clearance = ........................ 27 inches

Subtract the 18" for the frame size brings us down to................................. 9 inches

Subtract the 11 1/2 inches from ground to the center of crank........
....and we end up with a <negative>.............................................. <2 1/2 inches>

Seems to me a better fit would be a frame size on a MTB would be 15" or 16", but at the time the shop didn't have anything of this level in the smaller sizes. Seems even bicycle dealers buy higher end inventory for the "average Joe".

The dealer, IIRC, was willing to order a smaller frame for me, but i didn't want to wait back then.

A few more pics: (Gel seat cover removed, and these before cleaning)

Metacortex

In '87 the Cimarron frame sizes were 17" through 22", so you've got nearly the smallest one available. Normally you want only an inch of standover clearance, *especially* as you get older. From the amount of seat tube showing that frame appears to be too small.

joejeweler

Hi,...love the look of those componants also.....are the grips still available?

The BB serial number is: I621663

The Headbadge has just 4 numbers on it: 0227 (not sure how that is the date of manufacture.

Possibly February 2, 1987 ?
(Month 02, Day 2, Year 7 for 1987?)