It’s amazing how different frames can be that utilize similar materials in frame construction. Case in point, my ’88 Schwinn Cimarron also has a 68mm bottom bracket shell, I was using a swaged road crank with a new 8 speed 32T freewheel, I had to track down a 130mm spindle bottom bracket to clear the chain stays because the frame was not dimpled like all the newer ’90’s stuff. Luckily, I found a NOS Tioga loose ball and cup bottom bracket that worked out perfectly. I’m running all first generation Shimano “Deerhead” XT components and thankfully the old 6 speed stuff was so overbuilt that I was able to set the limit screws and make it all work. I had to shorten up the front derailleur since I was using a double instead of a triple (but don’t forget the extra wide spindle) and let the rear screws way out to get all 8 gears on the freewheel. I’ll post some photos but last weekend I ripped the drivetrain down and got rid of the STI “brifters” and replaced them with bar end shifters. When I started out racing everything was “friction” and then the manufacturers went to “index” with everything. These days I find myself returning to friction with all my retro builds. I also got rid of the Ritchey 1.95 gumwall tires and replaced them with gray Schwalbe 2.3 Fat Frank tires… can you cay balloon goodness? I’ll probably start a thread explaining the customization and rebuild from 3×6 stock in Schwinn green with gold lettering to 2×8 cream with NOS gray waterslide decals… the gray cable housing, gray “Batwing” brake levers, and the gray tires really look quite tasty! I also swapped out the zero offset Thomson seat post for a set back Thomson post to get some additional versatility in the cockpit. For now, here is the original rebuild…
