1993 Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt

PeteC

Senior Retro Guru
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Wanted to start this thread on Canada Day. Found this '93 RM Thunderbolt on craigslist posted in Portland OR... opposite side of the country from me. My heart literally jumped a beat or two when I opened the ad and it WASN'T one of the new ones (damn false positives!).

I responded to the seller within a few hours of it going up...waited patiently for sunrise to happen on the west coast, and texted him again. By noon on the east coast he replied and we spoke by phone in the afternoon. Luckily, I know a guy in Portland who was able to broker the deal. Cash was exchanged, and roughly a week later, this beauty arrived on my doorstep in Georgia.

Here's how it looked straight out of the shipping box. Basically a Syncros, RF and XT build. The fork lowers were corroded. But the frame was nearly perfect other than a few small scratches. The bike had sat in storage for more than 20 years!
 

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A few more 'before' shots.
 

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Last batch of the before shots.
 

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Short backstory on the bike: it was owned by a former co-owner of Fat Tire Farm in Portland. Still an awesome bike shop. They used it mostly for display purposes when they brought in RMs for the masses in Portland. Custom-ordered, of course.

My plans were pretty simple. Match the paint scratches. Wax the hell out of it. And rebuild it with most of the original parts, with the exception of swapping out the XT for m900. And the original wheels replaced with White Industries. Also swapped out the original saddle for a Flite Ti, although I respect a lot of people will disagree with the decision.
 
And here are a few 'almost-but-not-quite-done-yet' pics. I need a longer steerer tube for the fork...at least 7.5" to 8" if anyone wants to swap or sell me one. Also need to install the new decals on the bar, stem and post (thanks Gil!). Thought I'd put Ourys on for grips but might go back to the originals?
 

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and few more...
 

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Last batch for now...
 

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That's looking awesome Pete 8-)
 
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