1986 Rocky Mountain Team Thunderbolt

[vtwinvince]

Outstanding find indeed. And highway 5 is worth it on its own merits.

 

[Woodsie]

Some nice original features had survived the years, Suntour brakes and pedals, Laprade seatpost, Magura break levers. Unfortunately only one original spec rim remained, the other being a later replacement but as luck would have it it was a rim a friend needed and what do you know, he had a spare Saturae x22 that he ended up trading with me. Cheers dillbike!

 

[Woodsie]

The bike had come from interior BC in a region known for its desert landscape (Kamloops is at the Northern tip of the Sonoran Desert that extends down through the US) so the BB needed a serious clean and lube!

 

[Woodsie]

Next up, what to do about those decals?

 

[Woodsie]

Repro decals were ordered but unfortunately were not an exact replica since the shadow on the letters of the OG decals have dots and the repros did not. Fortunately I was able to track down some original “Thunderbolt” decals here in BC (thanks Jim!).

 

[Woodsie]

Clearly the bike needed a more appropriate saddle and I set about locating a leather Turbo as per the spec. Although I did manage to find one I also came across a Craigslist ad in Vancouver for an original leather Selle Italia Anatomic that was not only a RM branded saddle but it was also stamped 1986! These would have been originally spec’d on the Tantalus model of that year but was a better choice than the Turbo for this build imo.

 

[Woodsie]

Last job was finding some tanwall IRC X1 tires, mount the Bullmoose bars as per the original spec, and head out for a ride….

 

[Woodsie]

Here’s the MBA article, hopefully it comes through legible. April 1987 edition.