1993 Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt

RockiMtn":188e25rw said:
so i'm only about 140lbs (~64kg), so i'm thinking of taking out the springs as i don't think i'll need them. plus it'll save me some weight. thoughts?

Take it out. Using the fork with springs will be very hard for your arms and wrists. You will lose the suspension comfort.
 
okay, so poured out the fluid in the forks. no distinguishable colour or markings on the springs.

got under 50ml (about 40?) from one fork and less on the other, maybe another 30ml. was much thicker consistency from the later 30ml. :p there was some particles/sediment in the fluid i drained, perhaps stuff flaked off from the springs??? think i need to flush out the inners to get rid of any other sediment left in there.
 

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It is important to clean the inner parts (assembly 301) of the fork to get the damping system running. There are some small holes, which do the damping.

Thinner oil might be an indication that water was inside and mixed in the oil. Different oil levels is somehow normal, if seals fails. Check 301 carefully about corrosion (oil looks good!).

Don't worry about the oil quantity ... you will refill up to a specific level (35mm from top, stanchion tube moved down).
 

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so while i'm taking my time with the fork rebuild. thought i'd put the RF Ti stem in place of the Syncros grey one on the frame/fork crown to have a look. hoping the reach and height is good as there is little to no rise.

not sure on spacers yet. i have one a ti one that matches the stem in finish and diameter (believe it's an expensive moots) but it's not tall enough. so to fill the remaining gap i have a generic ti one, but the finish is shinier and it's thicker. looks not too bad as it provides a transition to the wider base of the headset. i also put on a standard black alloy affair on the bottom and that didn't look too bad either.

what should i choose? or should i dish out the extra coinage and splurge to pick up a single 20mm moots one to fit top to bottom from stem to hs in colour and diameter?

lastly, forgot i need to source a 28.6mm XTR top pull front mech. thought i already had one but just realized it's a bottom pull. shame as it's in mint condition, could possibly be NOS as i see no wear on the cage or anywhere else. but as i don't recollect where the fart i picked it up from, i can't say it's positively say it's NOS. anyone out there fancy a swap? :)
 

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Hmm, ... there is nothing on this which we don't know or which is not covered by the manual.

AND from the point of servicing: XC600 and XC700 are equal.
 
yes that's true, the manual does a good job. but this being new to me, it's nice to see the actual parts as opposed to just illustrations. ;) visually it helps you get through what needs to be done.

however it looks like they didn't even remove the air cap, they just opened it up and poured the oil through the air valve. :?
 
If given a choice i'd prefer no spacer and slamming the stem, but I do understand ergos sometime dictates the need for one.

My vote is the black, or a Moots
 
alright stuck again… *sigh*, can't get the stanchions out from the lowers. the seal/wipers (22) are very tightly lodged in the lowers. and yes, i've removed the dust seal (20) and the lock ring (3:cool:.

also having a hard time keeping the stanchion gripped in the vise. should i perhaps clamp it back into the crown and clamp the steerer crown in the vise? reading the (translated) tutorial online, it says to pop them out using air pressure, similar to how i got the air caps out. :?

any tips/advise appreciated.

so while i was stumped again with the fork service, i turned my attention back to the frame. pulled the needed XTR FD off another RM that's not being built up at the moment to use on the Thunderbolt. also decided to get rid of the reproduction logo decals as they are very inaccurate in art, colour and cut/thickness, in favour of original ones. will need to address the top and down tube decals later.

while sifting through my decals, i stumbled across the metal RM head badge i had gotten a while back that i had socked away from an appropriate frame. considering perhaps it should be this. :? thoughts?
 

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