Originally Posted by
T-Mar
Yes, Tange MTB of this era was a butted tubeset. The top and down tubes were double butted and 3mm oversize in diameter for improved stiffness, while the seat tube was standard diameter and single butted. There were two versions of Tange MTB. The heavier set used 1.2mm and 0.9mm for main tube wall thickness, while the lighter gauge version used 1.0mm and 0.7mm. The catalogue specs don't state which version was used. In fact they don't even mention Tange MTB, just stating, "chro-moly double butted tubing". So, to determine which set Norco spec'd, you need to determine the seat post diameter. If you've got a 26.6mm seat post, it should be the heavier gauge version, while a 27.0mm post would be indicative of the lighter gauge version.
BTW, my son was home for Thanksgiving with his camera phone and I got a picture of the brochure page. I was going to post it but thought it a moot point, since you decided to go with a non-OEM build.
Thanks for the info T-Mar, I'm going to check the seat post diameter today.
I will probably not go crazy OEM but haven't ruled it out completely and am interested in the brochure page if you can post it. One of the fun things I enjoy about rebuilding a bike is the process of learning about it as I go. Norco being a Canada based company, and being a Canadian, this is a good fit.
A problem with a stock rebuild I am considering is the frame recoat and decals. I am pretty sure I want to strip and begin anew but a search online shows no decal sets for Norco like that (very few for Norco at all other than bmx). I can get the Tange badge, and can probably reproduce the Norco letter set, but that leaves the second "mountain series" "special design" and "1985 Japan", Headbadge and "Sasquatch" labels.