Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Shop Notes 2



This bike project I have been looking forward to for a long time.  I have been a mountain biker for over twenty years and there was a time when the ATB was the only bike I owned.  As time went by and being the ever curious person I am I branched off into road riding and the recumbent world.  About seven years ago I got caught up in the Lance Armstrong/ Tour De France craze and decided I needed a road racing bike.  I bought the Lemond at my local bike shop and have enjoyed riding the skinny tires ever since.  One of the first upgrades I performed on the Lemond was to replace the heavy stock crankset and it's stamped steel chainrings with a Shimano Ultegra triple crank.  Other than a new set of wheels I picked up from a riding buddy that he couldn't use the rest of the Lemond's componentry was good enough for my sporty recreational rides.  My long term goal was to eventually upgrade the aluminum frame to something a bit more comfortable like titanium and just remove and reinstall my existing components from the old frame to the new. 


Yesterday the UPS man dropped off this shiny 48 cm Motobecane road bike frame at my front door.  After taking some pictures I could not contain my excitement any longer and succumbed to the urge to begin the build up.  My first task was to install the splined bottom bracket and crankset from the Lemond.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the bottom bracket broke free from the shell with minimal effort. 



With the successful crank swap the project is off to very a smooth start.  Over the next couple days I will press on in the evenings and hopefully road testing by Friday and ready for the first real ride on Saturday.  The weather report shows that as my window but who am I kidding, I would be happy to ride this thing in the pouring rain.  As an added bonus titanium doesn't rust. 

6 comments:

  1. A beautiful work of art if I may say so....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks guys, It's resting on it's wheels now and really looks good. All I have yet to do is attach pedals and a chain and connect the control cables. Test ride soon!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice looking dropouts! 48cm? I'm taller than you (or at least have longer legs)! She's a beaut; but I have one question about your build: What did you choose for your "build beverage"? I always start my builds with an extra hoppy IPA.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Glad you asked phattire. I'm 5'8" also a fan of the modern compact road style so the 48 fits me great. Like my mountainbike but the advantages of the 700 wheels. As for the build beverage the project got off to a good start with a 2005 Shiraz-cabernet I had cellered since 07. Nothing fancy just the cheap stuff from the grocery. You know -road bikes -just seemed fitting. Now for fine tuning and adjustment I am enjoying a Columbus Brewing Co. pale ale brewed here in Ohio. I homebrewed for a couple seasons so I appreciate the ale craft. I hear you on the xtra hoppy. I don't know if you ever stood over a pot of cooling wort and tossed in a couple ounces of finishing hops but it is unbelievable.

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Haha... nicely done sir. Nicely done.

    ReplyDelete