LBL 2009

Here's the specifics!

Date April 18th, 2009.

Ride begins at 10 am, but there will be breakfast served at 9 am, along with various beverages.

Cost will be $20. This covers breakfast, beverages, supper upon return, along with some one of a kind schwag (Trust me, there'll be some surprises).

Everyone will have to sign a waiver composed by our crack legal team.

Course will be approximately 55 miles, with some beautiful rolling hills. There will be at least two beer stops.

Register by dropping me a note (link located on the right side of the page).

I ask a favor: please register early, so I can get the schwag lined up. It gets more difficult each year as we bring new suppliers in.

LBL Registration

Due to an unforeseen work complication, I hope to get the info for LBL on the blog later today.

Weekend

Yesterday, eDBiLLy & I drove up to CiTy BiLLY NoRtH country, & went to Snakebite's swapmeet. It was well worth the trip! Great stuff for sale & a wonderful time to catch up with the gang. Here's a video from Michael Manring, who in my opinion is one of the greatest bassists of all time.

Closer

With the steady hand of Henry Chinaski, I roughed out the birth certificate for this creation (after peeling off the chainstay protector with my wife's hairdryer). It looks like a grade schooler's scrawling on the chalkboard- it's 100% BiLLy!

Progress!

I received a care package from Harris Cyclery on Wednesday, and today (I took a half day of vacation), I finally got going on the Motobecane again. I installed a 16 tooth freewheel & put a half link in the chain & ,urethra!,I have a single speed bike. Chain is a little loose for my type A tendencies, but I think it'll be fine. If I had a full workshop, I might try to take a rat-tail file to the vertical dropouts or notch the rear axle to get it to slide back another .25" or so. I took the bike out for a test spin & had a blast! Now, it's time to start work on the bottle opener & paint. kB, I'm not going to be done with this by the swapmeet, I'm sorry. Back to work!

Inspiration

I'm waiting for a parts shipment from Harris Cyclery (Thanks, Sheldon, for all I've learned from you), so the Motobecane project is at a standstill. Snakebite's swapmeet is next weekend, so I'm not sure if the project will be completed by then (the main hangups are drivetrain & bottle opener). So, it's time to mine for a little pick me up: the one and only Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band.

You're in Good Company!

Those of you who rode LBL 2008 have a custom made personalized workshirt. Well, you know who else has one?










Not Lance (he actually has artwork from eDBiLLy!), but King Eddy! eDBiLLy received confirmation from Belgium that Eddy received his one of a kind, white with red pinstripes CiTy BiLLy workshirt!

Motobecane- Installment 2

I readjusted the bottom bracket today & then started to work on the brakes-they have the goofiest quick release I've ever seen. Next up is the most BiLLy of bike modifications (next to the custom deer whistles
)- a schweeet bottle opener. I have a couple of different options in mind.

Wrenching on the Motobecane Day 1

I had a little free time today, so I threw the Motobecane in the stand. I popped off the chain & noticed the cranks didn't turn very freely even without a chain. Verdict: dry bottom bracket. So, I popped off the cranks & pulled the bottom bracket & lubed the crap out of the ball bearings. I've got it all thrown back together, but I'll probably have to adjust the bottom bracket at least once more. You want the bb to have very little play, but if you overtighten it can score the races. I noticed another little fact: the derailleur hanger is broke, so my idea of using a rear der as a chain tensioner will be difficult. Oh well, that's what makes working on bikes fun. Hopefully in the next couple of days I'll tackle the brakes: they have a funky quick release that is only quasi- operational right now.

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Now playing: Al Wilson - Show and Tell
via FoxyTunes

Finally

K-BiLLy's Motobecane is finally in the basement. In the next two weeks or so I'll convert it into a BiLLy machine. Initial inspection revealed several items that need the touch of the 8 pound sledge hammer mechanical skills that yours truly wields. I'll drop the outer chainring (hopefully using the inner 42), install a freewheel & chain tensioner (keep your fingers crossed I don't need one. I'll also install a custom bottle opener & hopefully, do some custom monogramming on the chainstays. The fun should start tomorrow: same BiLLy time, same BiLLy channel!

Versatile

With a couple gravel road rides coming up, (Bunyan's 2 Bob's & the Gravel Conspiracy)it was time to evaluate options. I don't have a cross bike, so I converted the Panzer. We'll see how it rides- I still have the bailout option of a mountain bike.