Still There

I wrote about this bike a while back. It's not moved, though it looks as though someone has read my note.

The day of decision is coming.

I'm Going to Steal a Bike

This bike has been sitting under the stairwell where I work for more than 3 years. This photo has a timestamp on it from December 2005. It is an abandoned bike. Its tires have long been flat; there is a layer of dust on it. I've been watching this bike for 3 years. I've been thinking about taking it for about 2.5 years.

About a year-and-a-half ago, I asked a woman in a nearby office if the bike had ever moved. She had been there about a year and hadn't ever seen it move. Same with the orange bike you can barely see in the background.

I emailed the facilities folks at work about 2 years ago and asked them what they do with abandoned bikes. Bikes that are abandoned in the parking garages are periodically rounded up and donated to Bikeworks in Seattle.

Bikes left in stairwells are never touched.

Next time I travel to the west side of the state for work, I'm going to take this bike. I'm going to bring to Pedals2People and I'm going to find the perfect owner for it.

It is a great commuter: fenders, cruiser bars, 18 speeds (half-step with granny, no less) with friction shifting. Pump up the tires and add a rack and you're good to go. Not to mention it's just a pretty lugged mixte. It's a shame to see such a great bike going unused and unloved.

Here's the note I left on the bike when I was in town last week:

So, I hope this isn't my gateway into bike theivery. But I just can't stand it anymore.

I guess I could acheive the same end by moving the bike to a parking garage and letting the facilities process run its course. But I really want to see the bike go to just the right person.

Maybe I'll wimp out. Maybe the owner will email me. I guess we'll see.

Regrets

Click picture to go to johndogfood.com and read about this legend.

For some reason, I've gotten a bit grumpy and sad about two bikes that I've let go in the past. The most likely explanation is that Liza and Maddie have been gone for nearly a week now and their absence is no longer novel and fun. It's just lame.

Anyway. I was at Wheelsport Central last week picking up some donated parts for Pedals 2 People when I saw my favorite Stumpjumper: the 1985 orange one... with canti brakes on the rear (instead of U-brakes). My heart skipped a beat when I saw it because I thought it was mine. Mike (Sully to those that know him) assured me that the customer that brought it in was the original owner and decent guy, so I didn't want to insult him by taking down the serial number -- after all he's donating a bunch of stuff.

(btw: I know this bike is on craigslist now... that's part of the painful deal. no need to point it out)

But it stuck with me and I've been thinking of that damn bike for the last couple days and how stupid I was to leave it in my parent's back yard and how lame bike thieves are and what kind of jackass would steal such a weird looking bike and if the jackass did know how special the bike was and still stole it what a king of jackasses that person must be.

Click pic for big. Or click here or here for more pics.

The other bike is the Bridgestone Atlantis. My buddy Joe found it at Goodwill a couple years ago. If you know the Bridgestone Atlantis story (only made in Japan, only 300 made, etc etc), then you know how special this bike is.

We flipped it online the same day we bought it. The lady who bought it was nice, but new to great bikes and ended up taking her LBS's advice to kit it out with a bunch of carbon bits. That sort of broke my heart then, but now, with time the fact that we let it go and its ultimate build out makes me sort of barfy feeling. Really.

What's ironic and crappy about the Bridgestone Atlantis is that it fit Liza perfectly but she just wasn't there yet. We've just spent a bunch of fussing and money building up essentially the same bike with Liza's RB-1.

Oh well.