I've always had a special relationship to the bikes I owned over the years. My first memory of riding a bike is my dad holding on to my hand-me-down bike just after he had removed the training wheels. I was scared and screamed "Don't let go!" and then realized that he already had and I was just fine. Flash forward to my first full size bike, a brand new shiny purple bike with three gears. Was I ever proud of my bike...Nobody was allowed to touch it. My little sister decided that she wanted to test drive it anyway. She crashed my bike into a parked car and bend the fork. My parents tried to cover up and the bike was repaired without my knowledge...Of course, the new fork colour didn't match and I found out anyway. The mismatched colour always made me sad.
I owned that bike until I decided to cycle the Panamerican Highway from Mexico to Argentina and purchase a cheap 18 gear Specialized mountain bike. That bike was my home for 19month. I learned how to fix tires, brakes, gears, chains and derailers. After settling in Canada it became my commuter bike, but its heydays were over. I still feel I was disloyal to my travel buddy, but I didn't have room for two bikes....
The replacement was a Norco Hybrid all tricked out for commuting in the city. It was stolen together with half our wordly belongings in the great heist of 1997. Another replacement, a Norco hybrid. It wasn't a flashy bike, but it was sturdy, survived some trails, but mostly I used it to haul the kids in a trailer, haul the kids in a bike seat and haul groceries and library book. It was perfectly fine for my everyday commuter needs.
Alas, my trusty (not rusty) Norco hybrid bike was stolen in the fall of last year. I kept looking for it when running on the trails or walking in the neighborhood. Eventually, I replaced it with another Norco, a used mountain bike. My "old" Norco was in perfect condition, tricked out with fenders (we are living on the Wet Coast afterall), a bell, lights, a rack (to attach bags for my groceries) a bottle holder, a rearview mirror and a kick stand. My bike was my transportation!
Yesterday, Ean drove up Capilano Road noticing a green bike in the bushes. He couldn't stop, but called me to check it out. Sure enough...it was my bike. Wrecked and stripped bare. Brakes are gone, fenders half gone, rack gone, bottle holder gone, kick stand gone, mirror gone. Spokes wrecked, tires/rims replaced and wrecked....a total write off (but for the little light clip that I can salvage and use on my new bike).
I guess the positive fall out from this story is that when I was checking out the abandonded bike off Cap Road, a man approached my and asked if I was ok. He had driven by and thought I had a tumble. I told him the story and he offered to help me get my bike home in his pick-up. I declined as I knew I would be able to get the bike into the trunk of our Subaru Forester. When loading the bike I was approached by a second guy, inquiring if I was ok and helping me getting the bike into the back. Thanks to all the nice folks on this earth! Thumbs down to thiefing, stealing, vandalizing scum.
The bike is of no use to me as it is no longer functional, however, I suspect that the frame could be salvaged and used to put a new bike together. It's a 19" Norco Arctic Hybrid frame, as far as I can tell the derailer, pedals/crank, chain are still ok. If any of you is into rebuilding bikes and could use a frame (and some tangled components) let me know and it's yours.
Comments
know the feeling
Ya that sucks. I had my first two real bikes stolen from me as a kid and they were my life. I still can't seem to leg go of the bikes I ride. I hold onto all my frames, just to many good memories. I'm sure I'll have to part some day. Just not today.