In Memoriam: The bikes we have lost

[Trek420]

You know she'll put a hurtin' on ya for it.

Me? Naaaaaah, I wouldn't hurt a fly. I wouldn't want to damage the bike

This brings up an interesting subject. How often do we see people riding and think "that's not your bike!"

This is a difficult question to express because I'm not talking class or wealth. For example recently on BART I saw a rider, dressed to the 9's in business garb with a Bianchi cross bike leaning on her knee. The bike had a lot of love and upgrades, didn't take much of an eye to see "these are not stock parts". But the frame and upkeep showed signs of recent neglect. A person who wrapped leather bar tape and a Brooks on a cross would not leave it leaning on poles and let it get scratched ... I don't think this is your bike!

I would never say anything to the rider but if that bike could speak she's saying "take me HOME, please!"

[redrhodie]

I left my 1980s Puch MTB in the basement of my last apartment. It was a gift from a now deceased ex-bf, and it was a too sad reminder of his tragic end, and things not working out. It was time to let it go.

[IvonaDestroi]

Me? Naaaaaah, I wouldn't hurt a fly. I wouldn't want to damage the bike

This brings up an interesting subject. How often do we see people riding and think "that's not your bike!"

This is a difficult question to express because I'm not talking class or wealth. For example recently on BART I saw a rider, dressed to the 9's in business garb with a Bianchi cross bike leaning on her knee. The bike had a lot of love and upgrades, didn't take much of an eye to see "these are not stock parts". But the frame and upkeep showed signs of recent neglect. A person who wrapped leather bar tape and a Brooks on a cross would not leave it leaning on poles and let it get scratched ... I don't think this is your bike!

I would never say anything to the rider but if that bike could speak she's saying "take me HOME, please!"

Wow, that's so funny you should mention that. I just took BART today and saw a homeless guy on a really nice Jamis. I have a friend that bought one recently for $600 but this one was waaaay nicer then the one she got.

It was funny because I thought you know, that bike was probably stolen at some point but this guy really seems to appreciate it. I don't know why, but he was this dirty old guy wit a bike that he kept pretty pristine. You could see where he had wrapped this dirty old tape around it to hide the name, and he had a patched up magna frame pouch to attach to it.

The rest looked really well kept, just the tape/pouch as one of those "make it look crappy so no one steals it" kinds of moves. I wondered if he appreciated that bike more then the original owner. I got the feeling that he seemed to.