Quote Originally Posted by TxDoc View Post
Nope <little snip>
A year later life was normalizing, sort of, I purchased a car and a used Bianchi that I knew how to ride and put the Wally-World bike in the garage and pretty much forgot about it.
At some point, we had someone remodel our outside stairwell, and for a couple of weeks we had workers all around the house. One day, moving tools in and out of the garage I re-discovered the Wal-Mart bike. One of the carpenters looked at it and said 'oh I wish I had a bike to ride to work in the morning instead of waiting for the bus'. I put some air in the tires and gave him the bike. Next thing you know, he was riding around the block with the happiest smile.

So yeah, it may have been one ugly cheap walmart bike - but it made life better for at least two people, and maybe more if he will also pay it forward someday. Making two people happy - that's a lot of good work done by just one bike.
This has just made me all goo-ey on the inside. You've just reminded me that the very first bike I had, that I wobbled along rail-to-trails on before moving away and losing my nerve, was eventually donated to a help the homeless projectwho were delighted to receive it. Bikes have such an amazing instrinsic value regardless of their actual monetary worth or reputation.

To happpinesshills - no-one here will judge you. Whatever you ride, the chances are someone else has ridden it too and will have fond memories.