Porkchop & Applesauce
I live for the CABE
If she’s ok with me publicly sharing those details and more information about her and her bike I will definitely do that.
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Cool story
- Thread starter Porkchop & Applesauce
- Start date
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Man, you talk about provenance on a bicycle....! I've never had a bike stolen...knock on wood. I had all my hand/power tools stolen out of my locked garage about 15yrs ago. Was an inside job. The cops were turds and the insurance company paid me about 1/8th of their worth. Said the tools were old and had depreciated out. Yeah, maybe to the IRS, but not in the real-world marketplace. Been collecting tools for about 40yrs at that point.
You never really recover from something like that. Since then I've just bought tools as needed. If you set up a beautiful shop, you're just making it easy for thieves. To recover an old bike like this is soooo rare and poignant. Great story, thanks for sharing!
Kevin
You never really recover from something like that. Since then I've just bought tools as needed. If you set up a beautiful shop, you're just making it easy for thieves. To recover an old bike like this is soooo rare and poignant. Great story, thanks for sharing!
Kevin
Amazing small world story Dave @Porkchop & Applesauce , Jesus @jesus , and Eddie @Eddie_Boy . Glad the bike is getting returned to the original owner. Like Dave mentioned we’ve all had bikes stolen over our lifetime and it leaves such a pit in your stomach when it happens. Then you wonder what makes it OK in the thief’s mind when they take someone’s bike/car/identity/whatever.
I had an old balloon tire skiptooth Hawthorne stolen in the late 80’s. This teenager came by one Sunday afternoon and asked if I needed my lawn mowed. I was skeptical but noticed he was a little slow (mentally challenged) and agreed to hire him to cut the grass. He was using an old push mower and was going crazy making zig zag marks across my front lawn. He’s stop occasionally and ask me if I liked it and wasn’t he doing a good job. Uh huh. He was telling me the video game he was going to rent once he finished and I paid him, and then asked if he could borrow my bike which was on the front porch to ride to the store and get it. I agreed and he took off leaving his mower, rake and broom so I figured he eventually would be back. Well Sunday night came and went, and so did Monday. I ended up calling the police to report the stolen bike and the officer that came by said he knew of the kid and where he lived. “Did he have a little dog with him?” I said yes, so it must be the same kid. The officer came back about 30min later with my bike in his trunk asking “is it this old thing?”. Yes! He said the kid thought I had given him the bike in trade for mowing the lawn, yet would be coming by to apologize and get his mower and rake/broom which were still in my driveway. I looked the bike over and it looked like he had put about 75 miles on it in the two days he had it. There was mud splashed all over, the tires were dirty, one of the spokes in the rear wheel had broken and had wrapped around the hub, it just looked tired.
When the kid came back I felt so bad for the misunderstanding that I almost gave him the bike. I had to tell him that I thought he stole from me and that stealing is wrong. He started to cry a little and then asked for a hug. Uhhgg, I felt horrible. Needless to say I got my bike back and hopefully the kid learned a lesson or still remembers his neighbor with the old bike.
I had an old balloon tire skiptooth Hawthorne stolen in the late 80’s. This teenager came by one Sunday afternoon and asked if I needed my lawn mowed. I was skeptical but noticed he was a little slow (mentally challenged) and agreed to hire him to cut the grass. He was using an old push mower and was going crazy making zig zag marks across my front lawn. He’s stop occasionally and ask me if I liked it and wasn’t he doing a good job. Uh huh. He was telling me the video game he was going to rent once he finished and I paid him, and then asked if he could borrow my bike which was on the front porch to ride to the store and get it. I agreed and he took off leaving his mower, rake and broom so I figured he eventually would be back. Well Sunday night came and went, and so did Monday. I ended up calling the police to report the stolen bike and the officer that came by said he knew of the kid and where he lived. “Did he have a little dog with him?” I said yes, so it must be the same kid. The officer came back about 30min later with my bike in his trunk asking “is it this old thing?”. Yes! He said the kid thought I had given him the bike in trade for mowing the lawn, yet would be coming by to apologize and get his mower and rake/broom which were still in my driveway. I looked the bike over and it looked like he had put about 75 miles on it in the two days he had it. There was mud splashed all over, the tires were dirty, one of the spokes in the rear wheel had broken and had wrapped around the hub, it just looked tired.
When the kid came back I felt so bad for the misunderstanding that I almost gave him the bike. I had to tell him that I thought he stole from me and that stealing is wrong. He started to cry a little and then asked for a hug. Uhhgg, I felt horrible. Needless to say I got my bike back and hopefully the kid learned a lesson or still remembers his neighbor with the old bike.
Wow.....hard to say if the boy really learned anything. Somehow I wished his parents could have been more involved in the fiasco. With a lot of mentally challenged kids though, once they get it in their minds about right/wrong behavior they're pretty unflappable.
I hired a boy to help me once on the farm. Sweet kid, but a little mentally challenged and his parents covered for him. Finally, after many warnings, I had to let him go because of his work output and the amount of money I was paying him. He started to cry, so I know the feeling well in the pit of your stomach in moments like that. Then it turned to anger on his part. I know that's how he was compensating but the whole thing was pretty gut-wrenching.
Kevin
Porkchop & Applesauce
I live for the CABE
Good afternoon Caber’s!
What an amazing morning! The owner of the bike has given me permission to share more about her story! Her name is Ann. Ann’s is one of 7 children and was the last child to get a bike in her family. She was 12 when her stepfather was telling a friend he needed to find a second hand bike for her because times were tough. His friend said that he had a bike just sitting in the garage and his kids were grown and won’t need it anymore and that he would sell it to them for $10! Ann’s bike is a red on red December of 1953 girls panther! She said that from the first time she rode it….SHE LOVED IT! When Ann went off to college the bike stayed at home. When she came home on one of her college breaks she found her bike outside in the backyard. Her youngest brother had badly damaged her beloved panther! The fenders where smashed and dented as well as being stripped of some of its parts! The rack, seat, headlight, pedals,bell,and tank were all gone! She was heart broke and began to find replacement parts for the necessary items to be able to ride her bike again. The bike remained that way until Ann’s wheels year’s later began to fall apart. One of the local bike shops put together a set of lobdale’s with a bendix red band rear hub for her. The bike was stolen in November of 2018. Ann’s coworkers felt so bad for her that they pulled their money together and bought Ann and brand new Schwinn that Christmas! While very great for the gift it was just not the same. Her coworker,Denise, put up the stone bike post for her. As the year’s past Ann had given up hope of ever finding her beloved panther. Jesus found the bike for sale on Craigslist in 2020. He went to San Francisco to buy this bike and it has remained there since. When I saw the stolen post for this panther with the attached photo’s…..there was no mistaking that it was the same bike! It’s stamp with a city of Sacramento number on the seat post down tube, has a city of Sacramento registration sticker on it , SPD stamped on the bottom bracket,as well as some house paint dripped down the right side. Those house paint drips have been there as long as Ann had owned the bike and left absolutely no doubt it was hers when she saw it! Ann teared up when she saw the bike for the first time since it had been stolen! She was so happy to be reunited with old faithful ! She jumped on the bike and took it for a ride. She rode for quite a ways before Jesus was jokingly yelling at her that she could come back now! Hahaha! She had the biggest grin on her face! We took a few photos with her while she was expressing so much gratitude for not only returning her bike but repairing it too! One of the best bike days EVER!!
What an amazing morning! The owner of the bike has given me permission to share more about her story! Her name is Ann. Ann’s is one of 7 children and was the last child to get a bike in her family. She was 12 when her stepfather was telling a friend he needed to find a second hand bike for her because times were tough. His friend said that he had a bike just sitting in the garage and his kids were grown and won’t need it anymore and that he would sell it to them for $10! Ann’s bike is a red on red December of 1953 girls panther! She said that from the first time she rode it….SHE LOVED IT! When Ann went off to college the bike stayed at home. When she came home on one of her college breaks she found her bike outside in the backyard. Her youngest brother had badly damaged her beloved panther! The fenders where smashed and dented as well as being stripped of some of its parts! The rack, seat, headlight, pedals,bell,and tank were all gone! She was heart broke and began to find replacement parts for the necessary items to be able to ride her bike again. The bike remained that way until Ann’s wheels year’s later began to fall apart. One of the local bike shops put together a set of lobdale’s with a bendix red band rear hub for her. The bike was stolen in November of 2018. Ann’s coworkers felt so bad for her that they pulled their money together and bought Ann and brand new Schwinn that Christmas! While very great for the gift it was just not the same. Her coworker,Denise, put up the stone bike post for her. As the year’s past Ann had given up hope of ever finding her beloved panther. Jesus found the bike for sale on Craigslist in 2020. He went to San Francisco to buy this bike and it has remained there since. When I saw the stolen post for this panther with the attached photo’s…..there was no mistaking that it was the same bike! It’s stamp with a city of Sacramento number on the seat post down tube, has a city of Sacramento registration sticker on it , SPD stamped on the bottom bracket,as well as some house paint dripped down the right side. Those house paint drips have been there as long as Ann had owned the bike and left absolutely no doubt it was hers when she saw it! Ann teared up when she saw the bike for the first time since it had been stolen! She was so happy to be reunited with old faithful ! She jumped on the bike and took it for a ride. She rode for quite a ways before Jesus was jokingly yelling at her that she could come back now! Hahaha! She had the biggest grin on her face! We took a few photos with her while she was expressing so much gratitude for not only returning her bike but repairing it too! One of the best bike days EVER!!
Rusty McNickel
I live for the CABE
Best CABE story EVER! Thanks to Jesus, Dave and all who had a part in bringing such joy to Ann's heart. And thanks to Ann especially for sharing your story. I'm so happy you have been reunited with the aptly named Old Faithful.
