Phattiremike
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
In early 2013 I took a rode trip to Asheville NC with my wife Barbara. We love Asheville and cruising the Blue Ridge Parkway.
While there we visited one of our favorite antique stores. As we were walking in we noticed a line of people holding various antiques. Once we entered the store we discovered it was set up like the antique road show with people waiting to have their goods appraised.
There was a table set up with computers, books and other literature and sitting behind the table were 4 appraiser’s. Right about that time 2 older black women entered with a bicycle I’d never seen before, it had wagon wheels as rims and hard rubber for tires. I listened intently as the appraisers reviewed the bicycle and assessed the value at $1,200, the ladies were" dinged" for an incorrect seat.
As they were leaving I approached them outside with my business card and asked if I could buy it for the $1,200. Unfortunately I was driving an MX5 Miata convertible with Barbara in the front seat... We asked how they acquired the bicycle, the daughter told me her brother had a bicycle store in Brooklyn NY, they’d moved to Asheville about 20-25 years prior and the old bicycle was just in the basement. I had no way to get it home but we exchanged phone numbers. Needless to say I never heard from them again, but would always remember the bike with wagon wheels and an incorrect seat, I told that story many times over the years.
Fast forward 5 + years later to about a month ago when I had an opportunity to purchase a bike with a wagon wheel, this time the bicycle was in the Statesville NC area.. After getting the bike home I researched the bike and discovered the seat was incorrect and indeed it was missing the chain guard.
Last week while organizing my garage it dawned on me the seat on my Elliott Hickory was maybe the same seat that was on that wagon wheel bike I discovered years ago in Asheville but couldn’t score, could that be?
Today while at work I started searching photos on my office computer, after about an hour I found the pictures from Asheville, I’ll be damned it’s the same bike!!! I got chills when I discovered the pictures and realized it was meant to be, that bike was meant to be mine! Was this karma,? My business partner called it full circle, hell I don’t know, I’m still floored!!
I snapped the pictures off my computer screen so quality isn’t great. Same seat, missing chainguard, same bike
While there we visited one of our favorite antique stores. As we were walking in we noticed a line of people holding various antiques. Once we entered the store we discovered it was set up like the antique road show with people waiting to have their goods appraised.
There was a table set up with computers, books and other literature and sitting behind the table were 4 appraiser’s. Right about that time 2 older black women entered with a bicycle I’d never seen before, it had wagon wheels as rims and hard rubber for tires. I listened intently as the appraisers reviewed the bicycle and assessed the value at $1,200, the ladies were" dinged" for an incorrect seat.
As they were leaving I approached them outside with my business card and asked if I could buy it for the $1,200. Unfortunately I was driving an MX5 Miata convertible with Barbara in the front seat... We asked how they acquired the bicycle, the daughter told me her brother had a bicycle store in Brooklyn NY, they’d moved to Asheville about 20-25 years prior and the old bicycle was just in the basement. I had no way to get it home but we exchanged phone numbers. Needless to say I never heard from them again, but would always remember the bike with wagon wheels and an incorrect seat, I told that story many times over the years.
Fast forward 5 + years later to about a month ago when I had an opportunity to purchase a bike with a wagon wheel, this time the bicycle was in the Statesville NC area.. After getting the bike home I researched the bike and discovered the seat was incorrect and indeed it was missing the chain guard.
Last week while organizing my garage it dawned on me the seat on my Elliott Hickory was maybe the same seat that was on that wagon wheel bike I discovered years ago in Asheville but couldn’t score, could that be?
Today while at work I started searching photos on my office computer, after about an hour I found the pictures from Asheville, I’ll be damned it’s the same bike!!! I got chills when I discovered the pictures and realized it was meant to be, that bike was meant to be mine! Was this karma,? My business partner called it full circle, hell I don’t know, I’m still floored!!
I snapped the pictures off my computer screen so quality isn’t great. Same seat, missing chainguard, same bike
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