gestalt
10 kW
A bit less than a year ago I had a nice specialized sequoia road bike stolen from the hallway in my apartment. It was my fault for being a dumbass and leaving it in the hall on a regular bassis, but a travesty all the same. I was pretty sure it was someone in my building or at least a friend of a tenant. I went to every unit and politely told them that if they knew who took it they should tell them to get it out of Boston or throw it in the Charles river because if I ever saw it I would recognize it and there would be a problem.
So I got off work today, broke as usual and decided to go to the king of burgers and consult the dollar menu. Leaning up in the entrance was a grey specialized sequoia with the drop bars chopped and flipped into bullhorns just like I had them, and a few other things like the security seatpost clamp I had put on there and a defunct bike pump holder. A few things had changed, like the crank arms and the rear wheel which coincidentally was about to go before it got jacked. I sat outside the bk thinking of what to do. I was going to wait for whoever was riding it to leave and tail them home or wherever, then come back with the tools to liberate my prodigal bike. Then I noticed that there was no one but employees left in the place. So I psyched myself up and hid the bike I was riding in an alley a block away and changed my clothes a bit and came back. Opened the door, grabbed it and rode away. I could see a patron run after me a bit but I was gone on my way. I wasn't going to stop and explain, I had no proof exept knowing for a fact it was indeed my stolen bike.
As soon as I was riding it I started to notice more things that were unique about it from my working on it over the years, like the mismatching clamp on the stem from when I lost the part and had to replace it. And after getting it home saw the chipped paint from my huge bike chain only in the places where I didn't have it wrapped in black and yellow electrical tape. Also the telltale grinding marks where the bars were chopped that was definitely my work.
The taste of victory is sweet, only to be tainted by the not knowing if the bastard riding my bike payed someone for it. If that was the case they will probably look back and think about what a good deal they got on a $1000+ road bike with a carbon fork.
HUZZAH!!!!
So I got off work today, broke as usual and decided to go to the king of burgers and consult the dollar menu. Leaning up in the entrance was a grey specialized sequoia with the drop bars chopped and flipped into bullhorns just like I had them, and a few other things like the security seatpost clamp I had put on there and a defunct bike pump holder. A few things had changed, like the crank arms and the rear wheel which coincidentally was about to go before it got jacked. I sat outside the bk thinking of what to do. I was going to wait for whoever was riding it to leave and tail them home or wherever, then come back with the tools to liberate my prodigal bike. Then I noticed that there was no one but employees left in the place. So I psyched myself up and hid the bike I was riding in an alley a block away and changed my clothes a bit and came back. Opened the door, grabbed it and rode away. I could see a patron run after me a bit but I was gone on my way. I wasn't going to stop and explain, I had no proof exept knowing for a fact it was indeed my stolen bike.
As soon as I was riding it I started to notice more things that were unique about it from my working on it over the years, like the mismatching clamp on the stem from when I lost the part and had to replace it. And after getting it home saw the chipped paint from my huge bike chain only in the places where I didn't have it wrapped in black and yellow electrical tape. Also the telltale grinding marks where the bars were chopped that was definitely my work.
The taste of victory is sweet, only to be tainted by the not knowing if the bastard riding my bike payed someone for it. If that was the case they will probably look back and think about what a good deal they got on a $1000+ road bike with a carbon fork.
HUZZAH!!!!