sjpitts 

Trying to thin the herd, free up garage space, etc. So I am selling my 87 Super Sport on CL. Met a potential buyer in the Fresh and Easy parking lot. He rode the bike around, said he liked it, but that he would have to get back to me.

So I put the bike back in the car, drove home, left the bike in the car. Wasn't till this morning that I noticed that the front wheel never made it back into the car.

Crap.

Drove back to the parking lot, but it was not there either.

I think it is going to be harder to sell this bike without the front wheel. It was MA40 rim with a 600 hub. The good news it was not in perfect shape to begin with. And I have another wheelset I could swap in.

But I still feel pretty stupid.

Pic of bike when it had the wheel:

frantik

that sucks a lot man

i have an 87 Super Sport too but the previous owner painted over the gorgeous pink and white paint job :'(

tmh657

That does suck. I often take the front wheel off to load my bike into my little hatchback and always double check to make sure I have the wheel.
Could be worse. I have a friend that put his MacBook on top of his car and drove away.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

I'm like 99.9% sure I've got a single orphan MA40 rim in good condition....if you are interested I'll take a look tonight when I get home.

soonerbills

Don't feel bad. I once left my work tool box open and on the edge of the tailgate of my truck. Finished up with the customer got in and drove off. Didn't realized until a couple miles away. Turned around,went back and found people picking up tools for a few blocks. I got a few tools back but most were already scarfed up!!!!

Bianchigirll 

that is awful. did you check with the store? it is longshot, just like my betting on My Pants are on Fire to place in the derby , but someone may have turned it in.

when I put bikes in my van I alwasy try and rmember to put the wheel in first, the the bike and lock it in the holder then look around.

AZORCH

I rode my bike to work a couple days ago. On the way home I stopped to grab a bite to eat and get a haircut. Came out, hopped on, and went home. It wasn't until the next day, when I went looking for my office keys, that I remembered they were in my bike bag - the same bag that I ... uh... laid on the ground before mounting the bike after the haircut. Needless to say, the bag, the keys, the Park multi-tool, the spare tube, the tire tools, and the C02 pump were nowhere to be found. Stupidity has no boundaries. Sorry about your wheel.

4Rings6Stars

I did the same with my girlfriend's bike. I picked her up from work and put her bike in the trunk. When I got back home and went to put it together...no front wheel. Went back and it was still there, laying on the sidewalk! Unfortunately it had been stomped on or something as the QR skewer was busted/bent and the axle bent, it was still true though so not sure what the punk actually did to it to bend the axle/skewer so bad.

jamesj

I just lost works canon s90 on a bike ride home... i didn't put it in my pannier securely. Now i owe work a new 400 buck camera....

seedsbelize 

I lost two locks in the space of a few weeks. Now I have one that mounts on the frame, instead of riding in the saddlebag.

PDXaero

Have lost when loading up bikes:
Front wheel (eventually returned)
Gloves
Brand new cycling sunglasses
Gloves
Frame pump
And uhhh, gloves.

robertofergy

I did the same thing with my front wheel. I left it leaning next to a car when loading my bike up. I noticed when I got home, so I went back to find it a couple blocks down the same street where I left it. It was leaning against a lamp post. Not sure why they moved it so far. Maybe they were tired of carrying it around. I dunno.

sailorbenjamin

We got all the way to Europe last summer and realized that we'd left one of the kids at home. It turned out ok in the end, he foiled a real nasty robbery.

LarDasse74

Once, working in a bike shop in Toronto, I disassembled and boxed a bike for a customer to fly with... we got a phone call from somewhere out of the country a couple days later asking that we send the front wheel, too.

Also, one of my regular riding companions rode all last season with a rear Cane Creek sealed bearing factory built wheel, and a front single wall rim with a steel hub - he left his wheel in a parking lot somewhere, too.

It happens.

WNG

That sucks! I also think it's worth a try to check with the staff in the Fresh and Easy.

Amesja

Ouch that hurts.

I think at this point in the game I've unlocked all the levels of stupid -even the super-secret cow levels of stupid.

Been there, done something similar.

spock

Front wheel is extremely necessary. You should not have left it.

Sorry that happened. I can imagine it's not a good feeling.

One time I thought I lost my wallet from back pocket on my way to work with bike and I decided to mostly walk back home 7 miles hoping to find it retracing my way to work. When I got home, it was there.

conspiratemus1

On a bike tour years ago, got tent etc. all set up in the campground, then realized buddy and I needed to ride the 3 miles into town for something. Hopped on bike, rode up hill and down dale -- like really fast! --, did the shopping, rode the highway back to campground, then on lifting the bike over some big tree roots beside the tent....the front wheel fell out. I had opened the quick release on the front hub to foil quick thieves while the bike was going to be out of easy eyesight at the campground and had forgotten to cam it closed for the impromptu shopping trip. To this day I still get a wave of nausea when I think how close I could have come to breaking my neck or smashing up my face if had bunny-hopped over a pothole or even hit some bad railway tracks. Geez....that was stupid.

frantik

NO WAI!!

ohjonnybegoode

I once drove about 45 minutes to a garage sale...picked up an Opaque Blue '72 Super Sport...never thought to check that the QR hub on the front hub was tight when I loaded it on the bike rack....needless to say...I was picking through the rim pile after I got home...

BigPolishJimmy

Last fall I walked out to the barn the morning after jamming with the fellas, saw something dark and odd out on the cement pad. Went out to see what it was, doh! It was my telecaster in the case just where I set it down to lock up the doors. Fortunately I live at the intersection of 'no' and 'where'. That would have never still been there at my old house.

Aquakitty

I think I have you all beat.... I was stressed out and went snowboarding. it was a bad day and i left after like one run... turns out I left my snowboard in the parking lot by my car, a 600$ ride board with top of the line bindings.
I drove back hours later but no avail it was long gone, can't remember if I posted an ad to get it back or not.

Fast forward an entire year (season) later my ex b/f saw the board leaning against a wall at the same hill and got it back for me!

sjpitts 

This thread is going longer than I thought it would.

Thanks to all those that have offered new wheels. But I already have a couple of sets hanging in my garage. This will just help me get rid of something else I don't need.

And thanks to all those that offered their own stories of stupid. They make me feel better.

Jared

PS "Stories of Stupid" sounds like a good name for a reality TV show.

PSS-- I went and talked to the Manager at Fresh and Easy. No one had turned anything in.

frantik

if you need any more help, I can pm you my address

MetinUz

I did something similar, only worse. Drove to a trailhead with the kids, took the tandem. After the ride, got distracted and left both wheels leaning at the side of the car and drove away. 48-spoke tandem wheels and an Arai drum brake! I drive another 15 miles each way to check the area, post signs, nothing. Months later, I see them for sale on Craigslist. The guy says he bought them from someone else, will sell me at cost. I had already built new wheels, so decided to pass.