noglider 

One of my proudest memories comes from a day when I was riding up Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, MA. Locked to various parking meters and signposts along the way were several bikes I had fixed. I was working as a shop mechanic at the time. I felt like I was making a difference. Also, someone I met told that he had heard that the bike shop where I worked is a good place to go because "they do a good job there." He didn't know I was the sole mechanic there. I said "I am the 'they' you're talking about."

Tim_Iowa

It's hard to miss that paint job; Schwinn went loud and proud on the KOM. I call mine the "King of 'Merica"

treal512

Lol, what the??

I wonder if the thief sold it or you stole it from the thief.

Nice

Chitown_Mike

I see what you did there.....

r0ckh0und 

At this years Madison Bike Swap I was checking out an unusual track frame, started talking about the frame with another guy standing there, when he pulls out his phone and says "I wanna show you something" and he proceeds to show me pics of a built up '86 Raleigh Gran Prix, which I immediately recognized as a frame I had sold there the previous year.

Ramona_W

Yeah. I'm a volunteer mechanic in a shop that does repairs and sells bikes to the public but we also refurb and give bikes to people in the nearby homeless shelter- our proceeds go to help support the place as well- or people who are on the street. As you can imagine, I'm very excited to be out and around and see a bike I've worked on locked up and obviously being used and taken care of well. The best was spotting one of the little kids' bikes on the rack at the library and imagining the new worlds that might be opening up to them.

TiHabanero

In 1993 I had a Giant Iguana stolen from the garage. Ran into the MAN riding it a year later, late at night in a nasty section of town. I wished him well and told him I built the wheels and they will last a lifetime.

He looked at me strangely and rode off. I had taken the insurance money for it. About 600 bucks after the deductible. Yes, it was heavily upgraded!

Ramona_W

I didn't know there was such a thing as bike insurance. Or are you saying it was covered under your homeowner's insurance?

ricklp

I haven't had a lot of luck with Christmas. Chrismas morning when I was about 14 after we finished opening presents, most of mine bike related. My parents announced that someone had broken into the garage Christmas eve and stolen my bike and my brother's bike.

My parents claimed the theft on insurance and my mother valued the hand me down (from me) bike my brother had at about $150 and my bike (put together by me as a superior replacement to the one my brother was given) at $40. My brother bought a brand new BMX bike and I barely got tires for my next bike.

I was somewhat upset. Around Easter I saw another kid riding my brother's bike, I knew it by the coat hanger repair my father had done for the rear coaster brake arm, and asked the kid where he got it, he said his older brothers had gotten it for him, I asked him if he would introduce me to his brothers, and he did. After a somewhat physical discussion with his older identical twin brothers, I returned home with two bicycles. My mother had the nerve to be upset at me for recovering the bicycles and said Now we'll have to return the insurance money. I laughed and gave her $40 dollars out of my savings. She was quite freaked out since she worked for the insurance company and was sure bad things were going to happen to her.

Even typing this, I get wound up. Laff