Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Commuting
Reload this Page >

Strange things found on your commute

Search
Notices
Commuting Bicycle commuting is easier than you think, before you know it, you'll be hooked. Learn the tips, hints, equipment, safety requirements for safely riding your bike to work.

Strange things found on your commute

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 08-09-13, 01:40 PM
  #551  
Senior Member
 
wisaunders's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Dallas
Posts: 207

Bikes: 2013 Carve with Rigid Salsa Fargo & 2005 Allez

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by RPK79
Wasn't commuting (was out on a MUP/picnic ride with my wife), but we found a baby goose lost and wandering on the trail. It was the 4th of July and the river had a LOT of tubing traffic. They tubers were congregating on a sandbar that is normally filled with geese, and this little guy (or gal!) was right in that area. We transplanted them a half mile up where there was access to the river. Hope the little guy/gal made it.
Birds of a feather...
wisaunders is offline  
Old 08-10-13, 11:13 PM
  #552  
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 134
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I have seen an abandoned car in the woods for over a month. No license plates. The wheels were stolen one day, then the mirrors, then someone busted all the windows and presumably stole everything of value. I wonder when the car will finally be removed. It would be pretty hard for a tow truck to get to the car. It looks like some animals made that car their home.

Of course, being on a bike, I notice that car every time I pass it. I just find it sad that it was abandoned because I'm sure that car was drivable when it was first left there.
nd2010 is offline  
Old 08-11-13, 08:28 AM
  #553  
Senior Member
 
jowilson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Mesa, AZ
Posts: 561

Bikes: 1992 Trek 800 Antelope, 1971 Triumph

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Just a few days I found that watching another cyclist get hit by a car is really surreal. He was a kid from my school and was struck on the left. Only got a sore thigh and a wicked grill tat.
jowilson is offline  
Old 08-11-13, 09:01 AM
  #554  
Senior Member
 
terrapin44's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: California
Posts: 390

Bikes: 2012 Civia Prospect, 2012 Specialized Sirrus Sport, 199x Canondale M800

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by jowilson
Does anyone else find these metal strips on their commute? They are anywhere from 4-8 inches long, probably made of steel, more commonly found on the shoulder. I see about 50 of them anytime I ride in the shoulder.


Originally Posted by J.C. Koto
Yeah, all the time. I call them "street sweeper bristles"
That explains why I never see them. They never sweep the streets around here. :-(
terrapin44 is offline  
Old 08-11-13, 10:30 AM
  #555  
Senior Member
 
TiBikeGuy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Singapore
Posts: 348

Bikes: Litespeed Ti Mtb, BikeE Recumbent, Cannondale H600 Hybrid,

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Just finished reading 20+ pages of posts in this thread. Looks likes cyclists find more things than drivers, maybe because we travel at slower speeds and can observe all the things around the road.

I have found a nice pair of Oakleys with gold iridium in the bushes. It caught my eye because the sun was reflecting off the gold lens.

I have also found laptop, with manuals, carrying case, power supply... opened it and saw the lcd screen had a massive crack. Other than that it was running fine, I just hook on an external monitor and was able to use it for a few years.

I found a small black plastic bag under the seat of the bus stop. Inside was some make-up kit and a Olympus camera. It was one of those waterproof, shockproof camera which came in handy on offroad rides.
TiBikeGuy is offline  
Old 08-11-13, 01:32 PM
  #556  
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,355 Times in 862 Posts
Whole Families bikes , tied to the rack , broke loose and dropped on the roadway close behind me ,

when the welding to a travel trailer bumper broke.
fietsbob is offline  
Old 08-11-13, 03:23 PM
  #557  
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Lancaster, PA
Posts: 45

Bikes: Cycle Genius LTX

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I found a pair of Dr. Dre Beats one day on the way to work. I sent a picture of them to my son (20 something, living in North Dakota) and he said they were worth a couple hundred bucks. We had fun trying to figure out how they got tossed out of a car, figuring it was an irate girlfriend. The next day I found the matching cord. Everything functioned, and there was just a small scratch where they hit the pavement.
FalconRider54 is offline  
Old 08-15-13, 06:05 PM
  #558  
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 5
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I

I found 45 10-foot bamboo poles in the garbage outside an Orthodox Jewish apartment building. Pretty sure they were used to make Purim structures. I took 30 of them over 2 or three trips, slung under one arm, with one arm to steer my bike. I made a flagpole and a shade structure for a festival.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
Untitled-1.jpg (106.1 KB, 144 views)
jny1000 is offline  
Old 09-27-13, 07:54 AM
  #559  
Senior Member
 
ill.clyde's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Brodhead, WI - south of Madison
Posts: 2,928

Bikes: 2009 Trek 1.2

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 239 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 1 Post
Saw a guy on a unicycle yesterday ... with aero bars ...
ill.clyde is offline  
Old 09-27-13, 10:09 AM
  #560  
Senior Member
 
kookaburra1701's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Eugene, Oregon
Posts: 1,345

Bikes: 2014 Specialized Dolce Triple, 1987 Schwinn Tempo, 2012 Windsor Kensington 8

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by jny1000
I

I found 45 10-foot bamboo poles in the garbage outside an Orthodox Jewish apartment building. Pretty sure they were used to make Purim structures. I took 30 of them over 2 or three trips, slung under one arm, with one arm to steer my bike. I made a flagpole and a shade structure for a festival.
LOL maybe they were trying to build an eruv, but the meshugah goyim keep stealing their building materials.
kookaburra1701 is offline  
Old 09-27-13, 10:10 AM
  #561  
Senior Member
 
kookaburra1701's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Eugene, Oregon
Posts: 1,345

Bikes: 2014 Specialized Dolce Triple, 1987 Schwinn Tempo, 2012 Windsor Kensington 8

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by ill.clyde
Saw a guy on a unicycle yesterday ... with aero bars ...
One of my co-workers commutes on a 36" unicycle. The brakes look like aero bars.
kookaburra1701 is offline  
Old 09-27-13, 11:07 AM
  #562  
aka Tom Reingold
 
noglider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,498

Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem

Mentioned: 511 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7345 Post(s)
Liked 2,452 Times in 1,430 Posts
Originally Posted by jny1000
I

I found 45 10-foot bamboo poles in the garbage outside an Orthodox Jewish apartment building. Pretty sure they were used to make Purim structures. I took 30 of them over 2 or three trips, slung under one arm, with one arm to steer my bike. I made a flagpole and a shade structure for a festival.
More likely Sukkot than Purim. Sukkot is the festival of tents, in the fall. Purim is in the spring.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog

“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author

Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
noglider is offline  
Old 09-27-13, 11:14 AM
  #563  
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,355 Times in 862 Posts
a Cabbage Patch Doll by the roadside , just a foot outside the fog line,on the paved shoulder .
fietsbob is offline  
Old 09-27-13, 11:38 AM
  #564  
Full Member
 
Worknomore's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: SE Michigan
Posts: 464

Bikes: Serotta CRL, Litespeed Blue Ridge, Bacchetta Ti Aero, Cannondale delta V, 67 Schwinn Sting Ray stick shift.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 7 Times in 6 Posts
Found all of the pieces after my rear derailleur asploded this morning. Was able to knob-doodle it all back together avoiding making the Call Of Shame.
Worknomore is offline  
Old 02-20-14, 10:12 AM
  #565  
Keepin it Wheel
 
RubeRad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: San Diego
Posts: 10,244

Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Liked 3,417 Times in 2,526 Posts
This morning I found a digital camera, this tiny thing. No battery or battery cover; when I get home tonight I'll chuck a AAA in it and see whether it works. My kids would enjoy it.
RubeRad is offline  
Old 02-20-14, 10:17 AM
  #566  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Lancaster, PA, USA
Posts: 1,851

Bikes: 2012 Trek Allant, 2016 Bianchi Volpe Disc

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by RubeRad
This morning I found a digital camera, this tiny thing. No battery or battery cover; when I get home tonight I'll chuck a AAA in it and see whether it works. My kids would enjoy it.
0.3MP isn't going to be too useful, although it's a decent res for kids to play with.
spivonious is offline  
Old 02-20-14, 12:39 PM
  #567  
Keepin it Wheel
 
RubeRad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: San Diego
Posts: 10,244

Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Liked 3,417 Times in 2,526 Posts
Originally Posted by spivonious
0.3MP isn't going to be too useful, although it's a decent res for kids to play with.
Even worse, there is no persistent memory! If you take the battery out, or the battery dies, all the images are gone! So yes, this is just a toy at best.
RubeRad is offline  
Old 02-20-14, 06:26 PM
  #568  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 125
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Two weeks ago I found a whole case of Italian cookies! I emptied the box and put most of the packages in my panniers. What I couldn't fit in there I strapped to the top of my rack with two bungees.
Until I find a bag of money from a kidnapping gone wrong, the cookies will be my greatest find.
Oldsport is offline  
Old 02-21-14, 10:59 AM
  #569  
Keepin it Wheel
 
RubeRad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: San Diego
Posts: 10,244

Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Liked 3,417 Times in 2,526 Posts
I found a broken iPhone once. I held on to it for a while thinking I could maybe the battery could be useful for a friend, but I think in the end I just tossed it.

So I popped a battery into that camera last night, and it "worked"! The pictures were horrendous though, even at 640x480 they were blurry, and dim. Like one reviewer at amazon said, I guess you have to get outside in natural daylight to get anything reasonable. Anyways, the kids might have a little fun with it.
RubeRad is offline  
Old 02-21-14, 12:03 PM
  #570  
Senior Member
 
rekmeyata's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: NE Indiana
Posts: 8,685

Bikes: 2020 Masi Giramondo 700c; 2013 Lynskey Peloton; 1992 Giant Rincon; 1989 Dawes needs parts; 1985 Trek 660; 1985 Fuji Club; 1984 Schwinn Voyager; 1984 Miyata 612; 1977 Raleigh Competition GS

Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1125 Post(s)
Liked 249 Times in 200 Posts
Originally Posted by RubeRad
I found a broken iPhone once. I held on to it for a while thinking I could maybe the battery could be useful for a friend, but I think in the end I just tossed it.

So I popped a battery into that camera last night, and it "worked"! The pictures were horrendous though, even at 640x480 they were blurry, and dim. Like one reviewer at amazon said, I guess you have to get outside in natural daylight to get anything reasonable. Anyways, the kids might have a little fun with it.

I find phones and I phones all the time but the screens are usually broken and water is sloshing around on the inside, I don't even bother to stop for those anymore. Some things I just don't stop for, like lighters, I don't smoke so I don't need one, it's not worth the time to stop the bike and pick up a lot of crap I see.
rekmeyata is offline  
Old 02-21-14, 03:57 PM
  #571  
recumbent bike advocate
 
Tractortom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Okeechobee. Florida
Posts: 435

Bikes: Bacchetta Belladare, long wheelbase

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I was out for a ride on my Catrike a few years ago, and found a full 12 pack of cheap beer on the shoulder of the road, where some cowboy and set it on the toolbox and never put it away. I picked up about 10 of them and put them in my bag. Further up the road there were four guys cutting trees right off the edge of the right-of-way. So as I came by, I set four beers on the fog line, near their truck and kept on riding. The rest went in my fridge to give to neighbors who don't get the craft brewed stuff that I like to drink.

Tractor Tom in Okeechobee, FL
Tractortom is offline  
Old 06-04-14, 02:59 PM
  #572  
Senior Member
 
joeyduck's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Nanaimo, BC
Posts: 2,014

Bikes: 1997 Kona Hahana Race Light, 2010 Surly LHT(deceased), 1999 Rocky Mountain Turbo

Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 86 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I towed a skateboarder a few weeks ago? Does that count?
joeyduck is offline  
Old 06-04-14, 03:30 PM
  #573  
Senior Member
 
rekmeyata's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: NE Indiana
Posts: 8,685

Bikes: 2020 Masi Giramondo 700c; 2013 Lynskey Peloton; 1992 Giant Rincon; 1989 Dawes needs parts; 1985 Trek 660; 1985 Fuji Club; 1984 Schwinn Voyager; 1984 Miyata 612; 1977 Raleigh Competition GS

Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1125 Post(s)
Liked 249 Times in 200 Posts
Originally Posted by joeyduck
I towed a skateboarder a few weeks ago? Does that count?
If it was a female boarder then that counts but only IF you got a date out of it.
rekmeyata is offline  
Old 06-04-14, 03:44 PM
  #574  
Senior Member
 
joeyduck's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Nanaimo, BC
Posts: 2,014

Bikes: 1997 Kona Hahana Race Light, 2010 Surly LHT(deceased), 1999 Rocky Mountain Turbo

Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 86 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by rekmeyata
If it was a female boarder then that counts but only IF you got a date out of it.
No date, my wife would not have liked it. I am fairly certain it was a guy, hard to tell with the longer multi-color hair, and numerous facial piercings. I would ride by him occasionally and I asked if he wanted a tow that morning.

I did find a pile of free things list night and got an avalanche probe on my way home, though usually nothing of interest along the side the road. The day after I dropped my coffee mug I did not even see it!
joeyduck is offline  
Old 06-04-14, 05:17 PM
  #575  
Señior Member
 
ItsJustMe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 13,749

Bikes: Windsor Fens, Giant Seek 0 (2014, Alfine 8 + discs)

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 446 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times in 7 Posts
Last week I found a Bose QuietComfort 15 noise cancelling headset, basically new with an asphalt scrape on one side. They work great. I've always wanted a pair but they're $300 so I never actually got a pair. Having now used them at work, I wish I'd bought a pair before.
__________________
Work: the 8 hours that separates bike rides.
ItsJustMe is offline  


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.