Rabid Koala

Yesterday I went for a short ride after work on my 72 Paramount. I rode my usual loop around Mission Bay and Mission Beach in San Diego.

While going south on the Mission Beach boardwalk, I saw an older bike up ahead. I tried to get closer to it, but he was pretty far ahead and going pretty fast. The only reason I noticed it at all was that it was being ridden without a rear tire. Only after that I noticed it was a Raliegh Pro in Blue Mink. The handlebars were turned up. It was being ridden by a tweaker.

I can only imagine that someone, somewhere is upset over the theft of his Professional. I know I would be. It would be even worse knowing that it was being destroyed by an idiot.

That is something I wish I had never seen. The guy will probably abandon it somewhere when he can't ride it anymore.

YoKev

Dibs!

bigbossman 

Too bad you couldn't catch him and offer a 10-spot.

cudak888 

Ridden fast without a rear tire, and you couldn't catch up to him on your P-mount?

My friend, when a Raleigh Pro is at stake, your cadence is of no importance - hit the pedals and blow the stop signs, and wave $20 bucks under the rider's nose. Would have kept it up for 10 miles if nessesary - either that or expire in the saddle.

-Kurt

Rabid Koala

He started out quite a distance ahead of me and there were plenty of pedestrian obsticles between us.

I would have continued the chase, except I had this irrational fear of being questioned by a cop while carrying the Pro while riding the Paramount. I was parked about 6 miles away from this particular area and had no means of locking it up if the tweaker would even sell. The guy was really twitchy and had that paranoid thing going on.

I hope to go back down there tomorrow. I'm sure he is still out there somewhere.

cudak888 

Peds? Doesn't a Pro in the hands of the inexperienced constitute yelling "EMERGENCY!"?

Rubbish. I've had far more suspicious trots bringing bikes home - including one time I was riding with a friend, and found two bikes (one of them being a tandem) thrown out. Can you imagine two cyclists walking down the street, with a bike on either side of them, one being this terrible home-made Columbia tandem?

If you need an excuse, for whatever reason, just say you bought it from the local bike shop. You had only intended to bring the Paramount in to show off, but noted the Pro and bought it right there, and decided to tag it home with you.

And if you find him, and he doesn't sell, bring a front fork to knock him out cold with

-Kurt

Rabid Koala

Maybe an electro forged Schwinn fork, or a unicrown?

pastorbobnlnh 

Adventures in urban landscapes. It's so different living here in the mountains and woods. Now that the summer people have left with their CF, unobtanium, it feels as if I have the roads to myself. They would give me such awful stares when I rode the Traveler and even worse when I was on the Collegiate. I had hoped to show off the Paramount, but that will have to wait until the summer of '07. Good luck on your rescue missions To Save Lost Steel!

That would be a Schwinn flat bladed fork, I assume!

Grand Bois

There was a time when I was broke, sleep deprived and underweight. It was the result of a bad divorce, not drugs. People told me I was starting to look like a tweaker. The only way I could make the mortgage payment was to sell my car, but I still had my mint 1974 Peugeot PX10 to get around town on. I guess I'm lucky someone like you didn't knock me on the head and take the bike.

cudak888 

I prefer heavy 10-20 tubular forks for the purpose - flat blade Schwinn forks are too flexible from the sides


Darn it! So you were the guy I never got a chance to knock in the head with a Schwinn fork!

Lighten up a bit - this is all a joke, of course. You know darn well that we'd all offer the fellow cash for the Pro frame. If he didn't take it, well, clobber him AND leave the money with him.

-Kurt

top506

How true.
My Miyata 512/712 is covered with red primer spots from rust removal/paint prep while I finish out the season. Looks like the '71 Vega I drove in collage.....
Top

greybeard87

OK, you were close enough to identify the Make and Model and able to tell that there was no rear tire but couldn't catch up?? I call BS!

mswantak

I defy anyone to ride a bike with no rear tire and not be twitchy. And I'd probably have a paranoid thing going on too, if Koala was following me into a bad part of town giving me the eye.

Rabid Koala

I swear on my Chrome Paramount it is the absolute truth!

Besides, I had nothing to offer him. 'Twas the day before payday.......