Machka 

I have verged on being paranoid about locking things up since then.

LexKing

I am really glad that you got Machak back. Most times these theft stories never have a happy ending, this one is a breath of fresh air.

BTW I hope that the thieves get all the karma that they are due....

Rowan

The lesson certainly was learned. We had been lulled into a false sense of security... bikes three foot from the tent, mainly hidden because they were leaning up against the van, and a quiet country town. In retrospect, we should have put the bikes in the van and locked it.

Now we don't trust anyone, which is a sad part about it all, but right now, there is a lot of joy about the place here, and that is what counts.

We also should have learned when a friend of ours who was touring prior to participating in Paris-Brest-Paris in 2007 and had his titanium lowrider recumbent stolen at a campground.

The thieves knew what they were about, leaving his wife's bike behind. Fortunately, the Dutch company that made the bike came to the party and very generously lent him another Ti lowrider, and he finished his first PBP.

Machak is ready to ride again. We're hoping the weather clears enough for us to get out for a ride, even a brief one, so Machka can enjoy her best bike buddy again.

dynodonn 

.....and that is all that really matters in the end.

Waxbytes

Amazing happy ending to what was a very sad story. Wonderfull.

2d2f

I am wondering where do you come from originally. Balkans?
Sorry for offtopic, but I am not allowed to send private messages.

Machka 

Canada.

2d2f

What does Machka and Machak mean in English or French?

Machka 

Machka and Machak are Serbo-Croatian (as was one of my grandfathers) ... Machka means female cat and Machak means male cat.


I know little bits and pieces of a lot of languages.

lungimsam

bicyclebolts.com sells security bolts so you can "lock" your seat post and also your saddle to seat post. Just to keep that from getting stolen at least.

Pitlocks makes locking skewers and a bolt for headset/stem. But they are way expensive.

2d2f

Exactly as I supposed...

Greets from Serbia.

hybridbkrdr

You said you had a Sora rear wheel? Do you mean a Sora rear hub? Can you say how many miles you've done on it and how well it lasted?

And is that a Lumatec Fly on the bike? How do you like it?

Excuse my preoccupation with bicycle parts. I bought most of the parts needed for a build and still wondering by curiosity.

Machka 

Hello! Do you live in Serbia? I've never been, but it is on the list, and I'd like to learn more of the language.

Rowan

Yes, the rear wheel has a Sora hub laced to an Alex DA22 rim. It was bought at a complete wheel to replace the original Ambrosio on the rear -- the Formula freehub was causing issues just prior to Machka participating in a long randonnee in Canada.

The hub is fine. It hasn't, as I recall, much distance on it, but it spins freely.

And yes, a Lumotech Fly was on the front of Machak when he was stolen, but it was missing when he was recovered. I think we both liked the Fly. We've had quite the succession of Lumotech lights over the years.

2d2f

Yes, I do. I live in Belgrade, the capital. You might want to take a look at https://randonneurs-serbia.weebly.com/ google translator will do the job.

hybridbkrdr

You've had various Busch & Muller lights? If you've used 25 and 40 lux lights, can you say if there's a practical difference? Do you have to slow down if you only have 25 lux (if you've tried 25 lux that is)?

Rowan

Sorry, I wasn't quite clear there... going back to the incandescent days, not forward to the more developed LED lights.

The very latest we have is the IQ which was touted as being better than the Fly, but frankly, I didn't notice any particular difference. I do like the styling of the IQ, however.

I'd like to be able to afford to get the Edelux eventually, but that isn't likely to be for a while, mainly because of the cost when we have a few other priorities at present.

The thing I really like about these lights is that a lot of effort has gone into developing the optics rather than just whacking some great Cree LED in there and boasting about power, which really is uncontrolled and causes issues for other road/path users.