mtnbiker66

We had someone donate a mountain bike at the rescue mission I work at. I got every thing adjusted and tuned up and when one of my guys got a job he was riding it to work.It turned a 30 min. walk into a 10 min ride. Well.......some low life idiot went into our gated area and stole the bike today. I have that whole area on security camera so I should be able to see who did it. I reallly hope I can get the stupid floor flushin' trout sniffin' maggot that took it.

Dannihilator

That sucks royally.

fuji86

That's one perspective, another is that maybe, somewhere, someone less fortunate may be putting that bike to good use ?

Whenever I think of a stolen bike here in Miami, FL, the theory is they are shipped to a Caribbean Island, perhaps even Haiti ? When you see pics of those refugees living in tents, sometimes there's a picture of someone riding a bike in the background. I figure that's one of the stolen bikes ? True story:

https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,475666,00.html

santiago

Sucks about the bike.

Fuji - that's a bit of a stretch of the imagination there. I know of charities that send bikes to 3rd world countries but they rely on donated bikes. A local charity does exactly this and has sent thousands of bikes abroad - https://www.cyclonordsud.org/voir.php?id=3

ed 

We have a program in Topeka that allows you to build/restore a bike to keep for yourself when you put in around 20 or sow hours of work on other bikes. Some of the bikes are sold to keep the place a float, but most are given to locals who need them.

rankin116

We have a bike rescue here that does the same. You can use their shop if you donate time. I donate parts from time to time, to me it's a good organization.

Go get 'em 66. Maybe when you find them you could run your chewed up saddle on their ass and set your dog loose?

samburger

I would imagine the bike was stolen & sold to the first buyer, which is generally a pawn shop. That's how things work in Atlanta. And even if you find the bike (or whatever was stolen...$600 guitar & plasma TV in my friend's case) at a pawn shop, the police claim they have to keep it as evidence until the person who stole it is found & charged. If you drop the case, the merchandise was never officially yours & it gets returned to the pawn shop. If you pursue the case, they have to hold it until they find the person, which is generally never. The system will screw you.

cryptid01

Lets see, 66 works at a rescue mission and one of "his guys" got a job and was riding the bike to work. I can't think of anyone much less fortunate that would be putting it to better use.

There aren't many Haitian refugees in the North Carolina mountains.

samburger

A nice thought, but still wrong in my opinion. I can hear their thoughts now..."I'm gonna steal this bike from someone I know absolutely nothing about, & then ship it off to someone else I know nothing about."

So for all this well-to-do thief knows, he's stealing a bike from a homeless 10-year-old & shipping it to the kingpin of a Caribbean drug cartel. Somehow, I think there are better ways to do good for the world than to become a ******** variant of Robin Hood.

mtnbiker66

Are you stoned or just stupid. I work with a lot of addicted fellows that are in a battle to get there lives going in the right direction. If I can provide a set of wheels to make this process a little easier then that is a "good use" for a bike. I would think that trading the bike for a crack rock is not the best use.

I did get a really nice Ross commuter bike today. I'm gonna give a good tune up on monday and we'll be back in buisness. I also have the guy who took it on the security camera.

Hambone40

Did you even think at all before you posted this? I can understand it running through your mind, but wow, letting it flow out to your finger tips. Come on man. You got to be better than that.

Daspydyr 

Its a good thing you do 66, keep at it. I gave an old 12 speed to a recovering alcoholic for the same reason. He rode it for @5 months, then sold it for a case of beer. But it was good to see him sober and doing well, at least for a while.

mtnbiker66

I've seen it many times. You do what you can but in the end the recovery falls into their hands. You did a great thing by helping out.

safariofthemind

+1
Amen to that. Seen many people get out, others come back to the poor house. A lot of it is their mental health which can be iffy after years of neglect, often self inflicted.

mtnbiker66

Man you hit the nail on the head right there. You take some mental issues and mix in heaping helping of meth,crack, pills....take your pick, and you have a really messed up mind.

Daspydyr 

I am frightened by the number of babies being born to crack addicts and with Fetal Alcohol syndrome. We have some friends who adopted three youngsters born to these problems. They will never be right, they are so damaged from birth. On the outside they look so sweet and normal. When you see their behaviour and mental health issues over time, its just scary!

BurnNotice

So if someone comes and steals your wife or kid's because they don't have one and want one as long as it goes to someplace like, hmmm, lets say Haiti it is okay**********? LMAO!

safariofthemind

Of course not, the poster is just showing compassion. The reality is we all want to choose where our charity is directed at. Nobody likes a thief even if we understand why they do it. Personally, I would not tolerate it even from someone I was trying to help. It happens though, and it stinks! On the other hand, as we get a little older we realize the world is a messed up place sometimes and we have the power to choose to make it a little better or stink it up some more. That's what it boils down to for me.

Daspydyr 

I had a wife once that I wish had been kidnapped and taken to Haiti, but I bet they would have returned her!