baj32161

at least it is no longer mine. As many of you know, I moved up here to Canada back in December. I had asked a friend of mine if I could leave my bikes at his house and he said that it was fine and that they would be safe there. I had my LeMond Tourmalet and my backup bike ( a 2003 Raleigh Grand Sport) there. I had left them there because I moved during the first blizzard of December and could not bring them with me, as I did not have the room. Another of my friends was to bring my bikes up here when he came up to visit. He and his wife came up 2 weekends ago......with only one bike. It turns out that my "friend" KC had run out of money (he was unemployed) and sold my bike. When it was made known to him that I was coming down to look for it, he told my other friend "f*** him, he can do whatever he wants. I don't give a sh**." I was furious and went down back to NJ 2 days later. It took all I had not to search for him, with a baseball bat. WHat I did do instead was to go down to the Mercer County courthouse and file a lawsuit. Now, I am a realistic guy and do not believe I will ever see my bike again. I do know that he will be made to pay for what he did. His house is for sale and I have contacted the realtor who told me that they will swear in court that the day before the bike was to be picked up, they saw it there in the living room. I also have, no less than 8 witnesses who heard him say that he would look after them. The house was not broken into, and there is no police report. There is his word against 9 other people and the realtor. Not to m ention that he is a heavey drinker and was out bumming money for booze 2 days before my bike went missing from his house. He drinks and often forgets what he said or did the day before....oh yeah. two of the people who heard him say that are well known members of the community. I am furious and simply could not let him get away with it under any circumstance. We had been friends for over 15 years, and right now I want to take a baseball bat to his knees. It is a good thing I am back in Canada.

Sorry for the long post gang. I just had to vent.

Thanks and Cheers,

Brian J.

Hunt-man

Way cheaper to just kick him in the nuts.

achoo

FTFY.

OP wants justice, not to wind up in jail.

mzeffex 

That sucks! Was the bike special or just a bike to you?

frpax

Dang... sorry to hear that. I'd be pretty furious too.

I think you are doing the right thing by filing the suit & not resorting to violence (which will only make things worse).

go4gr8

You need to choose your friends better. With friends like that, who needs enemies?

VoodooChi|d

As a Tourmalet owner, I offer my condolences.

rufus

Knowing everything you wrote about your 'friend' in your post, how in the world could you even consider leaving anything with him to take care of?

volball

+1

Seagull01

Good plan using the courts, and not a baseball bat. I think a baseball bat is a bit too brutish really. I prefer the finesse and fit of a good titanium (of course) golf club. As we all know, wood sucks and aluminum is way too stiff. The vibrations from the bat smashing the guys skull would just hurt your hands. The titanium driver would soak up them skull vibrations nicely, and really would make for a better Bike Forums approved blunt force weapon.

And I certainly hope you remembered that you told the court that you upgraded the bike to full Shimano Di2 before you moved away! Or that new Campy Ultra Super Record 11 - whichever is more expensive.

And then there are the Zipp wheels, the powertap you had installed, and all that other stuff you had on the frame.....

Terex

Sorry Brian. Please feel free to vent any time. Try to let it ALL go (law suit and such) and move on stronger.

Enjoy Toronto.

Terex in NJ

PS : We took the train from DC to Trenton last night. The famous sign "Trenton Makes...The World Takes", is always such fun to see.

tuxbailey

That sucks.

baj32161

After knowing the guy for 15 years, I thought I had. We had done everything from fishing to camping together. I sure hope none of your friends ever betrays you. To tell you the truth, it is only those whom you trust and befriend who CAN betray you. Lesson learned here, perhaps, still it is better than having no friends.

Sanctimonious much?

Cheers,

Brian J.

ls01

Well if you feel that way then you should be able to kick him in the nads and be ok

HigherGround

Fixed.

Sorry to hear about the bike Brian. I hope you're justly compensated, and that the guy gets a hard punch to the groin.

baj32161

I am an American living in Canada. Committing a felony over a bicycle (as much as I loved it) would get me expelled and THAT would be the height of stupidity, as I have every desire to stay here. I am not a violent man. I never have been. Admittedly the thought of violence was there, but it remained just that....a thought. The cost of filing the lawsuit was $22, which is far cheaper than bail ( I used to be a bail bondsman in NJ so I know this). it is also cheaper than a felony conviction on an otherwise spotless record. It would appear that you, Hunt Man and I do not run with the same type of crowd. I am grateful for that. I took what i thought was the best course of action. If you choose to go around kicking people in their nads....have at it. In Trenton NJ that can get you shot. Have it your way.

Cheers,

Brian J.

baj32161

Well it was more than just a bike for sure. It was the bike that got me back into cycling after being diagnosed as a Type II diabetic and losing two toes from my left foot (see my signature) becuase of it. It was the bike that helped me lose over 80 pounds and was in mint comdition as I took extremely good care of it. I also had won a Brooks B17 Imperial Saddle that I had put on it. To think that it was sold for what likely amounts to enough money to buy some beer and bourbon with makes it even worse.

Thanks for asking,

Brian J.

baj32161

Okay....THIS made me laugh. I will deal with the componentry and upgrades during the case. I am only actually suing for what it would cost to replace the bike with one at the same level. Perhaps I should re-adjust my thinking.

I believe I did the right thing. Thanks for all of the constructive replies thus far.

Cheers,

Brian J.

ultraman6970

You screw up, i would trust my mom for something like that, even my wife, but friends? no no. Who knows in which situation the guy is but the point now is, did he sell the bike to somebody unknown? Ebay? CL? One of the issues is that you might have to prove it is your bike and i hope you have the documentation.

What i would have done if i was you is to get the guy drunk as sh...T!, while he is sleeping take his car and sunk it into a river or just crash it pretty bad against a tree. Then go back to canada the same night. He is going to awake so bad that he wont even remember what happened.

U have to chose your friends better thats all i can say. Good luck and i hope the other bike u got it was your favorite because if it was the lemond im totally with you.

Good luck.

ILUVUK

sorry to hear it man! that sucks.

baj32161

Yes indeed....as I said earlier...lesson learned. The worst part is that it WAS my favourite of the 2 bikes I owned....by a LONG shot. I had won a Brooks B17 Imperial saddle here on BF and loved that saddle. Overall the experience just sucks. Thanks for the reply. I appreciate it.

Cheers,

Brian J.

recon455

9 people AND a realtor? That's almost like having 10 people!

Get em good.

The Weak Link

Condolences. May you be reunited with your bike in heaven someday.

baj32161

Oops

merlinextraligh

this really sucks. You lost a bike and lost a friend. At this point you need to let it go and cut your losses.

And if its any consolation, it sounds like your firend is ultimately the biggest loser in the deal, losing you as a friend.