Posted 8 years ago
SpiritBear
(813 items)
Some of you know the story behind what happened to my old bike. I decided, albeit I had much money (modifications) put into it, it wasn't worth fixing if I could upgrade to a touring bike.
I had selected a $400 bike and had been putting off buying it as my bank account is smaller than I wanted (someone owes me $650 as they needed it for bills and I happen to believe s/he will pay me back).
A few days after I decided it was time to get the bike, I was driving by a thrift shop I frequent and spotted this outside.
I got it for about $15. It cost a bit to repair, but in total the bike and repairs came out to about $116. Beats buying a $400 bike.
Changing gears is a bit odd, but this is a great bike that I can use to go long distance easily. The seat is the hardest, smallest thing I've sat on, but I'll get a gel seat.
I just got it out of the shop today, and I had to clean out all the gunk and dirt from the gears as they didn't, but it has a few new parts and runs great after a good oiling.
Originally bought at Carty's Bike Shop of Ohio (metal sticker), which is still around today. Somehow it made it up here to Muskegon, Michigan.
So, here is my new bike after I polished it up with some Bar Keeper's Friend.
I saw a refurbished Le Tour. Not bad. I just really like the frame design on this one.
My other bike had started as a cheap beach cruiser type (Schwinn Legacy) and ended up as a heavy-duty mountain bike with sport's tires. LOL.
Well, the bike is now ruined. A man in a Jeep didn't stop fully at the stop sign and pulled out in front of me as I was riding into the cross-walk of the intersection.
Thankfully the bike took the impact and I popped out into the main road (thankfully, too, there weren't vehicles right there at the time).
I yelled, "What the H***." and looked up at him. Several people stopped and came to my aid, but I stood up and (I think) I moved my bike out of the road (that part I can't clearly recall) as well as what was left of his headlight and maybe something from under the hood (Couldn't tell what it was).
He was very calm about it, and so was I after my initial moment of anger. He asked if I was okay, which I was beyond a good size bump and some scrapes, and if my bike was okay, which its not.
He at first hoped he could fix my bike, so I stood there and looked it over with him as he tried putting the chain back on. The back wheel won't spin, and the chain is caught in a piece of my bike.
He backed his vehicle out of the road and a man in a truck thought he was leaving the accident. After the confusion was cleared up and most people left (which only took a couple minutes as I was standing), I watched a guy call the police and give the license plate number.
The man who hit me then realised my bike likely isn't fixable, as the frame is bent. He said he'd make it right, whether it could be fixed or if he had to get me another bike.
I don't remember why, but we switched to the other side of the road where his vehicle was and waited for the police. I also noticed a few other damaged pieces.
The police came, talked to him first as I stood getting a little sunburn, and then they talked to me. I pointed to the shattered glass in the road (just into the main road, center), and told them I was struck close to there, as that's where his headlight hit the ground outside the cross-walk. Our stories matched and I held my bike up for the officer to get the serial off it.
It turns out the man who hit me was a probation officer. He was just getting done with checking on one of his people. He told them he'd either have my bike repaired or would buy me a new one, and I had earlier told him I'd ask them (if they were gonna) to not give him a ticket.
It was odd getting into the vehicle with someone I'd never met before, but we got my bike in there and he was gonna take me to the bike shop.
I directed him to which, and we got there to find out that my bike cannot be repaired by a business (it could be welded, I suppose, but that would be a liability).
We went to Target, as his idea, to look at new bikes. I kept insisting we wait (and that I could wait till later in the month) and find a used bike place, but I needed a multi-gear light-weight bike, which is a bit harder to do.
He called my mom from there, having made several calls previous to his boss, wife, and someone else. He told my mom, as he tried to put it as gently as possible, "I bumped into your son today" which had to be the funniest thing from my day.
When he explained, I could over-hear her voice choked up as she began to cry. She drove down from work to Target where we met her out front and she hugged me tightly and cried, remembering what happened last time when I got a light concussion.
We all then went down to Toys R Us, which was in the same area as Target, and then to Dunham Sports in-between the two stores. We looked at new bikes, and he really wanted to get me one today instead of waiting to find a cheaper one, so he got me a $330 hybrid bike after persuasion.
He was really nice about it all and has two kids of his own. We put my old bike in my mom's car, and we all parted-- myself on my new bike, which has amazing balance and several speeds.
It's sad to see my World Sport no longer usable, but beyond some bumps/scrapes, a headache, and light sunburn, I came out pretty well.
He was a pretty nice guy. I kind of want to keep in contact with him, but I doubt it will happen.
The police determined it was his fault. I think I forgot to add that in.