<https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yZhwJpGHvYs/WnjWD4xjJDI/AAAAAAAAHzw/p0t-ImC3Rn4gCShukPLF79xedJOwdFRsACLcBGAs/s1600/MVIMG_20180205_134601%2Bsmall.jpg> Hi, That's me on the left up there. I'm the person who cut this bike off of the rack, call me vigilante, Robin Hood, et al. I suppose enough has been said and judgement can be and has been dished, but it's my turn (and may you all learn how long-winded I can be).
First, my original email to Rivbike.com: > Hello! I know I'm on sketchy legal ground, but I cut the bike lock off of > a Sam Hillborne today and took it home. My reasoning: > -It had been parked for a minimum of two weeks since I'd made note of it. > A week ago I marked it's tires in chalk and it hasn't moved since, as it > hadn't before. > -The neighborhood is known for car break-ins and bike theft/stripping. > -It's been raining roughly non-stop here for the last week and a half. > -The Brooks saddle hasn't been covered the entirety of it being > parked/abandoned out there. > > So I assumed it was a) stolen and sitting there waiting for pickup, b) the > owner had gotten wasted at a local bar, forgotten where it was, went home, > and never thought to find it, c) the owner got wasted and somehow died or > was incapacitated on their way home and is now in a coma, unable to > acknowledge the missingness of their bike, d) the owner is on vacation and > thought leaving it in that condition for an extended amount of time on the > street was reasonable, or e) the owner (presumably a local, though I > haven't seen this bike before this past such and such time and I notice > these things aka Rivendells) doesn't have access to a porch, yard, shed, > garage, basement, or some other normal form of secure-ish bike parking and > thought they could leave it, an, to the trained eye, obviously valuable > bike (esp. considering the handmade wheelset, Mark's rack, and non-stock > componentry) on the street until Independence Day. > I could continue my treatise on why I essentially just stole a bike, but I > think by now, and by the fact that I'm writing this email, you understand > that it's a bike I respect and would love to return to it's owner if > possible. Caveat: it's my size and I'd love to keep it if I can't find the > owner after diligence is done. > My local Craigslist has been searched, stolen bike internet databases too, > the local police forms are offline, and Portland is notorious for doing > diddily squat about stolen bikes (someone came outside the restaurant they > were dining in to film me and tell me they were contacting the authorities > while I was angle-grinding the lock off in broad daylight. I told them my > name and where I would be the rest of the day, bartending at the same > restaurant they hailed from, and to please pass that along). > I have now posted on my local Craigslist's lost&found as well as the bike > for sale page and left a note on the rack I ripped it off from. > By this point, you probably know I went through all that trouble to ask > you a simple question. > Can you, by way of the serial number, get me in contact with this > beautiful, well loved Sam Hillborne's owner? I ask for no reward nor ransom. > Thanks, > Dane And so today the bike was returned, with much welcome help from John at Rivelo, the kind souls tearing apart the stacks of invoices down in Walnut Creek, and I suppose a little from my friends, You Good Folks Out There. Thanks sharing your beautiful poem, MartyG, I hope we can all find more warmth in our hearts. <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-C4ug9LxKGxc/WnjWGbIxvLI/AAAAAAAAHz0/8lafVumplKcDqrGL-IYClxjvkJal7rn1gCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180205_134822%2Bsmall.jpg> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
