Never had this happen to me before, especially since I’ve had the tikit. I mean, come on, who needs a lock anymore? You just fold it up and wheel it inside. Today, though, I had to bring the trailer along to carry some bigger stuff. On the way back to work, I stopped by for a brief moment at the bank. Since the trailer sort of messed up the convenience of it all, I left it outside. Came back and well, ended up walking back to work.
A long time ago I learned that sometimes having nothing is better than being wealthy, that to be truly rich you don’t have to possess a darn thing. Some of the richest moments of my life were spent in total poverty, with nothing more than a single backpack to call my own. I remember the day I sold my music collection (I had probably close to 1000 CDs) just to fund my way out of Ohio. I worked tireless hours for those CDs and spent countless more enjoying them. Yet, I felt a remarkable sense of freedom, like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.
Sadly, though, that’s not what I’m feeling. It’s a funny thing about bikes: they’re like old friends. You spend that much time with anything and they start feeling like that. Worse yet if it’s a bike you built yourself. Then when it’s stolen, it not only feels like a lost friend, it feels like child abduction, a brutal kidnapping. You’re left plagued with thoughts of how they might be torturing, molesting, or abusing it.
I’m not without a certain amount of grace. Like Paul of Tarsas, I know what it is to be in need. I don’t wish revenge by any stretch of the imagination. I feel sorry for the poor soul who is in such dire straits as to have to resort to such behavior. How foolish, too, that this person stole such a distinctive bike. They won’t be able to go anywhere without it being noticed. Hell, *I* can’t. This surely won’t bode well for their well-being.
Surely, too, I will find peace (and likely a new bike!) should it never return. I suspect, though, it will, as there are countless stories of people regaining their Bike Fridays. They certainly outweigh the ones of people NOT recovering their Fridays. I have hope in the power of a community-based effort. It has certainly worked in other cases.
Which is why I implore you, friends, to help me. Watch Craigslist, eBay, the Internet in general, pawn shops, bike shops. Spread the word. Be on the lookout. Speaking of friends, I am most grateful to Vik Banerjee whose wonderful pictures of my bike show it in nearly its exact present form. The only differences are the lack of the Power Grips and rear light (fell off) and the addition of a Made In Oregon sticker next to the Made In America sticker on the right hand side. There are older pics here.
For those that can’t tell, it’s a Racing Green/Black Diamond two-tone, a true one of a kind. It should sparkle all the way around, just like Cream Soda Blue does.
And yes, it is a fixed gear on both sides of the rear wheel.
If you have any leads, thoughts, questions, concerns, feel free to comment away or get in touch with me through the many other options available. I ultimately just want my bike back, no questions asked. Thanks in advance for all of your help!
My lovely wife, Christina Lapchynski, has been an artist since she was a little kid. She recently decided to go to school to study. One of her classes, on 3-D design, has been challenging her to try new media. Her unique vision continues to shine through despite this difficulty, as you can see in this work, “Flying” which is a static sculpture that has a moving element (the front wheel). In this sense, it not only implies motion but has motion. Please check out (and comment on!) her other works on her new blog, “arousing the inner child.”
I am pleased to announce that we are now able to offer the 
À la carte, price is $249 for the kit and a tikit with it on would run about $1498.
Obviously not in ridable shape, but come take a tour and see it for yourself:
