A
Anonymous
Guest
*Again... this is a duplicate of a forum post on Vancruisers.... sorry to those who read both!*
Also, it's a bit lengthy... but bear with me... it's a good story...
I had been up to a local bike consignment store (Cheapskates) a week earlier, and had seen a 20" girls bike frame I was considering buying. I didn't have the money to grab it at the time, so I thought about it for a week and dragged Bryn up there the following weekend to take another look. It wasn't that great to be honest... stickers all over the frame... seriously ugly banana seat... and only a one speed. I'd been craving a lowrider for a looonnngggg time however, and even if I had to completely strip, repaint, and re-accessorize I was willing to go through with it to finally have some muscle bike love in my life!
We're standing there looking at this bunk little bike, humming and hawing, when both of us seemed to hear a silent call to look a little further down the line of bikes. My eyes swept up the line of seats from where we were standing, and there I saw a little glint of purple sparkles. My heart skipped a beat... call it love at first glitter!
We walked over, and sure enough there she was.... my lowrider! Little and purple, totally sweet original purple and silver sparkly banana seat, nice little sturmey three speed.... oh I was in lovvveee! Now, here's where it gets a little dubious....
As we were giving the bike it's first look over, a teenaged girl and I'm assuming her little sister came over and seemed very perturbed that we were looking at it. I over heard the little sister say "well, if you like it so much you should take it out for a test ride!" to which the girl said "I'd feel like such a goof... let's go get Mom, and take it out with her...", and they left. Ok... the heist was on... I now knew we had a time limit here, and I wanted to be out of there before she came back... I'm too big a softy to go stomping on somebody's day!
We took her out for a spin in the neighbourhood.... reeaaaalllly rough still, needed a LOT of work. Basically I think somebody had it before me and loved it into the ground. The frame and structural whatnots were still good, but the hub and the brakes needed help BAD! "It's ok" I told myself, "You can actually do what this bike needs for it. That other girl wouldn't even know where to begin!" (still trying to make myself feel better for the awful let down I was about to serve up).
Walked back in the store, gave the man the money.... the receipt was juuussst printing up, when they walked back in. Dammit! She was looking back at her Mom, saying something all happy and excited, and then turned to see me protectively holding onto my new steed. I don't think I've ever seen a face fall that fast! "You're buying THAT?!?!?" she blurted out. Oh man... I felt like such a jerk... but what could I do? The bike was obviously ment for me (it called me over didn't it?), and I knew it was a much more advanced bike than a new rider would be able to handle. In the hands of somebody else it probably would have been ridden half a dozen times, and tucked in a corner somewhere to rust.
I apologized quickly, grabbed my bike, and walked out the door past the girl and her aghast family... hoping that she would understand that today was just not the day for her to own a lowrider! Oh... the cruel cruel world of bikes!
Also, it's a bit lengthy... but bear with me... it's a good story...
I had been up to a local bike consignment store (Cheapskates) a week earlier, and had seen a 20" girls bike frame I was considering buying. I didn't have the money to grab it at the time, so I thought about it for a week and dragged Bryn up there the following weekend to take another look. It wasn't that great to be honest... stickers all over the frame... seriously ugly banana seat... and only a one speed. I'd been craving a lowrider for a looonnngggg time however, and even if I had to completely strip, repaint, and re-accessorize I was willing to go through with it to finally have some muscle bike love in my life!
We're standing there looking at this bunk little bike, humming and hawing, when both of us seemed to hear a silent call to look a little further down the line of bikes. My eyes swept up the line of seats from where we were standing, and there I saw a little glint of purple sparkles. My heart skipped a beat... call it love at first glitter!
We walked over, and sure enough there she was.... my lowrider! Little and purple, totally sweet original purple and silver sparkly banana seat, nice little sturmey three speed.... oh I was in lovvveee! Now, here's where it gets a little dubious....
As we were giving the bike it's first look over, a teenaged girl and I'm assuming her little sister came over and seemed very perturbed that we were looking at it. I over heard the little sister say "well, if you like it so much you should take it out for a test ride!" to which the girl said "I'd feel like such a goof... let's go get Mom, and take it out with her...", and they left. Ok... the heist was on... I now knew we had a time limit here, and I wanted to be out of there before she came back... I'm too big a softy to go stomping on somebody's day!
We took her out for a spin in the neighbourhood.... reeaaaalllly rough still, needed a LOT of work. Basically I think somebody had it before me and loved it into the ground. The frame and structural whatnots were still good, but the hub and the brakes needed help BAD! "It's ok" I told myself, "You can actually do what this bike needs for it. That other girl wouldn't even know where to begin!" (still trying to make myself feel better for the awful let down I was about to serve up).
Walked back in the store, gave the man the money.... the receipt was juuussst printing up, when they walked back in. Dammit! She was looking back at her Mom, saying something all happy and excited, and then turned to see me protectively holding onto my new steed. I don't think I've ever seen a face fall that fast! "You're buying THAT?!?!?" she blurted out. Oh man... I felt like such a jerk... but what could I do? The bike was obviously ment for me (it called me over didn't it?), and I knew it was a much more advanced bike than a new rider would be able to handle. In the hands of somebody else it probably would have been ridden half a dozen times, and tucked in a corner somewhere to rust.
I apologized quickly, grabbed my bike, and walked out the door past the girl and her aghast family... hoping that she would understand that today was just not the day for her to own a lowrider! Oh... the cruel cruel world of bikes!
