yoothgeye
I build stuff.
As people started giving me lots of bikes a friend and I started fixing up kids bikes and giving them away to kids. I also would give away any parts needed to fix bikes and I would let kids come to the house and I would quickly fix their bikes for them. We put the word out and have been able to fill quite a few requests for completely free bikes and have put many broken bikes back on the road.
This weekend the pile of bikes at my house had gotten quite high and my wife wanted them out of the way for a cookout, so I loaded them up to take to a church property where I keep my overflow (now at around 60 bikes). During the process my son was riding his bike and our friend's 2 kids had grabbed bikes in the yard to ride. My daughter came out to get her bike and couldn't find it. I quickly looked where I knew she had last put it, then looked to make sure my friend hadn't thrown it on the trailer with the others and realized it had been stolen. One more look over the yard and it was confirmed in my mind. She went inside and cried for quite a long time.
Her bike was nothing special, it was one given to us that had been picked up at a yard sale for $4. She liked it because it had a little pouch on the handlebars and a kickstand, the real heartbreaker was that she specifically wanted a rotary bell for her birthday and we bought one this summer and it was on the bike. I liked the bike because it was an older bike that had hung in a garage for years, had an actual keyed crainring and white comp 3 looking Kenda tires on it, but it was still just a China made girls bike.
I've had stuff stolen from me before and it's the feeling of being violated more than the loss of stuff that is so bad, and I didn't want her to have to know that feeling at just 8 years old.
I've really been soured through all of this, especially when I found the handlebar pouch and bar pad thrown in the gutter down the street. The bike has probably already been spray painted or stripped of parts.
I am now going to donate all my ready to go and fixer upper kids bikes to a local charity called Angel's Closet. The fire department has joined with them this year and they are fixing up bikes for kids. I can also send kids and parents to them for bikes so I can concentrate on taking care of my kids stuff and keeping my property secure.
I will still keep fixing kids bikes for them if they bring them to me and giving them parts to help them, but I will stay alot more low key.
I will continue building wacky bikes that will make kids smile and get them insterested in biking, but taking myself out of the giving them away and keeping "inventory" wil help decrease my bitterness.
This weekend the pile of bikes at my house had gotten quite high and my wife wanted them out of the way for a cookout, so I loaded them up to take to a church property where I keep my overflow (now at around 60 bikes). During the process my son was riding his bike and our friend's 2 kids had grabbed bikes in the yard to ride. My daughter came out to get her bike and couldn't find it. I quickly looked where I knew she had last put it, then looked to make sure my friend hadn't thrown it on the trailer with the others and realized it had been stolen. One more look over the yard and it was confirmed in my mind. She went inside and cried for quite a long time.
Her bike was nothing special, it was one given to us that had been picked up at a yard sale for $4. She liked it because it had a little pouch on the handlebars and a kickstand, the real heartbreaker was that she specifically wanted a rotary bell for her birthday and we bought one this summer and it was on the bike. I liked the bike because it was an older bike that had hung in a garage for years, had an actual keyed crainring and white comp 3 looking Kenda tires on it, but it was still just a China made girls bike.
I've had stuff stolen from me before and it's the feeling of being violated more than the loss of stuff that is so bad, and I didn't want her to have to know that feeling at just 8 years old.
I've really been soured through all of this, especially when I found the handlebar pouch and bar pad thrown in the gutter down the street. The bike has probably already been spray painted or stripped of parts.
I am now going to donate all my ready to go and fixer upper kids bikes to a local charity called Angel's Closet. The fire department has joined with them this year and they are fixing up bikes for kids. I can also send kids and parents to them for bikes so I can concentrate on taking care of my kids stuff and keeping my property secure.
I will still keep fixing kids bikes for them if they bring them to me and giving them parts to help them, but I will stay alot more low key.
I will continue building wacky bikes that will make kids smile and get them insterested in biking, but taking myself out of the giving them away and keeping "inventory" wil help decrease my bitterness.
)
