- Joined
- Mar 10, 2009
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On Saturday October 2nd, my daughter and I attended the second Rat Bike Rodeo in Galt, California. We brought our choppers to ride in a few of the events and we had a great time with a bunch of our friends. We left for home tired, but very much looking forward to the next rodeo. On the way we stopped for burgers at In-n-Out. The parking lot was packed, but we found a table where we could keep an eye on the bikes while we ate. All was fine when we stopped at the home of some friends where I was dropping off my daughter. It is in a good neighborhood in Elk Grove and I had absolutely no reservations about leaving our bikes tied-down in the back of my pickup. I didn’t lock the doors or even roll up the windows. MISTAKE! While we were in the house, my daughter’s O.C.C. chopper was stolen out of the back of my truck! We both were stunned and upset. I drove around for an hour hoping to find it, but to no avail. The next morning, I called my daughter to see how she was doing . . . still very upset. Later that day, after thinking about replacing her bike, I began considering how simple it would be to build a clone of her chopper. RRB Forum member, scrumblero, told me of a chrome O.C.C. in excellent condition on the C-list that would be a good starting point. I have a pair of ape hangers in the attic, and the grips and pedals would be no problem to get. The clone would undoubtably look nicer than the original.
But then I realized that there was something about her bike that could never be replicated. That was the bike that I was talking about in my forum intro. The first bike in our house. It was our first bike project. The first bike my daughter got her hands greasy with while learning how to pack wheel bearings. It was while searching for parts to rebuild that worn-out, crusty bike when I found my Schwinn. If not for finding that thing in the dumpster, I’m pretty sure that I would now have an Airdyne in the living room collecting dust, and I seriously doubt that my family & I would be having fun in this wonderful bike hobby. I would not be part of this forum. We would not be going on “Second Saturday” rides or to Rat Bike Rodeos. We would have not met countless fine folks and made dozens of new friends.
I am very touched by the responses and concern shown by my fellow board members after mentioning the theft of the bike in another thread. We lost a bike worth less than a hundred bucks, but because of having it for the time we did, the kids and I’ve gained a bunch of awesome friends like you . . . priceless!
Thanks guys and God bless you!
But then I realized that there was something about her bike that could never be replicated. That was the bike that I was talking about in my forum intro. The first bike in our house. It was our first bike project. The first bike my daughter got her hands greasy with while learning how to pack wheel bearings. It was while searching for parts to rebuild that worn-out, crusty bike when I found my Schwinn. If not for finding that thing in the dumpster, I’m pretty sure that I would now have an Airdyne in the living room collecting dust, and I seriously doubt that my family & I would be having fun in this wonderful bike hobby. I would not be part of this forum. We would not be going on “Second Saturday” rides or to Rat Bike Rodeos. We would have not met countless fine folks and made dozens of new friends.
I am very touched by the responses and concern shown by my fellow board members after mentioning the theft of the bike in another thread. We lost a bike worth less than a hundred bucks, but because of having it for the time we did, the kids and I’ve gained a bunch of awesome friends like you . . . priceless!
Thanks guys and God bless you!
