Roadside treasure.

[pale scotsman]

I was tooling along this morning, into a headwind btw, and a glint of gold caught my eye on the shoulder. Stopped, turned around and lo and behold a gold bracelet that's been run over a few times. I mean beat up bad. It says Made in Italy and has a decent heft as well as the 417 hallmark denoting 10K.

So...... for the next 12 miles I'm going over how much it weighs and how much I can sell it for at the pawn shop. Get home, look up the going price for 10K by the gram and head to the pawn shop spending the $'s I'm gonna get in my head. Maybe a new stem, baggins bag, or some good beer.

Get to the pawn shop, the lady weighs it, tests it, and it's fake!!!! Dang, I thought I had a little lagniappe from the morning ride.

Anyone else find some real treasure out there on the road???

[dave thompson]

I found a 6" Craftsman crescent wrench, like your 'fake' gold bracelet run, over a few times and rusty. Sears guarantees the Craftsman line forever, and swapped it for a new one even when told the circumstances. It now lives in my bike took box.

[csb]

[Needs Help]

Get home, look up the going price for 10K by the gram and head to the pawn shop

...how pathetic.

[pale scotsman]

Originally posted by Needs Help
Get home, look up the going price for 10K by the gram and head to the pawn shop

...how pathetic.

Pathetic is right. These days the only way I can get bike money is by moonlighting. You see the wife has performed an intervention. So no help needed here. ;)

[Ahneida Ride]

I think the appropiate gesture would have been to make
at least some perfunctory effort to find the owner.

[pale scotsman]

I knew this would come up and finding the owner did cross my mind but the thing is so beat up. Also the road it was on is in the middle of no where, and is one of the main routes to the beautiful beaches of Destin, FL. The odds of finding the owner would be very, very slim.

[bulliedawg]

Now polish it up and give it to the wife.

[Kevin]

bulliedawg,

I am forwarding this thread to your wife.


Kevin

[Dude]

My friend and I once found a hardcore porn mag on the side of the road. He rolled it up, put it in his empty water bottle.

[csb]

[DonG]

csb

Where are you riding that you find/see all of that? Your list reads like a garage sale.

Don

[csb]

[Kevan]

There was a nice looking pry bar left on the shoulder. I had hoped that Mikemets would hve taken it just so it's weight would slow him down.

[Too Tall]

Most common socket and wrench found at stoplights: 7/16s and 1/2. Found too many to count.

High Zoot item found of note recently: In the ditch, a pair of very VERY nice italian glove leather soft over the calf black women's dress boots. Fully lined, in the box and tissue stuffed. Obviously just back from the shoe shop for a touch up prior to XMAS holidays. Price still on the box $500. What could I do? Put up a sign. "call XXX-XXXX if you lost a pair of really nice boots? Anyway, me and the wife had fun finding the right cinderella to fit the shoes.

Cell phones - lots. Only one working....I called the lady. She acted like I f'in stole it and wanted ME to drive 20 miles to give it back!!! I shoulda hung up and dumped it but Nooooo. I talked her out of her address, dropped it in the mail like a real citizen. Do I get in heaven for that, Nah. But there is a special place in the stress clinic for her.....she calls me at home accusing me of not sending her phone...she's really p'd. Told her to relax, be patient....trust the USPS to do their job. OY! Some people.

Oh wait there is more. How about 2 new tubular tires. 1 pair of rudy projects. A new swiss arm knife.

Scavenger at heart I guess.

[jpw]

It's 'recycling'. Nothing wrong with that. You will go to heaven anyway, because you are a cyclist.

[victoryfactory]

possum, rat, frog, seagull, racoon, deer, squirrel
Soon I'll have enough to make a nice coat.
VF

[csb]

[flydhest]

I had the opposite experience when I found a cell phone. The person was grateful and came and got it, thanked me effusively, and offered me money (I declined).

Reminds me of the time I found a wallet. It had about $450 in cash (give or take). There was the license with address, but the cash was there . . . then I thought to myself, what would I want to have happen if this were my wallet. I mean, really, that's the fair way to approach these things as they're accidents. So I thought about it and I realized. I'd want to be taught a lesson I wouldn't forget about being careless . . . :banana:

[Climb01742]

yesterday i passed a small teddy bear just laying beside the road. very sad looking. mostly, tho, all i see/find beside the road are broken beer bottles. disturbing evidence of how many people drink and drive.

[TimD]

Like Too Tall, a Swiss Army Knife with multiple gadgets. A Kangaroo Booster car seat stuffed into a trash can, used for 3 years and then sold on eBay this weekend for $30. Various insignificant amounts of paper currency. A 900 MHz cordless phone, probably off the roof of a car. A case of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. A high-zoot full-suspension mountain bike - too large to carry in my jersey pocket so I left it there. :)

[Jeff N.]

I'm constantly finding wrenches and small change on the road, but the best thing I've found is a perfect pair of Oakley A-wires that must've fallen out of a pocket. Still wear 'em! Jeff N.

[davep]

Last week found a wallet in the middle of the rode. Unlike Flydhest, this wallet had no cash. Did a reverse address lookup and called the guy. His grandather lived in my neighborhood, which is where I found the wallet, so I dropped it off the next day.

[flydhest]

davep,

I hope you realize that was a joke about the cash.

[kdavid44]

Found nearly new Giro Pneumo helmet left at large club ride. Tried to find owner, but nobody claimed it. Matches my Cannondale bike.

[Ozz]

Flyd,

I was hoping you were kidding about the cash...cuz it was funny!

BTW - Is this a good deal for a fixie hub?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3666870397&category=36144


Or should I just keep looking....

[davep]

Flyd,

I figured you were, and so was I. Sorry, should have put on a :).

[davep]

Ozz,

The price on that hub from White Industires is $160, so the startting price, $100, would seem to be a good deal, but watch it if bids start getting up there. But, unless you need/want the concentric feature, there are cheaper fixed hubs around.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . and considering what lousy luck I've had--never found ANYTHING worth even picking up--I have decided that TooTall wins the "Rider I Would Most Like to Draft On" award and I will now start riding with him all the time in an effort to finally find some neat stuff.

BBDave

[flydhest]

Ozz,

I agree with davep. $100 is a good price for that hub. I think you could probably find a web-based dealer to sell you a new one for ~$130, so if the price goes up much more, it's not worth it. Plus figure in any possible hassle-factor.

The reason to get this hub is if you want to convert a bike with vertical dropouts to a fixie. I think it is a very nifty design.

[Ozz]

Thanks guys, I figured if I could pick it up for < $120 it might be a good deal. I am thinking of converting my old road bike - so I do have vertical dropouts. Still not convinced this is the best way to a fixie yet....still a nice hub though.

White Industries looks like they make pretty nice stuff - I think Speed Dreams uses White Ind. hubs on their wheels.

BTW - I usually look where I am riding rather than for stuff to pick up....

[flydhest]

Originally posted by Ozz

BTW - I usually look where I am riding rather than for stuff to pick up....

LOL

A cheap possiblity is that Specialized is now selling a SS bike called the Langster. My LBS gave me one for the wife for ~$425. If she hates not big loss--we could probably resell it and only lose out on 100 bucks or so. First ride was positive. It comes stock as a SS with a freewheel, we put on a cog and changed the chainring.

[dave thompson]

Burley also uses White Industries hubs, for their tandems.

[Too Tall]

BBD, drafting me is sort of a local industry. It gets out of hand sometimes...get in line but sure anytime. Gruppo Sympatico.

You should catch our tandem act, we can fit a whole race team back there.

My wife thinks my scavenging is kinda cool. It appeals to her ongoing fantasy to rob a bank. I have one problem with that...she would than give the $$ back. :rolleyes: Seriously. Despite a higher education....

[Kevan]

Flyd,

Isn't that where you guys found Sandy?

[flydhest]

Actually, Kevan, he had your name and number stitched into his underwear. We tried to call and return him but your wife seemed to have other ideas.

As a result, we put him back on the side of the road where we found him. Wouldn't ya freakin' know it . . . I got a $50 ticket for littering and I had to take him back with me.

Sheesh.

[Kevan]

Flyd,

He can keep the underwear.

[flydhest]

. . . oooooh . . . uh, in that case, don't open any packages you get from the D.C. area.

[Kevan]

will consider the parcel a viable threat and will prevent its delivery.

Wait a minute!!!!!!

Oh my gosh, I'm looking out my office window and I see a huge green mushroom cloud looming where my house once stood!

Oh, the humanity.

[Jäger]

Originally posted by Jeff N.
a perfect pair of Oakley A-wires that must've fallen out of a pocket. Still wear 'em! Jeff N.

I've always wondered what ever happened to those A-wires I'd lost after that trip out to San Diego... :D

[csb]