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Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Buying bikes

This Saturday I decided to do something nice for Abe, the little brother who's an undergrad at Loyola. We try to kind of watch out for him, but truthfully he's quite independent. He's a good kid with a double major who runs cross country and does his own taxes.
This weekend I got a text from him: "Check your front step". He'd left us a bag of flavored coffee! So sweet. I was thinking about him walking home from work in the heat, going out of his way to bring the coffee (he works at a coffee shop), and decided that I should buy him a bike. I figured Craig's list was the way to go, since students are still packing up and moving away after graduating or summer semester. Thus began a long day of phone calls, emails, and attempted pick-up arrangements. I've bought bikes off Craig's list before, and some of those sellers are...seedy. In fact I think I've bought at least one stolen bike. And then it got stolen from me. The circle of bike life, you know.
Finally I saw a deal that just might work. It was a mountain bike, but it was just 24" and it was an hour's drive. I didn't know if it would be big enough for Abe. He's not tall, but I think the cut-off for a 24" bike is 5'6" and Abe is probably 5'9". I called Abe and explained the situation, hoping he was off work and could ride over with us and try it out. "Oh," he said, "That's nice, but I bought a bike this morning."
FAIL.
But he got a good deal. He got this bike:
From here

AND it came with a brand new padded seat and grips, AND a bike lock...all for $70 as a fellow student was moving. It's a Specialized bike and it's in perfect condition; it's a 2010 model. He's a bargain shopper for sure!
And I want my Saturday back, and I wish I hadn't given my cell phone number to that guy on the West Bank who was selling four bmx bikes.That's all.
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8 comments:

  1. AmberJuly 6, 2011 at 8:45 AM

    Aww you're such a sweet older sister :)

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  2. AnonymousJuly 6, 2011 at 9:07 AM

    what a great sister! I'm sure your brother appreciates it. Me and some of the Loyola XC alumni are putting a team for the Loyola XC meet in September so if you go out there to cheer him on in the fall, hope to meet you and Abe. Sounds like a great brother and hope he is enjoying the team.

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  3. AnonymousJuly 7, 2011 at 10:30 AM

    You are a really nice sister! It's the thought that counts :)

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  4. Lisa's YarnsJuly 7, 2011 at 8:39 PM

    Aww, that was so nice of you! I need to get a bike but don't have the time or patience to look through craigslist! For now I will utilize the nice ride system here in Mpls where you can borrow a bike from these bike stations and it's free as long as you return it w/in 30 min!

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  5. Amanda@runninghoodJuly 7, 2011 at 10:04 PM

    You are such a great sister!! So sweet! Loved your comment on my homeschool post. I related with so much of what you had to say...some great stuff there. Would love to sit down and have coffee with you...to bad you are so far away..you sound like you'd be fun to talk to. :) Again, loving what you wrote!!

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  6. Chris KJuly 8, 2011 at 7:47 PM

    If I vote for Brew Brees over Philip Rivers on my Blog questions will you buy me a bike? I seriously could use one and have a kid going into college next year. K. Deal.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kate GeisenJuly 10, 2011 at 2:26 PM

    Oh, my gosh. He got a STEAL. I'm very jealous! I looked and looked on Craiglist for about a year, but everything that looked like a good possibility at a decent price was GONE as soon as the ad hit. I lucked out by meeting a new friend with a sweet bike to sell.

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  8. Lauren @ Sassy MolassyJuly 18, 2011 at 12:10 PM

    Oh man, sounds like he really scored on that bike! I'm always wary of craigslist bikes for the stolen aspect or the fact that someone is going to give you something that has issues. But mainly it's hard for me to find a bike on their bc I'm 5'3" and there is a limited # of small women's frames out there.

    ReplyDelete