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This bike belonged to my friend Aaron. I just picked it up this morning. I even paid 45 bucks for it. I doubt it’s anything worth saving though. For all I know it could be an old Walmart bike. What’s so special about it then you ask? Aaron is dead. An old friend of ours happened to find me on Facebook and he offered it up.
Aaron and I were tight as could be without being boyf and girlf. I met him when I was 17. He and I did a lot of drugs together but we also rode bikes together.
He struggled with heroin as I did. He moved to Denver with his girlf and we lost touch for a few years. Once I moved back to Ohio and went to rehab, he mailed me letters of encouragement. I got my last letter from him in 1998.
He od’ed. Relapsed after a year of fighting it. I miss the fuck out of him. I feel good knowing I have his old bike.
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Judi, it sounds like that bike is priceless. Hang on to it and enjoy every ride.
That bike is a slice. A keeper. twin step-through downs. fuck yea.
History is where it’s at.
not like you need to hear this Judi but who cares if it is from wal-mart? also, FWIW, those step throughs are sweet. let dominic go all handyman on that shit and then try and wipe the grin off your face.
…be a nice ‘townie’ for cruisin’ to the store or days you’re helping work a race but not racing yourself & ya just wanna do some slow “gettin’ around”…
…kickstand…i see a kickstand…
It’s a Mixte. It’s more of a Sears bike, not a Wal-Mart bike. Quick release wheels are a sign of some quality. If I were there, I’d love to help you restore it for free: go through the hubs, bb, headset. You should use it as a grocery/beer getter and NEVER lock it. No one will steal it, and if they do, you can let it go, way easier than letting a friend go.
Beautiful day, each day is a gift.
…this ain’t a criticism, littlejar but if you lived where judi lives, that bike, unlocked, would be gone in a new york (cincinnati) minute…
…just sayin’…
Judi, I think you’ve already saved it.
Hard to tell from the picture but that looks like a Puch logo, which would make it European.
Plus no Big Box bike ever came with those nice brakes or cranks.
Give it love & keep it forever.
Tucson has the highest theft rate in America. I had a similar 6th or 7th bike that wasn’t worth a lot, money wise, that I did that with, in Feldman and around there. No one stole it. She can do what she wants with that bike, my approach is to always test the waters with things like that, but I’d be damned if I’d let one of my nice bikes go that route. It’s a NICE feeling to have a bike that you don’t lock. I like that feeling. The point of the matter is *non-attachment* that great wisdom we hear about, well worth exercising in small ways when we’re not ready for doing in in big ways, (like giving up our own attachment to LIFE) and trusting the world instead of living in continual fear of *losing* a *thing*. If it’s gone in a NY minute, then someone else’s karma gets involved. Minimal loss. Quit being a naysayer so often, BGW. Let’s not expound upon this aspect, OK?
And that’s one of those welded-in kickstands that comes loose and causes crashes. I’d cut that fucker off first, then I’d swap out the stem and put riser bars on it, saving that one for a mountain bike. Purple plastic grips with metal flake, streamers optional would also be a fitting touch. I think I see PUCH on the head emblem. God, why am I such a bike dork?
Judi, Sorry for your loss and may your friend rest in peace.
That’s rough, kid. My heart is with you. Friends? Family? Who cares? I mean what’s DNA next to the bonds of the human heart? I’m not helping, I guess. Sorry. I wish I could.
And if it was me I’d rock that bike with pride. Maybe new paint (powdercoat is for a bike you plan to use up) and some nice components on the mixte. And maybe a fixed wheel? You could me a mixte fixie pixie. If anyone could pull it off you could.
I know I’m not helping. Sorry. I’ll go n ow.
…littlejar…
…pull your fucking head out of your fucking ass & wake the fuck up…
…i’ve held back from saying this because i honest to god wanted to see you stop drinking so you could get a handle on your fucking life…maybe because you’re a cyclist, maybe because i see an honesty in a few of your words when i edit through them but i’d like to see you succeed in the ways you would like to succeed but by the same token you are proving yourself to be one stupid, drunk little fucking moron…
…for any good & decent idea you do have about this world & i’d never deny you those, your alcohol addled brain constantly spews out more rambling bullshit philosophizing than any 15 other people on this site…
…the claptrap you just wrote is as self fucking indulgent as possible…
…you want “non-attachment”, you prick ???…get “non-attached” to thinking you’re such a “wise” fucking man & search for a proper compromise which allows you to thrive & prosper by your own standards in this world…
…your constant whining is based on how you don’t measure up to the standards of others…stop creating your own dichotomy…you don’t want to be measured by others so stop precipitating that very action…why the fuck don’t you live up to your own ideals & create standards you can live with & benefit by…then you can stop complaining about other people & how they live their lives…
…in other words, wake the fuck up & pull your head out of your fucking ass…& do not give me some stupid fucking rambling reply…just go work on your own shit…
…have a great fucking day…
Guys, c’mon…
Doodz, chillers. Pull out yer feeler guage and find the tolerance. Maybe dig up a vintage 4 pack o Bartles and James, and hug dem shits out.
LJ, you’re full nuts man, like super chunky. I like your tangent, but serous membranes brosh, you’re on orbit like no other. That bike has an english BB shell. Def Bomber. There’s nothing like the feeling of a locked bike that when you return, it is waiting for you so that you may reminisce again, about a long lost friend.
Shangri La, 13th floor.
Back ta werk, kidz.
Cool Mixte. I’m sorry for your loss. My little brother (35) died of a heroin od last year.
the bike is great. rebuild it or just get it in running order. at some point in the future you may change your mind and let it go. but for now give it some tlc.
i hear ya sistah, i’ve lost a few to the drug game. it sucks so bad. i’m sorry for your loss. may your bro rest in peace knowing you did right by his bike.
jimmy
Yup. That’s a Puch Logo on the head tube.
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!
That’s a sweet bike. The sentimental value is through the roof! Never let that bike go.
hey thanks so much. @chris – I am so so sorry to hear that shit took your brother. it’s a fucking beast. godspeed to your bro.
Any archaeologist will tell you, that with any, ‘find’, ‘context’ is the most important thing. You have a wealth of, ‘context’ to attatch you to this find therefore its actual value to anyone bar yourself is irrelevant. To you, it should be priceless (and from the sounds of it, it is). If I had any parts that would fit that bike, they’d be in the post now.It should not be a memory, it should be a living reminder, because it keeps the memory alive.Give it wings and let it be ridden….. Just a thought. G
Bikesgonewild – you arrogant motherfucker. I’ve made it a point to respond and to post only when cold sober. How about you? Drunk as fuck, from the words you used, I would venture a guess. You’re an asshole, pure and simple. Stirring the shit pot until it comes splashing back into your face. I’m sick of the insults and crap. Give it a rest, and quit giving a shit, or giving me shit, about my level of wisdom. Focus on your own. If you want to raise holy hell in anger toward me, why don’t you call me instead of subjecting everyone else to it? Self indulgent? Fuck right off, OK? Your anger toward me, so easily triggered, is starting to suck. Alright, I broke my promise. Sorry, everybody.
I had a black PUCH Series One roadie when I was a teenager. That thing was solid. Solid like a tank. I sold it to buy a Trek mountain bike in ’89 – the PUCH outlasted the Trek.
PUCH also made mopeds so it was often the moped/bike shop in town that sold them. They ran ads in Bicycling in the 80’s that said PUCH stood for “Pernfors, Ulrich, Christian and Hans”. Rhymes with “book”, not “puke”.
Sorry for your loss, Judi. It’s a sweet townie and a keepsake that’ll last.
“your alcohol addled brain constantly spews out more rambling bullshit philosophizing than any 15 other people on this site…
…the claptrap you just wrote is as self fucking indulgent as possible…
…you want “non-attachment”, you prick ??”
These are your words, directed towards me, and they
E P I T O M I Z E “self indulgent” – you indulge in scathing insults – does it make you feel GOOD to do this, considering the context?
I think, this time, I’m due an apology. I might be a magnet for abuse for some reason but your rant against me is over the top, and totally ridiculous. Fuck your assumptions, man… I’m done with this.
Gawd I wish I wasn’t on the wagon right now. lj is in prime form and needs a kick in the ass.
But sober I don’t give a shit. So all I’ll add is….
@lj. The only apology owed here is from you to judi for dissing her late friend and new ride.
@judi. Sorry for your loss. Enjoy the bike. Put 2 locks on it when you’re away so you can ride it forever.
…you are becoming a sad, pathetic defensive little man…
…drunk ???…that’s your department…i haven’t been drunk in about 35 years…& i’ve had maybe 3 beers since christmas, none of which were recent…
…you, as an admitted alcoholic, should know that “cold sober” takes months, maybe years, not hours…you have impaired your judgment for the foreseeable future…
…asshole ???…arrogant motherfucker ???…you’re right littlejar but i’m only an asshole & an arrogant motherfucker because i took the time to call your shit what it is & i did it publicly…
…you wanna write your thoughts in a public forum, great but i’m not gonna coddle you because you’re more of a problem for yourself than you see fit to realize…
…maybe you can get somebody else to feel sorry for you & soft pedal your ass but i think you are becoming a parody of your vast potential…
…i’ve offered you praise on numerous occasions because i see an honesty & goodness to some of your actions but you only recognize the part where you’re feeling attacked because i’ve been bitterly honest with you…that is typically defensive alcoholic behavior…
…get in a program, stop blaming others…
LJ – dominic will snap that kickstand off. im keeping the bike as is. im just gonna clean it up and pump the tires, ride around town maybe. thanks for your suggestions. as far as BGW goes, he is a GOOD guy. you are too. this little site right here is one big DC family. you both need to chill the fuck out, ok? this post was a tribute to my dead friend. can we just leave it at that? please?
Yeah, I agree with the retired colonel. This is NOT the thread to be bickering. Another time please. Show Judi some respect for fuck’s sake.
I’ve lost a friend to heroin as well. She was so young, but that’s life it seems. She knew what she was up to, she even told me she wasn’t going to see twenty. I was too young and naive to see how much trouble she was really in. She didn’t see twenty.
I’m sorry Judi, and am glad you are still here.
LJ, no offense but I just yanked your last comment. Ease up, or step away from the computer for a bit, please. We are all good peeps and I just can’t be down with the intensity of the hate, regardless of its origins. I am well aware of BGW’s hit on you, and he and I have discussed it via email. As Judi has said, he is indeed a good one, as are you. Take a time out, come back, and give us some more Senna tangent when you feel it. Shit needs to stay on the positive by-and-large, as you know.
Rock on.
Just to clear things up – response 28 was composed simultaneously with 27, without awareness of 27. Just to clear things up, I didn’t start this pissing match, asinine response #13 did, right on the heels of #6 (naysaying) and the tribute factor is something that just makes me all the more mad that people are finding the need to arbitrarily give me shit.
BGW – I’m quite amazed that a ‘sober’ person can be so rotten and wrong.
My apologies to Judi for ‘taking the bait’ that BGW laid for me.
…judi…sorry, my friend…my lack of tack considering what transpired was unthoughtful…
…you & i have had the unfortunate opportunity to discuss other friends in these situations before…these things aren’t pretty…
…that you & dominic have conquered a demon as huge as heroin & then gone on to become the awesome kick-ass, stand up folks i know you as, well, that’s why i have such major respect for you…
…again, i apologize…
“…you, as an admitted alcoholic, should know that “cold sober” takes months, maybe years, not hours…you have impaired your judgment for the foreseeable future…”
Oh yea.
Takes 36+ hours just for the booze to physically leave the body.
I’m day 13 and I’m still scatter brained and get shaky at the drop of a hat. I’ve read that it takes up to a year for your brain to re-wire it self back to normal.
Alcohol is a true demon.
…stay the course, colonelsandersretired, stay the course…
very touching post Judi
love the photos
You saved a very special and important thing, a memory of a dear friend and your life, keep bringing it.
for every biker there’s a soul……for every soul there’s a bike.
Sorry for your loss-hope the bike will take you on happy journeys. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but can only change its form.
Just take out the bearings, clean the balls and tracks put the best bearing grease you can find (hint – aks a good auto garage) actually, this is one of the most satisfying jobs one can do on a bike (and leaves you time to think and ponder).
I’ve got a real good friend back in Paris who was on heroin for a few years, and it took her five years to climb out of the shithole it pushed her into and she will have to fight it for the rest of her life. For years, every time I gave her a hug, I was scared it might be the last, so I might have overhugged her.
CSRetired, I wish you Godspeed (or anything other than a hipster single speed) on staying high and dry. Alcohol is not far behind in its destructive capacity to heroin. But if we enjoyed it as it was meant (like my Gramp), a finger of fine spirit calmly sipped before lunch (or after whatever) and a glass of wine when the food served needed it… And getting drunk only when womething REALLY justified it (firstborn, GF left, dog died, bike stolen)… Then all would be fine. But noOo, society, adverts, social pressure, our own weak brain, EVERYfuckingTHING pushes us to drink more than we should/want/need to. So we end up stopping because it’s easier to say NO than “just one glass” and sticking to what we say.
And oh, Judi, Looove ya pics on ya site. Sweet buns.
Huh, I find Judi to be an inspiration. We all have inner deamons we fight with. Looks to me like Judi came across one hell of a weapon.
what an awesome token to remember your friend. i’ve recently seen and admired a number of mixtes in portland which has made me want to get one and fix it up despite that I want to build a proper road bike. mixtes seem really comfy and fun. and there are custom bike builders like ira ryan doing them. jump on that thing and have lots of fun.
It’s a big call, what do you do with it.
Striping it down, breaking off sidestands, changing it….
My take,
Fix it up mechanicaly, maybe put a set of grips on it but otherwise leave it just like that.
That way, everytime you ride it you’re celebrating Aaron’s life.
Just my 2 cents