Squibblog: lost and found

Last Tuesday Soy lost his bike. More accurately, his bike was stolen. Chained to a bike rack outside a take-away shop in Stanmore, some bastard came along with hammer and chisel and knocked the lock away. Not before he had assured the shop owner that he had lost his key (it was a combination lock!). Pretty bold theft which took place in broad daylight.

To make matters worse, this wasn't Soy's workhorse: the three year old $300 Malvern Star mountain bike. It was instead his very expensive road bike, which he rode because it makes him so happy.

He was sad, I was sad. The internet bike community rallied, keeping a lookout on all Sydney roads and bike shops and promising a whip-around to buy him a new bike. *sigh* Bike people are an amazing bunch. The response was heart warming and I was quite teary thinking about people giving something to someone they had never met.

Anyway, on Saturday Soy took Nell to her ballet class which is two doors down from quite a famous bike shop in Marrickville. He wandered in and low-and-behold, there was his precious racing bike. He ran home, recovered his serial number and warranty, and went back to claim his bike. Hooray!

He went straight out and bought a lock and helmet (from a different bike shop, not wanting to give custom to the fencer of stolen goods, however inadvertent that may have been, Mick) and I updated our insurance to include the bikes.

Conversation with GIO:

Customer Service: "You want to insure the bikes?"

Me: "Yes"

Customer Service: "Well they're already covered under your existing policy. Unless you take them outside the home. Do you want to take them outside the home?"

Me: "Well...yes. I mean sometimes we ride them around the house, but most of the time we like to use them outside. On the road. They are bikes, you know."