Bike escapades

My bike was stolen.  While I live in one of the safest countries in the world with extremely low violent crime, the petty theft is high in my town.  And it all boils down to bike theft.  Since being here, I have been told by most everyone I meet that you don't keep a bike long before it gets stolen.  Multiple people in my program have also had their bikes stolen in the last month.  It's pretty terrible.  I didn't really think it would happen to me so I never invested in a heavy-duty lock.  This was my fault.  The little wire lock must have been cut and my bike charted off to be sold in distant lands (they say the Eastern European market is full of Nordic stolen bikes).

So this weekend I went to the city police auction to try and get a cheap bike.  My Finnish friend came with me and gave me a crash course in Swedish numbers on the bus ride there.  Many bicycles were parked in a lot and you had 1 hour to walk around making note of the bike(s) you wanted to bid on.  They were numbered and you were suppose to remember the numbers you were interested in to later bid on the number.  I had already decided my new strategy for maintaining a bike for a prolonged time period would be to buy a rusty children's bike.  Who would steal that?  So, I found a little boys bike and hoped no one else would bid on it.

Auctioneer in high-heeled boots using a gavel to point to people as they bid

The bike I wanted was number 76 and since the auction went in numerical order it was near the end when I finally had my chance to participate.  Most people had gotten their bike and left.  The auctioneer opened the bid for my bike and I called out a confident, "femtio!" (Fifty) No one said anything and my heart began to race as I got excited about getting a bike for $8.  But then an old Middle-Eastern man said, "etthundra" (100).  I stared at him incredulous.  How dare he bid against me!  Clearly, the bike wasn't for him and I had seen him bid for several other bikes over the last hour and knew he must own a bike sales shop.  He was probably getting them for cheap at the auction then going back to sell them for a profit.  I, on the other hand, was going to use the bike for myself right then and there.  I needed that bike.  Why wouldn't he let me have it?!  So I raised my hand and said, "etthundrafemtio" (150).  Without missing a beat he raised his hand "två hundra" (200) and I realized he could keep going a lot farther than I was willing to go.  So I bid him up a bit more and then let it go.

My Finnish friend won a bid for 500 krona ($78) and she happily took off on her "new" bike as I got back on the bus lamenting my misfortune and wishing for a bike.  Another friend had told me of a bike shop not too far from my house so I decided to check it out.  My day turned around at this point and I met a very nice Middle-Eastern man (who may also have gotten his bikes from the auction) who showed me the perfect bike.  It is a girls bike complete with stickers and plenty of rusty.  I don't think any thieves will want this one, or at least I hope not.  I also talked him down to selling it to me for 300 krona ($46)!

My "new" bike! 

Rusty with stickers - perfect:)

New sturdy u-lock to, hopefully, help me keep this bike for a while

Fat wheels to get me safely through the winter

I'm back in action now!  And just in time for "reading" week.  I think some trips to the public library may be in order.