In 2023 I cracked a 2018 mountain bike frame. The company warrantied it with a 2019 carbon frame to replace my aluminium one. I was stoked on the upgrade, but not everything fit. I needed a new rear shock, bottom bracket and a wheel rebuilt. What I ended up with was a very unique bike. A true Frankenbike with a hand-built Fratelli rear wheel and my OneUp EDC V2 tool tucked in the steerer.

I later sold it to a friend for his kid. Perfect hand-me-down with a story.

The theft that started at school

His son rode it to school, locked it and then got a ride home after a basketball game. He forgot the bike. It sat there for a couple nights and disappeared, lock and all. On May 11, 2024 I posted on Facebook.

“Hey bike types: some a-hole stole this badass machine from a friend of mine. If you see this bike you have the legal rights to first clothesline, then flying drop kick, then Bundy Splash the current rider. Looking for any leads…”

Small town problem. Small town rage.

Marketplace pings and a price to move

A couple days ago the bike popped up on Marketplace. This was about a year-and-a half since the bike was stolen. It was in my small town which has a populatoin of about 3000. The listing location was less than two kilometres from where the bike was stolen. It was priced to sell. I messaged the seller and asked to try it. He replied fast with an address and phone number. He was less than a kilometre from my place.

I contacted the shop that built it. The mechanic didn’t hesitate.

“I actually have a pic of the original packaging with serial number. That photo from Marketplace is definitely the bike. I built that bike along with the hand built Fratelli rear wheel. That was a full custom build.”

The listing read like a swap-meet fever dream: “Plenty of scratches but no cracks etc. XT drivetrain. Upgraded Pike and Reverb. Will consider trades for dirt bike or other mountain bikes, nice watches, sleds, trucks.”

So what do we do? Show up with seven dudes? Call the police? Both felt dramatic and also realistic.

The seller scrolls my timeline

Before we headed over, the seller texted me. He’d scrolled my feed and found my old stolen-bike post.

“Holy shit man,” he wrote, then followed with, “I just saw your post. That’s definitely your buddy’s bike. I bought this from a dude in Owen Sound.”

Then another text an hour later.

“Hey, I just talked to the OPP and I just wanted to make sure to do this properly,” he wrote. “They suggested that I get a receipt from you saying that you acknowledge that the Bike came to me unknowingly stolen and I am returning it into your custody. And something signed, absolving me of the situation.”

No problem.

Meeting in person and reading the room

We went over. The seller was nervous. We chatted it out. I believed him. He didn’t feel like the thief. He felt like a guy who’d bought a deal and was now in a mess. I knew it was my old bike on sight, right down to the OneUp tool and mismatched tires.

Still, we did the sensible thing. Flipped it over to check the serial number.

The serial number that wasn’t there

The serial number was ground off. Gone. Which almost confirmed the bike was ours even further. It was definitely stolen. It made me realize that next time I buy a used bike, I need to check the serial number.

How it ended

After a few minutes the seller handed over the bike. He said he’d try to get his money back from the person who sold it to him. He lost money. We got the bike. No cops, no drama, no Bundy Splash.

“Hey thanks for being so cool today man,” I texted him later that day. “Shitty situation for sure.”

He replied, “Hey, anytime man. I’m glad the rightful owner got it back.”