Feb 10th, 2009
More Theft Today–Does it Warrant an Emergency Fund Trip?
My Cannondale road bike, one of the most important things that I use on a regular basis, was stolen out of my truck on Saturday. This bike is rather old and is set up to use friction shifting with bar end shifting (yes, I am a bit of a retrocyclist) so I’m surprised anyone stole it (and it’s quite possible that whomever did steal it and try to ride it injured themselves doing so if they couldn’t figure out how to ride it, but there’s certain natural consequences that might occur when you make such choices). Unfortunately, not only does this leave me feeling violated (again; see the truck break in awhile ago), it leaves me without my favorite form of exercise for the foreseeable future.
While I scour the Internet (including Nashbar, eBay, and Craigslist) for a suitable replacement (and kick myself over the theft), I’m using all of the techniques I’ve talked about before, and unless one of a few eBay things I’m inquiring about (shipping to Hawai’i, anyone?), I am considering whether this incident warrants yet another trip to my emergency fund, something I’ve talked about (and done recently).
The answer in the end, after a lot of internal debate, is no. While I would really love to be able to tap into those funds for this, as close to my heart as cycling is, the answer is no. It’s not my truck which I need for work; it’s my bike which I need for exercise, and I can run and lift weights for that for awhile while I figure out how to pay for a new ride. It’s not a true emergency, so dollars stay in that fund (while it gets replenished from my previous real emergencies) and build up a little interest as I go bicycle shopping.
your bike was great; sorry. would you consider looking on craig’s list or freecycle for an ‘emergency’ bike? good luck.