'Lost in 91 'turns up' in 2014

[ORS]

Hi folks,

Not having logged into the forum for some while, I was interested earlier tonight to log-in and find the following pm left last Dec 25th, from one-time user, pde2000. I'd earlier mentioned on a thread a year or so back about having a Raleigh 'Gran Sport' (with minor mods - silver tape) nicked behind Aberdeen Union, ca. May/June, 1991:

Message subject: raleigh bike
From: pde2000
Sent: Thu Dec 25, 2014 8:33 pm
To: ORS
Message

just to put your mind at rest; i found your raleigh gran comp abandoned and in a sad state behind the union in aberdeen in 1991/2. it had been wrapped in silver sticky foil and had a broken back axle. i cleaned it up and got the wheel fixed. the back derailure had been replaced with a shim dura, so i put a dura on the front and put on a cheap rear sidepull. the handlebars were rotten and the stem seized, so new bars and stem, etc.
its still going but only the frame remains (forks are black now as all the chrome peeled) plus seatpost and front brake. i had to wedge a fag bottom bracket in as the threads were stripped. sad that you had it nicked; must have been an idiot to just dump it like it was rubbish.

i always felt bad not being able to return the bike to its owner, so was pleased to see your post on the forum, so joined in order to be able to tell you the story.

Interesting stuff, not least as to who pde2000 might be (and that's there, for certain), but also to their idiosyncratic use of,

must have been an idiot to just dump it like it was rubbish.

. See, a week or two before then, exam time, I'd wheeled up to the central ref, nipped in for a two minute blether only to re-emerge, unsecured bike vanished. Strangely, tho', the following morning and having trawled for many hours the previous day the most likely areas for recovery, there it was - abandoned, same place and unsecured.

Isn't that strangely configurative? It was undoubtedly a smashing-looker with it's (cratsmanship quality applied ) silver sellotape, chromed forks and MA40's.

Some folks, clearly, just lost it long ago. When we catch these b*stards, nail the c****.

(With apologies to readership).

 

[Bats]

Have you asked for it back?

 

[ORS]

Hi, Bats,

Not yet, but the email address held here sheds a lot of light. IP a - pre2000...