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Old 06-19-2012, 10:57 AM   #54
BigV
Goon Squad Leader
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Seattle
Posts: 27,063
Up here at the pawnshop...

I am a regular customer at my local pawnshops, though I am only a buyer, not a borrower. I've gotten tools, toys (same thing pretty much), electronics, etc. I have an idea of something I want and I just troll through the local pawnshops and thrift stores, keeping my eyes open for the item(s) I want. Most of my visits I leave empty handed, but sometimes I find the thing I'm looking for, or sometimes I find a new thing.

I've been looking for a new bicycle. Well, stopped by the pawnshop, the bikes are outside of course and there was nothing of interest to me. Little bikes for littler people, fancy bikes for affluenter people... nothing for me though. I went inside, made a circuit of the store, nothing today, nothing unusual. As I walked out the door onto the sidewalk, there was a guy walking toward the door... pushing a bike.

"Hey, you want to buy a bike?"

"What do you want for it?"

"$150."

I look over the bike. It is very clean, not new, just clean. Lubricated, tightened, it looks ridden but well maintained. The guy is into his spiel as I'm checking it out and I decide I'll take it.

"I'll give you $120 for it."

"$135."

"Ok."

Turns out I have only $130 on me... a little embarrassing. But after raiding the ashtray for my parking meter money, we seal the deal (with the last five dollars paid in gold dollar coins). I ask him for the combination to the kryptonite lock, he gives it to me and demonstrates how to operate it. We shake hands practically on the threshold of the front door of the store, which feels a little weird.

I roll the bike to the car, remove the front wheel and manage to store the bike and the front wheel in the back seat of the car. When I get home, I take it out, reassemble it, take it for a nice ride, check it all out. It's in great shape. I look up this model on the internet and I almost have a heart attack. The top hits for a Gary Fisher bike are in the low $2000 range. Ho. Ly. Crap. But this turns out not to be one of those bikes, merely one of the $350 models. Which is still fine, I like the bike and it likes me. Here's a link to a detailed description of the bike.
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