Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

Death of a bicycle shop

Search
Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

Death of a bicycle shop

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 11-12-19, 06:52 PM
  #26  
thumpism 
Bikes are okay, I guess.
 
thumpism's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Richmond, Virginia
Posts: 6,938

Bikes: Waterford Paramount Touring, Giant CFM-2, Raleigh Sports 3-speeds in M23 & L23, Schwinn Cimarron oddball build, Marin Palisades Trail dropbar conversion, Nishiki Cresta GT

Mentioned: 69 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2647 Post(s)
Liked 2,446 Times in 1,557 Posts
Sorry to hear about the blaze. I live just inside I-295 off Chamberlayne if you need to borrow some bike-specific tools.
thumpism is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 07:02 PM
  #27  
Drillium Dude 
Banned.
 
Drillium Dude's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: PAZ
Posts: 12,294
Mentioned: 255 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2588 Post(s)
Liked 4,823 Times in 1,709 Posts
Originally Posted by sykerocker

Heat-treatment - and not the good kind

That's gotta be one of the saddest photos I've ever seen on BF.

DD
Drillium Dude is offline  
Likes For Drillium Dude:
Old 11-12-19, 07:10 PM
  #28  
sykerocker 
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
sykerocker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Ashland, VA
Posts: 4,420

Bikes: The keepers: 1958 Raleigh Lenton Grand Prix, 1968 Ranger, 1969 Magneet Sprint, 1971 Gitane Tour de France, 1973 Raleigh Tourist, 3 - 1986 Rossins, and a '77 PX-10 frame in process.

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 221 Post(s)
Liked 237 Times in 129 Posts
Originally Posted by thumpism
Sorry to hear about the blaze. I live just inside I-295 off Chamberlayne if you need to borrow some bike-specific tools.
Thanks. Appreciate it.
__________________
Syke

“No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”

H.L. Mencken, (1926)

sykerocker is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 07:20 PM
  #29  
nomadmax 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 2,397
Mentioned: 93 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1104 Post(s)
Liked 1,824 Times in 878 Posts
Originally Posted by RobbieTunes
Definitely.

Inventory lists go to places like National Vendor or Enservio for research on pricing, so if you're specific, they'll look it up. If not, they'll generalize it. Be specific. If you have to spend 40 hours compiling an inventory, you'll probably see a week's pay in additional indemnity, just by being accurate and specific.

Start in one corner of the garage/shop. Move from the ceiling to the floor, or vice versa, foot by foot, container by container, items on the floor, hanging on the wall, etc. Don't skip bar wrap, small parts, or the containers they may be in. Move foot by foot clockwise. Once you go over the walls, move into the floor space and do 4'x4' squares and try to remember what was on the floor in that space. Think about the loft or overhead storage if you had it. The garage is the easy part, structurally. Try to come up with an accurate age, and remember that some things appreciate and some depreciate. You won't get appreciated value higher than a new replacement item, but some things won't be depreciated. There may be special limits, and if there are, and they're quoted, ask for the written limit. If you've run a bike shop or fixed any bikes for pay, or flipped them, understand that "used at any time, in any way, for business purposes" may put a limit on some things. It's not malicious, it's just the way it is.

Most of these policies pay actual cash value up front with a 180-day provision to replace the items and get the remainder, called recoverable depreciation. Take the cash value for what you want, replace what you want, and keep records, but don't push that 180-day limit. Be talking to them in 120 days to keep it fresh.

If you have questions, PM me. I do this for a living. My info is first hand.
What did I tell ya ?
nomadmax is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 07:33 PM
  #30  
Cyclist753
Banned.
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 297
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 97 Post(s)
Liked 106 Times in 66 Posts
That fire sure was terrible. My parents and us kids went through one and lost a lot so I can empathize. The picture of the burned hubs et al is pitiful indeed. Best of luck to y'all including your ol' buddy the dog! Prayers and thoughts!
Cyclist753 is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 08:05 PM
  #31  
Mad Honk 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Bloomington, IN
Posts: 2,940

Bikes: Paramount, Faggin, Ochsner, Ciocc, Basso

Mentioned: 115 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1301 Post(s)
Liked 1,903 Times in 1,137 Posts
Syke,
I went through this about ten years ago when an arsonist decided I didn't need my storage in a garage owned by my friend. I lost all eight of my race bikes and she lost the use of her house for ten months. The fire marshal told me there was no one to interview at 2 AM so he wrote it up as an accidental fire. Still I believe it to be an arson case. But just as Robbie suggests, I was able to go through just the bikes and the values of them and my agent/adjuster stopped at my $11,000 coverage value. Had I not had a policy for offsite/personal items I would have lost all of that $, and the bikes. They are all being currently restored at a considerable cost more than what I had invested, but they are able to be restored. I feel your pain and understand the frustration that comes with what happens in a fire. The good thing is you and your family were not injured, thing can be replaced, but human life can not. Thanks for listening, Smiles, MH
Mad Honk is online now  
Old 11-12-19, 09:07 PM
  #32  
wrk101
Thrifty Bill
 
wrk101's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Mountains of Western NC
Posts: 23,523

Bikes: 86 Katakura Silk, 87 Prologue X2, 88 Cimarron LE, 1975 Sekai 4000 Professional, 73 Paramount, plus more

Mentioned: 96 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1236 Post(s)
Liked 964 Times in 628 Posts
So glad no one was hurt!

Robbie knows insurance for sure! I'd seek his advice.
wrk101 is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 09:13 PM
  #33  
ryansu
Senior Member
 
ryansu's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Seattle WA
Posts: 2,841

Bikes: 2009 Handsome Devil, 1987 Trek 520 Cirrus, 1978 Motobecane Grand Touring, 1987 Nishiki Cresta GT, 1989 Specialized Allez Former bikes; 1986 Miyata Trail Runner, 1979 Miyata 912, 2011 VO Rando, 1999 Cannondale R800, 1986 Schwinn Passage

Mentioned: 72 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 796 Post(s)
Liked 522 Times in 367 Posts
Glad the dog was ok, one of my first thoughts too, sorry for your losses -oh those poor hubs- hope things get rebuilt better than before glad all the important stuff is ok.
ryansu is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 10:11 PM
  #34  
himespau 
Senior Member
 
himespau's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 13,443
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4225 Post(s)
Liked 2,945 Times in 1,804 Posts
sorry for your losses
himespau is offline  
Old 11-13-19, 09:51 AM
  #35  
Thomas15
I think I know nothing.
 
Thomas15's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: NE PA
Posts: 709
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 233 Post(s)
Liked 290 Times in 204 Posts
Good to hear no one was hurt.

I'm a volunteer firefighter in PA. This year for fire prevention week we took a donated shed I think it was 10x12 and opened the front side, placed living room furnishings inside to simulate a living room fire. Then closed off the front with clear plastic. This allowed people to see just how fast a dwelling fire in free-burn grows.

From the time we lit the thing to the time it the roof caved was less than three minutes. The walls fell in 60 seconds later. The heat was intense even about 200 feet away, enough to melt vinyl siding.
Thomas15 is offline  
Old 11-13-19, 10:23 AM
  #36  
curbtender
Senior Member
 
curbtender's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SF Bay Area, East bay
Posts: 7,648

Bikes: Miyata 618 GT, Marinoni, Kestral 200 2002 Trek 5200, KHS Flite, Koga Miyata, Schwinn Spitfire 5, Mondia Special, Univega Alpina, Miyata team Ti, Santa Cruz Highball

Mentioned: 52 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1606 Post(s)
Liked 2,570 Times in 1,218 Posts
I've heard of guys that sleep with their Harley...
curbtender is offline  
Old 11-14-19, 09:04 AM
  #37  
sykerocker 
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
sykerocker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Ashland, VA
Posts: 4,420

Bikes: The keepers: 1958 Raleigh Lenton Grand Prix, 1968 Ranger, 1969 Magneet Sprint, 1971 Gitane Tour de France, 1973 Raleigh Tourist, 3 - 1986 Rossins, and a '77 PX-10 frame in process.

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 221 Post(s)
Liked 237 Times in 129 Posts
I meet with the insurance adjuster today. Talking to him on the phone yesterday did not give me a good feeling, or, at least reminded me that this is the guy who is NOT on our side in this mess. He opens with the comment about having to ensure that there's no evidence that the fire was set (read the fire marshal's report, *******?), then during the conversation when I mentioned that this was my workshop for restoring antique bicycles, he immediately comes back with, "Oh, you were running a business out of there?" knowing damn well it's a homeowners policy. I have a feeling I'm going to have to take him to the other barn where my collection is stored, to explain the term "hobby". And, since it was an ancillary building, not the main living quarters that burned, there's going to be a definite limitation on rebuilding monies.

This is going to be an interesting afternoon.

The other fun shock out of the last 48 hours is just how much of the daily running of the household was either centered around that garage, or at least that the materials and tools needed for a given task were stored there. I'm realizing that this was the most important room of the house, in my eyes.

On the "good" side, Sears just announced that they're closing their last Richmond store (and every other VA outlet, I believe) over December and January. Looks like the rebuild of my tool collection is going to be based the same as it's original start back in 1970 - Craftsman.
__________________
Syke

“No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”

H.L. Mencken, (1926)

sykerocker is offline  
Old 11-14-19, 09:19 AM
  #38  
67tony 
Senior Member
 
67tony's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Williamsburg, VA Sebastian, FL
Posts: 1,363

Bikes: 1987 Centurion Ironman Master, 1992 Koga Miyata Exerciser, 1992 Schwinn Crosscut

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 209 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 175 Times in 92 Posts
Devastating, for sure. Sorry for your loss, and the associated hassles.

Looking forward, and assuming the insurance company steps up after your inventory diligence, you can look at it this way...you'll have a pot of money that you can buy specific parts with.
67tony is offline  
Old 11-14-19, 11:20 AM
  #39  
sdn40
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Green Bay, WI
Posts: 602

Bikes: 88 Cannondale Criterium

Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 291 Post(s)
Liked 146 Times in 91 Posts
Funny thing about insurance. Your job is to pay, their job is not to pay.
sdn40 is offline  
Old 11-14-19, 02:53 PM
  #40  
RobbieTunes
Banned.
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 27,199
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 378 Post(s)
Liked 1,409 Times in 909 Posts
Originally Posted by sdn40
Funny thing about insurance. Your job is to pay, their job is not to pay.
Bull****
You don’t know **** about insurance, then.
RobbieTunes is offline  
Old 11-14-19, 03:04 PM
  #41  
3alarmer 
Friendship is Magic
 
3alarmer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 22,984

Bikes: old ones

Mentioned: 304 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26393 Post(s)
Liked 10,367 Times in 7,198 Posts
Originally Posted by sykerocker
... He opens with the comment about having to ensure that there's no evidence that the fire was set (read the fire marshal's report, *******?), ...

.
...this is standard for insurance companies. Every retired fire investigator I ever knew got a second job after retirement working insurance company investigations. Fire Marshall reports are famously inaccurate, both because of time pressures and because there's no real attempt in most localities to track and combat arson. I wouldn't let that worry me, in and of itself.
3alarmer is online now  
Old 11-14-19, 03:15 PM
  #42  
sykerocker 
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
sykerocker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Ashland, VA
Posts: 4,420

Bikes: The keepers: 1958 Raleigh Lenton Grand Prix, 1968 Ranger, 1969 Magneet Sprint, 1971 Gitane Tour de France, 1973 Raleigh Tourist, 3 - 1986 Rossins, and a '77 PX-10 frame in process.

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 221 Post(s)
Liked 237 Times in 129 Posts
Originally Posted by 3alarmer
...this is standard for insurance companies. Every retired fire investigator I ever knew got a second job after retirement working insurance company investigations. Fire Marshall reports are famously inaccurate, both because of time pressures and because there's no real attempt in most localities to track and combat arson. I wouldn't let that worry me, in and of itself.
The insurance guy left about an hour ago. Among other matters, he got a complete tour of my bicycle collection, if only to set in his mind what I'm trying to rebuild. Not a cyclist in the slightest, he was blown away by what he saw.

Agree with your "...this is standard for insurance companies." which is what I was hoping for. The guy seems to be reasonable, or at least has a professional, corporate reasonable attitude. We'll be talking the initial reimbursement check in the next day, and he'll be sending me the boilerplate Excel spreadsheet to work on the individual item loss.

On the depressing side, I found my old Campagnolo Gran Sport drivetrain setup in the ashes today. It came on the original Raleigh Gran Sport that got me back into cycling back in 2004, and was used on two different bikes (primarily my Falcon San Remo) over the years, returned to stock when I sold the frames. It's probably the one component set I'm going to try to save. Maybe my Favorite components . . . . . assuming I can find them.

Looking forward to my local Sears Craftsman sale.
__________________
Syke

“No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”

H.L. Mencken, (1926)

sykerocker is offline  
Old 11-14-19, 03:20 PM
  #43  
Kenukeanu
Junior Member
 
Kenukeanu's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 17
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
I’m sorry about this. so unfortunate.
Kenukeanu is offline  
Old 11-14-19, 03:37 PM
  #44  
rhm
multimodal commuter
 
rhm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,808

Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...

Mentioned: 584 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1908 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times in 339 Posts
Really sorry to read this, Syke! I am especially sad about the Armstrong. If there any hope for it? I see the wheels and fenders are totally shot, but the frame? Eh, I know, too many small parts gone... and doubtless you have other priorities.

Carry on!
rhm is offline  
Old 11-14-19, 03:51 PM
  #45  
sykerocker 
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
sykerocker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Ashland, VA
Posts: 4,420

Bikes: The keepers: 1958 Raleigh Lenton Grand Prix, 1968 Ranger, 1969 Magneet Sprint, 1971 Gitane Tour de France, 1973 Raleigh Tourist, 3 - 1986 Rossins, and a '77 PX-10 frame in process.

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 221 Post(s)
Liked 237 Times in 129 Posts
Originally Posted by rhm
Really sorry to read this, Syke! I am especially sad about the Armstrong. If there any hope for it? I see the wheels and fenders are totally shot, but the frame? Eh, I know, too many small parts gone... and doubtless you have other priorities.

Carry on!
I was hoping for that, too, but the heat was intense enough that the rear triangle is badly warped, and the fork's a bit off, too.
__________________
Syke

“No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”

H.L. Mencken, (1926)

sykerocker is offline  
Old 11-16-19, 07:33 AM
  #46  
cudak888 
www.theheadbadge.com
 
cudak888's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Southern Florida
Posts: 28,510

Bikes: https://www.theheadbadge.com

Mentioned: 124 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2420 Post(s)
Liked 4,381 Times in 2,090 Posts
Syke, I'm not the type of fellow to dwell on unfortunate fate, and I'm terrible at making consoling speeches. However, I am the type of fellow to get things moving and I'd like to help.

PM me your address and I'll send a care package of bike stuff to start stocking the shelves again. Send a list of the tools that perished too, bike and non-bike; I've got duplicates of some stuff.

If you need me to hold onto the box because of storage, that's OK - just let me know.

Originally Posted by sykerocker
I was hoping for that, too, but the heat was intense enough that the rear triangle is badly warped, and the fork's a bit off, too.
Is it bad enough that it cannot be cold-set, or did some of the brass give way?

-Kurt
__________________













Last edited by cudak888; 11-16-19 at 07:36 AM.
cudak888 is offline  
Old 11-16-19, 10:33 AM
  #47  
Johno59
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Cambridge UK
Posts: 852

Bikes: 1903 24 spd Sunbeam, 1927 Humber, 3 1930 Raleighs, 2 1940s Sunbeams, 2 1940s Raleighs, Rudge, 1950s Robin Hood, 1958 Claud Butler, 2 1973 Colnago Supers, Eddie Merckx, 2 1980 Holdsworth, EG Bates funny TT bike, another 6 or so 1990s bikes

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 331 Post(s)
Liked 332 Times in 185 Posts
Untidy bike shed

I was somewhat relieved that someone had a bike shed that was as bigger mess as my own shed .........damn I'm so sorry for your loss.
Johno59 is offline  
Old 11-16-19, 11:03 AM
  #48  
Mad Honk 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Bloomington, IN
Posts: 2,940

Bikes: Paramount, Faggin, Ochsner, Ciocc, Basso

Mentioned: 115 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1301 Post(s)
Liked 1,903 Times in 1,137 Posts
Syke,
I just looked at the pics again. You are lucky that the propane tank didn't blow or it would have been much worse. Keep us posted on the tool search, I'm always up for a trip to the local pawn shops. MH
Mad Honk is online now  
Old 11-16-19, 11:05 AM
  #49  
sykerocker 
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
sykerocker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Ashland, VA
Posts: 4,420

Bikes: The keepers: 1958 Raleigh Lenton Grand Prix, 1968 Ranger, 1969 Magneet Sprint, 1971 Gitane Tour de France, 1973 Raleigh Tourist, 3 - 1986 Rossins, and a '77 PX-10 frame in process.

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 221 Post(s)
Liked 237 Times in 129 Posts
Originally Posted by cudak888
Syke, I'm not the type of fellow to dwell on unfortunate fate, and I'm terrible at making consoling speeches. However, I am the type of fellow to get things moving and I'd like to help.

PM me your address and I'll send a care package of bike stuff to start stocking the shelves again. Send a list of the tools that perished too, bike and non-bike; I've got duplicates of some stuff.

If you need me to hold onto the box because of storage, that's OK - just let me know.



Is it bad enough that it cannot be cold-set, or did some of the brass give way?

-Kurt
First off, thank you very much. PM will be sent as soon as I finish this post.

One the good news side: Dug thru the tool boxes, well the ones I could pry open anyway, yesterday. Of course 99% of what's there isn't worth trying to save. What was critically important however is drawer #3 in my red tool chest, which had all the freewheel and crank removing tools, Helicomatic tools, etc. The stuff you can't find in a Park catalog, or at the closeout sale of our local Sears. Yes, they're either blackened, or rusty, and are going to need a good cleaning before I can do anything with them again, but they can be saved. These were my main worry, as I still have memories of what that Strongight 93 crank removal tool cost me a decade and a half ago (it even made a Bike Forums comment thread).

As to the Armstrong frame: Do you have an visualization of what I'm seeing when I mention the 1930's-era Studebaker "S" logo? That's how the frame warped. The is absolutely nothing in the way of a straight line on it, from the heat. Unfortunately, the bike was parked right where the fire started, and by the time I had pulled Maggie's car out of the garage, it was already totally engulfed in flames. There was no chance to save it.
__________________
Syke

“No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”

H.L. Mencken, (1926)

sykerocker is offline  
Old 11-16-19, 11:47 AM
  #50  
scarlson 
Senior Member
 
scarlson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Medford MA
Posts: 2,089

Bikes: Ron Cooper touring, 1959 Jack Taylor 650b ladyback touring tandem, Vitus 979, Joe Bell painted Claud Butler Dalesman, Colin Laing curved tube tandem, heavily-Dilberted 1982 Trek 6xx, René Herse tandem

Mentioned: 80 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 964 Post(s)
Liked 1,451 Times in 723 Posts
If you find your Stronglight extractor tool to no longer work, PM me and I'll machine you one real quick from a bolt and nut.

In fact, if you need anything irreplaceable machined, I am at your service.
__________________
Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
scarlson is offline  


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.