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

Death of a bicycle shop

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

Old 11-12-19, 10:08 AM
  #1  
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
Death of a bicycle shop

Last night at 2215, soundly asleep with my wife, I get a call from my next door neighbor. My garage is on fire! This is the freestanding building next to the house that is my wife's car storage at night, and my bicycle shop during the day. I managed to get her car out undamaged, but didn't park it far enough away since I also had to move my van which is normally parked next to the garage, so it did take some heat damage.

It's a total loss. All my tools (hopefully I'll be able to salvage all or at least most of the bicycle specific ones) including the tools I bought when I first started working at A.R. Adams Cycle in the early Seventies. One bicycle lost: The 1935 Armstrong ladies roadster that I was working on for the WWII reenactment group (which I moved into the garage yesterday afternoon so I wouldn't have to bring it thru the rain today). And virtually all my parts stock.

Basically, for the time being I'm shut down completely. My bike collection was in the other storage building on the property, so all those bikes are safe, but I'm not going to be doing anything other than riding what I have for the next six months or so. Probably going to sell off a couple of bikes at Westminster next year (which was in the planning stages before the fire), but otherwise just ride what I've got.

On the good side, I managed to get the wife's car out of the garage before the fire consumed too much, however it had advanced too much to get the bike on the second try.



The Armstrong. I had it about 80% complete at this point.



The first started at the corner next to the dog house. Fire marshal calls it "electrical unspecified".



View from the back yard.



And from the house. The back wall of the house got the siding melted off, and the other garage has melted siding, but otherwise we're OK. Happily the other garaged wasn't touched beyond that, because both my Harleys and the Triumph are stored in there.
__________________
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, 10:19 AM
  #2  
USAZorro
Señor Member
 
USAZorro's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Hardy, VA
Posts: 17,935

Bikes: Mostly English - predominantly Raleighs

Mentioned: 70 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1491 Post(s)
Liked 1,072 Times in 634 Posts
That is so disheartening to hear. Any hope of salvaging the metal parts on the Armstrong? If you get an itch to do some bicycle work, you're welcome to use the space and tools down here outside of Roanoke.
__________________
In search of what to search for.
USAZorro is offline  
Likes For USAZorro:
Old 11-12-19, 10:22 AM
  #3  
KonAaron Snake 
Fat Guy on a Little Bike
 
KonAaron Snake's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 17,229

Bikes: Two wheeled ones

Mentioned: 42 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1254 Post(s)
Liked 345 Times in 174 Posts
Oh man

I'm so sorry for your misfortune.
KonAaron Snake is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 10:25 AM
  #4  
francophile 
PM me your cotters
 
francophile's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: ATL
Posts: 3,916
Mentioned: 80 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1137 Post(s)
Liked 588 Times in 420 Posts
Damn, Syke. Sorry to read about this. Hopefully insurance treats you right. Be sure to itemized EVERYTHING to the best of your ability and be extremely explicit on the list for your parts etc. Even if it means going piece by piece, my uncle in TX is an adjuster and says if you give an option of just "bike crankset" or "1970s Campagnolo Nuovo Record crankset with 52/44 rings in perfect condition", you'll get $20 for the former and possibly up to $100 for the latter. Take the time, break out a spreadsheet, write it all down to the letter as best you can.

It dawned on me last week when my 9yo was playing with a remote control for a mass-produced space heater the other day that this could very well happen to me. Which is what's led me to really sort through my stuff, take pictures, and line-item it all.
francophile is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 10:26 AM
  #5  
John E
feros ferio
 
John E's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: www.ci.encinitas.ca.us
Posts: 21,765

Bikes: 1959 Capo Modell Campagnolo; 1960 Capo Sieger (2); 1962 Carlton Franco Suisse; 1970 Peugeot UO-8; 1982 Bianchi Campione d'Italia; 1988 Schwinn Project KOM-10;

Mentioned: 44 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1384 Post(s)
Liked 1,294 Times in 819 Posts
Damn that sucks!

Are there any particular parts you need going forward? I'll bet several of us, myself included, could do a "go fund me" with bike parts.
__________________
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
John E is offline  
Likes For John E:
Old 11-12-19, 10:37 AM
  #6  
xiaoman1 
Senior Member
 
xiaoman1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: City of Angels
Posts: 5,152

Bikes: A few too many

Mentioned: 42 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1359 Post(s)
Liked 2,173 Times in 1,178 Posts
I am sorry to see this happen. Accidents like this should make us more aware of what are insurance will and will not cover...some insurance companies want a separate policy to cover collectibles.
Best, Ben
xiaoman1 is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 10:48 AM
  #7  
curbtender
Senior Member
 
curbtender's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SF Bay Area, East bay
Posts: 8,682

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: 1590 Post(s)
Liked 2,492 Times in 1,190 Posts
Wow, at least the house is safe. Any idea on what started it?
curbtender is offline  
Likes For curbtender:
Old 11-12-19, 10:59 AM
  #8  
repechage
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 20,323
Mentioned: 129 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3449 Post(s)
Liked 2,800 Times in 1,974 Posts
That is Tough, very sorry to read and see.

I might have dodged a similar fate a few weeks ago. Alarm system uses a transformer to power the electronics. One of those small sealed units that plugs in to an outlet, and is retained by the switchplate screw.
Got it off, and the plug side showed heat stress and carbon film.
Good that I was around.
Probably most of us have transformers and or items that are "always" on. Made me go around and check everything.
I found one other item that got decommissioned.
repechage is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 11:02 AM
  #9  
BFisher
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 2,336
Mentioned: 35 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 767 Post(s)
Liked 1,897 Times in 889 Posts
What a nightmare. Sorry this happened. If you need to borrow a tool I'd be happy to drop it in the mail.
BFisher is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 11:07 AM
  #10  
noglider 
aka Tom Reingold
 
noglider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,691

Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem

Mentioned: 510 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7287 Post(s)
Liked 2,365 Times in 1,382 Posts
I'm very sorry. Please let us know what happens.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog

“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author

Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
noglider is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 11:34 AM
  #11  
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 John E
Damn that sucks!

Are there any particular parts you need going forward? I'll bet several of us, myself included, could do a "go fund me" with bike parts.
Right now, no. That Armstrong was the only project I had going forward, and the only other bike on the schedule is that the '77 PX-10, which is a long, long, long term project. I've got my traveling toolbox from my Honda House days, so I've got something to work with, and the small barn which is normally woodshed and lawn and garden storage can be used to work on a bike if necessary. Right now it's snowing outside (we were only supposed to get rain), so my first priority is to go thru the bicycle tools tool box and see if I can save any of that stuff. Otherwise I'm just going to replace what was burned, bit by bit.

Most immediate holdup is getting electric power to the outlying sheds. My setup was power running from the house to the shop/garage, then the two drop in sheds and second garage tapping off the garage. Hopefully I can have that sorted out by the end of the year.

Helpfully, Sears is closing all it's stores in Virginia between December and January. Guess who's probably going to give his Sears card one last workout before putting it away permanently?

I'm shutting down the books on Syke's Cyclery, and will probably get in touch with the county to drop the business license and the state to drop the tax license. The shop had a good run and I enjoyed myself, now its just time to scale back to whatever is needed to keep my collection on the road. Definitely not looking to buy anything at Westminster next February. Not until I've got the space to build and store.
__________________
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, 11:48 AM
  #12  
nomadmax 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 2,409
Mentioned: 93 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1103 Post(s)
Liked 1,824 Times in 878 Posts
I'm sorry for your loss, thank goodness no one was hurt.

Consider PMing @RobbieTunes. He has been in the claims business for a long time. No one here will know better on how you should proceed and what to expect.
nomadmax is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 12:41 PM
  #13  
Homebrew01
Super Moderator
 
Homebrew01's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Ffld Cnty Connecticut
Posts: 21,845

Bikes: Old Steelies I made, Old Cannondales

Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1173 Post(s)
Liked 924 Times in 610 Posts
__________________
Bikes: Old steel race bikes, old Cannondale race bikes, less old Cannondale race bike, crappy old mtn bike.

FYI: https://www.bikeforums.net/forum-sugg...ad-please.html
Homebrew01 is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 01:03 PM
  #14  
'02 nrs
Senior Member
 
'02 nrs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: se MIch.
Posts: 2,917

Bikes: 1938 claud butler,1983 Basso,teledyne titan,teocali super,nrs,1993 stumpjumper fsr,Paramountain,Paramount Buell(sold),4 banger,Zaskar LE,Colnago Master Ibex MTB,1987ish,.etc....

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 787 Post(s)
Liked 2,910 Times in 1,472 Posts
cause/

keep us posted on the cause-space heater,bat. charger??? shame-think its something we all fear happening,luckily it didn't spread.time to upgrade the tools anywho,no? keep truck'n.
'02 nrs is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 01:13 PM
  #15  
Colorado Kid
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 872
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 357 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 136 Times in 82 Posts
Man, I'm sorry to hear the bad news. All my thoughts and prayers are with you.
Colorado Kid is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 01:59 PM
  #16  
crank_addict
Banned
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 7,150
Mentioned: 93 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1361 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 422 Times in 282 Posts
Dang. Thoughts are with you and hope the recovery and claims are not too difficult.
crank_addict is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 04:34 PM
  #17  
Flying G
Junior Member
 
Flying G's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Northern CA
Posts: 192

Bikes: 1971 Gitane TDF, 1974 Gitane Interclub, 2001 Serotta Rapid Tour CS3, 1986 Bruce Gordon touring bike, 1972 Gitane Super Corsa, 1978 Michal Johnson, 1972 Lambert Professional Grand Prix, 1983 Vitus (resto project), 1972 Raleigh Professional (resto)

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 43 Post(s)
Liked 34 Times in 19 Posts
Heart breaking! Glad that nobody was injured and damage was confined to the garage and contents.
Flying G is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 04:55 PM
  #18  
non-fixie 
Shifting is fun!
 
non-fixie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: South Holland, NL
Posts: 11,003

Bikes: Yes, please.

Mentioned: 277 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2182 Post(s)
Liked 4,526 Times in 1,743 Posts
Dang! How's the dog?
__________________
Are we having fun, or what ...



non-fixie is offline  
Likes For non-fixie:
Old 11-12-19, 05:19 PM
  #19  
Chris_in_Miami
missing in action
 
Chris_in_Miami's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,579
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 41 Post(s)
Liked 48 Times in 28 Posts
Terrible story, but glad to hear that it wasn't worse. Best of luck on the recovery process!
Chris_in_Miami is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 05:35 PM
  #20  
The Golden Boy 
Extraordinary Magnitude
 
The Golden Boy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Waukesha WI
Posts: 13,640

Bikes: 1978 Trek TX700; 1978/79 Trek 736; 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper Sport; 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP; 1985 Trek 620; 1985 Trek 720; 1986 Trek 400 Elance; 1987 Schwinn High Sierra; 1990 Miyata 1000LT

Mentioned: 84 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2597 Post(s)
Liked 1,678 Times in 926 Posts
I saw the dog house and was immediately concerned for the dog!!!


My best wishes to you.
__________________
*Recipient of the 2006 Time Magazine "Person Of The Year" Award*

Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!

"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
The Golden Boy is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 05:52 PM
  #21  
Drillium Dude 
Banned.
 
Drillium Dude's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: PAZ
Posts: 12,394
Mentioned: 255 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2588 Post(s)
Liked 4,823 Times in 1,709 Posts
Wow, that is scary! Sounds like you've got a good neighbor there looking out for you Glad it was only property loss, not people.

Looking at the proximity of the garage to the house, it's obvious it would've been much worse if not for him (of course it's fortunate that all your other bikes/stuff were stored off-site, too). Best of luck getting things back to a sense of normalcy ASAP!

DD
Drillium Dude is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 06:10 PM
  #22  
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 The Golden Boy
I saw the dog house and was immediately concerned for the dog!!!

My best wishes to you.
Harley was inside, curled up with us in bed when this all went down.

Finally walked into the remains tonight. This is the sum total of fifteen years of bicycle part hunting, acquiring, refurbishing and organizing.


__________________
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, 06:13 PM
  #23  
dedhed
SE Wis
 
dedhed's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Posts: 10,516

Bikes: '68 Raleigh Sprite, '02 Raleigh C500, '84 Raleigh Gran Prix, '91 Trek 400, 2013 Novara Randonee, 1990 Trek 970

Mentioned: 40 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2731 Post(s)
Liked 3,361 Times in 2,034 Posts
Well that sucks!! My first thought was also the dog.
dedhed is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 06:19 PM
  #24  
2cam16
Senior Member
 
2cam16's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: San Mateo,Ca.
Posts: 4,350

Bikes: TRIMMED DOWN THE HERD

Mentioned: 46 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1089 Post(s)
Liked 928 Times in 594 Posts
Sorry to hear about this. Important part is you are all safe.
2cam16 is offline  
Old 11-12-19, 06:33 PM
  #25  
RobbieTunes
Banned.
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 27,297
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 378 Post(s)
Liked 1,407 Times in 908 Posts
Originally Posted by francophile
Damn, Syke. Sorry to read about this. Hopefully insurance treats you right. Be sure to itemized EVERYTHING to the best of your ability and be extremely explicit on the list for your parts etc. Even if it means going piece by piece, my uncle in TX is an adjuster and says if you give an option of just "bike crankset" or "1970s Campagnolo Nuovo Record crankset with 52/44 rings in perfect condition", you'll get $20 for the former and possibly up to $100 for the latter. Take the time, break out a spreadsheet, write it all down to the letter as best you can.
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.

Last edited by RobbieTunes; 11-12-19 at 06:44 PM.
RobbieTunes is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

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.