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Sign of poor economy (NO road side finds)

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Sign of poor economy (NO road side finds)

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Old 08-05-09, 02:02 PM
  #1  
Red Baron
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Sign of poor economy (NO road side finds)

I've done about 100 SLOW miles total since my accident and I found only 1 bunjee cord. No pennies, nickels, etc. No tools, nothing, Zip, Zero . 3 years ago I was dissappointed if i didn't at least find 10 cents. or a screwdriver/socket/wrench.

Any body find anything other than beer bottles/cans or fast food trash? - now that i think about it, they seem to have increased except for cans, I did see some folks picking them up on a good stretch of road.
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Old 08-05-09, 02:13 PM
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Do roadside treasures found on Trash Pickup Day count?

Gathered last Saturday.....
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Old 08-05-09, 02:15 PM
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Originally Posted by cranky old dude
Do roadside treasures found on Trash Pickup Day count?

Gathered last Saturday.....
Only if it was Free - then WOW!!! I saw that last week, A real treasure!
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Old 08-05-09, 02:49 PM
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Not been riding much and the few rides I have done have been slow so plenty of time to look around. Treasures-Zilch. Roadside rubbish and that is increasing. Beer cans- Mc D's and KFC cartons galore- and a rising number of cars accident damage left behind. Bumpers (But modern car bumpers fall off with just a firm kick) Headlamp glass- and other accident debris.

Only thing I have noticed and I am afraid it is not pleasant. Plenty of dead animals about somewhere near the road. Haven't seen them- but in the hot weather- I am certainly smelling them.
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Old 08-05-09, 03:18 PM
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I've seen a few empty "Four Roses" bottles along the road. ANyway, all the major media outlets here tell us that we're in full recovery.
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Old 08-05-09, 03:39 PM
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The trash bins outside the Southern Baptist Churches all seem to be full of bottles of Cycle Gladiator
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Old 08-05-09, 03:49 PM
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I used to pick up bungee cords, CDs, etc. but swore off when we moved 21 months ago. I have picked up a couple of new-looking bungees, but when one is riding with a group, it is hard to stop. I passed up a CD today and a pair of scissors Monday.
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Old 08-05-09, 07:23 PM
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I had a stretch two weeks ago when I found three sockets over three rides. On our ride across PA last week, on the first day of riding, I found a 1/2" Craftsman ratchet about 7 miles into the 87 mile ride. I put the 2 lb ratchet in one of my pockets and carried it the whole day.
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Old 08-05-09, 07:32 PM
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Originally Posted by cyclinfool
The trash bins outside the Southern Baptist Churches all seem to be full of bottles of Cycle Gladiator
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Old 08-05-09, 07:44 PM
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One of our regular rides, heading out and back on Hwy 87, really makes we wish we had bottle deposits! 15 miles each way with the dirt on each side studded with beer bottles. If we could get a nickle a piece, we'd be able to buy new bikes every year - we'd never need to replace chains and sprockets!
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Old 08-05-09, 08:01 PM
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lol! i love this thread! A few weeks ago, I saw seven single gloves along my ride- a work glove, latex gloves, leather glove, garden glove. What is up with that? It seemed like some kind of omen, I don't know what for, but it was weird! The only other thing I see frequently on the side road are pieces of hair weaves. My son calls them "tumbleweaves!" I imagine there are bird's nests all over South Jersey constructed entirely of artificial hair!
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Old 08-06-09, 03:10 AM
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I must not ride in the right areas, because I've never come across the sort of bounty that I've seen written about on here.

Another sign the economy is bad is the drop-off in postings to the "Pay It Forward" thread on Bike Forums. There are far fewer than a year ago, and many of them are off-topic 'begging' posts, which violate the spirit of the thread.
 
Old 08-06-09, 06:04 AM
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I've never done very well at finding treasures along the road. But I've always trash-picked bicycles.
They used to be so common that I could pick and choose.

But ever since gasoline went up to $4.00 plus and we then plunged into recession, the bike supply has dried up.
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Old 08-06-09, 06:58 AM
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Originally Posted by cyclinfool
The trash bins outside the Southern Baptist Churches all seem to be full of bottles of Cycle Gladiator
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Old 08-06-09, 09:38 AM
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Old 08-06-09, 12:42 PM
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I found this while riding last week. Something tells me it had been there for a while.
Attached Images
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100_1733.jpg (98.9 KB, 39 views)
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Old 08-06-09, 01:01 PM
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I was thinking the same thing last week. Maybe fewer contractors racing around with tools flying off the back of their trucks?

The stone ax head is a keeper however.
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Old 08-06-09, 09:25 PM
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I found two hundred and fifty dollars. Does that count?
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Old 08-06-09, 09:30 PM
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Originally Posted by urban rider
I found two hundred and fifty dollars. Does that count?
Amazingly, I just lost $250

Please PM me for an address.
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Old 08-07-09, 06:50 AM
  #20  
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One of my in town routes passes a municipal golf course. I can pick up as many as three balls that have sliced, hooked or otherwise duffed my way.
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Old 08-07-09, 07:38 AM
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Occasionally I pick up things but most of the stuff I see is trash or unusable. However I do like to watch "just in case" there is something that i can 'recycle'.
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Old 08-07-09, 08:07 AM
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Originally Posted by sknhgy
I found this while riding last week. Something tells me it had been there for a while.
That is an amazing find. Please provide some details.
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Old 08-07-09, 08:11 AM
  #23  
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I very seldom see anything of worthwhile on the road, even when the economy happens to be blazing hot. The area that I live in has a high percentage of recycling returns, and a high number of persons who constantly check the roadways for items to scavenge, and I'll consider myself fortunate if I do happen to see any road finds.

A few months back while I was waiting for a stoplight, I happen to look down, and there in the middle of the road was a small wrench that must have fallen off someone's car/truck.
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Old 08-07-09, 02:37 PM
  #24  
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My son and I put a new timing belt and water pump on my wifes Honda. It was very hard but I saved nearly $600 in Labor by doing it myself. Afterward she was taking it to the Honda shop to get the oil changed (they do that for 19.95) and I was following her in my truck. As she was going down US 19 I saw something shiny bouncing down the road behind her. I pulled over to see what it was and it was an expensive nearly new swivel headed 13mm ratchet wrench. The reason I new it was expensive is because it was mine. It was a little scuffed but other than that fine.
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Old 08-07-09, 04:15 PM
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I found a shiny slug that I thought was a quarter as I sped by. Since I circled around and stopped, I picked it up anyway to show the wife when I got home. I cut through the parking lots of local restaurants and watering holes on Sunday mornings, the Saturday night drunks are prone to dropping money. Nothing lately however.
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