In the summer of 2012 my bike was stolen.  Then this past fall I spotted my stolen bike enjoying a morning commute at rush hour.  Seated on top was a female with a creamy white helmet.  You were at the intersection of Desplaines & Roosevelt and continued north on Desplaines.  I followed you (in my car) to VanBurren.  I was able to pass you a few times to get a look at the bike.

I'm writing this in hopes that Karma will be on my side.  I don't believe that the women on the bike was the thief.  I know this because the day it was stolen I listed it on the stolen registry and a few days later I received an email from someone that had spotted it at the Swap-a-rama.  I meant to write this post months ago but time sneaks away and I am hoping with spring around the corner people will be checking in here.

So, if you know of someone riding a small, very simple looking, black bike with black components please nudge them to take a look at this post.  Almost all the decals were removed from the bike frame, it had black wheels and a black seat.  When it was stolen the tape was teal but the bike I saw last fall had white tape.

Even if the person riding my bike reads this post I know it will be hard to come forward.  I know how it feels to love a bike, to ride it everyday and to rely on it every morning.  It becomes one of your most treasured belongings.  I'm sure you love it just as much as I do.  I'm sure imagining that the bike belongs to someone else hurts.  That bike was with me everyday for 3 years.  I had it built for me.  I picked out each component down to the color of the brake cable.  I replaced it with something cheap and hard to love.  This Surly IS the bike in my heart.  

If you want to come forward I'm willing to pay you what you paid for it.  No questions asked.  

This is the serial number: M8126077

This is the old posting: http://chicago.stolenbike.org/node/192707

Thanks for reading,

Michelle