Like a serious loss in the family, it took Mr. CiclaValley a week to come to terms with this. My family experienced a tragic loss and now I’m will to let the catharses flow.

A week ago, I got a phone call while at synagogue singing shabbat songs to the tune of Disney music(it makes if you have a two year old) from an unfamiliar number. My wife hadn’t returned home yet and her phone normally dies at that hour coming home on the train, so I was highly suspicious.

I didn’t want to be that guy, so I got up and listened to the message that it was Mrs. CiclaValley and she discovered her bike was stolen from the North Hollywood Metro Station. And that her phone had died and was using someone else’s which I already figured out.

I pulled the CiclaFamily out and rushed to pick her up when I found her casually talking with an officer. Normally, the Mrs. is someone you don’t want to mess with, but it was good to find her in the coping stage when I arrived.
The stolen bike in question was an old Motiv hybrid that had been given by her dad almost twenty years ago.

It was a bit big for her and is probably crappier than my crappiest bike, but it executed the task of transporting her 1.2 miles to the station and back everyday flawlessly.

Mr. CiclaValley is partially to blame because for all the times I bloviate here warning people not to steal my bikes, I never once made the claim for the Mrs. as well. It could also be that her bike was locked up with my questionable cable lock, but who can really say?

The last time our bikes shared an embrace at the NoHo Station

We took all the proper steps, reporting the theft and even had a Sheriff come to our place that night, but while we aren’t holding out much hope, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mrs. CV goes on a Kill Bill tirade to hunt the perpetrators down at any moment.

You’ve been warned.

Seeing how the bike itself wasn’t worth much and there’s a wait list for bike lockers in NoHo, we settled on a replacement that holds even less value. We fished a bike out of my parents house that my mom abandoned about the time Knight Rider went off the air. With a little lube, the bike somehow still functions.We also decided to buy a proper a U-lock for “rusted thunder” and bolted down all the parts, every dilapidated one.

I guess we’re ready to move on as long as the new bike allows, but we will never forget the number of great memories. If anyone catches wind of the bike, email me at ciclavalley@gmail.com.