Bike Auction at UC Davis

Fiona and I decided to check out the bike auction at UC Davis this weekend, even though neither one of us needs a new bike.  Our rules were clear -- we were only going to bid on bikes that were unique, non-duplicative of our current fleet, and great bargains.

We looked at 420 bikes and were tempted by a few crusiers.  Fiona loves cruisers and talks about applying her savings towards one.  In the end, we decided we were going to bid on one bike only, a 70s-era three speed made by Kia, the Korean manufacturer.

We watched 275 bikes go before our Kia, many for $10 or less.  Three Nigerian men were there buying up the unwanted bikes for $5 each to send back to Africa.

I hoped our Kia -- a 24-inch blue model with a Shimano internal gear hub -- would meet with confusion and distinterest. It wasn't to be...  there was a round of oohs and aahs when it came up on the platform and the bidding soared past our $45 limit before I could lift my bidding sign.

It ended up selling for $85, which was way beyond our "incredible bargain" threshold.  So, we came home to our garage/shed/wine room full of bikes feeling like we'd been smart for a change.

Besides, we would need the space for the new additions that arrived Sunday!  (More on that soon.)