As often as not, a story of interest will accompany an old bicycle Found in the Wilds.  Found in the Wilds does not include sipping a cup of Java while clicking through Craigslist or Ebay auctions.  Found in the Wild means found as is, where is and where it was stored for decades gone bye.

Perhaps the most interesting How Found story encounter to date would that associated with a late fifties Carlton Flyer.  However, the tale supporting the acquisition of Junker II might well become the one that tops the list.

Apparently, (I say apparently because I rarely read the news, or watch the news or give two hoots about the news), a fellow in Toronto got caught with 2,500+ stolen bicycles.  Needless to say, he faced charges, experienced trial and lost the bicycles found to be in his possession.

With the legal proceedings out of the way, and a verdict reached pertaining to the guilt of the accused, the impounded bicycles presented a bit of a problem.  What to do with them?

What to do with them - indeed!  It would be foolish to release all 2,500 back into a single city, regardless of what vehicle was used to do so.  Hauling that many bicycles to the Dump at one time would likely raise a hue and cry that would reach from Canadian coast to coast, and likely around the world.  What to do?

Though unsure of the deliberations surrounding the dispersal of the stolen bicycles, suffice it to say that the Minister of Transportation authorized their release to communities and people in need of a basic form of transportation, in this case the bicycle.  The bicycles could not be used to generate revenue.  In other words, the bikes had to be given away, not sold.

With that in mind, the bicycles were broken into lots of random size and shipped to communities in need.  Three hundred of those bicycles found their way to Thunder Bay in the Spring of 2010.  And, though not representing Bicycles for Humanity directly, B4H mechanical trainees were instrumental in helping to sort and repair the bikes.

In reward for the time and energy invested, the person responsible for seeing to the distribution of the bicycles invited each volunteer to accept a bicycle of his or her choice in thanks for their help.  The volunteers, as a group but with one exception, agreed to not take bikes that would be appropriate for use in the northern communities the bikes were destined for.

As I helped to sort, organize and repair those of the 300 stolen bikes that were repairable, I kept my eyes open for old road bikes that might prove of interest.  Something I might ask for, as the reward that had been offered to each of the volunteers.

Actually, the offer to me was even more impressive than one might first expect.  The lady responsible for the three hundred plus bikes decided, on the spot, that the old Ten Speeds, Roadsters and Antiques were on no interest to her or the people she served.  With that thought in mind, she told me to help myself to more than one of those bikes styles mentioned, if I wished to do so.

By the time the bicycles had all be sorted and repaired, I had managed to set aside at least a half dozen bicycles that had caught my eye.  I had no intention of asking for them all, but two were of immediate interest - a Colnago built Saronni Tipo Sprint and an ALAN Super Record.  Both bikes were incomplete and cosmetically challenged, but I was more than happy to get them, and considered my good fortune as I loaded them into the Ranger.

It was not until the task of sorting and repairing was nearing completion that I found time to look more closely at all of the bikes we had gone through.  Upon first inspection, I had quickly set the Specialized in the undesirable pile, thanks to a large dent in the top tube of the bicycle.

It was during that second look that I began to recognize potential.  Since one other Specialized owned had proved to be a great around town Junk Bike, why not another?  The idea was sown and took root.  Next Specialized stop - The Old Shed.

And that is how the Specialized Allez Junker II found its way into The Old Shed.  As a reward, simply for trying to help people and planets in need.

NEXT - BUILDING THE SPECIALIZED JUNKER II