50th Anniversary Bauer-Is it better to be patient or lucky?

It’s the late 1990’s, folks are doing their 1990’s thing and I’m out on one of my many bicycle-related “house calls”, this time to look at a pair of vintage German three-speeds a gentleman is thinking of selling. Both Bauers were in great condition, but the men’s bike really caught my eye as it was a 50th anniversary edition. I have a thing for anniversary models so my interest was very much piqued. Though the owner had invited me over to discuss purchasing them, he balked at what I considered increasingly irresistible offers. Hell and damnation! No bikes came home that day.

Over the ensuing years I bet I called him 10 more times, most with outlandish offers, only to get the same response, “I think I’m going to hold on to them for now.” Hell, damnation and eternal fire!

Fast forward to the height of the pandemic when I received a call from a woman who was selling some clunkers her husband had recently acquired. As you’ve no-doubt surmised, amongst the rabble of junkers were the Bauers, looking not one day older. Somehow they’d made their way through God knows how many hands, only to end up back in front of me. At times it’s as if things never leave the Biggest Little City, they just swirl around in the wind until they land in the perfect spot.

So there they were with barely a chance to appreciate the headiness of the moment as a plumbing issue was making the basement a less than hospitable place for bikes. Out the Bauers came, and quick.

If the men’s bike had been even close to my size it would had stayed right here (thank you very much), but as it was, the bike was just too big. I’ve been trying to focus on only keeping bikes I can actually ride so instead, loyal customer Louis Marvick became the beneficiary of the discovery. Thus adds yet another chapter to story of the Bauer bikes while also proving (please pay attention Fluff) that I can occasionally be pressed to part with a two-wheeled treasure.