On Sunday afternoon Cap's Westwood Cycles' Chelsea Hobbis got the call she'd been hoping for over the past two weeks — their 75th anniversary bicycle had been found, and she was free to pick it up any time.
"I'll be there in five minutes," Hobbis told the officer who'd called her.
The custom bicycle was a memento from the Trek factory in Wisconsin, given to the Hobbis family in 2007 in recognition of their 75-year history in the bike business. It sported hard-to-find, top-of-the-line components and signatures from Gary Fisher, Lance Armstrong and John Burke, putting the value of the bike at about $13,000.
It was stolen from the Port Coquitlam store, where it had been displayed by cables hanging from the ceiling, on the night of June 17. Hobbis suspects it was a professional job by at least a pair of thieves who carefully cut the glass to get in the store — where they stole only the beloved family memento.
"It was a total long shot in my eyes that we'd ever see the bike again, but it sounds like the [Coquitlam] RCMP worked very hard in finding this bike so we really appreciate that," Hobbis said.
Whether the bike will go back up on display is still under consideration, however.
"It needs to be refurbished," Hobbis said. "It's definitely not in mint condition. They scratched the signatures off the bike, so that kind of takes away a lot of the value and also the sentimental aspect of it. It looks like they were preparing to strip it for parts."
It appears the police arrived just in time, and while the bike was still easily recognizable.
Coquitlam RCMP Const. Jamie Phillipson said officers were following up on an unrelated investigation when they found the bike in a Port Coquitlam home that is known to police.
"The bike was instantly identified as the one stolen from Cap's cycle, especially since it still had the 'Cap's Legacy' still written on the frame, so it was quite identifiable."
Police are investigating how the bike came to be in that particular home and any arrests would be determined with the outcome of the investigation," Phillipson said.
"Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, we're all thrilled the bike was returned to its rightful owners," he added.
Hobbis said she'll be in Wisconson this summer and is planning to get Trek president John Burke's signature back on the bike, and she's working to get the other two as well.
Hobbis also expressed her appreciation for the community's assistance in getting the bike back.
"I honestly think it was because of all the attention, we're so thankful…for all the love we got on social media to get the bike back. We're really happy."
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