The recent tete' a tete' about selling a bicycle to recoup expenses raises a question. In the bike business, when a person brings a bike to the shop for repair, repaint, or whatever, and doesn't return to pick it up and settle the bill, at what point does the shop owner sell the bike to recoup expenses? I once went into Wheelsmith in Palo Alto and they had dozens of bikes in an 'abandoned' state. I inquired about buying one and the guys looked at me like I was an alien. They said they hold bikes for years sometimes. It seemed that their practice was that as long as they had room, they kept them. If I recall, most repair forms have a statement that the owner must pick up the bike within a set amount of time or risk losing their bike. I suspect the shop owner must also make an attempt to contact the bike owner prior to disposing of the bike too. What is the acceptable practice? Is it a record of phone calls, certified letter, or some other form of notification. I know in real estate property matters, if you don't pay your property taxes, the state can sell your land/house at auction after several years, but they also post the names of delinquent taxpayers in the newspaper on a regular basis. Is there a similar set of state laws that governs this or something else? Lou Deeter, Orlando FL
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