Did You Buy A Vintage Yellow Bike At A Garage Sale In Newton?

NEWTON, MA — Did you buy a bright yellow vintage touring bicycle with flat tires and some dust on it Sunday between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. from a man at a yard sale in Newton? Did you put the Motobecane Grand Touring bike with straight handlebars in your silver or white sport utility vehicle and worry aloud about how it would fit before driving off?

There's been a mistake. Please come back.

That's the message Allan Steinmetz is praying the buyer, who he described as tall man and in his 40s or 50s, will see and reach out to him. You see, the bike has a priceless sentimental value to his wife and Steinmetz said he made a "huge mistake" by selling it.

"I'm prepared to pretty much pay about anything to get it back," a bespectacled Steinmetz told Patch from his backyard as he wrung his hands. "I underestimated what it meant to her at that moment. I shouldn't have done it."

He plastered Newton Center and the corner of Centre Street and Clinton Place — the site of the yard sale — with signs imploring anyone with information about the bike he sold to get in touch.

Sunday morning, Steinmetz saw that his neighbors were holding a garage sale. Since was cleaning out his basement to have his own yard sale in a couple weeks, he started pulling things out to sell. It was an impulsive move, and he was immediately swamped with people ready to make a purchase. That's when he sold the 43-year-old bike that was in the basement collecting dust.
"I wasn't thinking," Steinmetz said. "I sold it to him not thinking about the consequences of the sentimental value, which was priceless. It was a special bike to her. We moved it three times — from Detroit to Chicago to Boston. "

He said he should have known better.

His late father-in-law, who had survived the Holocaust and concentration camps at Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, gave it to her on her 16th birthday. What's worse, he would have been 106 years old the day Steinmetz sold the bike; It was the four-year anniversary of his passing.
Her father always prided himself on buying the best.

"He always wanted to make a statement that he overcame the concentration camp and prejudices," Steinmetz said.

So he went out and bought probably one of the most expensive bikes at the time.
"He specifically put straight handlebars on it, because he wanted her to stand tall while riding it," he said. "It had a special license plate on it that said 'ride a bike and don't get fat,' and it meant a lot to her. And I sold it. And I made a huge mistake."

When Steinmetz realized what he had done, his heart sank. He was angry at himself and embarrassed. His wife was planning on restoring the bike and passing it down to their granddaughter.

So, he's doing everything he can think of to get that bike back. He immediately put up the signs and reached out to local bike shops, from Landry's to Bike Works — and they've helped by sending out bulletins to their membership lists. He's posted to groups on Facebook, yard sale websites and Craigslist. He's been in connection with Bike Newton. And he's been praying. There's a Jewish prayer, a Segula, about the opening of one's eyes to see what's been there all along. A relative of his once found a lost family heirloom ring after praying this, so he's hopeful. He needs all the help he can get.

Because, yes, everyone is angry at him — from his family and friends to, most importantly, his wife of 44 years. They got married two years after her father gave her the bike. He's made some mistakes in the marriage, but this is up there.

It was a quick courtship. They knew each other at summer camp and then met again at a friend's wedding two years later. They were engaged six days later.

He describes his wife as a vivacious, caring and giving person.

"She's extremely charitable and hardworking, and she's a very special person," he said. "And often doesn't get the attention or consideration from me that she deserves. And this is a perfect example of that. This is a teaching moment for me to appreciate her more."

She's more than worth this embarrassing quest to find the bike and pay whatever it takes to get it back, he said. His embarrassment is nothing, he said. "It's humiliating for her to have a husband like me that did this."

Finding this bike is about making amends, he said.

"This is about her, making sure she feels whole, and special ... I'm doing everything in my power to get this bicycle back for her and to demonstrate my love and affection for her. This is about her."

If there's a lesson in here for others?

"Think three times before you make a decision that might affect other people. And be focused, don't be distracted," he said.

Sitting outside at his garden table with dog Oogie by his side four days after his huge mistake, his phone buzzes. There are people far and wide sharing his message, including former Sen. John Kerry. He reads some of the texts and posts from friends and strangers, hoping for a lead.

He gasps. "Is this your bike?" he reads aloud. Someone posted a link to a same brand of bike posted on Facebook Marketplace. He looks, sitting up in his chair, alert. It's yellow. It looks just like his wife's. And then he sinks back down. It didn't have the straight handlebars.
He sighs.

"It wasn't intentional, but it happened, and I need to get it back," he said.

What does the bike look like?

It's similar to this, but it's a woman's bike with straight handlebars.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).