Monday, January 25, 2010

THE LEGEND OF BICYCLE BOB.

Imagine this picture at the bottom of the post. or somewhere creative throughout the blog. I'm technologically challenged some days... split personalities..

I know I posted something very recently… but that was because nick made me.. The tale I am about to tell I have taken upon myself as my civil duty and responsibility to pass on to the generations of loiterers. The Legend of Bicycle Bob. He’s the solo bum of the Latrobe Pennsylvania area. He’s FAMOUS. His autograph would sell on Ebay for enough money to pay for college. And im not even talking about BYU. Even a REAL college. Too bad I don’t think he writes… anyways every child growing up in Latrobe hears of Bicycle Bob.. then one day all the kids rush to one side of the bus nearly tipping the piece of crap over smushing their faces up against the windows just so they can get their mental picture of… yes.. Bicycle Boob. Nobody knows exactly where he came from but legend has it his parents are filthy rich and he chooses to live.. well in such a way…My first encounter with him he was walking around a fire in the middle of the field drinking milk out of the carton.. this was one of the smushing ur face up against the bus window moments… I was young.. Senior year I got my CLOSEST encounter with him. There I am sitting at the table by the window in ceramics class probably working on my moms Christmas present when all of a sudden! Bicycle Bob himself! rolls up on his bicycle.. he was smoking.. something.. and he looked in the window then rode as fast as he could (well maybe he could go faster but it was pretty dang fast) down the row of windows and around the circle in the parking lot then he was gone. It all happened so fast.. like a dream. Now this encounter was after he had made a large break through. The word was all over town.. Bicycle Bob went MOTOR. He no longer peddled his ancient bike around but he had a MOTOR BIKE. Not a motorcycle… a MOTOR BIKE. Good thing he didn’t switch to a scooter… the legend of Bicycle Bob would be… well It would lack the ring it has… There most definitely is something wrong with the man… he grunts.. and walks into eat’n park and pours his ice cream on the table so he can eat it with his hands. He’s seen talking on pay phones.. but most likely to himself. The Legend goes that his sightings around town are in between his frequent nights in jail… but he always gets out… and is then seen again. Maybe his rich parents bail him out. Is it possible to be banned from a town? If so theres talk he’s been banned from Ligioneer.. a neighboring town of Latrobe. There's even a facebook group for this man with 2000 fans! Id give you the link but then you'd see I stole this picture from it and that would be embarrassing… and a little sketch. I am not currently residing in Latrobe anymore… but I am sure that THE LEGEND OF BICYCE BOB LIVES ON. And I think all sightings of him need to be documented. I will now quote some version of Eragon.. or the Sandlot.. either way HEROS GET REMEMBERED BUT LEGENDS NEVER DIE.
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7 comments:

  1. KimberlyJanuary 26, 2010 at 2:00 PM

    I love this! This is true. I have had a close encounter with Bob and couldn't help but stare. The legend lives on! :) :) :)


    and btw you wrote bicycle boob, which made me laugh :) haha and wrote bicyce/

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  2. NicoleJanuary 27, 2010 at 10:38 AM

    i ment to write bicyle boob. thats why it wasnt in bold ;)

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  3. Jessica V.April 15, 2021 at 4:18 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. Jessica V.April 15, 2021 at 6:11 PM

    He's still around in 2021...in fact the police were just searching for him today because he hadn't been seen since Monday. They found him behind the latrobe 30 plaza in a wooded area. They (took him to the hospital for evaluation. The tribune review cited this blog post in their article, which is how I found this post lol.

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  5. Cindy PApril 17, 2021 at 11:58 AM

    In the summer of 2019, I was gambling at The Newstand in the plaza, and in walked Bicycle Bob! It was my first encounter with him and I was so excited, as I was inconspicuously taking photos of the man, the myth, the legend. Even better...he was making copies...because he was running for President. Not just any run of the mill President...President of the United States! I still have a photo of his campaign flyer. In case he won, I figured it would be worth a lot of money.

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  6. Sherry HainleyJuly 10, 2025 at 7:45 PM

    Bicycle Bob may be a source of amusement and wonder to you, but he is my cousin, and I love him. He was struck with schizophrenia in his early adult years. Since that time he has been almost entirely lost to our family. This is a source of heartache and worry for my Aunt, his mother, and his siblings. Real people exist behind this story, mourning the loss of the brother,3 son, cousin they knew, and wondering what had become of our loved one. I have hugged my cousin Bobby twice in the last 40 years. Once when he approached me in public, and I had no idea who he was until he smiled and ssa

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  7. Sherry HainleyJuly 10, 2025 at 7:55 PM

    Said my name. He was nearly unrecognizable, but his smile and voice never changed. The second time I hugged my cousin, he had made his way home to his mother's for Christmas. She welcomed him with opened arms, offered for him to stay with her and get treatment. He disappeared without saying goodbye. That was about 40 years ago. His parents aren't rich people. His father is dead, his mother still misses him, worries about him, but has accepted that he doesn't want to be with his family. Unlike many homeless people, Bobby has people who were willing to help and who love him. People love him, and the state of his life is the source of great heartache for his family. But, go ahead and put pen to paper if it makes you feel good about yourself. Just don't forget the human hearts that are broken and the losses suffered because of Bobby's illness. And, for duck's sake, educate your ignorant self on mental illness. It's not something to point and laugh about.

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