A prototype folding bike built by famed builder Len Rubin was stolen from his yard in the Sellwood neighborhood Saturday night (it was unlocked). Rubin is something of a cult figure in the bike industry and he told me today that he has spent “years and a fortune” tweaking and refining this bike and that he and his family are devastated by its loss.
Flyers posted throughout the neighborhood read:
“Our titanium folding bike prototype — the foundation of our future business and life here in Portland — was stolen. THIS IS A FAMILY’S LIVELIHOOD – PLEASE HELP.”
Rubin has dedicated much of his life to creating the ultimate folding bike. He was impressed with the Brompton, and after getting the blessing from Brompton founder Andrew Ritchie to clone his design, Rubin went to work refining and perfecting it. His vision was to make a super lightweight and compact “magical bike” that would be the “missing link” for multimodal transportation.
“It’s like someone stole the Mona Lisa.”
Keep your eyes peeled for this bike. It means a lot to the Rubin family. Here’s the stolen bike listing for more details. If you see it, please call (503) 702-2708.
UPDATE: Check out more coverage from local paper, The Bee: SE bike theft has very high cost to victim