Local bike builder Ben Farver of Argonaut Cycles has been on top of the world lately. He just returned from a very successful trip to the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in North Carolina where he won two awards, including Best in Show.
But now his luck has turned.
Ben just emailed to tell us that sometime in the last 24 hours his personal bike — a prototype of his disc-brake equipped road bike — was stolen from his garage in inner northeast Portland. The bike was equipped with Shimaon’s “Di2” electronic shifting system and “all the bells and whistles” that has helped Ben’s bikes become some of the most talked about rigs in the industry.
Ben said the bike was in a detached garage in his backyard and the door was not locked. “They [the thieves] must have opened the door, seen the most blingy/easiest to access bike, and took that one.” (Note: We hear about this type of theft quite often. Unlocked garages are very easy targets!)
Ben has notified the police about the theft.
Keep your eyes peeled and please call the PPB non-emergency line at (503) 823-3333 or email Ben at contact [at] argonautcycles.com with any information.
NOTE, 3:06 pm: The original version of this story included a value estimate of the bicycle. We’ve removed that fact at the request of Ben Farver.