Finally Riding An Aventon Cordoba After His Bike Was Stolen

Tyler Richtman went on a 550-mile journey last summer on his Aventon Cordoba after suffering a family tragedy. Starting in San Francisco, he took to the road on his own two legs and found himself in San Clemente 10 days later. This was more than just a bike ride, it was a life-changing experience.

As many of us know, having your bike stolen can feel like someone has ripped away a piece of your soul. It hurts. The pain is real. And it can make some people never want to step back on a bike again. So, when Tyler's situation was brought to our attention, we thought we would do something about it. We sent him a new bike.

When Tyler received his new Aventon Cordoba Complete Bike, he emailed us letting us know how he felt and what his bike meant to him. 

From Tyler himself:

Having a great bike means the world to me because I rely on it for everything.

I put a lot of stress and miles on the bikes I ride, and the quality has to be there. When I did my 550-mile ride this summer, Aventon’s Cordoba kept its composure, when other bikes would have surely broken. When your life means a lot to you and you put in on the line for a bike, that bike is your life.

When my bike was stolen, it felt like a kid kicked me in the nuts and took my lunch money.

Seriously, my bike was my life and love. Even to the point that it would make my girlfriend jealous of how much time I spent riding it or talking about it (or giving it nicknames).

That bike meant the world to me and I wanted to eventually put in on the wall as a trophy. It became so intrinsically valuable to me, after that ride, that I never thought we would be separated.

For it to be stolen out of my own apartment building just made it so much worse and made me feel violated beyond belief. I spent the next week combing the city like I was searching for a lost puppy. So, if that’s not a metaphor for love, I do not know what is.

In the second week of December, I came home to find an Aventon box sitting on my doorstep.

I could try to defend my manhood and say I didn’t scream in a high pitch voice that was so loud my neighbors had to check on me. Or that this watery substance did not start leaking out of my eyes.
But that’s not the truth.

When I came home and saw the bike there…
I yelled…
I screamed…
I cried…

I was so thankful for this gesture, and it truly felt like a dream. I had recently found myself in a rut, after getting my bike stolen, leaving a job, and getting sick, and this made me feel ridiculous for not seeing the beauty in it all.

When you assume the worst of people, things, and situations, that’s exactly what you will get. When you open yourself up to the beauty and positivity in the world, you’ll break that cycle and be surprised with what you find.

And if you are lucky enough to have someone help you out of it (in this case it was Aventon), you thank them and forever be grateful for that.

Pictured on the left is the Aventon Cordoba Tyler rode on his 550-mile trip. On the right is his new Aventon Cordoba.

Be sure to follow Tyler on his journeys @meatwallet. He plans to ride from Vancouver, Canada, to San Francisco, California sometime in the future.