Possibly the world’s greatest invention was hanging around outside the Concordia New Seasons. Many a passerby may have missed it. I was dumbfounded, yet amused by the object’s existence. Even better, it was for sale.

The “it” in question was a riding push mower, one part bike and another part push powered mower. With no salesperson nearby, there was no way to get an on the spot test drive. I wasn’t going to wait around for someone to come out of the store so I could try the bike out for fun. I was assuming that someone was using this for transportation anyway. Then again, I would have balked at any price, I wasn’t in the market for lawn care equipment, but I had to have pictures.

Almost five years later, discovering those pictures jogged a memory and unleashed more curiosity. Whatever happened to that bike mower? I had the sign in the picture with a phone number to go on. On cardboard, bulleted selling points made a strong case for a buyer. This bike mower could change someone’s life. They could start a business, use it on the naked bike ride or combine a workout with a fresh cut lawn. Beyond those ideas the bike had a cool chopper appeal making it a rolling conversation piece. 

Wondering if the sign’s phone number was still connected to the seller after five years, I sent a text:

This is sure to be the strangest text you get all day but in 2016 this phone number was on a sign selling a riding lawnmower–a bike hooked up to a push mower. I’m a local blogger for the Portland Orbit and I was going to write a blurb about it. Do you remember the riding lawnmower? I saw it outside the Concordia New Seasons. Whatever happened to it? Did you sell it? Thanks and please disregard this if this phone number has changed hands.

The respondent agreed that this was a strange text but provided answers. It was gratifying to hear back and exciting to find out the story was taking me down another rabbit hole. The mower was sold to someone planning to use it as garden art in a flower bed. The contraption had been found “busted up.” The folks at Community Cycling Center where the restoration work must have taken place mentioned that the bike had been built at the Alberta Clown House.

Former Clown House resident Dingo Dizmal confirmed that he had built the bike and was sad when it disappeared but that he was glad it’s still around.

I sent off another text because I wondered if the seller got the full asking price and if it was known where the bike mower ended up. At press time, we actually do try to work off deadlines around here or nothing would ever get posted, I don’t have all the answers but I am grateful for the information I’ve gained. Be on the look out for a bike mower that is the centerpiece of someone’s flower bed. My contact had limited time due to having a newborn baby so it made sense to be respectful.