Not that much cash, but an interesting story
I first started riding a bike a year or so ago (I'm 18 - a bit late I know, but never mind). It was a rickety old affair - a bright yellow Apollo I bought for £30 off a mate. Anyhow, I was getting into my cycling and so I decided that the time had come for a better rig - something with a bit of suspension, maybe some nice brakes. So I began to save up. A couple of months later (Christmas helped me along nicely) I had a nice bit of cash stashed safely in the inconspicous little pot above my computer, and the time had come to pay it in. The bank isn't too far to walk from my house, but by this time I'd become addicted to cycling - and besides, I figured I'd be able to outpace any would-be assailants along the way.
So as I set off, I heard a rhythmic "bumping" sound. I didn't think much of it, as my old bike quite frequently made strange noises. Trouble was, as I headed down the hill towards the bank, it got louder. Soon, I started to actually feel it through the pedals - I risked a glance over my shoulder to see what was up but didn't notice anything strange.

And then the tyre exploded. Turned out it had been bulging out rubbing against the brake - both the tyre and the brake pad had completely worn away, leaving a convenient bit of wheel metal to get tangled with the remainder of the break block and totally lock everything up. I went into a hefty skid, and came to a halt after about 10 metres. I had to abandon the bike (I think I somehow locked it to a tree) and walk the rest of the way... fortunately, I made it to the bank without getting mugged.

The dead Apollo's still in my back garden. I'm waiting to see how vibrant a shade of orange its chain will turn.

The bike I bought with the money got stolen from its shed. I'm now riding a £500 beauty I got on insurance.

I apologise for nothing!
( Albert the Mildly Deranged purveyors of nothing much since a year or two ago, Thu 22 Jun 2006, 22:45, Reply)