Having seen your ‘Picture of the Day’ for the 9 May, I felt I had to tell your website readers of my own bicycle problems.

A couple of weeks ago I went to collect my bicycle which I had, so I had thought, safely parked and locked and was out of harms way on a city centre street. However, unfortunately for me, the closer that I got to the bike the clearer it was that its back wheel had crumpled under the weight of what I can only presume to have been a collision with a car bumper.

Was there a note of apology from the driver admitting their, er, error? No, of course not.

So, thinking that the bike could still be used once the wheel had been replaced, I took it to a repair shop to have everything fixed. That night, new wheel and all, I put it to bed out on the street near my home, securing it safely as I normally did, by lock and chain around a tree close by.

The next morning, when I went to collect my bike, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry - the bike had completely disappeared from view! Someone had actually cut the tree in half in order to steal the bike!! I was amazed that someone would go to all that trouble.

Anyway, after reporting matters to the local police I decided to put it down to experience and to forget about it - until yesterday that is, when I actually spotted my bike in the passage way of a building. It’s definitely my bike - they’re using the lock of mine I used for the saddle (I have an extra key), though they’ve secured the bike themselves using their own lock.

I’ll let you know if I can drum up the nerve to confront the new ‘owner’ or whether I decide to simply steal it back from the tree assassin!

:: UPDATE :: 13/05/05
Mr Fidalgo has been in contact today to say that ... he has reclaimed ownership of his bike by stealing it back! [BR]