A friend of mine got a bike of the Tower Hamlets Wheelers, it was built up from donated and recycled parts and they only charged him £10, which was for the brand new brake pads. So my friend enjoys the bike for a few weeks. Lovely guy. Anyways, one day he locks his bike up in front of his flat, 3 floors up and behind a communal security door downstairs and then locks it up. He went out for a few drinks and when he came back found that someone had nicked his seat, bottle cage and rack. My friend wasn't too bothered, after all it cost him a tenner and he's from the belief that you don't own bikes, they are lent to you by the Bicycle Karma Gods.Anyways he couldn't keep the bike indoors due to space, and he was due to go for a weekend away and was worried that the person might come back to pillage more parts. But he trusted the powers and decided to chance it and remove the brake blocks which had cost him, and hence the bike was "free". He left on the Friday night and came back on the sunday and found his bike gone Saddened he asked around and it seemed to disappear around 10am on Saturday.Later that night he went to a party and met some old friends, inevitably the subject came up and the friend perked up and asked what the bike looked like. Aged, black with worn yellow writing on the frame. The friend burst out laughing saying she'd seen it. "Where?!" He asked. "The big junction in Stepney at 10.30 on Saturday". She then explained the thief was carried away in an ambulance having been hit by a fast moving car when he was unable to stop going into the junction full pelt. Puzzled at first, he then realised he'd removed the brake blocks and smiled.That's karma.
