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@Dammit
Like most children I wanted a BMX, this however did not square with my parents budget.
Being loving parents my grandfather was despatched with a brief to construct something that could, in a bad light whilst squinting, be considered to be one.
Thus it came to pass that on my birthday I was presented with a Raleigh Grifter that had been painted blue, had glittery "BMX" stickers applied, and came complete with top tube and handlebar protectors (in a fetching black and yellow check pattern).
The only difference between this mean machine and a BMX was a) it's orbit affecting weight b) it's looks, and c) the way that it rode.
That I was not allowed to ride it over "weak" bridges made up for the lack of style only slightly.
Those of you on the forum who shared in the joy that a Grifter brings may remember two things- both of which led to my "off".
1) It could get up to quite a speed if you tried for long enough.
2) The rear brake cable was fully sheathed, and was attached to the frame not with braze ons, but with a small metal clip.
Scene: happy child sprinting along the road on his trusty 4,526,921lb steed, out of the saddle and going for it.
The already loose clip that restrained the brake cable pings off.
With the wind of freedom rushing past the brake cable swings free.
The pedal hits the brake cable.
Previously unimaginable retardation occurs, a 30 foot skid follows.
Sadly only about the first fifteen feet were on the bike- my right leg was pretty much flayed.
I spent rather a long time in casualty and ended up having my leg mummified, with the instruction that I would have to go to the school Secretary every lunch time so that she could undress my leg, then use long tweezers to pull the bits of gravel that had risen to the surface out of my leg.
Imagine the shame- the horror!
I was nine and had to take my trousers off in front of Mrs Humphries every day for week after week...
This story came back to me when I bought my Klein- the rear brake cable run was internal. And it was blue.