My new bike

My new bike is giving me considerable pleasure. It is lighter than the old one. The chain and gears run more smoothly. I luxuriate in the front-fork shock absorption when going downhill over bumpy urban roads and even speed humps. The hydraulic disc brakes are easier on my wrists.

From this, incidentally, you can deduce why D considers it to be such an extravagance. Even so, when we went for a ride together yesterday and he took a turn on it, he did acknowledge its superiority to the old bike.

I have also purchased a bright new set of LED lights. I particularly like the pattern emitted by the rear light, which has two light-emitting elements: a ring which flashes frequently and a bright inner core [tautology?] which pulses more intermittently. I need these lights because I commonly ride home after dark. Indeed, in winter, anyone with an office job would be hard-put not to do so.

Which is why I am particularly unimpressed by the manufacturer’s “warning” transfer affixed to the top tube [emphasis added]:

ALWAYS WEAR
YOUR HELMET
DO NOT RIDE AT
NIGHT,READ YOUR
OWNERS MANUAL

As an attempt to limit liability, the italicised portion strikes me as either ridiculous or ineffective.