My Crashes

My bike, it appears, is cursed.

I have been biking to work for about a year and a half now, the last half on a new (cheap) bike.  Strangely, I crashed, through none of my fault, twice in the last month.  The first time, I for whatever reason lost all brakes that were fine moments earlier.  I was on a slight decline, and I deliberately crashed myself on the sidewalk to avoid flying past a busy intersection.  (Note to self: You can probably slow yourself down using shod feet as brakes.)  The second, which happened last week, was scarier: the front tire just blew out without provocation.  A piece of metal was stripped off the rim--it's crazy.  I had no idea a bike tire had enough pressure to actually cut metal.

I skinned knees both times, but the crashes have made me wary.  Not of biking in general, but of this bike in particular.  Skinned knees aren't too bad, but I don't think I want to find out what would happen on a third crash.  I think it will be walk-and-train until I can afford to buy a new, perhaps better quality bike; long story, but I'm broke at the moment.  It's winter anyway, and the weather has been alternately cool or freezing.  I only wish the sun would come out more often.