Take the ring - but not my bike!

October 2008's Bicycling had a letter about the title of this blog. Rather than giving the letter to the Style Man, they announced it as letter of the month and gave her a new set of Park Tools. As I think this should have gone to Style Man, I'll answer it as best as I can in the same style below.

Original letter:

Take the Ring - but not my bike!

My fiance of nine months asked for the ring back after a minor argument. A week later he asked for reconciliation. I said no - so he took back the Cannondale Synapse he bought for me. I loved that bike! I miss that bike! What's his next girlfriend going to think about receiving a bike used by his previous girlfriend? Is it just me or is this guy an ass?

Lia Ruggiero, Grand Junction, CO

Your boyfriend broke the cardinal rule, which is "Never buy your girlfriend a bike. Buy your wife a nice bike, but NEVER buy your girlfriend a bike", many a man have fallen in to this same trap and been left with the decision of leaving their ex with a damn expensive bike or snatching it and selling it for beer money. Further complicating the matter is the fact that most guys give their girlfriends bikes out of the blue while still having the pain of seeking out gifts for Christmas, Valentine's, your birthday, the anniversary of your first date, your cat's annual vaccination date, etc.

But I digress, the fact that he broke the rule, one can assume he either didn't know the rule or decided the two of you were going to make it long-term. Skirting the lines of assumption again, he bought it for you so that you could ride with him and enjoy the sport that he loves, not so that you could pursue it as a lifelong sport in the case of leaving him, he is selfish. I assume you yourself are over the loss of the hopes and dreams of the fiance and have moved on to the mourning of the loss of a bike?

As for the question about what his next girlfriend will think about the bike, my guess is he will be using ebay to recoup some of his losses for money to blow on alcohol in which to drown his sorrows.

Now that we've got that settled, does this mean you are on the rebound and single?