I’ve had my bike (a Trek full-suspension mountain bike) for around 20 years. Today, it died: one of the clips holding a gear cable in place snapped off, leaving a great big hole in the frame. Without realizing the extent of the damage, I took it to the bike shop. The mechanic there said it wasn’t worth repairing because — even were a repair possible — once the integrity of the frame has been compromised, the whole frame could collapse at any moment. It was a sign: time to move on. Now I need to look around for a new bike.

Postcript: I took my bike from the storage area where it’s kept to the garbage collection area. Just moving the bike that short distance was enough to crack the frame completely. A close escape.