Have you ever bought cycling gear online after a few sherbets when, had you been sober, you wouldn’t even have considered purchasing it?

Well, that’s the explanation road.cc reader Matthew Abbott gives for a piece of kit one of his mates bought and brought on a group ride in Brighton earlier this week.

The item in question? An electric assist front wheel called a GeoOrbital, brought to market via Kickstarter.

“I think my mate was drunk when he bought it,” says Matthew.

“Solid wheel lasts for 20 miles goes 20 mph, worst £800 ever spent, he took it out last night in our club ride Brighton NoVelo cc, he ended up getting the train home as it run out of juice.”

Kickstarter wasn’t around in the days of Ancient Rome, but the term caveat emptor clearly applies just as much as it did then.

There was one upside, however, as Matthew explained, referring to a local 1-mile climb with an average gradient of 8 per cent: “He flew up Steyning Bostal.”

Matthew didn’t reveal his friend’s name, which is probably a good thing … because as we pointed out when we featured GeoOrbital last year on our sister site eBikeTips.co.uk, it isn’t actually street legal in the UK.

> Power assist front wheel smashes Kickstarter target – but best read the small print

We’re sure his mate can’t be the only person who has made an ill-judged online purchase while under the influence (we certainly have) so let’s hear your stories in the comments below.