Life really is one endless fettle.

I'd always wanted a 'stable' of bikes, and with three now in my possession that's probably two more than the average person thinks I need. But what I wasn't quite ready for was the constant attention which having this many bikes entails.

Why is it that they all decide to have an entirely integral part break at the same time? It can just be small things. In the space of one week the cotterpin sheared off and brake cable snapped on the fixie; the brake pads needed replacing on the road bike; and the mountain bike found itself saddleless after a hefty landing bent a rail.

As each ruled itself out of use I moved to the next with a promise to fix the previous at the weekend. And so I end up with a Saturday full of bike repair, as each small job magnifies as you decide to do various other things to each steed.

But I'm back to the availability of a threesome again, although the bottom bracket of the mountain bike is starting to feel iffy. It can only be a matter of time before everything needs to come to pieces again...

.anth