Last week I was fixing up an old Raleigh with cottered cranks. I must have spent two hours searching my shed for old cotter pins, which I knew were there somewhere, finding suitable nuts, and trying all combinations of them out in a vain attempt to get the cranks to lie in a straight line.

Eventually, and very reluctantly, I walked down to the LBS and spent £1.50 on two new pins.

Please don't ask me to to make a big decision like buying an extra helmet.