I've got over a dozen. I've got to have a clunker crap heap I can lock up and leave around London without worry of it it being stolen or vandalized.

I've got to have a MTB for riding off road and in snow.

But the rest of them are all basically the same, road bikes from the 80's and 90's with cool paint jobs that I buy as a frame and then build up. I really enjoy the thrill of sourcing each and every part and turning a pile of parts into a functioning and beautiful thing. This makes each bike bespoke and unique. And then there was the 'I've never ridden a carbon or ti bike, lets try one of those....'

Buying a new off the shelf bike to me seems like missing out on half the fun of a new build project. Also new bikes are ridiculously expensive these days, and to be honest I find modern bikes look a bit boring, samey, soulless and lacking in character, so building up something unique for a lot less money is a no brainer for me. I don't think I'll ever buy a new bike again.

So every year I like to have new project to work on. Maybe as a result of the extra time and effort I put into building a bike I get more sentimental than if I'd just gone into a shop and bought one. And after riding it and having experienced great rides together I definitely develop an attachment, so getting it rid of it after all that seems like selling one of your own children.

I find a new project and bike tinkering is therapeutic, and 100% helped my mental health during the covid lockdowns. I have an addictive and slightly obsessive personality, so of all the vices that could have gripped me, I feel bikes is definitely one of the healthiest options out there, so I am in a happy place.

However I am now at critical mass, there is no more room at the Inn, my small apartment is full of bikes so I cannot take on any more projects until there are some outgoings, its going to be an emotional wrench but some of the children are going to have to be put up for adoption.