Bike touring entropy

I have been on the road over six weeks and spend some of my time repairing things that have deteriorated or broken en route. These can be small things like stitching up holes or repairing the inevitable puncture or larger repairs such as replacing broken tent poles or patching up body parts after a minor accident. You are reliant on the equipment you have, including keeping your body well fed and suitably rested, to get to the next destination and road side repairs are the norm rather than the exception. 

This makes staying with a host, especially Warmshowers, invaluable, as they tend to be more practically minded and have more specialised tools to hand. Also a special shout out to Decathlon, once again, as they have saved me a lot of stress on this bike tour. 

The list of larger repairs to do once I reach home grows longer by the day - replacing bike parts, upgrading equipment, etc. Doing the repairs and bodges (as the French say "la bricolage") keeps the entropy creep somewhat at bay and is a skill that could be tiresome or frustrating to some, but is essential for those wanting to do longer tours on a reasonable budget.