The Thousands

Mottainai is a Japanese term meaning a sense of regret concerning waste when the intrinsic value of an object or resource is not properly utilised. Did I write that? You kidding? That’s some elegant copy straight off the paper sign at the entrance to Cameron Trethowen’s bike shop and repair service. Fittingly, Cameron’s named his workshop Mottainai Cycles and most of the time you’ll find him and a crack team of mechanics pulling apart and reassembling vintage bikes.

But don’t go down here looking for some rickety-dink clump of metal spray painted in yellow with a basket cabled-tied to the front. These may be vintage, but Cameron gives them lots of love and labour-intensive service. He says you should expect to enter a ten to thirty-year relationship with your new set of wheels. Hey, that’s commitment. So think long and hard about your new wheely-counterpart. Again, clairvoyant Cameron is here to help: part of his service is sussing you out and pairing you with a bike he thinks you’ll bond with.