A Bicycle in Good Repair

A man proposes a long bicycle ride. The narrator gets up early and waits; the friend arrives half an hour late and praises the machine.

The narrator agrees to cycle with a friend. He rises early, pleased with himself, and waits in the garden. The friend comes late, grabs the front wheel and shakes the bicycle violently.

The friend claims the front wheel wobbles and demands a hammer. The narrator feels insulted - like someone whacking his dog.

The friend says the wheel wobbles though it does not. The narrator protests that if shaking is needed, he should shake his own bicycle. The friend asks for tools.

The friend twiddles the wheel, declares bearings wrong, and unscrews something before the narrator can stop him.

Sitting with the wheel between his legs, the friend announces the bearings are wrong and unscrews parts until balls roll out on the path.

More pieces come off. The narrator wants to stop but the friend talks as if the machine fell apart by accident.

Each 'repair' adds damage. The narrator suggests putting everything back and leaving, but the friend insists on seeing what is wrong now that it is out.

Tiny balls roll away; the narrator hunts for them while the friend offers cheerful nonsense.

Ball-bearings scatter; the narrator crawls searching for them. The friend's confidence never wavers though the bicycle lies in pieces.

The ride is abandoned. Humour comes from the gap between the friend's confidence and the ruined bicycle.

The long ride never happens. Jerome shows how busy interference can destroy what was working fine.