Marriage is a wonderful invention: then again, so is a bicycle repair kit.

Connolly’s joke deflates romantic solemnity by treating “marriage” as merely one more human contrivance—useful, sometimes admirable, but not sacred. By pairing it with a bicycle repair kit, he shifts the frame from destiny and passion to practicality and maintenance: both are “wonderful inventions” insofar as they solve problems, yet neither guarantees happiness or smooth travel. The humor comes from the abrupt mismatch in scale (a life institution vs. a small tool) and from the implied analogy that marriage, like cycling, involves breakdowns and requires ongoing repair. The line typifies Connolly’s stand-up persona: affectionate about human foibles while skeptical of grand claims.