1 bike? Could you do it?

[murphyjrfk]

Suppose the title says it all. But I've been a thinking about going down to 1---not a big step down cause I normally only have two three tops o' working bikes anyways. And the overlap is out of control. How many 26" touring bikes does one fellow need deal. But I love what I love I guess.

One bike? Could ya do it and what would it be?

[Kenneth Stagg]

Does that include the tandem?  If not, that's where I am right now.  One bike - my Mariposa randonneuse.  The only time I think of having another is to sometimes wish I had an identical bike that I wouldn't mind subjecting to road salt.

-Ken

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013, murphyjrfk wrote:

Suppose the title says it all. But I've been a thinking about going down to 1---not a big step down cause I normally only have two three tops o' working bikes anyways. And the overlap is out of control. How many 26" touring bikes does one fellow need deal. But I love what I love I guess.

One bike? Could ya do it and what would it be?

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[René Sterental]

If I was forced... I'd probably end up just keeping the Atlantis... Based on my current riding and needs. 

René  

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[Kelly]

I wouldn't give up any of my bikes at this point. If I had to live with one....

68 cm Atlantis (note the one bike I still haven't found).

So second choice would be the AHH.. It would be first choice if I didn't tour as much.

In reality the Bombadil would do it all... I just don't like the amount of seat post showing..

So Atlantis as it will cover bother the AHH and Bombadil roles ..

I think that is my answer ... Glad I don't have to make that choice.

Kelly

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

Sure, I'd consider going down to one. The Pugsley. Um, wait, the Disc Trucker. But the Goodrich tourer is so pretty, I'd want to keep that. And the Brompton and the tandem don't count. But I put more miles on the Cross-Check last year than all the rest...

[Jan Heine]

For me, a single bike would have to combine the ultimate performance
(like the best racing bike) with the ability to ride anytime, in any
weather, and carry a load. A 650B randonneur bike, made from
superlight tubing for optimum performance, and with a removable low-
rider rack on the front, could do it. The load on the front doesn't
require a stouter frame, so you wouldn't lose performance over a
racing bike.

As it is, most of my riding is on two bikes. I have a dedicated Urban
Bike, because I do have to carry large boxes of books and magazines
around town. The two bikes I ride most of the time are described here:

http://janheine.wordpress.com/2012/10/30/how-many-bikes-do-i-need/

For recreational and general transportation use, one bike would be
quite feasible. In fact, since I prefer to focus on the ride rather
than the bike, I don't really see the need to own several similar
bikes that fill the same purpose. Given a choice, I'd prefer one truly
awesome bike over a bunch of just nice ones.

Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
www.bikequarterly.com

Follow our blog at http://janheine.wordpress.com/

[Peter Morgano]

Then what would my wife complain about?

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[Addison Wilhite]

It's funny.  I have a bunch of options in my stable that are fun and have loads of practical applications.  But honestly, the most fun bike to ride that I own is my custom Della Santa that can't even take a 28 width tire, has no braze-ons for a rack or whatever.  But every time I go for a ride on that bike I feel like I'm Paolo Bettini.  The bike is a dialed in 17 pound wonder.  It would be hard not to choose that bike as THE ONE.

 No logic to it...

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[Mike]

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013 6:48:04 PM UTC-8, murphyjrfk wrote:

Suppose the title says it all. But I've been a thinking about going down to 1---not a big step down cause I normally only have two three tops o' working bikes anyways. And the overlap is out of control. How many 26" touring bikes does one fellow need deal. But I love what I love I guess.

One bike? Could ya do it and what would it be?

I come back to this frequently. I sometimes can't help but think I might be better off with two bikes--a beater for errands and commuting and a nicer all-road machine. I'm at five bikes now, one of which is a cargo bike and I don't drive. I've never been a driver so I use that to justify the number of bikes. Still, I could probably do just fine with my LHT and my Hilsen but I've just sorta wound up at 5. And there's quite a bit of overlap. My LHT is my go to bike. it's just the most versatile and comfortable with it's 48cm Noodles and 40mm tires. But like you say "I love what I love." The only gear intensive "hobby" or activity I have is cycling and all the bikes get used. I do like having a single speed with upright bars for commuting in foul weather and simple runs to the store. I have a feeling I'll be back down to 4 bikes by the end of the year. We'll see.

--mike 

[Steve Palincsar]

On Tue, 2013-01-22 at 19:10 -0800, Jan Heine wrote:
> For recreational and general transportation use, one bike would be
> quite feasible. In fact, since I prefer to focus on the ride rather
> than the bike, I don't really see the need to own several similar
> bikes that fill the same purpose. Given a choice, I'd prefer one truly
> awesome bike over a bunch of just nice ones.

Great, right up to the moment something fails, you need a part, and the
bike goes on deadline.

I think that even if you're Jan and you have a bike parts company, there
are still going to be times when you have to order a part, or when you
have to take the bike down to the shop and they tell you it'll be a week
to ten days.

At that point, it's great to have at least two bikes!

[murphyjrfk]

I love this group. Always the best answers.  Jan I think you are on to something on with one super nice.  Never thought how it would make the wife happy.  Funny thing is she has given me a bike limit and a while ago I tried to surpass it by giving her one of my bikes--we are the same height.  She didn't buy my scheme--she  has a Townie and that's all she wants--so I lost that battle.  The one bike decision is tough.  Maybe sell them all save and finally buy that AHH I've drolled over for years...or maybe even the San Marcos... I hope the 1 bike decision doesn't turn into one more...and what's the general rule with writing numerals? I'm sure Grant knows. Oh and Jim, your stable is enviable...except that it's missing a Troll:)

 

 

[Kelly]

I'm blessed with four super nice bikes that always make me smile... Having more than one does not mean skimping to me.

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

I did have a Troll and rode it a lot. Maybe I'll get another, but now I'm considering an Ogre. Anybody want to buy one of the others?

You guys and your wife-imposed bike limits! I've gone wife-free and now only my warped sense of guilt over little-ridden bikes causes me to limit further acquisition. Money, too, but there's always a way.

[murphyjrfk]

Jim that's perfect. I follow your blog- good stuff- so I knew about the troll. The wife thing well- I've only ever been afraid of one persons wrath- hers. And I say yes to the Ogre. For all of us who can't!

[Manuel Acosta]

Wait. You can have more then one bike?!

Now I'm going to save up for a Roadeo.

[Tim McNamara]

Yes, if I chose well. But I like having three bikes. If I did pick one, from the practical perspective it would be my All-Rounder.

Tim

On Jan 22, 2013, at 8:48 PM, murphyjrfk <murph...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Suppose the title says it all. But I've been a thinking about going down to 1---not a big step down cause I normally only have two three tops o' working bikes anyways. And the overlap is out of control. How many 26" touring bikes does one fellow need deal. But I love what I love I guess.
>
> One bike? Could ya do it and what would it be?
>

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[Ryan Ray]

I do. I have just my Ram with a Camper Longflap on the back. I use it for everything.

I think having only 1 bike is a bad idea though. When mine is out (usually because I'm messing with it) life really sucks. I like Jan's setup and will likely add a city/kid-hauler soon.

- Ryan

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013 6:48:04 PM UTC-8, murphyjrfk wrote:

[Michael]

Yes, but always want 2 in case one is down for repairs.
At this point, I don't know what the one would be.
Some kinda Rivendell road bike with plenty of eyelets and braze ons, I guess.

[Joe K]

Since I was in my 20's (now in my 60's) I was used to having only one
bike. So when I ordered the custom Riv, it was with the idea that it
had to be an "everything" bike -- general riding, credit card touring,
occasional club rides, light shopping, all on pavement. It hadn't
occurred to me (believe it or not) that one should have different
bikes for different styles of terrain or riding! I just wanted a
superfine steel road bike.

Though, for the past five years, I've also had a beater, an old
Univega bought at Recycle-a-Bicycle for a measly $250. It's my
winter, road salt, grocery store bike. It's set up to about the same
"contact triangle" dimensions as the Riv.

Joe

[Mike Schiller]

I've been struggling with this recently trying to keep it at 4 when I almost have 6 (one on order). Seems like you have to have at least a beater/commuter and your main "good" bike. But any real touring means you need a touring bike. That's 3...and for me I have to have a real MTB with front shock and hydraulic discs... so 4.  Now I just have to decide what to sell.  

~mike

[William]

I'm at 6, plus a tandem.  Add to that a Betty frame that I've ordered plus another light 650B road bike.  That makes 8 (!?)  I could live without the tandem, but ask me again when my kids are tall enough to stoke. 

The Hilsen does nearly everything that I currently do on bikes.  So if I had to live with one, that would be the one, and I wouldn't lose much. 

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013 6:48:04 PM UTC-8, murphyjrfk wrote:

[Robert Harrison]

I have four bikes on Oahu, one in Hilo (for visits).

62cm Hunqapillar

66cm Quickbeam

Bike Friday New World Tourist

Re-re-re-built ATB from a local store that I've had forever and keep changing

In Hilo I've got a Bridgestone RB-1

Could I get by with one bike…I suppose so. It'd have to be the Bike Friday though as that's the one that goes to the mainland with me when I travel and…well…I don't want to stop riding on the mainland or have to deal with the costs of shipping a regular bike.

If I could keep the BF and could have another bike that didn't travel I think I could get by with just the Hunq. Not that I want to get by with just the Hunq but it's the one that covers all the bases.

Having said that, I really do need at least two bikes as I don't own a car if a bike breaks down I need a backup to get around on to get the parts to fix the other one. This has a happened more than once.

In fact today I was running around on one bike getting bits and pieces for another. Nothing was wrong though, just swapping cockpits out and putting in new brake cable, etc.

Aloha,

Bob

-- 

Robert Harrison

Honolulu, HI

statrix.com

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 4:48 PM, murphyjrfk wrote:

Suppose the title says it all. But I've been a thinking about going down to 1---not a big step down cause I normally only have two three tops o' working bikes anyways. And the overlap is out of control. How many 26" touring bikes does one fellow need deal. But I love what I love I guess.

One bike? Could ya do it and what would it be?

[Scot Brooks]

Now that I've hit the sweet spot with my Soma Double Cross, yeah I could. It feels even better than the Sam these days.

[Paul Y]

Gosh, life would be a lot simpler if circumstances forced me to have just one bike. This "ideal" has been a mirage that I unconsciously wander towards but never quite arrive at. I'm down to 2 now, but a 3rd on the way, with plans to sell off 1 in later future... but the mind tends to keep wanting!

If supernatural forces held me to just having one bike, then it'd be my Sam now, and if I could choose from scratch, cost not an issue (which it shouldn't be if reducing the stable to ONE bike!), maybe a custom steel mountain bike, fully rigid, massive clearances. 

[Brian Hanson]

I will have to stick with the Hilsen when I have to go to one bike.  I find myself really enjoying Homer these days in its lightish rando format.  So much so that I keep moving my Hunqa more toward the same layout.  It has been shedding weight since I originally built it up, and the cockpits and fit are now about the same.  I'm even going to swap in the Hilsen wheels to see if it will ever get close.  I really feel the difference between the two bikes on my daily commute.  I want to put this on the weight and stiffer tires - Duremes vs. Jack Brown Greens, and the heavy lock vs. light cable, or perhaps the 175mm 158mm Q cranks compared to the 171mm 143mm Q Herse cranks on the Hilsen.   That being the case, a wheel change will be a quick experiment.  I'm pretty sensitive to tire differences (Gran Bois Cypres are sublime, with Big Apples on the other end of the spectrum for me), and I'm also starting to notice crank length and tread, as well.  Those are the more expensive things to test.  Let the fun begin!

Brian

Seattle, wa

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[Philip Williamson]

Could I hang a bike or two on the wall and not count it? My first thought was "no," but I could cut back to just the Quickbeam, if I got the gears straightened out again to have two to three manual change fixed gears. I like pulling bikes apart and fooling with them, which usually means I need a largely-convergent backup. If it was an all-new bike, it would probably be a monster cross of some ilk. Geared, maybe.
I have another cheater answer - what if I just had me bike *at a time?* So I sell my bikes and buy a Gryphon, ride it for a few months, then buy a Roadeo, sell the Roadeo and buy a Jones spaceframe, ad delirium... That actually sounds really fun, but is completely at odds with my personality.

Philip
www.biketinker.com

[Philip Williamson]

That's another question... If I only had one bike, would I choose the practical one? If you could start from zero and have any bike as your only bike, would it be a practical one? It's insured and price is no object...

Philip (ees waffer theen...)
www.biketinker.com

[Marc Irwin]

If I had to go down to 1 it would be the Hilborne.

Marc

[Trevor saxton]

Interesting post as I have been rolling this over in my mind over the past month or so,

Realistically I'll always have at least 2 bikes, one is a my refurbished 80s Bianchi which used to be my wife's has too much sentimental value to give up, I only use it for charity rides and has limited use beyond that. But I have found myself wondering if I could somehow roll up my Simplone, Hillborne (650b) and vo PolyValent into one awesome bike.

Here's a couple of options I have come up with...

A custom lightish 650b which could take some weight, running a 1x9 drivetrain with the option to go single speed, single color with limited decals for leaving locked up outside....kind of a high end PolyValent...OR maybe a 650b quickbeam with 132.5 spacing running 42/32 upfront and a the option to run a 6spd freewheel which could be manually shifted across multiple gears.

With either frame I could tinker until my hearts content.

[Eric Platt]

Not sure I could get down to only one.  Have thought about it with my Cross Check.  Then have a second wheelset for when I want to ride single speed.  But then I want the fatter tires that are on my LHT. 

 

A 61cm Atlantis would probably be able to cover it all for me.  But then I'd feel really guilty riding it in winter and getting it covered in salt.  Even with fenders.  So then would end up getting a Cross Check or similar bike as a beater and then am back on the multiple bike wagon.

 

As it is, have been contemplating adding yet another bike to the stable, a blue 60cm Sam Hillborne.  Hmm.

 

Eric Platt

St. Paul, MN

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[Lyle Bogart]

An interesting thread. . . 

I've an Atlantis which is almost The Perfect Bike for me and I've also an early fixed-gear-only version of a Rawland Drakkar. If the Atlantis had the capacity to become a fixed gear with a simple swap o' the wheel it would be The Perfect Bike. . . perhaps I should have the Atlantis modified with horizontal drop outs. . . 

Cheers!

lyle   

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156 bradford rd

wiscasset, me 04578

207.882.6494

206.794.6937

[shawn]

I have a Roadeo and an Atlantis, but If I could only have one bike it would most definitely be the Atlantis. "You can do anything on an Atlantis. Because you can."

[Pondero]

I always love these kinds of discussions.  I think it allows for a window into the soul of my friends.

For those of you who might not have seen this, a blog author has proposed an interesting mental exercise somewhat aligned with this topic...

http://singularitas.org/2013/01/15/the-crossover/

I've been planning to post a response to his proposal on my blog, making case for my Quickbeam and a quiver of wheels.  But I've been (hypocritically) too busy building up my second AHH.

[murphyjrfk]

These conversations are the best. Bits o envy always pop up when I see some of these other bikes. I'm going to try it though...my one bike is going to be a surly troll. I bought it at the end o last year really cause it was orange and could take big ol fatties. But mostly because it was orange. I put drops on it and its been perfect. It's a tank and I don't care. Plus I figure a spare 700c wheelset and I have 2 bikes.

What's a year w one bike anyways. Probably put some things into perspective.

And I might get lucky and a small ahh or Rambo or bleriot pops up for sale.

[numbnuts]

Hey All,

I have long tried to get to one, but have not, since the mid 80's. In the wonderful collection of characters I know from riding there are several who seem to live with one consistently. The one who comes first to mind, for reasons unrelated, rides a Yeti MTB. He alternates between 700s with skinny tires and 26" with fat tires. Sometimes he shows up for a MTB ride on the skinny tires and still woops on everyone else. He is 6' 2" and about 180 lbs. with tens of years experience and no car for as long back as anyone can remember. There is a lesson in there somewhere, I think.

On a side note. This last Thanksgiving, this same fella wanted to go visit his family in Southern Oregon, so he rode his bike from Redding, Ca.....(more than 80%) off road. Last Spring he rode from Redding to the coast (almost) entirely off road. There is lots more to say about this guy, but I'll leave it at that. Amazing what an uber competent cyclist coupled with modern technology can do. 

Smooth Tracks,

Chris

[Allingham II, Thomas J]

You <can> do anything.  If I <had> to, it would be (hands down) my Atlantis, Alba bars, conventional Riv triple setup, dyno lights.  (I’m guessing there may be a lot of Atlantii in the answers to this post.)  I’m grateful I don’t have to.

 

An interesting related question, for those who currently have more than one bike:  Is your <favorite> bike the same as the one you’d choose if you could only have one?  For me, the answer would be no – my favorite bike is my Quickbeam, but I’m too old and out of shape to make it work as my only bike.

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[jimD]

+1 (made me chuckle)

-JimD

On Jan 22, 2013, at 7:49 PM, Manuel Acosta <manueljo...@hotmail.com> wrote:

Wait. You can have more then one bike?!

Now I'm going to save up for a Roadeo.

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[Don]

Yes, exactly my feeling about my 40 year-old Bertin. I can not remember not having a good ride on this bike in the ten years I've had it. Even the Rivendell that I owned for fourteen years didn't give me the feeling that the Bertin gives. I recently acquired a Harry Quinn, probably 70's vintage, and it looks like it will turn out like the Bertin. 

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013 7:12:15 PM UTC-8, Addison wrote:

It's funny.  I have a bunch of options in my stable that are fun and have loads of practical applications.  But honestly, the most fun bike to ride that I own is my custom Della Santa that can't even take a 28 width tire, has no braze-ons for a rack or whatever.  But every time I go for a ride on that bike I feel like I'm Paolo Bettini.  The bike is a dialed in 17 pound wonder.  It would be hard not to choose that bike as THE ONE.

 No logic to it...

On Tue, Jan 22, 2013 at 6:56 PM, Kelly <tksl...@gmail.com> wrote:

I wouldn't give up any of my bikes at this point.  If I had to live with one....

68 cm Atlantis  (note the one bike I still haven't found).

So second choice would be the AHH.. It would be first choice if I didn't tour as much.

In reality the Bombadil would do it all... I just don't like the amount of seat post showing..

So Atlantis as it will cover bother the AHH and Bombadil roles ..

I think that is my answer ... Glad I don't have to make that choice.

Kelly

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[David Spranger]

I am grateful, I don't have to choose just one at this time in my life. But Tom's related question is true for me too, my current favorite is my SimpleOne,  but I would not want it to be my only bike.

David

Charlotte, NC

On Wednesday, January 23, 2013 10:05:38 AM UTC-5, Pudge wrote:

You <can> do anything.  If I <had> to, it would be (hands down) my Atlantis, Alba bars, conventional Riv triple setup, dyno lights.  (I’m guessing there may be a lot of Atlantii in the answers to this post.)  I’m grateful I don’t have to.

 

An interesting related question, for those who currently have more than one bike:  Is your <favorite> bike the same as the one you’d choose if you could only have one?  For me, the answer would be no – my favorite bike is my Quickbeam, but I’m too old and out of shape to make it work as my only bike.

 

From: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com [mailto:rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of shawn
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2013 8:17 AM
To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [RBW] Re: 1 bike? Could you do it?

 

I have a Roadeo and an Atlantis, but If I could only have one bike it would most definitely be the Atlantis. "You can do anything on an Atlantis. Because you can."

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013 9:48:04 PM UTC-5, murphyjrfk wrote:

Suppose the title says it all. But I've been a thinking about going down to 1---not a big step down cause I normally only have two three tops o' working bikes anyways. And the overlap is out of control. How many 26" touring bikes does one fellow need deal. But I love what I love I guess.

One bike? Could ya do it and what would it be?

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[jimD]

I have more than one bike but my Riv custom is the one I ride the most.

I keep pondering getting rid of the Saluki and the Tournesol, they are great bikes but not as great as the custom.

-JimD

[Jan Heine]

Steve makes a good point, but in my experience, failures on quality
bikes are exceedingly rare. I rode my Alex Singer about 60,000 km in
about 6 years. The only failures I recall were:

- bottom bracket bearing failure. (My fault, I had known for 2 years
that the 33-year-old bearings were on their way out, but had been too
busy to replace them.) Easy to replace, as the bearings are standard,
and all you need is a press or a vise to get them in.
- dropout failure. Again, after more than 120,000 hard miles under the
previous owner and myself since 1974, not that surprising. Took it to
a local builder, and we put in a new dropout.
- cracked internal expander seatpost. It creaked, but was totally
rideable.
- freewheel failure. IRD freewheel, first generation. I got home fine.
Put an old Dura-Ace freewheel on, and never had problems again.
- spoke failure. Easy to fix on the road.

The former two would not have been a problem with a newer bike (i.e.,
less than 30 years and 100,000 miles), and the freewheel failure could
have been avoided by using better components. The spoke failure
happened at the beginning of a 1200 km brevet, but it took less than 3
minutes to fix.

I find that with fewer bikes, it's easier to keep them in top shape.
For many years, I raced and trained 12,000 miles a year and had a
single bike, without ever missing a ride or race due to the bike not
being rideable.

Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
www.bikequarterly.com

Follow our blog at http://janheine.wordpress.com/

On Jan 22, 7:19 pm, Steve Palincsar <palin...@his.com> wrote:
> Great, right up to the moment something fails, you need a part, and the
> bike goes on deadline.
>
> I think that even if you're Jan and you have a bike parts company, there
> are still going to be times when you have to order a part, or when you
> have to take the bike down to the shop and they tell you it'll be a week
> to ten days.
>
> At that point, it's great to have at least two bikes!

[Ryan]

Wouldn't want to be forced to....for commuting and general riding it would be the workhorse X0-1...I don't commute on my rivs...unless I could stick one of them in my cubicle...if that were the case, it would be the all-rounder. Last couple of years I've been having way too much fun on my resurrecto PX-10...now a single-speed with moustache bars:)

Of course, if something changed my situation from a financial or health perspective, the stable would change, but for now...I'll stick with what I have while I can. Interesting question

[Steve Palincsar]

On Wed, 2013-01-23 at 07:33 -0800, Jan Heine wrote:
>
> I find that with fewer bikes, it's easier to keep them in top shape.
> For many years, I raced and trained 12,000 miles a year and had a
> single bike, without ever missing a ride or race due to the bike not
> being rideable.

I recently had a bottom bracket spindle break on my George Longstaff
Audax. It took 10 days for the LBS to get the part and replace it.


I crashed. I walked away from it, and aside from the broken spindle,
the only damage was a slightly bent front derailleur that no longer
shifted well; getting that fixed only blew a day and a half. But bikes
often do get damaged in crashes, and sometimes in ways that can't be
fixed with a simple tweak (like a bent derailleur hanger). Forks bend.
Sometimes frames crack (I know a few people who have had to replace
carbon frames because they cracked when they fell over with two full
water bottles) and have to be replaced.

If I had to replace the fork on the Longstaff (assuming I could actually
even do that, the builder having been dead since 2003) it would take
months. Frame replacements can weeks, if it's a broken Cannondale or
Trek, or maybe years if it's something like Jan's Rene Herse.

Back in 2012, on the Longstaff, I discovered a cracked rear rim (Mavic
MA3) on Aug 13. I had the wheel rebuilt with an Open Pro at the LBS.
The new wheel was delivered Sept. 13. Almost all that time was
obtaining the rim, which was out of stock for about 3 weeks; the rest of
the time was the build itself.

Also in 2012, I had a cracked rear rim (this time, a Velocity Synergy).
Velocity replaced the rim and rebuilt the wheel under warranty. Bike
(this time, the MAP) was out of service from Feb 24 - March 2.

Besides extended deadlines waiting for parts or frame repairs, there's
another type of failure that Jan might not encounter. If you commute to
work and have to be there at a given time (yes, flex time is wonderful
but not everybody has flexible working hours) or if you are driving
30-90 minutes to the start of a club ride, finding the bike you intended
to ride with a flat tire first thing in the morning could be a major
problem.

While it can be a 10 minute job to fix a flat, it can also sometimes
turn into a 30 minute job. After all, you first have to find what
caused the flat, and sometimes that's not so easy to do (especially if
you're far sighted). And 30 minutes' late start on a 60 minute drive to
a ride start is almost certainly going to mean you'll miss the ride
start.

Maybe not a problem if you're fast (like Jan) and also have the cue
sheets, GPS data, etc., in advance (as is typical of a brevet;) but for
an ordinary bike club ride, where you only get the cue sheet when you
sign in, showing up late often means you miss the ride completely.

It's awfully nice in that event to have another bike you can grab,
that's ready to go except that it might need a few pounds of air in the
tires and a swap of gear into a different bike bag. That's a 3 minute
job, and it means you won't be late for work and won't have to take
annual leave and get a scolding from a supervisor, or won't miss the
ride.

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

My shop Hiawatha Cyclery is pretty bike-commuting-focused in a bike-commuting town. Lots of our customers are car-free and only have one bike. Often, when the one-bike commuter types have a need for repair, they ask us to expedite the repair in our queue on the grounds that they're car-free and the bike is their only transportation. My mechanic Mongo fixed cars for 25 years before "retiring" as a bike mechanic. He's unfazed by the car-free argument: "you'd be surprised how many people only have one car," he says with a twinkle. Of course, we try very hard to make the repair process as seamless and quick as possible, but IMO a bike lifestyle type should have at least one fallback bike.

[Montclair BobbyB]

Ah, the endless debate... 

My favorite bike (at this particular moment) is my SimpleOne

If I had 10 minutes to abandon my home and take only one bike and a toothbrush, I would likely grab my Bombadil (and my favorite whiskey... and forget the toothbrush)...

If I had to ride cross country, I would probably ride my converted Schwinn Cimarron touring bike

If I lived in a tiny NYC studio apt and needed transportation, I would toss everything and ride my old Mongoose ATB

If I lived in Amsterdam, I would ride my Gazelle Sport Luxe (and always sport a tweed jacket and cap)

If I lived up in the mountains, I would abandon everything except for my Niner MCR 29er MTB and ride in camo shorts with my Rambo knife in my pack...

I am, however MOST GRATEFUL to NOT have to choose just one... 

Peace,

Bobby

[Rob]

Funny--this is a topic that used to come up with my motorcycle friends all the time, back when I had motorcycles. Well, of course you need a fast bike (Ducati), an adventure bike (BMW), a vintage bike (Triumph or more likely a '60's Honda)...and the list goes on...;) 

In general I agree with Jan. Fewer, nicer bikes is the way to go. My Saluki is the best bike I've ever owned, and I love (almost) every minute of riding it on my daily commute, which makes up a large portion of my annual riding. My plan though is to eventually replace the Saluki with a front-loading low-trail 650b custom that'll fit Hetres with fenders. In my mind it's pretty much an exact copy of Alex Wetmore's Gifford, possibly with a Rohloff hub, maybe even (gasp) disc brakes. For me that would do the year-round commute in rainy Seattle, rough-stuff riding, recreational rides, on-road touring, and grocery-getting--about 95% of my riding.

However...I have really enjoyed the '93 MB-3 I picked up from a list member summer before last. It's great having a mountain bike to toss around at Duthie Hill, attempting to follow my nine-year-old. It's a bike I don't mind getting muddy. It's also a spare I can commute on if my Saluki is out of commission (like it was yesterday when I didn't get it back together in time after a cleaning.) 

And a Brompton would be great for combining with Car2Go for multi-modal trips. 

And that Bike Friday Triple Traveler I had for a while was a blast to ride with my boy....

So no, just one isn't enough. Two is a minimum for a daily rider, and three would be great: Rough Stuff/Urban Porteur, Mud Bike, Folder. And if I win the lottery, four, adding a Tandem. 

Rob in Seattle

[Frank Quan]

I have two, a Litespeed and an All Rounder. The Litespeed's second set of components are nearing the end if their useful service life. I use it for club rides but in the past couple of years the club has gotten younger and faster. Riding for several hours at maximum exertion level is finally wearing on me.

The A/R is a lot more comfortable. I can use it anywhere plus I have two bags on it for carrying stuff. Two bikes is ideal for me but I could live with just the A/R.

[Jim Mather]

On Wed, Jan 23, 2013 at 4:46 AM, Lyle Bogart <lyleb...@gmail.com> wrote:
>If the Atlantis had the
> capacity to become a fixed gear with a simple swap o' the wheel it would be
> The Perfect Bike. . . perhaps I should have the Atlantis modified with
> horizontal drop outs. . .

All you need is a White Eno eccentric hub. Makes conversion to fixed
or SS easy. And much cheaper than modifying the frame.

[Lyle Bogart]

Jim,

How could I have forgotten about that?! Embarrassing!! Thanks for the reminder--the Atlantis just got that much closer to The Perfect Bike :-)

Cheers!

lyle

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[Jim Mather]

On Wed, Jan 23, 2013 at 9:49 AM, Lyle Bogart <lyleb...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Jim,
>
> How could I have forgotten about that?! Embarrassing!! Thanks for the
> reminder--the Atlantis just got that much closer to The Perfect Bike :-)
>
> Cheers!
>
> lyle

Of course, I'm not actually advocating for a one-bike solution, but I
have thought along those lines with my Bombadil.

happy trails
jim

[Christopher Murray]

I could get by with just the Bleriot. It is perfect for 90% of the riding I do and would be ok for the other 10%. Would need an extra wheelset for those unexpected flats in the morning. It would be sad to not have the Quickbeam, Bike Friday, grocery-getter/ commuter, and go- fast but I might be able to get over it. Maybe.

Cheers!
cm

[Patrick in VT]

On Wednesday, January 23, 2013 11:34:24 AM UTC-5, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery wrote:

but IMO a bike lifestyle type should have at least one fallback bike.

that's a good point.  lifestyle matters.  I commute/run errands by bike.  I mountain bike.  I race.  I do light-touring/rando-style riding.  I live in a place with a real winter (at least this winter has been real).  I'll soon be carrying a kid around on a bike.  having dedicated bikes for each activity makes a real difference for me.  On any given day (weather and trails permitting), I ride 3 different bikes - MTB in the morning, commute to work, and road-ride in the evening.  That keeps things pretty fresh and helps me dial-in each of my rides so there is really no overlap.  if pressed, i think I could get by with a MTB, a cyclocross bike and a utility-bike/xtra-cycle kind of rig.  definitely doable, but I'd have to compromise on the builds and probably spend more time swapping parts/tinkering/etc.   

[shawn m.]

I've been racking my brain over this ever since the question was posed, and I've finally settled on the perfect (for me) answer: No, and thank god I don't have to. I only have four bikes and not much overlap: A Brompton for the mixed mode commute, Thee Hunqapillar for all-weather go-anywhere do-anything day-or-night, a Santa Cruz Superlight from 2002 for mountain biking, and the perennial "project bike" a 1995 Gary Fisher Hoo Koo e Koo that is notable only for it's sentimental value (the last time I only had one bike, this was it). What's more, to my thinking there a couple of holes to fill: there will always be room for an Atlantis, and I want a lightish, fastish, single speed along the lines of a Quickbeam or some such.

One bike? Never! Besides, being car-free I'm allowed all the bikes I want, right? A great thread; fascinating to see the breadth of perspectives on this.

Shawn

Seattle, WA

[Jeremy Till]

Last year I was really getting by with one, but I was also living in a place where I couldn't bike commute, and I bought a car.  Now I'm back (hopefully for a while) living in a place where I bike commute, and I'm doing really well getting by with two.  

The thing that iterates it for me is that I really love fixed gear/SS riding, especially for having a really reliable, bombproof bike.  So my current two bikes are the FG/SS commuter/ city bike (Quickbeam) and the fun all-around geared road bike for fun rides in the hills (Salsa Casseroll), which can handle fenders for wetter weather or wider tires for off-pavement excursions.  

I used to be of the belief that "beaters" were also really important bikes, i.e. reliable bikes that you could thrash around on, leave locked up anywhere, and not really worry about.  So in my mind things used to iterate out that I would have a fixed gear beater (for low maintenance), but since I really appreciate high-quality fixed gears I'd have one of those as well (kind of a go-fast), and then I'd have my geared ride, and that could quickly iterate out into a light geared roadie for fast, fun rides and a heavier weight gearie for touring and offroad.  So for a while there I was heading for at least 4 bikes.  

But recently I've come to realize that financially and time wise, I can really only support about two bikes (any more and at least one falls into disrepair for months or years at a time), and I much more happy with to high-quality bikes than more numerous but middling quality ones.  I also realize some of what makes a high-quality bike for me also makes them much more useful (the ability to fit racks, fenders, and lighting easily, wider tires, a well-built steel frame).  So I've come around to using my Quickbeam--in some ways, the fanciest bike I've ever owned--as my everyday utility bike, for commuting, shopping, riding to the bar, etc.  I'm lucky that I work in a place where I can keep my bike inside, always within eyesight, and for everything else I try to be smart about how I lock it up--I don't leave it in low-traffic places unattended for long periods of time, I don't consistently lock in the same places for hours, etc.  I'll feel bad if it gets stolen or damaged but for me the advantages and pleasures of riding a high-quality bike everyday outweigh the risks.  So "beater" is no longer necessarily part of my equation.  

The only serious other bike I would use is a touring bike, but that is much more of a once-in-a-while thing for me, but maybe that may change since my wife is becoming interested in touring and we're building up a touring bike for her.  And I have a Trek 520 touring bike that I will probably never sell for sentimental reasons, but it definitely lies within the "disrepair" category current, and it never fit me really well, and the fork is too flexy for serious loads, etc--so I'm not really that enthused about dropping money/time into it.  Perhaps if I can figure out a good touring solution for the Casseroll--perhaps a BOB trailer?--I'll use that for any upcoming tours.  

[Brewster Fong]

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013 7:19:14 PM UTC-8, Steve Palincsar wrote:

On Tue, 2013-01-22 at 19:10 -0800, Jan Heine wrote:
> For recreational and general transportation use, one bike would be
> quite feasible. In fact, since I prefer to focus on the ride rather
> than the bike, I don't really see the need to own several similar
> bikes that fill the same purpose. Given a choice, I'd prefer one truly
> awesome bike over a bunch of just nice ones.

Great, right up to the moment something fails, you need a part, and the
bike goes on deadline.  

I think that even if you're Jan and you have a bike parts company, there
are still going to be times when you have to order a part, or when you
have to take the bike down to the shop and they tell you it'll be a week
to ten days.  

At that point, it's great to have at least two bikes!

 

Bingo! When I use to ride only recreationally on the weekends, one bike was more than sufficient. However, now that I commute by bike, at least 4 times per week, I find that things do wear out or break and I need a second bike!  I now have two bikes that I take turns riding on my commute during the week and on my recreational ride on the weekend. I actually have a third mtb junker that was given to me - e.g., a "ifsomeonestoleitthey'redoingmeafavor" type of bike that I use when riding with my kids. Good Luck!

[Benedikt]

I've been doing it for two years now. I had a fixed gear as a second bike. I guess I got caught up in the fad and it quickly wore off. Now I'm just rolling on my Sam. Commuting, leisure rides and about 1-3 long group rides a year. Everyone loves it on the group rides and I'm sure a lot of them are shocked that I'm riding such a heavy thing. With the racks, generator hub, overly built up wheels and fenders. I'm in the process of rebuilding the wheels and this will be the first time I've actually added something that LOWERED the weight. Of course I'm not concerned with being first.  :)  I've worn out or switched out many parts and I've saved a little stockpile so if something breaks I can manage for a few days. Worst comes to worst, there's the bus. I don't do much, if any trail riding but I'm sure if a back road trip came up I could "adapt" the bike for it. I sort of think of it as one of those fighter jets that they just hang different ordnance on for different purposes.

-The other Seattle Brian.http://www.flickr.com/photos/neutralbuoyancy/5551209249/in/set-72157607896493013

[Dan McNamara]

That is a tough one. Right now two bikes - my '94 XO-4 and a green Ram. Lots of overlap except the XO-4 can take a wider tire with fenders - I have 42s on it currently. The Ram is the club bike and the XO-4 is set up as the grocery getter/baby hauler (Albas, racks etc.)

But if it were to be one bike I would probably go for a Hunq and a few sets wheels/tires for different purposes. And probably a couple of cockpit setups.

At that point I might as well have two bikes!

Dan

Marin

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013 6:48:04 PM UTC-8, murphyjrfk wrote:

Suppose the title says it all. But I've been a thinking about going down to 1---not a big step down cause I normally only have two three tops o' working bikes anyways. And the overlap is out of control. How many 26" touring bikes does one fellow need deal. But I love what I love I guess.

One bike? Could ya do it and what would it be?

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[Mike]

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013 7:49:59 PM UTC-8, Manuel Acosta wrote:

Wait. You can have more then one bike?

Manny, if there's one person on this list that proves that one bike is enough, it's you. I don't know, maybe you have other bikes but I look at your photos and I see you out there on your Hillborne doing it all--rambling around in the dirt, on the pavement, touring, camping and just having a lot of fun. 

--mike 

[rob markwardt]

NO! Trying to stay in single digits.

[René Sterental]

BTW, whenever my wife gets started on the subject of how many bikes I have (5 + 2 for my son), I remind her that a married man can only have one woman, but can have many bikes. That usually ends it.

 

While I stated that if I had to reduce to only one bike it would likely be my Atlantis, the truth is that my favorite bike seems to change depending on which one I happen to be riding the most. And I tend to do that. Right now I'm riding the Betty the most, but once I put fenders on the Atlantis and start riding it on my commute (rainy season in the Bay Area) I'll be hard pressed to decide which is my favorite. Last year, the Hunqapillar was the favorite since the Atlantis was being painted and I rode it the most. To me, aside from riding my Santa Cruz Tallboy LTc with my MTB friends, choosing one of my bikes to ride more often gives my riding a breath of fresh air. Then, when I feel like changing, choosing another one as the main ride feels like a little reinventing of myself, which I need every now and then...

 

René

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[Bill Gibson]

Ah, I remember the moment I had the revelation that one can own more than one: a bike mechanic friend literally had a "stable" in the backyard of the an old rental house in Austin, Texas, which once really was a stable, and which had a bike rack inside with a selection of old bikes the various tenants of the house and the mechanic rode.  The idea of having different bikes for different purposes made perfect sense. And this was at least a decade before "Mountain Bikes", and Pugsley-type, etc. For me, the selection would have to change from time to time. I enjoy experimenting.

But, I'm with Jan: keep the maintenance of many bikes down to a dull roar, and ride more!

On Tue, Jan 22, 2013 at 8:49 PM, Manuel Acosta <manueljo...@hotmail.com> wrote:

Wait. You can have more then one bike?!

Now I'm going to save up for a Roadeo.

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[Eric Platt]

Would like to add something - while appreciating folks riding (and own, and write about) very expensive bikes, I just can't do it.  It's a reverse snobbery issue.  Instead of spending a large amount of money on one single superlative bike I'd be afraid to ride, would rather own a couple less expensive bikes that wouldn't worry me as much.

 

And it's not just bikes - it's a streak I have that permeates many things, less expensive instruments, stereo gear and even book collecting. 

 

Again, am not begruding folks that do it differently.  My mind just isn't wired to be comfortable doing it.

 

Guess it's a roundabout way of saying if I had only one bike it would probably end up being a Surly and not a Rivendell.

 

Eric Platt

St. Paul, MN

[pam]

I only have one bike and it's a Betty Foy.  I ride her everywhere all the time.  It's my primary transportation, fun and exercise all in one.  I could do light touring which I hope to do someday.

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013 9:48:04 PM UTC-5, murphyjrfk wrote:

Suppose the title says it all. But I've been a thinking about going down to 1---not a big step down cause I normally only have two three tops o' working bikes anyways. And the overlap is out of control. How many 26" touring bikes does one fellow need deal. But I love what I love I guess.

One bike? Could ya do it and what would it be?

[dougP]

No worries - my Atlantis.  It's my ride 99% of the time.  The other 2 bikes I have are pretty much retired & serve no need.  It's just fun to ride something entirely different once in a while. 

dougP

[James Warren]

Yes, I could reduce all the way down to Atlantis-only if I had to. It's that good.
Riding down Shafter (a Marin County dirt road) with 700x40 Extremes and a camping load and feeling great on pretty steep dirt descending was another moment where the bike impressed me, and this was after having ridden it for 11 years! And in the rest of that mini-tour, the paved riding was lovely as well.

- Jim W.

--

[Crazy4Suki]

Of the Betty, Quickbeam, RB-1 and AHH... I enjoy riding the AHH the most... But I would probably pick Betty if I could only have one. I am thinking ahead to when I may not be limber, and the step-thru frame will age well with me.

[Robert Zeidler]

I'd probably choose my Atlantis also. But, coming in 2d would be a Calfee CF I had built last fall. It's built with the Adventure geometry/clearances and I have 700c CX wheels, 700c lightweight road wheels, 700c CF tubeless wheels, a set of 650b wheels w/ Hetres, and a generator, and lastly, 26" wheels w/ Mountain Kings (tight clearance). SRAM 11-36, 180mm 48-34, all wheels are Avid disc's, and the heaviest this bike weighs in 69cm is a little less than 22lbs. Frame is warranty of 25 years. 

Sent from my iPad

[Cyclofiend Jim]

Probably the worst thing you can do for a bike habit is work in a shop, as you get used to the ready access to workstand, tools set up and the constant access to replacement bits. If one bike feels a little crunchy, you use that one to ride to work, then strip and clean it a bit on your lunch break, or stay a bit late to get it humming again.  Without such an immediate setup at home, certain bikes get regular treatment, while others get bits poached off of them and rotated to the back of the rack and storage areas. 

My Quickbeam is far and away the first bike I think of when it comes time to ride.  The Hilsen next.  Both have been through all kinds of iterations of race bike, commute bike, rando bike, bike bike...   The Quickbeam just has something about it - the combo of saddle type, position and simplicity.  One Gear Always Works.  (Well, ok.... I did bust a chain once which made for a quick and not-quite-nasty moment of non-locomotion http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclofiend/4811477802/ )  The last couple rides on the Hilsen, the chain slipped a bit in the 6th or 7th position.  When I got home and poked at the cogset, it turned out to be loose - the lockring had backed off just enough to let things shift under load. 

Now, I know those things happen.  And I know that if I rode one bike exclusively, I'd be more directly attuned to the quirks and clicks and entropy.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclofiend/3787167021/ 

And other than component wear, either of those bikes would work. Moods strike me and I typically end up favoring one bike for a few months at a time.  The shifting system on the Hilsen is direct and positive and won't degrade over time.  If the Hilsen were orange, it would probably be a tougher choice.  But, as my father likes to say, it's a "high class problem".

- Jim / cyclofiend.com

[Joe Broach]

Whoa, the Adventure allows for Hetres or 26x2.2s?!? Do you have any photos of this behemoth? Sounds (and probably is) one of a kind.

Best,

joe broach

portland, or

[Philip Williamson]

Okay, that's just cool. Do you have pictures of the different setups? 

I made a chart of tire diameters, but mostly as a mental exercise: http://www.biketinker.com/2011/bike-resources/equivalent-bicycle-wheel-diameter-with-different-tires/

I've never heard of anyone really setting up a bike with multi-size equivalent-diameter tires. I'm impressed. 

Philip

www.biketinker.com 

[Robert Zeidler]

I'll have to get some pics. W/ disc brakes wheel size doesn't matter much. Am I going to run these man bike rims that much? Probably not but if the situation arises. 

Sent from my iPad

[Steven Frederick]

Of course I "could" do it.  But there are a couple of  reasons I wouldn't unless I was literally forced to:

-I have several bikes that I wouldn't want to part with simply because they are unique and/or special to me.

-I like to do different sorts of riding and I'd have to give up or compromise the experience if I only had one bike.  MTB for road riding?  All'rounder for trail riding?  Doable, but less fun.

So, I could.  But I wouldn't...

Steve

On Wed, Jan 23, 2013 at 3:42 AM, Philip Williamson <philip.w...@gmail.com> wrote:

Could I hang a bike or two on the wall and not count it? My first thought was "no," but I could cut back to just the Quickbeam, if I got the gears straightened out again to have two to three manual change fixed gears. I like pulling bikes apart and fooling with them, which usually means I need a largely-convergent backup. If it was an all-new bike, it would probably be a monster cross of some ilk. Geared, maybe.
I have another cheater answer - what if I just had me bike *at a time?* So I sell my bikes and buy a Gryphon, ride it for a few months, then buy a Roadeo, sell the Roadeo and buy a Jones spaceframe, ad delirium... That actually sounds really fun, but is completely at odds with my personality.

Philip
www.biketinker.com

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[robert zeidler]

I'm trying that w/ the Calfee!!!

On Tue, Jan 22, 2013 at 10:10 PM, Jan Heine <hei...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> For me, a single bike would have to combine the ultimate performance
> (like the best racing bike) with the ability to ride anytime, in any
> weather, and carry a load. A 650B randonneur bike, made from
> superlight tubing for optimum performance, and with a removable low-
> rider rack on the front, could do it. The load on the front doesn't
> require a stouter frame, so you wouldn't lose performance over a
> racing bike.
>
> As it is, most of my riding is on two bikes. I have a dedicated Urban
> Bike, because I do have to carry large boxes of books and magazines
> around town. The two bikes I ride most of the time are described here:
>
> http://janheine.wordpress.com/2012/10/30/how-many-bikes-do-i-need/

>
> For recreational and general transportation use, one bike would be
> quite feasible. In fact, since I prefer to focus on the ride rather
> than the bike, I don't really see the need to own several similar
> bikes that fill the same purpose. Given a choice, I'd prefer one truly
> awesome bike over a bunch of just nice ones.
>

> Jan Heine
> Editor
> Bicycle Quarterly
> www.bikequarterly.com
>
> Follow our blog at http://janheine.wordpress.com/

>
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[Steven Frederick]

You should build up a few loaners!  B-)

On Wed, Jan 23, 2013 at 11:34 AM, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thil...@gmail.com> wrote:

My shop Hiawatha Cyclery is pretty bike-commuting-focused in a bike-commuting town. Lots of our customers are car-free and only have one bike. Often, when the one-bike commuter types have a need for repair, they ask us to expedite the repair in our queue on the grounds that they're car-free and the bike is their only transportation. My mechanic Mongo fixed cars for 25 years before "retiring" as a bike mechanic. He's unfazed by the car-free argument: "you'd be surprised how many people only have one car," he says with a twinkle. Of course, we try very hard to make the repair process as seamless and quick as possible, but IMO a bike lifestyle type should have at least one fallback bike.

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[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

I've loaned my own bikes to customers and friends who have proved to be trustworthy. It's not a bad idea, maybe, from a sales standpoint. If someone comes in with a crummy bike that needs $300 worth of work to become a functional crummy bike, a nicer "loaner" may sow the seeds of bike lust and future sales.

[Bruce Baker]

Have some pics of this steed to show us??

On Sat, Jan 26, 2013 at 8:04 PM, capnjack <capn...@bellsouth.net> wrote:

After riding for years, I, just last summer bought a SOMA Fabrications Extra Smoothie.   I am 65 and don't race, but I had a super light Specialized Roubaix Pro and it was just not comfortable.  I also rode a double suspension MTB, but I could not get into trail riding on a regular basis, partly because the trails stay wet most of the winter and they are not good for riding because they tear up the land.  Both bikes had been raced by their previous owners and I knew  was getting pro quality stuff.   That is, until I rode the ES by SOMA.  I had met Grant Petersen and got a lot of insight from reading his book, "Just Ride".
 I went with 700 X 28mm ruffy-tuffies and LOVE the ride.  I have now sold both other bikes and all I ride is the Extra Smoothie.  The frame only cost $399!  My total cost of the bike, including custom fitting by a Serotta dealer who really knows his stuff, only came to around $2 Grand.  This included custom wheels and most accessories you would find on a Sam or any other RIV inspired bike.  They have a great website and I do not have any commercial interest in the company.
Best Wishes and good luck on your search.
Number One-DO GET A PRO BIKE FIT-I wish I had done it years ago.

Jack E
Nashville, TN

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013 8:48:04 PM UTC-6, murphyjrfk wrote:

Suppose the title says it all. But I've been a thinking about going down to 1---not a big step down cause I normally only have two three tops o' working bikes anyways. And the overlap is out of control. How many 26" touring bikes does one fellow need deal. But I love what I love I guess.

One bike? Could ya do it and what would it be?

--

[Tim Tetrault]

I have found my workable solution for now. I've owned a Sam Hilborne for almost a year, and just replaced the chain (9 speed). I commute on it daily, and it is my long ride/grocery getter/errand runner as well. I noticed a slight knocking in the free hub and felt a tinge of annoyance when I thought if my bike ever really broke down I would have to bus it or drive. 

I found a slightly too-small MB-3 (1992) on Cragilist and picked it up as my beater bike. That thing is nimble! And I have my solution. The Sam will still see the lion's share of the riding by the MB-3 awaits the days of repair, or just wanting a different ride. I already enjoy both of them more because of the other's presence. 

Oh geez, I'm waxing like their my kids...

Tim/Seattle

[Deacon Patrick]

I do. Happily. Hunqapillar.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Eric Daume]

I'm currently at six, but with one for sale and one coming in the mail. I'm trying to get down to three, which may be:

- a dedicated mountain bike. Not a "it's pretty good on trails" cross bike with fat tires, but a real honest to goodness mountain bike. In my case, that's a Specialized Stumpjumper.

- a bike for pulling the kids in the trailer and general errand running. Right now, my Surly Cross Check, but this would be a nice spot for a Sam or a Hunq, if, you know, it weren't for the double top tubes.

- a single speed, my upcoming Singular Gryphon.


I recently put up a blog post about this topic:

http://bikingtoplay.blogspot.com/2013/06/how-many-bikes-do-you-need.html

Eric Daume
Dublin, OH

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[Tim Gavin]

Yes, easily.  I've been riding my Rivendell Road alone for the last couple months.  If it were my only bike, I'd configure it with an Albastache, 650B Lierre 38's, and a Carradice on the saddle.  Which is how I'll have it set up in a couple days. (well, Moustache bar for now)

However, I prove myself wrong because I bought a great Giordana (steel Italian race bike) two weeks ago, at a great price.  Not the bike I needed, but she's a great ride.
https://picasaweb.google.com/109817667934112590257/GiordanaXLEco1996?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIHngI71nPyZag&feat=directlink

However, her standard race gearing is a too high for serious hills.  At least, for a clydesdale like me (#205).  I need to speak to Riv about ordering me an IRD 12-28 cassette...  Or pulling a Sheldon Brown on it, to fit the 11-28 cassette I already have on the older, non-C ultegra hub she has. 
http://sheldonbrown.com/k7.html
Anyone have an extra Hyperglide-C lock ring they could part with?

Tim/Iowa

--

[Eric Platt]

Think I've answered this before but - probably not.  At three (and one frame in the rafters).  That's about my limit either way.  Hillborne with flat bars, SimpleOne for single speed riding and my LHT with drops and 50mm tires.  Also used as a winter bike. 

 

Could go to the Hilborne, but not sure would be comfortable riding it in winter with the salt and all.  (And yes, I know a number of folks who ride there Rivendell bikes here in the Twin Cities all winter). 

Eric Platt

St. Paul, MN

[IanA]

I enjoyed this article by Alex Wetmore (of this list, I believe) http://alexwetmore.org/?p=429

He had a great write up linked of converting his Quickbeam into a 14 speed Rohloff IGH bicycle (link no longer works, sadly).  That Rohloff QB would be a contender for the only bike needed. 

Although I like Deacon Patrick's style - Hunqapillar, nothing more, nothing less.

[Montclair BobbyB]

Steve:

GLAD YOU WEREN'T INJURED!!!!  You're irreplaceable.  BB

On Wednesday, January 23, 2013 11:06:41 AM UTC-5, Steve Palincsar wrote:

On Wed, 2013-01-23 at 07:33 -0800, Jan Heine wrote:
>
> I find that with fewer bikes, it's easier to keep them in top shape.
> For many years, I raced and trained 12,000 miles a year and had a
> single bike, without ever missing a ride or race due to the bike not
> being rideable.

I recently had a bottom bracket spindle break on my George Longstaff
Audax.  It took 10 days for the LBS to get the part and replace it.  


I crashed.  I walked away from it, and aside from the broken spindle,
the only damage was a slightly bent front derailleur that no longer
shifted well; getting that fixed only blew a day and a half.  But bikes
often do get damaged in crashes, and sometimes in ways that can't be
fixed with a simple tweak (like a bent derailleur hanger).  Forks bend.
Sometimes frames crack (I know a few people who have had to replace
carbon frames because they cracked when they fell over with two full
water bottles) and have to be replaced.  

If I had to replace the fork on the Longstaff (assuming I could actually
even do that, the builder having been dead since 2003) it would take
months.  Frame replacements can weeks, if it's a broken Cannondale or
Trek, or maybe years if it's something like Jan's Rene Herse.

Back in 2012, on the Longstaff, I discovered a cracked rear rim (Mavic
MA3) on Aug 13. I had the wheel rebuilt with an Open Pro at the LBS.
The new wheel was delivered Sept. 13.  Almost all that time was
obtaining the rim, which was out of stock for about 3 weeks; the rest of
the time was the build itself.

Also in 2012, I had a cracked rear rim (this time, a Velocity Synergy).
Velocity replaced the rim and rebuilt the wheel under warranty.  Bike
(this time, the MAP) was out of service from Feb 24 - March 2.

Besides extended deadlines waiting for parts or frame repairs, there's
another type of failure that Jan might not encounter.  If you commute to
work and have to be there at a given time (yes, flex time is wonderful
but not everybody has flexible working hours) or if you are driving
30-90 minutes to the start of a club ride, finding the bike you intended
to ride with a flat tire first thing in the morning could be a major
problem.  

While it can be a 10 minute job to fix a flat, it can also sometimes
turn into a 30 minute job.  After all, you first have to find what
caused the flat, and sometimes that's not so easy to do (especially if
you're far sighted).  And 30 minutes' late start on a 60 minute drive to
a ride start is almost certainly going to mean you'll miss the ride
start.  

Maybe not a problem if you're fast (like Jan) and also have the cue
sheets, GPS data, etc., in advance (as is typical of a brevet;) but for
an ordinary bike club ride, where you only get the cue sheet when you
sign in, showing up late often means you miss the ride completely.

It's awfully nice in that event to have another bike you can grab,
that's ready to go except that it might need a few pounds of air in the
tires and a swap of gear into a different bike bag.  That's a 3 minute
job, and it means you won't be late for work and won't have to take
annual leave and get a scolding from a supervisor, or won't miss the
ride.

[Patrick Moore]

I must say that I like bicycles optimized for particular uses and that I find compromise bikes rather disappointing *if* they are all I have -- and I don't want to limit my riding to one set of conditions.

For me, the barest minimum would be two: a lightish (sub 32 lb!) go-fastish road bike that, at need, could carry up to, say 25 lb and that had lights and was fender capable; and an off road bike that could take at least 70 mm tires and that also could carry a rear load at need. In this regard, my '03 Curt and my Fargo would fit the bill and if someone held a gun to my head and said, "Choose two!" it would be these two I'd choose.

But it is very nice to have, in order of desire, the gofast (for me, nothing is more fun than climbing -- gradually, or if steep, briefly -- on a light fixed gear; and the Ram which, by being in last place, is by no means unloved: It's a wonderful bike, but its niche is precisely that of a compromise bike, a gofast that can carry 40 lb grocery loads.

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patric...@resumespecialties.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmooreresumespec/

Albuquerque, NM

[bikecg]

Hardly.  I just picked up my 8th bike, a 1984 Bianchi Nuovo Racing.  Need 'em all.

Carl

[Montclair BobbyB]

I'm anxiously awaiting the thread "If you could have 10 bikes, what would they be?"  :)

[Addison Wilhite]

"I'm anxiously awaiting the thread "If you could have 10 bikes, what would they be?"  :)"

Agreed...this topic comes up every 3 months.  Last time I said it was my Della Santa which is the least practical choice but the most fun bike I own.  I'll stand by that choice.

Now 10 bikes...that will require some serious consideration.   I'm half way there with my Bridgestone MB-1, Rivendell Allrounder, Gunnar Sport, Gunnar Crosshairs, and the aforementioned Della Santa.   Off the top of by head:

Richard Sachs (road) - 2

Something Full Carbon road blah blah blah just because I can and this is my fantasy

Yves Gomez

Full suspension tricked out mountain bike of some sort

Some sort of old school track bike (maybe like the Pinarello I foolishly sold off)

Cheers

Addison
http://reno-rambler.blogspot.com

[Deacon Patrick]

Great point, Patrick. For me, the Hunqapillar IS optimized for my use. If I had a go-fast, I'd want it able to handle what my Hunqa can do off road because that's where I want to ride. Dedicated mountain bike? Has to handle pavement for decades of miles because that's what's between what I ride. No compromises here.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Patrick Moore]

10? Easy. In order of importance:

Riv fixed errand.

Custom replacement for Fargo (ie, lighter, low bb, short tt, room for Knards). 

Riv fixed gofast

Very light SS 29er.

Ram (compromise gofast/longer distance/grocery bike)

Custom steel racer (a '70s style frame with Riv handling and 7 or 8 speed indexing)

Grocery bike, short distance, fixed, no holds barred carriage -- say a large milk crate, absolutely theft proof. (Have one in process).

Beater Ram (ie, built up like Ram for gofast groceries but one I wouldn't mind losing if locked up outside Smith's).

British racing trike

Um, um, um, .... Oh! One of these! http://www.wired.com/playbook/2013/05/cervelo-rca/

Juuust kidding, the '70s racer would take care of that niche. But it would be nice at least to try, for an extended period, a modern CF racing bike.

On Fri, Jul 5, 2013 at 9:35 AM, Montclair BobbyB <montcla...@gmail.com> wrote:

I'm anxiously awaiting the thread "If you could have 10 bikes, what would they be?"  :)

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Albuquerque, NM

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[Evan Spacht]

my one bike: 47cm Toyo A.Homer Hilsen

[velomann]

I'll let you know when I take delivery of my Rambler later this month ;-)
Seriously, of course I "could." But since I don't have to, I won't. Some aspect of my bike joy would suffer, whether it's loaded touring, zippy century rides, or long days on single track. There just isn't a bike that does all that, and I'm fine with that. Just like I can't do everything in the kitchen with one knife, nor do I want to.

[Steve Palincsar]

Thanks. There's a photo of me and the bike taken immediately after it happened on my flickr site. I was very lucky - not only didn't I get hurt, my tumbling roll stopped about a foot short of a huge pile of dog shit. It must have looked horrible: people behind me on the ride thought I'd be dead for sure.

Actually, one of the weirdest failures I've ever encountered happened as a result of that crash. After I had the bike fixed, Tom, Joan and I went for a ride to the National Arboretum. (Joan took some photos of the old Capitol columns which I converted to B&W; they're on my flickr site as well.) After we saw the columns, we went on to an overlook. I stopped, looked back wondering where Joan went, and discovered my front brake was locked on. Couldn't get the lever to move, couldn't get any slack into the cable. When Joan arrived the two of us spent around 10 min futzing with the cable adjuster to get enough slack in the brake that I could ride.

Over the course of the next half hour, the brake slowly, miraculously, healed itself.

When I took the bike to the LBS they disassembled the brake lever and found inside the lever were to small pebbles that had gotten there when the bike crashed. They'd migrated to a position that jammed the brake lever, and then as the ride went on, rolled a little and got out of the way again.

But looking at the dates of this message and the originals you're replying to -- have you gotten really backed up, or has this message been circling the Beltway somewhere since January?

[Garth]

Truth be told .... you only have One bike ... ever.  It resides within you, not outside of you ;)

[Peter Morgano]

You can only ride one at once, unless you are in a circus act.

On Fri, Jul 5, 2013 at 4:40 PM, Garth <gart...@gmail.com> wrote:

Truth be told .... you only have One bike ... ever.  It resides within you, not outside of you ;)

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[Patrick Moore]

As the Fargo is for me for the same reasons. It rides well enough on pavement, and handles fat tires for sandy soil, has more bb drop, and a shortish tt so that I can easily ride drop bars. Not a fast pavement cruiser, not a singletrack machine, but for my purposes, it is the optimized compromize (should copyright that term).

I bet the Hunq would be even a better optimized compromise ....

Patrick Moore, who has to dash off because it looks like rain and the blankety blank fenders were too narrow.

[numbnuts]

Hey All,

I could live with one bike quite easily, and even more so as I get older....except for.......what would I do to satisfy my utter lust for rolling down a mountain on a full suspension trail eating marvel? I would need two.

Regards,

Chris

Redding, Ca.

[ascpgh]

The contingency aspect of more than one bike gets my vote too; an obvious fault at the beginning of the morning commute; the flat tire with no time to spare. The worst for me, however, is the unpredictable quality of a part or piece issue. "One bike" would need to have each of high quality and durability; not all parts are available from a spectrum of quality that goes as high as King headsets or SKS BBs. A "one" bike would (Chris King cables?).

I had a front derailleur cable snap at the head on the way to work one morning at the foot of the biggest hill on my route. Elapsing time removed any moments to reflect upon cable quality (initial personal commentary not appropriate) and the various bodges to fix it so I picked up the perfect size of gravel  from the curb and stuck it in the parallelogram of the derailleur for a good middle ring chain line and got going with little time lost.

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh