N = ? or How do you decide how many bikes to own?

[Bob K.]

Hey Folks:

I know threads somewhat similar to this pop up every now and again, but Ryan's question to Eric in the Rivendell Road SOLD thread made me wonder how folks settle on their stable size. I fall squarely in the minimalist camp, but I'm guessing others here probably don't. So:

1. How do you settle on what N equals for you? (N+1, I know, I know...)
2. What bikes do you currently own/have in regular rotation and why do you own them?

My stable is currently at one because of a recent sale, but it will (soon) bump back up to two. I settled on two as the acceptable number of bikes for a number of reasons, but mostly because I can't imagine riding enough to justify having any more of them. We also don't have the space for me to store any additional bikes aside from in a somewhat humid basement, and neither my wife nor myself would appreciate more bikes in the corner of the living room as we're not big fans of clutter, especially clutter that doesn't get used very often.

Current Stable:

1. 2009 Sam Hillborne (canti): Used mostly for road riding and touring and some occasional single track and forest roads if the ride allows/inspires it.

2. 2017 Surly Troll: I settled on the new Troll after a lengthy flirtation with the idea of buying a Crust Evasion and other bikes as well. I decided the Troll is better for my needs for a number of reasons: the geometry readily accepts a Jones H-Bar, 2x is easy vs. not doable at all with the Evasion, and my desired 26x3.0 setup doesn't require the need for expensive cranksets. It's also $300 cheaper and I like the maroon better than the also admittedly pretty Evasion color. It will take the place of my erstwhile Krampus as my mountain bike, off-road tourer, long distance tourer (if/when I get to do that!), kid trailer, and stuff hauler.

How about you?

Bob K. in Baltimore

[Chris Lampe 2]

My riding style is very conducive to having just one bike and the only benefit (beyond pride of ownership) to having two would be having a spare if my primary bike is in the shop, which rarely happens.  My main bike is a custom built Karate Monkey and my back-up is a custom built 1984 Trek 830.  

How do you like the Troll and especially the ET tires?   The Ogre is getting the same treatment the Troll got and that is extremely tempting for me.  I test rode an old style Troll and absolutely loved it but 700c/29'er wheels feel more "right" to me.  

[Eric Norris]

Bob:

I should have given my wife credit for figuring out what N equals.

Seriously, though … With the sale of my Rivendell Road, I’m down to 11 bikes, with N=12. That’s more bikes than I can ride, and about as many as I can comfortably store, even with three in the garage and one at the hotel in Southern California where I stay for work each week. 

I’ve always operated on the “niche” system, which involves finding bikes that fit into individual niches (fixie, classic Italian, randonneuse, etc.). When my niches start getting narrower and narrower, I know it’s time to stop collecting for a while.

--Eric Norris
campyo...@me.com

@CampyOnlyguy (Twitter/Instagram)

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[Mattt]

I use the be happy with you have than what you don't have principle and I am at 2.

[dstein]

Depends on the riding but for me 3 is the perfect number: one go fast road bike, one single speed/around town bike, and one mountain bike (with one or more of those capable of carrying a load for S240's). That being said I have 5 and very creative storage solutions to say the least (no garage, no shed, 900 sq ft house w/ 2 adults and 2 kids and a big ass german shepherd). I am trying to channel an N-2 philosophy at the moment, with a possible 48cm hunqapillar going up for sale for any interested parties.

[Bill Lindsay]

I concur with Eric Norris. N=11. I'm currently at N-2, but the two obvious voids are getting filled this month. Then order will be restored.

BL in EC.

[Philip Kim]

bob,

i currently have 2 bikes after a lot of rotations. seems to be the same ideas you have

1.) Norther Custom, 650b randonneur bike - for longer rides where i want to push it, but still has capacity to carry light camping stuff if the site is far away, also will be used for commuting when i want a change of pace

2.) Appaloosa - for commuting / city / camping / light trails

[Brian Campbell]

I have two bikes:

1. 2011 A. Homer Hilsen-Road/Commuting/Rando riding etc.

2. 1989 Trek 950 Mountain bike-Lugged frame & 1" threaded steerer version. Trail/Single track riding.

I owned as many as 9 bikes at a one time ( Chrome Schwinn Paramount, Tom Ritchey, lugged Sport touring bike, Tome Ritchey fillet brazed tandem, Motobecane Champion Team in BIC Orange, Trek 710/720/620 and  on & on) but realized I was just re-building the same, if not similar bike with minor variations, over and over. I enjoy building bikes, the creative problem solving and aesthetic choices that come along with projects. That said the A. Homer just did everything as well or better than all of the other bikes of that style, so it was the only realistic choice.

The mountain bike get used infrequently because I am in S.E PA and there are not a lot of mountains close by. When faced with the choice of loading up a car, driving for a couple of hour to go riding vs. just going riding, the latter wins more often.

On Monday, April 3, 2017 at 1:54:49 PM UTC-4, Bill Lindsay wrote:

[Belopsky]

No longer any Rivendell's that I personally own, but my wife has a Cheviot.

I have/will have:

1. 2016 Bob Jackson Audax End-End. My go-fast bike.

2. 2017 Bob Jackson Vigorelli. Single speed go-fast road (frame en route).

3. 1976 Richard Sachs Road bike. Go-fast vintage mostly-Campy bike.

4. 2009 Grand Bois Randonneur. Comfortable, 650B. Probably most versatile? 650B is nice for the roads here..

5. An older Trek mountain bike that I stripped and is going to be a parts-bin-bike. Not sure what I'll use it for, perhaps single speed trail..

6. Bikes Direct (yep!) Windsor Oxford that I am building up for my city commuter/beater. Cheap Clem Smith Jr perhaps? LOL

[George Schick]

I have 3 &"1/2" bikes.  I live in an area where the trails are mostly constructed from compacted limestone "screenings" (the very fine leftovers from the sorting of various sizes of crushed limestone rocks).  Ordinarily, i.e. with regular rainfall during the late Spring, Summer, and early Fall months, this stuff makes a fine riding surface.  But when it gets too dry in Summer the dust from this stuff eats up derailleur drive trains like sand paper; likewise, when it gets too wet during late Fall, Winter (except when it freezes), and early Spring, when it gets very muddy.  So, one is a road bike (Riv Ram) for regular season/ideal trail condition riding; another is an old 70's Fuji road bike that has been converted to a single speed for easier drive train cleaning and maintenance during the dry and dusty periods; the third is a Surly 1x1 set up with Big Apples and a 60" gear for general purpose utility runs; and the "1/2" is an early 2000's Trek Fuel 90 with full blown F/R suspension that some LBS talked my wife into needing in order to ride these trails.  She was totally oversold on this bike - could never grasp the concept of derailleur gearing and was usually always in too high a gear - and really didn't need anything like a competition level MTB.  I have since talked her into a Breezer Uptown 8 with the IGH where shifting is not a problem and the riding position is perfect.  So, the Trek fills the void where the trails are too sloppy during the Winter and wet seasons.

On Monday, April 3, 2017 at 10:24:18 AM UTC-5, Bob K. wrote:

[Tony DeFilippo]

I spend more time than I ought to considering this question... glad I'm not alone.  I guess I have two N#'s... the academic N# and the actual N#.  To get the #'s out of the way;

Actual: N=11; 4 mine/ride able (Saluki commuter, XO-3 townie, Jones All-surface, Rockhopper camp bike), 3 wife's/ride able (Clementine townie, Bianchi roadie, MB-5 MTB) , 3 frames/projects (Trek 610, MB-3, Bob Jackson),  1 tandem

Academic: N=7; 3 for me, 3 for wife, 1 tandem

I had settled in on the idea of 1 fast/light bike, 1 medium commuter primarily on-road and 1 medium commuter primarily off-road and had that line up pretty much all last year.  The fast/light barely got used and the off-road time I got made me really interested in plus sized tires.  This year's line up for me is the Saluki drop bar commuter/all-road, XO-3 alba knock-about/kid hauler and Jones Plus which I'm pretty much riding every chance I get.  The two biggest differentiators in the possible uses of my bikes are tire size and cargo storage... lights is a big consideration as well though relatively easy to change out w/ battery lights.

[RJM]

I'm not much of a cycling minimalist. My cycling has changed quite a bit over the years and I've been through a lot of bikes but I tend to buy and sell to keep the costs to a level where I won't get divorced.

By a lot of bikes, I really mean I've been through a lot of bikes. I've settled on three for me. A cyclocross bike, a full suspension trail mountain bike, and a fully rigid single speed mountain bike (Niner Sir9). I've spent the last year demo'ing mountain bikes and settled on a really nice full suspension rig that rides perfect for me. It's a Santa Cruz Hightower and a deposit is down on one. Woohoo. I'm doing a ton of single track riding lately and really learning how to ride drops, jumps, berms, ect. So fun. The rigid single speed is great and so simple and such a different ride compared to a modern full suspension bike. I've thought about getting a custom Riv to do the job of the Niner...maybe in the future.

The cyclocross bike could easily be something like a A. Homer Hilsen, Sam Hillborne, or the old Legolas. Those bikes are swell and so versatile. Right now I'm working with a Kona Jake the Snake as I've sold almost all my Rivs (I've owned a Sam Hillborne, Atlantis, Roadeo and liked them all). I'm no longer doing much road riding anymore, but mostly gravel and dirt trails. These three bikes would cover everything for me. If a Legolas popped up, or Riv started making them again, I would be quite tempted to purchase one.

[Addison Wilhite]

For some time I'd been feeling like the sweet spot for me is 7 bikes.  They all have their niches but a bike is a bike and obviously there are redundancies.  That being said I did recently realize the fluctuation in bikes can also be about life happenings as much as pragmatic needs about bike use.  I've recently been going through a divorce and found myself picking up two "project" bikes that are nice but served the purpose of taking my mind off of some things as I found parts and built them up.  Not particularly necessary otherwise but nice to have.

So the breakdown by niche/use:

fast road bike - Custom Della Santa

fastish and more dirt friendly road bike/main commuter and fun for post work rides - Gunnar Sport

cyclocross bike and occasional commuter - Gunnar Crosshairs

29er Mountain Bike Front Suspension - Jamis Dragon

Snow bike - MB1

1 mile/coffeeshop/errand bike - German cruiser with fenders that is the hop on and go bike for meeting someone for coffee or going the 1 mile to the movie theater (and if it got stolen it wouldn't be a major loss)

Urban Commuter/Touring/Allrounder - Riv Allrounder

the plus two:

1989 RB-2 Frame built up with mostly modernish fun light parts

1979 Della Santa - Dreaming of L'Eroica for this one but just a nice example from the era and it has sewups.  

All of these bikes have been used as commuters.

I guess my N + 1 is the special Della Santa I'm considering having made but I see it as a replacement for the Crosshairs and perhaps another bike in the stable.  

Regards,

Addison

Addison Wilhite, M.A. 

Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology 

“Blazing the Trail to College and Career Success”

Educator: Professional Portfolio

Blogger: Reno Rambler 

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[Geeter]

Ah, the N+ question.

I have gone through many swings in the past years.  I used to be a craigslist hunter and would grab something and flip something else.  That was great in two regards: It allowed me to try so many bikes out while calming my curiosity, and it has allowed me to find out what I really want in a bike.  The later has been supremely importantly lately, as I have decided that a well built, superiorly designed in terms of geometry, and comfortable bike are most important to me now.

I have now narrowed the stable down to bikes with what I see as minimal overlap.  I ran into the problem over time of having multiple bikes for one purpose (which truly is a hard problem to avoid).  Current stable is:

Ritchey Swiss Cross

Gunnar Roadie

Hunq

Pashley Guvnor

Surly Pugsley (also have a 29 plus wheelset for it for a "Krampug")

Workcycles Transport (I've had it for years and I can't get rid of it.  It is a great take to anywhere and lock up kind of hauler.  All black with no decals, huge and heavy, tons of mounting places, built in lock, etc).  

The wife and I also share a bakfiets.  She has a Surly Troll, Pashley Princess, and Linus Mixte single speed.

I just bought a Jones Spaceframe, and while I don't need it necessarily with the Hunq, I have some unique purposes for it in mind.  

Glad to hear I am not alone on this place.  I haven't found a more practical hobby and obsession yet.

[Geeter]

George, I've had two 1x1's over the years both setup with either Fat Franks or slicks.  That is one great bike.  I used to throw knobbies on it to take to Kettle or Palos and then throw the slicks back on for commuting.

[Jim Bronson]

Complete bikes...
1. Road Standard/Custom 650Bx38, fenders - all weather pavement, most used
2. Redwood 700x38, no fenders, sunny day pavement. Possible future
650B conversion.
3. Clem Smith Jr - riding with 13 month old and off curbs and on the
trail to Moms house and so forth
4. 80 something Nishiki - take it to the store and lock it up with cheap lock
5. 92 Cannondale M500 - bought new in college, kept for nostalgia
purposes, have not ridden in years.
6. 94 Burley Duet Tandem - it's really not big enough for me, I've
got the seat up with a 400mm post and handlebars up with a stem
extended, but I can't get enough extension distance on the bars to
make it feel right. I need a stem with about 190mm extension.
lol....

My late wife's complete bikes:
1. Soma Grand Randonneur V1 61cm - only ridden a couple of dozen
times. Would sell if anyone is looking. Bought from this list.
2. "Mercian" bikes direct thingy - actually looks like a decent 650b
conversion candidate.

Frames:
1. 1970s Albert Eisentraut A series touring frame - I like possessing
this frame and am unlikely to ever sell unless I am in dire straits.
I've never built it up though either - would like to do so and take it
to classic/vintage events.
2. 1980s undersquare Bianchi - 69cm x 58? Possible replacement for
Nishiki above.
3. 68cm track bike of indeterminate origin - I am afraid to build up.
Only paid $20 for it. Probably should sell to some tall hipster, but
include a lengthy list of disclaimers and warnings.

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[Nick Ybarra]

Like others have mentioned, I have certain niches that I want to fill without too much overlap.  I feel like I'm in a pretty good place right now with N = 4/5, and I'll hopefully just move one on if a worthy and economically viable upgrade presents itself in one of these niches.  First the 4 that are currently built up and fill definite niches:

1.  Rivendell canti-Hillborne - This is my commuter/tourer/most flexible bike.  I've got it set up with fenders, 42c Marathons, Albatross bars, dynamo lighting, front medium wald basket, rear large saddle sack, and friction bar-end 3x9 gearing.  This thing is comfortable and capable and the bike I most often grab when I'm heading out the door.

2.  Gaulzetti Cazzo - I'm in a cycling club, and on the weekends I often go on road rides with some very fast friends.  This is the bike that lets me keep up with them, and, if I'm in decent shape, drop them every now and then on the steep climbs ;).  Constructed of light oversized steel tubing and set up with Campy 10-speed, 27c slick tires, and light aluminum wheels.  This thing is a rocket-ship, and I love it.

3.  Cooper Cycles (out of Portland, not to be confused with Ron Cooper) rando - This is my rando/light touring bike.  Set up with fenders, 35c Soma New Xpress tires, and also Campy 10 speed, but much easier gearing than the Cazzo with a White Industries 44 x 30 VBC crank.  It's got low-trail geometry, which I'm still getting used to but like so far, and several options for bags.  This bike is perfect for exploring the tiny towns that dot the many beautiful but sometimes rocky dirt roads around Austin.

4.  2008 Salsa El Mariachi 29er - I've been trying to get more into mountain biking lately even though I'm not very good at it and am much too timid to take any aggressive lines or ride down anything remotely scary.  Set up full rigid with a 1x9 drivetrain.  I actually picked this up from a local guy who included some beautiful custom XPac frame bags he made for it, and I dream of taking it out to Big Bend State Park to do some multi-day bike camping.  Some day....

Other than that, I've got 2 frames in the attic: 

-a 1983 Specialized Expedition that I might rebuild at some point and am too in love with to let go

-a custom steel track frame a friend of mine built up for me about 11 years ago that my knees won't really let me ride any more but which is too beautiful and holds too much sentimental value for me to sell

And one frame in the stand that I'm currently building up:  A really nice 531 Mercian road frame I just picked up that will be my around town bike when I want to get somewhere fast.  Just need to find a decent Campy rear wheel to finish it off.  

This stable seem to fulfill my current needs and is, conveniently, all that will comfortably fit in the bike/laundry room in my current living space. If I try to add another without moving something on, my girlfriend will definitely start to grumble.  

-Nick in ATX

On Monday, April 3, 2017 at 10:24:18 AM UTC-5, Bob K. wrote:

[Alex Dash]

My philosophy is a diff bike for every situation, as many as space will allow...

In no particular order:

1. 62cm Hillborne completely murdered out
2. 2007 Hardtail Stumpjumper XT, XTR, Fox
3. 1999 GT Karakoram for locking up in suspect areas
4. Micargi Island Tandem w fully custom accessories; This is Literally a trophy bike that took best in show at Bob's Big Boy Bike and Hot Rod competition a few years ago
5. Tallbike just becuz
6. Homemade Cargobike-- Full size plastic shopping cart in the middle
7. 2015 Scott Solace 105
8. Surly 1x1 Polo Bike-- Won many tournaments, scored many big fat goals and hurt a lot of feelings at the highest levels of the sport on this one.

[Tim Gavin]

N=4 for me currently, and I'm pretty happy with that. I'm not counting the bikes I'm fixing up to sell/give to others, just the bikes for me.

1) Rivendell Road Standard, 650b conversion, 38 mm Pari- Motos. This is my road-oriented all-rounder and touring bike.

2) '88 Schwinn KOM-10. Rigid lug frame MTB with Jones loop bars, 26 x 2.1 Thunder Burts. This is my dirt-oriented all-rounder and town bike. It used to be my primary gravel road bike (with drop bars), but then I got:

3) 2013 Foundry Auger disc. CF frame 'cross/gravel bike. This is my faster all-rounder for gravel roads and the occasional cyclocross race.

The CF frame is appreciably stiffer than my steel frames l, but it is also appreciably lighter.

4) 2016 Cannondale Fat CAAD. Al-framed fat bike; I changed it to Jones loop bars. This is my winter commuter and year-round technical MTB and exploration bike.

Each of my bikes has fenders and lights (three have dynamos) and each is used for commuting. There's a lot of overlap, but each is good at my main riding profile: gravel (hard dirt and crushed lime), and the pavement required to get me to those back roads and trails.

Sent from my iPhone

--

[Broccoli Cog]

I have gone through a significant transformation as a cyclist in the last year and a half. I was once heavily influenced by racing. As you would expect I owned many carbon fiber road bikes. I also owned the latest and greatest carbon fiber CX bike with hydro disc brakes. Now that I have embraced my new "unracer" self I have sold off a number of bikes. I am currently down to 5 bikes:

1. My first Rivendell. It's a Sam Hillborne. I am using it for my everything bike that mostly involves road riding. Currently set up with Nitto racks front and rear, fenders, Wald basket and Swift Sugar Loaf bag. I love this bike!  

2. Surly Ice Cream Truck. Fat biking is awesome!  This is my bike camping, mountain biking, trail riding go anywhere touring bike. I  have a 29+ wheelset in the works for even more versatility.

3. Carbon FS Mountain Bike. This is the last of my racing bikes that I am trying to sell off. 

4. Stevens Prestige Aluminum CX bike. This one lives on my trainer in the basement.

5. A 1951 Rudge 3 speed roadster. I pulled this bike out of my Uncle's barn in Cooperstown, NY just before he passed away. I rode this bike as a kid and I hope to get it back in service soon. Currently in pieces but I have aspirations of working on it again one day. 

On Monday, April 3, 2017 at 11:24:18 AM UTC-4, Bob K. wrote:

[Conway Bennett]

For me the magic number is 3*. That's two steady, unsellable steeds and 1 rotating experimental bike. The * denotes my wife's last gen Salsa Caseroll which is soon to become a Rosco bubbe Mixte and our Gary fisher Gemini tandem.

My rides:

1) 56 cm double tt Sam H.
2) 58 cm Quick B.
3) 1993 59 cm XO-2 w/ grey bean hunqapillar fork (the experiment)
4) 1994 59 cm XO-3 on my possession but moving along
N+1) crust romanceur or elephant nfe or norther cycles klickitat pass or 56 cm 650b hunqapillar

[reynoldslugs]

Bob et al:

The “n” discussion is somewhat odd for me.  I have about 30 or so bikes.  I don't need that many; I'm usually pretty happy with whatever bike I'm riding at the moment.  Right now my Roadeo and Della Santa are probably at the top of the list. 

 

Why so many?

 

I choose bikes that are beautiful, have stories to tell about their builders and their history, and are comfortable and fit wide tires.

 

As far as rotating which one to ride, there's no real rhyme or reason, but all these get ridden:

 

Rivendell Custom

Rivendell Atlantis

Bob Jackson Road Custom

Jack Taylor Tour of Britain

Della Santa

Richard Sachs

Quickbeam

Schwinn Paramounts: 1972 P-13, 1973 p-13 (headed to Eroica), 1973 chrome p-13, 50^th anniversary, and a 75 Anniversary

Ebisu  randonneur

Bruce Gordon gravel/rain bike

Wilier Triestina, an old Columbus Chromovelato

Rambouillet

Roadeo

Gunnar Crosshairs

Heron Road, repurposed as 650

Olmo Anniversary with a Campy 50^th groupset

Mercian Custom (1980)

New Faggin custom

Vanilla Road

Legolas

Pereira Custom

Davidson Custom

Merckx Mx leader steel, orange Molteni paint job

1980 something Colnago Super

Gios Torino limited edition Paris-Roubaix, made by Aldo three or four years ago

Sycip soon

and a  Raleigh Pro in need of restoration, and a Flying Scot frameset that wants to be built up.

Max

[Steven Sweedler]

My number is 4. Last year I went from 7 to 3, since then I bought a Hunquapillar frameset that is waiting on  a few parts. My three are a 96 Riv Road custom, designed for 28's w/fenders, with cantis, I ride it with 32's and fenderless, a 2000 Riv All Rounder, 42's w/fenders, BG lowriders, used as my touring bike for just completed 2 month tour  on the Yucatan, and 92 Stumpjumper that I got new as a frame replacement after a dropout broke on an early SJ Sport. Steve

Plymouth, N.H.

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[Esteban]

Bikes are fun. I have several. I try not to keep count - don't use a bicycle computer, either. 

I DO have three Rivs:

- Orange Quickbeam running Jack Browns

- Riv Road custom ('99 Joe/Joe) on 30mm Challenge Strada Bianca tires

- 700c green Hunquapillar swallowing 2.35 Schwalbe Big Ones, 2x10 XTR/XT

Did a lot of horse-trading over the years, experiencing the results of a general trade deficit phenomenon. I haven't bought anything in a while, rather focusing on getting good parts dialed in one-by-one as use and fickle goals dictate.

For a long time, the QB was my "desert island" bike. But these days, if I could have only one, it would be the Hunqua. For me, its the best expression of what I love about Rivendell - classic, stable, with dreams of huge tire capacity delivered. 

Esteban

San Diego, Calif.

[Tony DeFilippo]

So many great bikes!

Steve S - care to share any pictures of your all rounder on tour in the Yucatan?!?  Sounds like quite a trip.

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[Patrick Moore]

I've been through a very large number of different bikes trying to get exactly what I want, and now I'm very, very close. I have as many bikes as fit the kinds of cycling I do.

It seems to me that the only rational rule of collection is to have bikes that you want to ride or bikes that you want to collect for some historical or sentimental reason. How that chops up obviously depends on the individual.

1. Gofast, because even if I can't really gofast, it's fun to ride a very light (for a Rivendell -- just a hair under 18 lb) bike stripped of anything unnecessary for fast (ish), fair weather riding.

This is my most controversial choice, controversial, I mean, to my own thought as well perhaps as to others'. I think, well at least put a rear brake on it so that you can use it with that AM hub; or add fenders or whatnot. But every time I ride it, it just feels faster than anything else I own, and it's so pleasant that nI decide once again not to mess with it.

2. A bike that is identical in geometry, design, size, build, to the gofast except that it adds fenders, lights, racks, and different (2 sided) pedals. This bike has an additional 3 speed wheel (S3X with freewheel) for the times (which never occur) when I want low gears.

3. A dirt road bike, set up like the errand road bike but with fat tires.

Both the errand bike and the dirt road bike can be used for touring, if I ever toured; both have front and rear racks, even if I don't always install the front ones.

4. Not really necessary, but it was cheap and available, and it is useful: a folder which doubles as a short distance grocery bike because it has clips and straps instead of spds.

If I rode singletrack, I'd add a mountain bike, perhaps a single speed 29er with 3" plus tires.

I think about adding one more bike, a road bike built around the AM hub. But it makes more sense to have the #2 respaced to accept a wheel built around this hub, so that I'd have the "main" Dingle wheel (70" and 63"), the S3X wheel (with freewheel, for low gears) and an AM wheel (for longer rides with closer ratios -- those of the S3X being good only for loaded climbing).

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****************************************************************************************

[Philip Williamson]

I like the idea of two numbers: real and ideal. I'm not the only one whose Ideal is N-2: my ideal is three or four, based on riding types.

Rivendell Quickbeam - fendered, dynamo, fixed. Commuter, in-town rider. Soon to be back to a dingle setup and nicer tires, which would put it back on potential longer distance duty. 

Bontrager Privateer - Was a mountain bike, now a rigid road bike with Rat Trap Pass tires. My fastest bike. Fun. 

Singular Gryphon - Singlespeed drop-bar mountain bike. I just put Big Ones on it. I'll see how they work on dirt. 

(-1) Lemond Nevada City - got it for $75, and enjoyed swapping all the Sora for 105 parts from the bins. 30mm tires are the fattest it fits. 

(-1) Ross Grand Tour - low trail, fixed, "in-progress" for a while, but the Quickbeam is better in every way. My first fixed gear bike. 

(--1) Fisher "Gravel Roadster" - Rigid road bike with Big Apples. Kind of an early sketch of the Bontrager. Gave it to my son. 

(+1) a Jones, or some kind of geared, suspended mountain bike, for trail riding with "normal" people. 

Philip

www.biketinker.com

[Patrick Moore]

I forgot the beater, "lock up with no worries" category. Since I work for myself and at home, I don't need to worry about parking a commuter, but when I go to a store, the Hon Solo can either be folded and put into a shopping cart, or it can be locked outside and left with less worries than for one of the other bikes, all customs.

[Steven Sweedler]

On Mon, Apr 3, 2017 at 6:50 PM Tony DeFilippo <vpi...@gmail.com> wrote:

So many great bikes!

Tony, here  it is with BG front and rear racks, a Nitto 32 F and a Ortlieb handlebar bag.  Steve

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[Julian Westerhout]

I'm not sure what my ideal N is, although I'm pretty much within 1 or 2 of the realistic max due to storage issues. The current fleet (9 mine, 1 wife's, and 2 -soon to be 3 - tandems): 

Old Schwinn MTB shod with studded Schwalbes that serves as a winter commuter. Abusable and tough. 

Trek 620 running upright bars, an Alfine internal 8-speed and a hub generator that's my daily non-snow/ice commuter. Comfortable and doesn't draw attention on the bike rack. 

Tall (don't remember official size) Kogswell P/R 700c 2nd/last generation. Bought when they were being closed out. Will likely become an internal gear hub commuter when/if the 620 dies).

65 cm Dale Brown Columbus sp/spx tubed go fast-ish bike. Bought from Dale via the CL list. Fun to ride for short distances, lovely to look at. 

64 cm Atlantis. Currently set up with M-bars, toying with the of a bar switch -- not sure

68 cm Rambouillet - an over-the-top equipped steed bought from the list -- favorite for long solo rides.

65 cm 1983 Specialized Sequoia (the latest addition -- bought frame from the list, just built it up). This is a bike I've wanted for a while. Only about 5 miles on it so far, but I like it. Built up mostly from parts in my stash. 

Brompton H6L -- have hard case, taken on flights, take on the train, put in back of car when going to a city for a few days - great for urban exploring. 

1970s Raleigh Supercourse frame waiting to become a single speed or fixie. This used to be the commuter. 

My wife's Trek 560. Not used much. She commutes by bus, prefers riding the tandem for recreation (lucky me!). 

Trek steel tandem (needs to find a good new home). Our first tandem, got good use, convinced us to splash out for a custom. 

Bilenky 650b S&S coupled touring tandem. Perfect for us. We ride locally, have taken to Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Ireland, Northern Great lakes in USA towing Radical Designs trailer, self supported camping. Will take to Japan to tour Hokkaido this summer. 

On the way: HHH tandem. For town use, as well as Wisconsin rail trails, Katy Trail, etc. 

Julian Westerhout

[Richard Rios]

So I have a few factors that help me decide, the first is how much I value my marriage,second space and lastly trying to balance that with my constant search for the "perfect" stable.

My ideal number is around four. one for fastish for me road, single speeder, all rounder, and mountain bike. I think I could get away with two if I had to. But any more than four I feel choice paralysis kick in every time I go to ride.

Right now I have three bikes all Rivs, an Atlantis, Simple One, and Clem. Also have a San Marcos frame I am on the fence about and that is currently up for sale but that might change. Currently i am looking to go with something more "modern" and a bit less precious in my mimd,at the moment plus size tire karate monkey or salsa vaya kinda got my attention...

best,
Richard " this group always makes me feel better about my bike habbit" Rios :)

[Eric Daume]

My ideal number is three:

1) a mountain bike for fast single track riding (so, no racks, fenders, or underbiking)

2) a relatively stripped down bike for solo road rides (but fenders are still nice for wet rides, and with fat tires, why not?)

3) a racked/fendered/etc bike for pulling the kids around, grocery runs, family rides, camping etc.

So how did I end up at seven? I think I'm about to go through a downsizing phase. I have in each category

(pictures here: https://bikingtoplay.blogspot.com/2017/04/fleet-update-again.html)

1a) Surly Karate Monkey rigid single speed 29er. I've tried to sell this bike, but I can't. It rides wonderfully and is just right for me.

1b) Niner SIR9, but with B+ wheels and lately gears and a sus fork. I'm not sure this will be a keeper

1c) Jones Plus: so capable, but maybe too stable for me.

2a) Raleigh Tecnhium road bike, with gears, no fenders. I bought this for $25, it's a really nice riding bike

2b) Specialized Rockhopper, converted to 700c and fixed gear. Twice the price of the Raleigh! But a nice bike.

3a) Raleigh Technium Peak mtb converted to city bike duties, my attempt to combine the flexy ride of my Technium road bike with big tires and strong brakes

3b) VO Polyvalent, a usefully designed 650b low trail bike. Kinda boring, though.

I may end up selling off most everything but the Surly. Riv content: a Quickbeam (64cm, if you have one), could replace my road bikes, and maybe a Clem Smith for the city bikes.

Eric

Plain City, OH

On Mon, Apr 3, 2017 at 11:24 AM, Bob K. <bob...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hey Folks:

I know threads somewhat similar to this pop up every now and again, but Ryan's question to Eric in the Rivendell Road SOLD thread made me wonder how folks settle on their stable size. I fall squarely in the minimalist camp, but I'm guessing others here probably don't. So:

1. How do you settle on what N equals for you? (N+1, I know, I know...)
2. What bikes do you currently own/have in regular rotation and why do you own them?

My stable is currently at one because of a recent sale, but it will (soon) bump back up to two. I settled on two as the acceptable number of bikes for a number of reasons, but mostly because I can't imagine riding enough to justify having any more of them. We also don't have the space for me to store any additional bikes aside from in a somewhat humid basement, and neither my wife nor myself would appreciate more bikes in the corner of the living room as we're not big fans of clutter, especially clutter that doesn't get used very often.

Current Stable:

1. 2009 Sam Hillborne (canti): Used mostly for road riding and touring and some occasional single track and forest roads if the ride allows/inspires it.

2. 2017 Surly Troll: I settled on the new Troll after a lengthy flirtation with the idea of buying a Crust Evasion and other bikes as well. I decided the Troll is better for my needs for a number of reasons: the geometry readily accepts a Jones H-Bar, 2x is easy vs. not doable at all with the Evasion, and my desired 26x3.0 setup doesn't require the need for expensive cranksets. It's also $300 cheaper and I like the maroon better than the also admittedly pretty Evasion color. It will take the place of my erstwhile Krampus as my mountain bike, off-road tourer, long distance tourer (if/when I get to do that!), kid trailer, and stuff hauler.

How about you?

Bob K. in Baltimore

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[Eric Karnes]

Some great bikes out there. My ideal number is two bikes...which is what I'm currently sporting:

1. 62cm SimpleOne. My everyday city commuter. I absolutely love it, and if it ever gets stolen, I'd immediately order a custom made to the exact specs. I don't have a car, so barring extreme weather, it's always in use.

2. 61cm AHH. My long distance (for me) rambling bike. Set up on a budget with old / random / reused parts. Still a work in progress, but rides great on the weekends.

If I ever move out of the city, I might trade the Hilsen for an Atlantis-esqe trail bike. But for now the two above are perfect.

Eric

[Ed Fausto]

Hi Eric,

Thanks for the description of your Jones Plus.

I have been considering the Jones Plus for its stability but my limited 79cm PBH puts me on spaceframe.

Ed

[Christopher Murray]

Current stable:
1. Lemond Alpe d'huez- steel, gofast
2. Trek 930- steel, commuter
3. Rodeo- steel, gofast
4. Quickbeam- steel, drop bars
5. Brompton- folder
6. Raleigh RSW- folder
7. Raleigh Twenty- folder
8. Nashbar Big Ol Fat Bike- fat bike
9. Nihola 4.0- cargo trike
10. Bike Friday Pocket Rocket- travel, gofast bike
11. BMC StreetRacer- aluminum, gofast
12. Kona Team Explosif- steel, commuter

A few other frames and unicycles and that covers it. That's 12+ which is way too high for me. I'd keep the two Rivs, the Nihola, and the Brompton if I could just snap my fingers and make the rest go away. If I had to pick just one it would be the Brompton. I think Thoreau had it about right, "these are more easily acquired than got rid of."

Cheers!
Chris

[Evan E.]

"How do you decide how many bikes to own?" First, I look at my "needs." Then I look at the garage space in which I can fit bikes. Result: For me, three bikes is plenty. One road bike. One single speed. One commuter/all-rounder.  

[Clayton.sf]

F*cking enablers!

Clayton n=3 Scott
SF, CA

[Christopher Murray]

Just remembered the Gary Fisher Triton- single speed, road. That's 13. There are probably one or two more.

Cheers!
Chris

[Ron Mc]

simple - I don't import Chinese cut cookies

[Robert Keal]

Ron,

How do you decide how many non-Chinese non-cut cookies to not import, and which non-Chinese non-cut cookies that you didn't import are currently in your rotation?

Bob K. in Baltimore

[Joe Gates]

Right now for me N = 6.  With a garage and a full basement for storage, there is room for more, but at the time i cannot think of what niche i need to fill and feel i have an embarrassment of riches in the bikes i already own.  I think the near future might see the number drop to 5.  

The current stable for me includes:

Lynskey R230 - my go fast bike.  Described by Lynskey as being good for all day riding it actually has some Rivish qualities with a sloping top tube to allow the handlebars to be up higher and a little more tire clearance than the Trek below.  

1981.5 Trek 759 - My first classic lugged made in the USA Trek.  I picked this up on eBay in 2011 because i have always had a thing for early Trek bikes (perhaps fueled by too much time spent on (www.vintage-treks.com).  Since this is classified as a racing frame it overlaps with the Lynskey and was not seeing much use.  When i finally discovered biking in the mountains i built this bike up with a compact crankset and use it for those hill climbing rides.

1985 Trek 620 - have always loved the Trek 720 and 620 so when this one popped up on eBay i grabbed it. Bonus that s previous owner had changed out most of the original components so i did not have to suffer the guilt of updating it to my own preferences.  This was to become my wide tire accepting, comfortable to ride, do everything bike until i acquired...

1996 Rivendell All Rounder - I had been searching for an Atlantis, but when i found this on Craigslist it appeared to be a better fit for my riding style.  I would probably not use the Atlantis to its full potential and what i really wanted was to have a roadish bike that accepted wider tires and racks for comfortable all day riding with the ability to go off road if the opportunity arose.  I had it repainted and retro fit with couplers to become my travel bike.  Since getting this built up, it is the bike i have ridden the most and probably the one i would keep if (heaven forbid) i could only have one.  

1995 GT Tequesta - I built this up as a poor man's Rivendell long before acquiring a Rivendell of my own.  I told myself i would get rid of this once i acquired the All Rounder, but i have not been able to bring myself to part with it.  It is too fun to ride (though it has not seen much use in the past year).  This is likely the one that will go first as my aim in filling out the stable has been to try to buy American made when possible which makes this the odd road bike out.  However, it might be repurposed as a mountain bike to replace the one Aluminum frame in the stable...

Old Supergo branded aluminum framed mountain bike - saw a lot of action in the 1990s, but i do not mountain bike much these days.  With young children i have a harder time loading the bike in the car to drive to the trails than simply taking another bike out and riding right from home.  Perhaps one day it will see more use again.  

Joe 

[Edwin W]

Jim,

That is just like my situation! Here in Nashville there are so many garages that eclipse my bike collection in value with just one car and nobody blinks an eye, but mothers/mothers in law types seem to be interested in how many bikes I have!

I have a bunch of kids bikes and a few in the shed which is not where I am living now and so never ride, like an old Schwinn tandem, a fix-ified Raleigh sprite, an old GT Avalanche MTB on loan to a friend, and in our basement but rarely used is a Dahon Boardwalk single speed guest bike. 

All I am really using right now is:

1. appaloosa - ride everywhere, do everything

2. Workcycles Fr8 - go anywhere around town with 1-3 kids.

But I fantasize about a "gofast"(er than the Appaloosa) like an old UJB with good clearance, or a fancier low trail randonneur bike. I almost never make it to single track biking, but I also fantasize about having a bike to do that with, nothing out of this world, but like a 1x10 650b bike with 3" tires.

After having so many kids bikes in 12", 16", 20", 24", 26" and 700 and trying them to make them either like my appaloosa or like the racy bikes they want, I have concluded that going forward the most practical thing for middle schoolers and up is a "monster cross" type cross bike that can take 45mm tires and drop bars and go anywhere. But that might be another thread: "how to keep your kids to one bike per kid"!

Edwin

On Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 8:41:20 AM UTC-5, Jim S. wrote:

This is an interesting question. I have a wife and 5 kids. In our garage there are, I dunno, 20 bikes or so. The kids all have 2, and there are a couple that are in-between kids. My wife and I each have 4, plus there's a Brompton. Hell, I guess there must be more than 20.

With that said, I frequently get questions like this: (from crabby mother-in-law and also visitors to our back yard who can see into the garage) "How many bikes do you have?" with a tone suggesting that having a garage full of bikes is somehow inappropriate for some reason. 

In response, I feel a need to understate the number of our bikes. 

Upon reflection, I'm not sure why I feel this way. Maybe it's my own insecurity.

But there are many other items one might own that no one would question - i.e., a $70,000 SUV for instance. 

[Ron Mc]

I just build up old frames when it strikes my fancy.  

my way

[franklyn]

Such an interesting exercise. For me, it's really a matter of convenient storage and mental space, and how my SO's tolerance has changed throughout the years.

When I first got into buying and tinkering with bikes, I owned a group-living home and there isn't that much bike storage for 6 people. So my wife and I had two bikes each--a nice bike and a workhorse since bicycles were our primary means of transportation. 

Even after we moved to our current property which has a whole garage for storing bike parts, tools, and bikes, we held that number at five combined for the two of us for several years, with I getting a third bike to ride around my office. I have gone through many bikes, though I always sold one before buying another. 

Then my wife got three more bikes (all vintage Treks) for herself (I obviously enabled) within a 12-month period to bring her personal total to 3, which allows me to feel like I can follow suit. So now our total is 10. 

My wife's preference in riding and bikes seems to be pretty narrow--pavement-centric, steel, drop bar, vintage Treks. She has three go-fast road bikes: 1) 85' hot-pink Trek 770, 2) Ebisu Road, and a 3) 84' Trek 500. She also has a 4) 650b'ed 1982 Trek 720 touring bike for our overnight jaunts and camping trips. A 5) 89' Trek 850, also 650b'ed, serves as her daily commute and errand bike nowadays. The touring bike and the commuter has dynamo light, fenders, and racks, the other three are bare-bone road bikes.

I horse-traded through many bikes, and through that process really have discovered my riding preference, and even though all my bikes are fairly versatile, they all share certain traits--steel, 650b wheels, low-trail front end, racks, fenders, dynamo lighting, relatively thin-tubes, fit at least 42mm tires. 

1. I have a custom Ebisu All-Purpose that I got married on (we had a bike wedding) that still serves as my brevet bike. 
2. The longest-serving member of the group is a 08' 2nd-gen Kogswell P/R with a porteur rack and bag; it's my workhorse and now has close to 13000 miles. 
   
3. 7 years ago I 650b-converted a specialized Sequoia from 83' or 84'. I later repainted it vintage pink and turned it into my touring bike. Friend and fellow lister JimG made a custom rack for it. It also has a Kogswell Konversion fork which makes it low-trail
4. I bought a Rawland rSogn from Bill Lindsay 2-3 years back, and with tires like Switchback Hills and Thunder Burts have really rediscovered the joy of dirt/gravel riding.
5. This leads me to my newest, not-yet-here bike, which comes to me via a friend. It's a Fitz custom too big for him that was built around the 48mm tire size with fenders. I can't wait to build it up this Summer. 

I suppose I don't have a true mountain bike, though all of my bikes are capable of doing mixed-terrain with the rSogn and the Fitz having wider range of suitability. If I were to buy a mountain bike for more rocky/muddy stuff, it'd probably be a steel Jones. I have yet able to cross the mental line on: disc brakes, suspension, thru-axle, fat-bikes, carbon forks. A lot of these lines have to do with my unfamiliarity with repairing and maintaining these newer parts, parts interchangeability among all our bikes (which relates to bike parts inventory hording/optimization)

Franklyn

[Beaverton Bob]

A colleague of mine introduced me to the formula "d-1", d being the number of bikes that would lead to a divorce.  So, the right number of bikes is one less than would cause a divorce, but one more than you currently have.  Hopefully, a number between n+1 and d-1!

Ride Safely,

Bob from Beaverton

[Jon Kaplan]

I'm thinning the herd to a Rambouillet, a repainted Cannondale H300 Resurecctio, a Rans Rocket recumbent, and eventually a folding gold rush replica recumbent.

Now selling Bianchi Milano, Trek Bellaire, Specialized Rockhopper 29th, and Surly Long Haul Trucker.

[Eric Norris]

Nice! The chainguard works with a derailleur?

--Eric N

www.CampyOnly.com

CampyOnlyGuy.blogspot.com

Twitter: @CampyOnlyGuy

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[Surlyprof]

Fun thread.  Although I have a fairly large, 800 sq ft. garage, it is filled with a shop and studio (with 80 sq. ft dedicated to sink, lawnmower and gardening supplies).  Bikes fit wherever they can which, during a shop-intensive project, is outside when I'm working.  I often fantasize of have a fourth bay for bikes or a double height ceiling for hanging them.  In the meantime, I am at N=3 a Hillborne and a Brompton for me and a bright orange Public mixte for my wife (She loves that bike).  The dream is N=3 for me which would include a Riv go fast (Rodeo? Roadini? Roscoe?), a dedicated mountain bike such as a 650b Hunq or SOMA B-Side and the Brompton.  I figure that, by the time I can afford that lineup, I'll be too old to go bombing down hills like in my youth.  Therefore, in the meantime, the fendered Brompton has taken over my commuting duties enabling me to pull the fenders off the Hillborne so I can swap wheelsets easily.  Just put the Smart Sams back on this weekend and was thrilled that I didn't have to wait for summer break to do it.  So fun!

As for those approving an SUV over lots of bikes, I suggest the attached photos.

John (envious of some of your lists)

[Jim Bronson]

I suppose another person might also ask besides the $70K SUV, "Why so
many kids" but that's neither here nor there.

Mother in law probably never asks THAT question. ;)

p.s.: I love kids and would like more, so don't take it as a personal
attack or anything, just saying, that some people might consider 5
excessive. I don't.

On Tue, Apr 4, 2017 at 8:41 AM, Jim S. <ja...@simeri.me> wrote:
> This is an interesting question. I have a wife and 5 kids. In our garage
> there are, I dunno, 20 bikes or so. The kids all have 2, and there are a
> couple that are in-between kids. My wife and I each have 4, plus there's a
> Brompton. Hell, I guess there must be more than 20.
>
> With that said, I frequently get questions like this: (from crabby
> mother-in-law and also visitors to our back yard who can see into the
> garage) "How many bikes do you have?" with a tone suggesting that having a
> garage full of bikes is somehow inappropriate for some reason.
>
> In response, I feel a need to understate the number of our bikes.
>
> Upon reflection, I'm not sure why I feel this way. Maybe it's my own
> insecurity.
>
> But there are many other items one might own that no one would question -
> i.e., a $70,000 SUV for instance.
>
>

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[Ron Mc]

Hi Eric, 

The Simplex chainguard is made for a piston FD.  

I figured out how to attach it to a Cyclone FD

This was just a mock-up, BB not yet installed (waiting on a tap to chase the thread)

I used an precisely measured M-5 standoff in place of the FD band bolt and made a Z-bracket using the Simplex parts that lets me put it anywhere I need.  

The correct length standoff is what positions the FD parallogram in the chainguard hump

Still waiting on my custom hubs from Phil.  

Can't final position it until I have the drivetrain functioning.  With the FD at its outmost travel, cage has to contact inside of chainguard in order for the low-Q crankarms to clear the chainguard.  

But I've mocked up everything to know it's going to work.  

I now have the BB and crank installed and need Phil to come through with my hubs.  

Already approved by Phil Engr and paid for.  

They're 115mm rear OLD for a 5-sp freewheel with Synergy OC rims to minimize wheel dish.  

Come on Michael at Phil...

[Ian A]

Another masterpiece - what bars are those Ron?

IanA.

[Patrick Moore]

That Nihola looks very nice. Living mostly alone, I have no need for one, but if i shopped for a family, I'd seriously consider one.

Which reminds me of another niche. A British racing trike with platform rack for a big bin. You couldn't carry 120 kg, but you could easily carry 40 or 50 lb, and do so without a huge effect on the trike's handling. And when you removed the box, you'd have another gofast!

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[Ron Mc]

Hi Ian, thanks - GB Maes, the stem is a 70mm GB Hiduminium.  

I learned along the way, thinking the single braze on shifter boss would fit Huret or Simplex.  No go, it's English only, so I have a Cyclo Super on the braze on for rear, and a single band-clamp with Huret for the front.  

I bought this as a $100 bare frame and fork, and knew I could build a better bike for less than it would cost to buy back the original parts.  

I already had the Cyclone FD + Simplex chainguard sitting around - had been thinking about putting it on my old Raleigh, so I'm putting it on an older Raleigh.  

[Ryan Fleming]

Interesting thread!

Bikes I think are elegant ,practical and I will ride and are special

Nothing I have to go into debt for...if I want a bike I'll save for it and buy  once other obligations are met. The expectation and parts picking are all part of the fun

I have sold bikes for a reasonable sum that another would ride (87 Rossin, 85 M500 Cannondale) that I  no longer needed or wanted

My N bikes

Elegant mutts

1993 X0-1 fairly close to original spec. 24 years and still going strong. When I had my bike accident where I ended up with the L1 crushed vertebrae, bike was unscathed except for a scrape on the side of the saddle. ...in fact I took my first ride on it since my accident last fall . Both bike and rider are just fine, thank the fates

1974 PX-10 set up as an SS w moustache bars

The queens (not garage queens)

1997 Riv allrounder

2001 Curt Goodrich built Riv custom road bike

2017 Mark Nobilette Custom

At this point I don't have an N+ 1....well maybe a ladies' Clem

When I shuffle off this mortal coil , I'll want them out in the world where they'll be ridden and loved.  I am not in the least bit  morbid or  anything but they are a legacy that I have to consider. I wonder how you guys feel about that. Purely a speculative question

[Philip Kim]

ooh, i would love to see a picture of the curt goodrich custom!

[Jim Bronson]

Ron,

It looks like your return air (and air handler) are right by the front door...?

That would be an odd setup.

Maybe that's just a bedroom door and not an outside door?

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[Ryan Fleming]

[Philip Kim]

awesome! I always admired his handywork

[Mojo]

 

My N has been stable at 8 for awhile which is too many. Luckily for me D is apparently greater than 8 but it is possible D = 9 so I am not pushing it. I think that my preferred N should be closer to 4, but I seem to be having a hard time downsizing. There is one main reason for this, I keep changing. My changes:1) I just retired so there is no need for a commuter, but I still run errands and shop on a bike so that type of bike is "necessary."  2) After being a roadie for decades, I am becoming more of a dirt rider. The auto&texting driver hoards win, I don't want to go like Mike Hall last week, so most of my rides for fun and fitness are now in the dirt. 3) Finally after racing in the 1980s-1990s and holding on to that type of riding (hammer, paceline, performance, light-weight bikes, hard tires) into the oughts, I now am more interested in touring (like my 1970s cycling origins). So my bikes in order of importance at this time:

 

1) Jones Plus  it is the bike I would grab in case of a house fire.

2) Legolas because of its versatility as a go-fast, a randonneur, as a multi-surface or gravel bike. It currently has fenders, M12 rack with Acorn h'bar bag, Son dynamo with Edulux.  It also has a Tom Matchak low-trail fork, seen here.

3) Surly LHT this was my commuter and is still my load carrier. Why do I love this low cost bike? Well it too has a Matchak low-trail fork, and SP & Luxos U lighting system, Tubus racks, Ritchey Logic crank, so it is not so inexpensive. It also is the only bike with (Mavic) friction downtube shifters that I still love. This bike can do so much and adventure is written all over it.

4) Rivendell Road Standard designed by Grant, built by Curt, painted by Joe this is a go-fast bike that isn't as versatile as the Legolas. But man it just fits beautifully and I still love it. It is the bike I chose for Ride the Rockies in 2014. It is my only bike with caliper brakes, lugged stem, a lovely TA crank, Noodle bars (like all my drop bar bikes), Campy brifters mated to 9 speed derailers and cassette.

5) Surly Pugsley There are better fat bikes now. But I have it heavily accessorized (Moonlander fork, Son-Edulux, BigO fenders) and I just love the way it rides. It is my backup dirt bike but doesn't perform near as well as the Jones in that role. And the Jones is nearly as versatile in snow with a 4 inch tire up front.

6) Quickbeam, 1st generation, set up with 5 single speed gears (two chainrings, dingle, and a flip flop) and a fixed multi-gear rear wheel that hasn't been used for years. A SS is fun but also limiting (part of the fun!) and could go to someone else. But then I take it for a long ride and I just can't bring myself to sell. Maybe in a few ears.

7) Rivendell AllRounder 1995, one owner, many adventures. But I bought it at my racing size of 58cm and I ride 60-62cm frames now, so its too small. It is my other load carrier with 26 inch wheels. It has 753 tubing and chameleon (purple and green) paint with a top tube ding, 3 Nitto racks (front and rear large racks plus an M12 that holds an Acorn bag), another Ritchey Logic triple crank, Tektro 720 brakes. It is a versatile AllRounder with a long quill technomic stem, new VO fenders room for 2" tires under those fenders, and rides pretty well on the road with Kojak 1.5" slicks. Visiting friends can ride it road or dirt. Do I need both 26" and 700c touring bikes? No I do not.

8) Salsa Ala Carte, 26" inch mountain bike, with orange paint, a Pugsley 100mm hub width fork with a 3" front tire. It should go too but it is quick and fast and is currently staying at my wee Mum's home not far from Patrick Moore for rides when I am there.

Maybe my N is 8, at least for now. I did give away my loved 1966 Robin Hood 3 speed and do not miss it, so maybe there is hope for me.

Joe in GJT

[Ryan Fleming]

Sorry Phillip ...the harvest gold and me on the left for a rather nice 65km Charity ride for a home for patients with Alzheimer's ...it has one of Riv's vegan bar tubes

Mix of Nitto , a little campagnolo, old suntour, brrooks...this and that. With Compass Stampede pass EL tires...best road tires I've ever ridden. It's my go-fast bike   ...but the engine not so much. The 65km draws out the fast riders....plenty pass me unless  they have flats :)

On Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 12:36:14 PM UTC-5, Philip Kim wrote:

[Orc]

On Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 10:31:31 AM UTC-7, Ryan Fleming wrote:

When I shuffle off this mortal coil , I'll want them out in the world where they'll be ridden and loved.  I am not in the least bit  morbid or  anything but they are a legacy that I have to consider.

I fully expect that when I die most of my bicycles will end up being recycled.  My idea of a comfortable fit is fairly idiosyncratic, and I build my machines out of light enough tubing so that they'll be well along the fatigue curve by the time my warranty expires.

-david parsons

[Ryan Fleming]

Indeed. I wonder if he's still actively building. 

It may be to some that Rivendell customs are extravagant. But they are  lovingly crafted. They're beautiful machines. Now, it seems like it would be hard to exceed the already high standards of the production models. But the customs do pull it off and it's not fluff. There's a lot of meticulous hand labour and skill going on there. Also, it's the best riding  road bike I've ever owned and I've had a few.

[Scott McLain]

Wow, what a thread!

I feel much better about my own bike collection:

2006 LHT

2007 A Homer Hilsen

2014 Surly Pacer

Rockhopper 29er - For my kids to use

Stumpjumper 29er - For my use

Betty Foye - My wife's bike

1969 Scwhinn Twinn Tandem

1989 Marin Eldridge

A host of kids bikes

No Carbon bikes.

[Timothy Orr]

This is a fun thread!

I just have one bike.

Riv Protovelo Hunqapillar/Appaloosa. 62cm. 29x2.15 Big Apples. Got it of the list just a bit ago: https://www.instagram.com/p/BR_WNQHhzL4/

Dad bike/commuter/tourer/go fast/off roader.

I'm kind of hoping to just own this bike, and only this bike, until I need to get a Cheviot because I can get my leg over the top tube.

[Jim Bronson]

What kind of child seat is that?

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[Abcyclehank]

Jim,
That looks like a single child seat for Desi. I find it idealistic that he believes one bike is enough. 24 years ago when my first child was hauled around I thought so too. Now 6+4 occasionally but in transition due to retirement, children moving out and on into their own homes, etc. All good times make better by bicycling.

Sincerely,
Ryan Hankinson
West Michigan

[Stuart Lovinggood]

I, like Tim, have settled on a one-bike approach, plus one. So not really like Tim at all. I have a new Appaloosa that replaced a Surly Straggler as my do-it-all bike. I had a hardtail fat bike but sold it as I didn't really enjoy riding any trails tougher than I could ride on my Straggler. And I've got an MB-5 as my #2 sitting in the garage, set up as a bar bike for running to the grocery or locking up around town. I've had more bikes in the stable but really enjoy the simplicity of the one (plus one) approach. 

[Belopsky]

The goal of this bike is to see how well a cheap bike with some upgrades (read: Cheap wheels off an older Trek Belleville / Swobo Fillmore (I think?)) holds up for commuting.

$99 for most of what you see, with the wheels/tires off the Trek. Rack I had laying around. Milk crate circa 2007. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/14767344@N07/33030433823/in/dateposted-public/

[Deacon Patrick]

See, honey? I'm a minimalist with just my two bikes. Grin.

To answer the question, I am usually happy with two bikes. The window when I'm not gets smaller every year as I do better riding the QB on longer rides in the spring when the roads are clear for miles and miles, but the trails are still snowed in (April into May). That's when I have to practice contentment against a country bike with gears (the QB is a single speed country bike).

So, to actually answer the rest of the question:

Hunqapillar: Everything. (Includes day rides, single track, bikepacking, grocery getter, country bike, all weathers, etc.)

Quickbeam: Day rides that are go fast and light. 

With abandon,

Patrick

[Justin, Oakland]

Currently I have 2.5 bikes. I would prefer 2. I don't log enough hours to justify more to me.
1) Saluki: Commuter, Road, Coffee, Fire trail, everything but the rocks, roots and downhills.
2) El Mariachi: Rocks, roots and downhills. 29er with front suspension. In a world where I can sneakily do it I swap out this for a Jones. Or I try it with a rigid fork and 27.5+. That sounds juuuuuust right.
.5) Specialized RockHopper that was going to be a camping bike but I'm going to be moving along soon. I'll take the MAP Bars and sell the rest. Anyone want a nicely kept small sized RockHopper?

I had a dream of building up a stripped down roadie but I'll just get my 28 hole wheelset laces up for the Saluki. I love the difference in doing MTB with front suspension and disc brakes. It's just different and fun. I think a Jones would give me that as well plus it would be more versatile.

My wife has a Betty Foy and I use that to commute on sometimes. A Betty/Ives (fixed 650b) would be the only 3rd bike I'd be interested in. Maybe a Cheviot if kids come but we'll see on that.

-Justin

[Eric Floden]

"We are aiming for one hundred and still have so far to go"

[Patrick Moore]

Me too. Or, better: I too!

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[Timothy Orr]

Hey, Jim--

It's a BoBike Maxi SC. I like it alright. I kind of wish I could mount it a little lower so the weight wasn't up so high. Also, it's a little flexy. But I got it for free from the side of the road, so I feel like I can't really complain. 

Cheers, 

Tim 

Portland, OR

[Mark in Beacon]

I have too many bicycles right now. But I do like picking something up cheap and then amazing myself with how much money I can spend getting it to run nicely. Conceptually, I would very much like to be a one bike guy, like my great uncle Bernie, who delivered the mail for the Irish Post by bicycle his whole life.




But emotionally I just am not wired in such a fashion. As a general rule,  I gravitate toward bicycles with some beausage, though several recent projects involve or will involve spray paint. My preferences were also shaped in good measure by a Rivendell outlook, and many sport Riv parts and accessories.

My most important bikes are the ones I use when riding with my son. They include:

Rivendell Clementine, with Burley Piccollo attached.
Early 1990s Santana Vision, 26" tandem
Converted Trek 750 Multitrack, with Rivendell fork

Bikes I have a hard time justifying getting rid of because a., I could not get much for them, and b. I like the ride.

1974? Le Tour mixte, baby blue tubeset
1974 Ron Kitching, 531 with first gen Dura Ace
1960s Louison Bobet, 531 with Nervex lugset, set up as a fixed gear (though contemplating gears and tubular tires for the summer)
Early 80s Kuwahara, Ishiwata 022

I have three projects I hope to finish in the next few month, then that's it for me:

1970s Lambert, straight gauge 1027 "aerospace" tubing. Converting this to 650b.
1970s Takara, all chrome underneath, takes 700x42 tires.
1940s Bianchi 650b city bike. Need to replace some of the original parts, I am going to strip it down and not be concerned with historical accuracy.

I have several old school rigid mountain bikes laying around as well, plus a Raleigh Twenty folder and a couple of steel road frames.

Oh, and I just picked up this "Tourist" Atala. Always wanted a bike with a stick shift.

[Belopsky]

Already updated yesterday's new bike..

https://www.flickr.com/photos/14767344@N07/33472809920/in/dateposted-public/

Suzue Classica / TB14 wheelset I had with 38mm Big Bens. I am amazed there is clearance for these WITH fenders. Without fenders I can fit some 50mm easily it seems. No reason to, but I can.

Rear is not shifting that well..I dont know why exactly..Sunrace shifter isnt the greatest, cable is new, housing is filed/cleaned up at the ends. Maybe it's the old derailleur, I may try my newer Altus and see if it's any better..

[Eric Karnes]

Mark, that Trek 750 is a great bike. I've run across it a few times and have always admired your conversation. Such a great utilitarian look. Nice work!

Eric

[Dan]

I used to sell bikes too fast, and flipped some before giving them a fair shake or realizing how nice they were and thus hard to replace.  In general, I hover around 3 bikes, and for over a year now (!) have had two Specializeds (85 Stumpy and 83 Expedition) and my RB-T. With the exception of the Stumpy, these are long-term bikes that will take something special to replace, and since they were relatively cheap and I have relatively little free cash now it's unlikely that that will happen.

Dan

On Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 11:15:32 AM UTC-5, Eric Karnes wrote:

[AJ]

I'm preparing to move to another home, giving me the opportunity to pare down a few things.  This thread arrived at an interesting time.  Today I sat down to try and figure out my N. Interesting exercise; looks like N=7.  

I will be parting with close 'friends'.

Keeping

Riv All Rounder - as name suggests

Riv Bombadil - Touring

Riv Rambouillet - Relaxed Road

Surly Big Dummy - Grocery Getting

Richard Sachs - Road 

Moots psychlo x - Cross

La Suprema Custom - All Rounder

Leaving the stable

IF Touring - Touring

Bike Friday Rocket - Travel

Kirk Terraplane - Road

Eddy Merckx Corsa - Road

Rawlands Sogn - All Rounder, Mountain

Lemond Poprad - Bum around

[Patrick Moore]

Nice collection! Care to share a photo and description of your Richard Sachs? Custom built for you? Also the La Suprema. 

I'd be tempted to keep the Merckx, too.

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[Belopsky]

if I had room and the funds I'd get a Big Dummy again OR (and I am much more tempted for this) a Cycle Trucks SUB http://www.cycletrucks.com/products.html

I also changed the tires on my mixte :) https://www.flickr.com/photos/14767344@N07/33050638523/in/dateposted-public/

[Christopher Cote]

I love these threads. I specifically try not to keep count of my bikes. I think the ideal N would be 1, but like an ideal gas, or the infamous "frictionless plane" from physics class, the "ideal bike" that does it all doesn't exist (for me at least). I suppose I could get by with two, a road bike and a mountain bike.

Tallying up the collection:

1. Rivendell Rambouillet - Fastish road bike. I tried to sell this late last year, but couldn't bring myself to let it go. It's too beautiful, and too sentimental for the price it would fetch.

2. Heron Touring - I tried to cut this one loose as well, but it rides so nicely and is so practical. And again, it's not worth much on the open market, so I'm happy to keep it.

3. Ocean Air Rambler - A bit of an impulse purchase, and I wanted to try low trail and really fat road tires. I love the light, springy feel of the frame and the ride of the Compass 700x42 tires. Not sure about low trail, though.

4. Univega Viva Sport - Garage sale find, rebuilt with newer used parts. Super cheap, and as nice a ride as any of the above. This one is a keeper.

5. Surly Karate Monkey - Regular mountain bike. OK, but I don't love it. I'd like to replace this with something. Not sure what yet.

6. Surly Wednesday - Fat bike purchased for snow riding that I find myself riding all year.

7. Surly Ice Cream Truck - Even fatter bike than the Wednesday. This is a recent purchase. The 5" tires are so much better in soft snow. I may build a set of 29+ wheels for either this or the Wednesday and use that as a replacement for the Karate Monkey.

8. Trek 920 - My first mountain bike from 1996-ish. Post cool-Trek era. Probably going to let it go at a swap meet.

9. Bianchi Nyala - Winter beater that I bought last fall. I did not gel with this bike. I think I'm done with 26"  wheels and NORBA geometry. Probably going to part it out.

Chris

[nathan]

I've enjoyed this thread too, and it's been a while since I cataloged the herd!

I'm down to only one Riv (though my partner has a Saluki and a Betty Foy):

- Yves Gomez - dark grey metallic fendered racked commuter, purchased from Dave at RBW a few years ago. It's a little small for me, so it doesn't get ridden much. I'll likely sell it soon.

Non-Rivs:

- Box Dog Bikes Pelican - daily rider / tourer / camper; fenders, porteur rack and bags

- Ebisu All Purpose - road-ish build

- Ebisu All Purpose - randonneur build (parked at the in-laws' for when I'm in town)

N+1 = Bikepacking rig. Crust Evasion/Scapegoat, Hunqapillar, Jones Plus, or Surly Troll / Karate Monkey 27.5+…? Anyone looking to sell something like this in the 58-60 (89 PBH) size?

N+2 = Cargo bike.

N+3 = Quickbeam or SimpleOne.

[Robert Keal]

Awesome responses, folks!

While I firmly believe that my n=2, if I were to add a bike, it would most definitely be a tandem. I planned to buy a 26" wheeled mtb Burly Rock and Roll off a friend who bought a HHH tandem, but in the end I couldn't justify it. Pretty bummed about that, but I'm sure another opportunity to own a tandem will present itself down the road. And when we move away from my school's campus and back to the city, a cargo bike will be extremely tempting...

Bob K. in Baltimore

[Jeff Lesperance]

I've done a fair amount of catch and release over the past dozen years or so (whereas 12+ years ago I was a one bike guy) and have been trying to get the bike stable down to the fewest bikes possible while also being able to satisfy all of my biking interests. I'm currently at:

1. Touring/Allroad/Weekender/Rando ride: Sam Hillborne, soon to be replaced with an All City Space Horse Disc

2. Off-road Touring/Rough stuff: Surly Troll

3. Commuter: Breezer Belway (belt drive, IGH)

4. Cruiser: Rosco Bubbe v2

5. Family: Bike Friday Family Tandem

I could do without the Rosco, that's just an indulgence. The commuter isn't necessary but belt drive/IGH makes for a nice minimal maintenance bike. I mostly use the Troll for reasonably worn or groomed trail riding, where just about any other bike in the stable could work, but I like to be able to veer off of the well traveled path on occasion. The family tandem shouldn't count, that's straight family fun with my daughters. I guess I could get down to 3 bikes, including the tandem. 

My stable has been as many as 8 or 9 bikes and that just felt unwieldy - at that many bikes there's too many bikes that just don't get attention that someone else may give them. I'm not interested in museum pieces that can only come out for a slow ride around the driveway on Sundays, so that attitude informs my catch rate as well.

-Jeff

Silver Spring, MD

--

[John G.]

Like Jeff, I've done a decent amount of catch and release over the past few years. Just a few more tweaks and I should have my stable settled. For real. No, I'm serious!

Here's what it looks like now:

1. Everything Bike: 61 cm Atlantis: my most recent addition, and by far my favorite. If I'm riding alone, there's a really good chance that I'll take the Atlantis. I'm setting any records on it, but it's just a wonderful way to go out and enjoy an afternoon.

2. Feeling Zippy Bike: 63 cm Mercian Superlight: Before I purchased the Atlantis, this was my most used bike. This is the bike that convinced me that as a 6'1 guy, I should not be riding size 58 road bikes. It's a faster than the Atlantis, and super comfy--the headtube is like 10 feet tall.

3. Problem Child/Organ Donor Bike: Soma Smoothie 58cm: the speed is seductive, but it just doesn't fit and isn't good for much aside from keeping up with friends on rides. I have some nice parts on it, and would love to use them to build up a modern Zippy bike that actually fits.

Stuff that got cut:

1. Surly Cross Check: I actually regret selling this, but I almost made back my money on it. 

2. Surly Pacer: Hated this. Really uncomfortable.

3. Hunqapillar: Wonderful bike, but just doesn't suit my style of riding (90% pavement).

4. CAAD10: the first decent bike I ever bought. I really wish I had known about Rivendell at the time. Then again, I really didn't know what kind of a rider I was.

On Thursday, April 6, 2017 at 6:53:32 AM UTC-4, Jeff wrote:

I've done a fair amount of catch and release over the past dozen years or so (whereas 12+ years ago I was a one bike guy) and have been trying to get the bike stable down to the fewest bikes possible while also being able to satisfy all of my biking interests. I'm currently at:

1. Touring/Allroad/Weekender/Rando ride: Sam Hillborne, soon to be replaced with an All City Space Horse Disc

2. Off-road Touring/Rough stuff: Surly Troll

3. Commuter: Breezer Belway (belt drive, IGH)

4. Cruiser: Rosco Bubbe v2

5. Family: Bike Friday Family Tandem

I could do without the Rosco, that's just an indulgence. The commuter isn't necessary but belt drive/IGH makes for a nice minimal maintenance bike. I mostly use the Troll for reasonably worn or groomed trail riding, where just about any other bike in the stable could work, but I like to be able to veer off of the well traveled path on occasion. The family tandem shouldn't count, that's straight family fun with my daughters. I guess I could get down to 3 bikes, including the tandem. 

My stable has been as many as 8 or 9 bikes and that just felt unwieldy - at that many bikes there's too many bikes that just don't get attention that someone else may give them. I'm not interested in museum pieces that can only come out for a slow ride around the driveway on Sundays, so that attitude informs my catch rate as well.

-Jeff

Silver Spring, MD

On Wed, Apr 5, 2017 at 9:34 PM, Robert Keal <bob...@gmail.com> wrote:

Awesome responses, folks!

While I firmly believe that my n=2, if I were to add a bike, it would most definitely be a tandem. I planned to buy a 26" wheeled mtb Burly Rock and Roll off a friend who bought a HHH tandem, but in the end I couldn't justify it. Pretty bummed about that, but I'm sure another opportunity to own a tandem will present itself down the road. And when we move away from my school's campus and back to the city, a cargo bike will be extremely tempting...

Bob K. in Baltimore

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[Jim Bronson]

Wow AJ, extremely impressive collection. I'd be hard pressed to let
any of those go.

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[Belopsky]

I have a hard time counting bikes that are "free" and "cheap" and yet I have to count them and they take up room and I don't just want to toss them but maybe I will donate...

like this weird thing I built up earlier this week but since stole parts off for my commuter

https://www.flickr.com/photos/14767344@N07/33489398410/in/dateposted-public/

[Wally Estrella]

I had an older (2005 or 6, I think) Karate Monkey as my "one bike to rule them all".  It did many things well.  Others things OK.  A couple of things not so well.  After a few years of that I felt a need to get bikes more specific to certain tasks.  That started my N+1.  

The current unstable stable includes: 

1986 Trek 500@road bike.

Atlantis@all rounder.

Quickbeam@main ride.

Masi Soulville 3 speed@weather beater.

Surly Wednesday@MTB, winter commuter.

1908 Iver Johnson Truss Flyer@tweed rider.

[Belopsky]

Quickbeam's the beer getter? :)

[Orc]

Basically all of mine are free/cheap (not counting the Rosco, which I'm /probably/ not going to butcher 'cuz it's a Riv frame.  It's being used as a jig for a Rosco rack right now, and if I never sell it will spend its days being a very nice jig for Rosco mixte & Appaloosa racks)   I tend to shove the expensive frames back out the door whenever I've got cash flow problems (which is basically always; rack+bag+framebuilding is not nearly the steady income stream that computer programming used to be) but who's going to buy a handmade 490x590 frame with a short HT?

-david "Well, I would, but it's more fun to build the frame than to buy it" parsons

[Christopher Cote]

What's the story on the Richard Sachs? Do you have any pictures to share?

Chris

On Monday, April 3, 2017 at 3:12:24 PM UTC-4, Belopsky wrote:

No longer any Rivendell's that I personally own, but my wife has a Cheviot.

I have/will have:

1. 2016 Bob Jackson Audax End-End. My go-fast bike.

2. 2017 Bob Jackson Vigorelli. Single speed go-fast road (frame en route).

3. 1976 Richard Sachs Road bike. Go-fast vintage mostly-Campy bike.

4. 2009 Grand Bois Randonneur. Comfortable, 650B. Probably most versatile? 650B is nice for the roads here..

5. An older Trek mountain bike that I stripped and is going to be a parts-bin-bike. Not sure what I'll use it for, perhaps single speed trail..

6. Bikes Direct (yep!) Windsor Oxford that I am building up for my city commuter/beater. Cheap Clem Smith Jr perhaps? LOL

[Belopsky]

It's not done, waiting on a 5speed freewheel (arrives today, I think..), need to run cables/housing for brakes, and get some tires/tubes..

Here it is before I got some Mavic/Campagnolo Record wheels and swapped the bars and stem for some Nitto (Cinelli too much $$$ and I do not care to make it 'period correct')

https://www.flickr.com/photos/14767344@N07/33463955011/in/album-72157679968193681/

[Wally Estrella]

Quickbeam's the beer getter? :)

Actually, YES! I used it to ride into Portland to Allagash.   Those must be long gone by now ;)

 

[Christopher Cote]

Very nice. I'm wondering more about its history, where you found it, etc. It's not every day an RS comes up for sale.

Chris

[Belopsky]

A Paceline member had it, was his wife's, she did not ride it.. 1976 Richard Sachs. 60th made with the Richard Sachs label

@Wally - most are gone, drank the Haunted House last night actually, I think we have a few of the bigger bottles still

[AJ]

It was; is, a difficult decision.  As others have noted, it may end up not being worth selling some of the collection.  The market may very well view the pieces at a lesser value than I.  -AJ

[rob markwardt]

I haven't purchased a bike in a couple years now but for me its always been about how the bike looks.  If it doesn't meet my narrow definition of cool then no matter how awesome the bike I'm not interested.  For me this means steel, classic road bike geometry, old school components, and graphics/colors/names that mesh with my brain.  Vintage 60s/70's road bikes?...YES!  Classic Riv roads/Rambo/Bleriot/Saluki/Legolas...YES!  I kind of dig the H.Homers and the Roadeos, etc. but I just can't get past the names so they aren't in my garage.  I also can't get past disc brakes, brifters, upright bars, and funky designs...I kind of like looking at them but I just don't want them.  I went bonkers for about ten years but I'm pretty happy now.  Here's what I have in order from what gets the most mileage.

1. Bleriot - awesome. I ride this bike all the time and if forced to pick one this is it.

2. 77 Trek - Many miles the past couple years

3. 74 Hetchins - sunny day road bike.  A visual of what I like?...this is it.

4. Rock Combo - my mountain\snow\deluge bike

5. 01 Riv custom - sunny day, long distance rider (haven't ridden this in months!)

6. 71 Paramount - I love this bike but haven't ridden it for awhile.

7. 79 Austro Daimler - recently converted to 650b...should be moving up the list soon.

8. 72 PX-10  - Hibernating in the crawl space.

A few pics here....

[rob markwardt]

the forgotten link

https://www.flickr.com/photos/77502424@N00/albums/72157606340462594