One bike only?

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Jurassic pusher
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One bike only?

Post by Jurassic pusher »

I`ve got a shed full of bikes, some old, some quite new, when preparing for a big multi day ride I am always torn as to which bike to ride, the Wife (quite rightly) says "If you had one, the choice would be easy!"
Have many BB ers the luxury of one bike?
Last edited by Jurassic pusher on Wed Apr 10, 2019 11:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Asposium
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Re: One bike only?

Post by Asposium »

One bike?
Don’t talk daft
With my ex I used to make a similar comment regarding her shoe collection. :-bd

Commute / town bike

Two gravel bikes; same bike, different build

Road bike (on turbo trainer)

Bike Polo bike
Last edited by Asposium on Wed Apr 10, 2019 9:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
lune ranger
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Re: One bike only?

Post by lune ranger »

Not at the moment but I'm increasingly thinking it could be my Fargo.
But in the basis that I can have plus wheels, standard wheels, rigid and suss forks....
So that probably doesn't count does it.
If you are going through hell, keep going.
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TheBrownDog
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Re: One bike only?

Post by TheBrownDog »

lune ranger wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 7:45 am Not at the moment but I'm increasingly thinking it could be my Fargo.
But in the basis that I can have plus wheels, standard wheels, rigid and suss forks....
So that probably doesn't count does it.
I went from around 10 to one about three years ago - my OnOne Fatty which now has three wheelsets - 26x4, 27.5 plus and 29er.. Ive since added a full suspension bike and a gravel bike, neither of which see much use.

EDIT: forgot the Brompton Pickers sold me a few months ago. It gets ridden twice a day from the station to work and at least once on weekends for shopping. Love this thing.
Last edited by TheBrownDog on Wed Apr 10, 2019 10:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Gregsie
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Re: One bike only?

Post by Gregsie »

Went down to one when my daughter was born 10 years ago as fatherhood got in the way of riding and in a moment of madness had a clearout.

Back up to around a dozen now which is a far more sensible number.

Currently going through a similar first world problem to you on what bike to take on the WRT - hardtail or gravel.
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whitestone
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Re: One bike only?

Post by whitestone »

Currently got six, three road based and three MTB. I could certainly get the three road bikes down to one but there's quite a difference in the three MTBs - HT, FS and fat. If I had to make a choice out of them it would be the Solaris.
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voodoo_simon
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Re: One bike only?

Post by voodoo_simon »

Need at least three bikes

-commute bike (only used the car once this year for work and that's when I wanted to head to the hills straight from work for a run), so basically this is my car. Don't like putting the wear on my 'weekend' bikes, especially during the winter

-road bike, would keep the aero bike

-mountain bike, would keep the Salsa El Mariachi

anything else for me on top of that is a luxury (so my single speed bike, my fat bike etc etc would have to go...)
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: One bike only?

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

You wouldn't expect a chef to only have one pan would you? :roll: :wink:
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Scud
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Re: One bike only?

Post by Scud »

If i had to keep only one bike, it would my Reilly Gradient, brilliant as a road bike, and far more capable than it looks off road with 700x45c tyres on, but then that's not the point, thats why i have 7 bikes...
ton
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Re: One bike only?

Post by ton »

2 here.

a cube flat bar work bike, and my ecr which suits touring and offroad.
I could get rid of the cube to be honest, I ride the ecr most days anyway.

I find it quite nice to only have 1 bike. stops me over thinking what I need.
restlessshawn
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Re: One bike only?

Post by restlessshawn »

I have 3

CX - Ritchey Swiss Cross, wanted one for years before I got one. Will only take 40mm tyres max. This gets most of my attention

MTB - Inbred - rigid, 67.5, 12 years old. Only really gets used when the Ritchey would be totally out of it's depth or if I go out with someone on an MTB

Road bike - old Mercian just for pottering about in the sun sometimes

I could easily cut down to 1 by getting a CX/Gravel/drop bar mtb that took bigger tyres but I don't see the point really. None of them are worth loads and I am sentimentally attached to them in various degrees. I'm just moving house soon and all it really means is buying a slightly bigger shed than if I had 1.

If they all got stolen tomorrow then I'd probably just get 1 drop bar mtb to replace them
wriggles
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Re: One bike only?

Post by wriggles »

Six here; Gravel/road, gravel/road, full suss mtb, hardtail mtb, singlespeed plus and Brompton. Could do with a pub bike though. And if anyone thinks thats excessive then this from another forum stops me worrying if have too many:
Bates Fixed / Single Speed
Bates Hellenic
Ron Cooper Newish 10 speed
Ron Cooper Frame x1
Ron Cooper Frame x1
Vintage Mercian
Hetchins MO Newish
Hetchins MO Vintage
Hetchins Hellenic Newish
Early Talbot (!)
Metallic Grey Robert (Full CdA)
Blue & Pink Robert (Fill CdA) for sale on here, buy it someone
Baby Blue Roberts - Chorus 1st Gen
Roberts Roughstuff
Custom (for me) Witcomb
Witcomb show frame
Witcomb 'Prize' frame
Restored Vintage Witcomb 1st Gen Dura Ace
Very early Witcomb
&0's Witcomb frame - barbers pole paint
'Barry Witcomb' frame
1962 Jack taylor Super Tourist
Jack Taylor Super Tourist frame
Major Nichols touring frame
McLeans Frame
Chesini Frame
Vintage Brian Rourke
Colnago Super
Colnago Master
Roy Cottingham Time Trial
Benotto 1
Benotto 2
Gios 1
Gios 2
Vernon Barker
'Stockton' 1
'Stockton' 2
'Stockton' 3
Condor Tourer
Grandis Overmax
Koga Miyata Columbus Max frame
Pinarello Montello 1
Pinarello Montello 2
TJ Quick Frame
Youngs Frame
Trevor Jarvis Flying Gate
Detto Piero
Dave Yates 1
Dave Yates 2
:shock:
lune ranger
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Re: One bike only?

Post by lune ranger »

...and a very secure garage you'd hope :shock:
If you are going through hell, keep going.
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spindicator
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Re: One bike only?

Post by spindicator »

I just use one bike. A Ritchey Commando. Fat wheels for winter and 29er wheels for summer. I’m not a big fan of cycling on roads and so sold off all other gear. Only upgrade I can think of is to get some wider rims as it would be great to be able to run 29+ as well as the 2.4 XKings on there I think.

Only other changes are a different cassette and front chainring. Sorted!
wriggles
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Re: One bike only?

Post by wriggles »

Yeah, I could go down to one; the 29er hardtail with maybe some spare rigid forks and an extra set of wheels, but dont see the point. Start of the summer and all bikes are running perfectly. By September a couple will be broken and lifes too short to have to stay in to fix a bike.
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Alpinum
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Re: One bike only?

Post by Alpinum »

Jurassic pusher wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 7:41 am I`ve got a shed full of bikes, some old, some quite new, when preparing for a big multi day ride I am always torn as to which bike ride, the Wife (quite rightly) says "If you had one, the choice would be easy!"
Have many BB ers the luxury of one bike?
I once had a just one bike for a few months and yes, was quite nice.

But it seriously held me back. It was a rigid steel ssp bike and especially the rigid frame impaired my riding in the Alps. Also not fun for wrists.

I think my lowest limit would be 2;
everyday bike
130 - 140 mm trail bike

Good balance for me seems 4 and I still believe that'd do:
everyday bike
short travel trail bike
long travel trail bike
fatbike for snow

Yet, I've got 6.:
everyday bike
short travel trail bike
long travel trail bike
fatbike for snow
ssp HT trail bike
Penny farthing.

I use all of them and much enjoy every single one. More is luxury, not less. I use the bikes depending on what and how I intend to ride and never struggle to choose. Love em all :-bd
If I don't ride bikes which are built to do what I ask from them, they break. And I want working bikes. Simples.
Dr Nick
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Re: One bike only?

Post by Dr Nick »

Just had a big clearout due to a forthcoming house move:

I'm left with:
  • Cannondale Fatty
    Brompton folder 2 speed for the daily train commute
    Airnimal folder - fixed wheel on an eno eccentric rear hub
    Dahon folder (I was given it!)
    Moulton series 1 (technically it's Becky's) with a 5 speed sturmey and moustache bars
    Moulton mk3 frame and forks awaiting a 'resto-mod' rebuild
    and youngest daughter's early 90's rigid steel specialized hard rock
Not so much a gravel grinder.... more a gravel (mud and tarmac) groveller...
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PaulB2
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Re: One bike only?

Post by PaulB2 »

I'm not sure if I could get down to one bike though I could probably get down to two:

cheap commuter for leaving at the station
anthem for trail and bikepacking duties
arkose for everything else.

If I bought new bags and some 650b wheels / wider tyres for the Arkose I could lose the FS since I don't do a lot of trail riding these days but I wouldn't want to leave it at the station all day. I could also get a hardtail for commuting / bikepacking duties to combine two bikes that way. Of course, there's always the n+1 route which is to replace the anthem with two bikes: a 130mm trail bike and a 27.5+hardtail for bikepacking :grin:
Lazarus
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Re: One bike only?

Post by Lazarus »

the luxury of one bike?
its not a luxury I want

The best i ever got to was three

one FS MTB
One hardtail [ slidign dropouts so abele to have 650b + and 29 er and SS
One road/cx/commuting drop bar bike

I would be in trouble with just one bike as my 40 mile round trip commute [ pancake flat] requires a drop bar bike.

I cannot see me ever having less than than that - currently at 6 with a one in one rule that i have stuck to for about 15 years- any more and you end up with a bike you bascially never eve ride [ My SS and FS are basically summer bike and winter bike
chris n
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Re: One bike only?

Post by chris n »

I could get away with one bike if I had two sets of wheels for it. Some kind of disc-braked gravel thing with a double chainset. One set of road wheels with 28-32mm tyres and a close ratio cassette, and one set with 45-50 mm (maybe 650B) tyres and a wide ratio cassette.
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Moder-dye
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Re: One bike only?

Post by Moder-dye »

I only have two :cry:

A 2012 genesis vapour CX (50/34 double and 12/42 cassette) that's used as 'gravel' (40mm tyres)or road (28mm tyres)

A 2014 charge cooker 3 MTB with drops bars, either 2.3" mtb tyres or 47mm land cruisers on it.

Its my 50th next year so I'm hoping (assuming my heart issue is resolved) to buy a new gravel style bike :-bd
ssnowman
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Re: One bike only?

Post by ssnowman »

It's been many years since I've had just one bike. I did get up to 9, but now down to just 7.

Folding - Brompton
Hardtail SS MTB - Cannondale 1fg
Full suss SS MTB - Kona A
Long travel full suss - Commencal Meta
Short travel full suss - Rose Thrill Hill
Road bike - Felt F85
Fat bike - Canyon Dude (current favourite!)

If I had to have one bike it would be a hardtail lightweight carbon MTB, possibly with room for 3" tyres.
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middleagedmadness
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Re: One bike only?

Post by middleagedmadness »

Got 3 which for me is 1 too many as the full bouncer has been used twice in 18months ,cdf for commuting and I tend to use my longitude for everything else ( only bought the cdf as I was wearing the longitude out with commuting duties and other riding and it would tend to break at the most inconvenient times) keep thinking it's time to get rid of the giant but it's worth next to nowt now so it's just hanging up in the garage
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Jurassic pusher
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Re: One bike only?

Post by Jurassic pusher »

Thanks for confirming what I have known all along, that I am COMPLETELY NORMAL!!
Yeah Right....
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benp1
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Re: One bike only?

Post by benp1 »

Currently have 4, but in reality it's 3
Cotic Solaris - currently rigid but have a suspension fork for it and now a spare wheelset
Pinnacle Arkose - my commuter and is set up as such. Does the most mileage by a long way, but isn't 'fun' as it's heavy with bullet proof tyres, rack, guards, lock etc
Brompton M3L - used on and off, but I live in London and being able to mix it up with public transport or throw it in the back of someone's car is very helpful (and therefore makes a good pub bike!)

Also have a rigid, SS Salsa El Mariachi but it lives under my work table and I haven't ridden it in around a year now. I'll get round to selling it at some point

I'm planning to buy an e cargo bike at some point very soon, so it'll be 4 bikes plus the El Mar, but that would be 4 very different bikes - rigid/HT MTB, commuter, folder, e cargo bike
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