Your Preferred Stable

[rmk]

Hi all,

This past year--fueled in part by seeing all the beautiful bikes on this forum--I have added several bikes to my stable, bringing me up to 6 built bikes (3 road (1 Ti, 1 Steel and 1 Carbon), 2 gravel (1 80 / 20 pavement to dirt and the other 20/80 pavement to dirt - both steel) and 1 FS MTB. I also have a frame.

All of these bikes rock even the frame. Yet, while people here may disagree but I think this is 1 road bike too many. (Why? Well -- I like my bikes to be ridden a lot, and I tend to put 80% of the miles on the Ti bike.) The problem is: I like all of my bikes, even the frame. And I continue to be intrigued by new bikes -- like a Kirk or an English or a Carbon or Ti gravel bike with 650b.

So . . . I know some of you have more than 6 bikes. What is your preferred stable? And how do you decide to pare down (e.g., function, fit, feel, beauty, etc.). I, for example, chose to have the road carbon built because of function (my lightweight race bike) even though the road frame is a more beautiful and I am drawn to it more. Why -- because I do ride some hilly races, and because it is more different from my other steel bike.

Ryan--

[bigbill]

I keep my bikes in the garage. I have six. I'm keeping them all.

[joosttx]

I have four bikes- Road bike, MTB bike, Gravel bike, Rando/commuter bike. This is all I really want. I believe if you going chasing deals for good or great bikes that are not exactly what you want you will spend more money and waste more time than buying the bikes that are dialed to your exact wishes.

Also, I am a believer that nostalgia makes crappy bikes. I know many disagree. Remember its just an opinion.


I guess the only bike I would really like to have is to switch my 44 for a Ti 44 or a Ti Bingham Built MTB

[hummus_aquinas]

Ya gotta have three only
road, mountain, other

[DrSpoke]

My riding stable is almost identical to yours though w/o the Ti. I did have a Serotta Concours which I sold to fund the Ridley. But kept the Daytona group now on the Cinelli.

Road:
Ducati(Bianchi) 900 XR Factory w/SR11
Cinelli Supercorsa w/Daytona10
Serotta Atlanta w/Chorus8
Alan Super Record w/NuovoRecord6 (12-sp)

Gravel:
Ridley X-Trail (carbon) w/UDi211
Niner RLT 9 Steel w/Force1

Mtn:
Pivot Mach 429SL Carbon w/XTR Di2 (2x)

This list doesn't include a vintage Bontrager Race Lite (bought new), a Bontrager Race, a few Schwinns and a couple of Bontrager Race frames. I do plan on selling the Niner and perhaps the Cinelli. And maybe the Ridley as the new Salsa Warbird looks very appealing.

Like you, I think at a minimum you need a fast road bike, a gravel bike and a mountain bike.

Need more info on your stable.

[jtbadge]

Ya gotta have three only
road, mountain, other

Yeah, this.

I have other bikes in other cities, but 1 each road, mountain, and cross.

[d_douglas]

I have:

Steel Road
Ti CX
TI CX/commuter
Steel AM hardtail
Aluminum FS
30yr old tandem (for riding w kids!)

To be honest, my ti commuter (Redline) is the most practical, fun riding of the bunch. If I could only have one of my bikes, it’d be this one.

It was raced before I owned it, and has been ridden off-road, used as a winter roadie, both flat but mostly dropbar roadie, 28mm slicks to 40mm knobbies.

I would probably used many of its characteristic as a basis of design for a $4000 custom frame :)
S

[onsight512]

I have four: road, gravel, rando/commuter/pack mule, and a fixed gear. The gravel was the latest addition and it's been here two years now.

I might add a mtb at some point, but it's not really a thought now. I'm pretty happy with what I have and enjoy riding each of them.

[rmk]

I have four bikes- Road bike, MTB bike, Gravel bike, Rando/commuter bike. This is all I really want. I believe if you going chasing deals for good or great bikes that are not exactly what you want you will spend more money and waste more time than buying the bikes that are dialed to your exact wishes.

Also, I am a believer that nostalgia makes crappy bikes. I know many disagree. Remember its just an opinion.


I guess the only bike I would really like to have is to switch my 44 for a Ti 44 or a Ti Bingham Built MTB

I agree on the chasing deals point but I am relatively new to "fancy" bikes and over the past 2 years have had a good deal of time to ride. So I get curious -- because each nice bike that I have tried has a different feel, and something that it does well for me. And this curiosity has led me to more than the # of bikes that I theoretically want to own but also with nice bikes that I am happy to own, if that makes any sense at all.

So I agree with a goal of 4 bikes: for me, it would be 2 road bikes, 1 gravel that can handle 80/20 or 20/80 with a wheel change and 1 MTB. But I have a hard time parting with the bikes that I would need to get there, and find to your point, past decisions have led to 2 gravel bikes that do somethings well but some things poorly.

[rmk]

My riding stable is almost identical to yours though w/o the Ti. I did have a Serotta Concours which I sold to fund the Ridley. But kept the Daytona group now on the Cinelli.

Road:
Ducati(Bianchi) 900 XR Factory w/SR11
Cinelli Supercorsa w/Daytona10
Serotta Atlanta w/Chorus8
Alan Super Record w/NuovoRecord6 (12-sp)

Gravel:
Ridley X-Trail (carbon) w/UDi211
Niner RLT 9 Steel w/Force1

Mtn:
Pivot Mach 429SL Carbon w/XTR Di2 (2x)

This list doesn't include a vintage Bontrager Race Lite (bought new), a Bontrager Race, a few Schwinns and a couple of Bontrager Race frames. I do plan on selling the Niner and perhaps the Cinelli. And maybe the Ridley as the new Salsa Warbird looks very appealing.

Like you, I think at a minimum you need a fast road bike, a gravel bike and a mountain bike.

Need more info on your stable.

So I have:

Road:

Trek Emonda (race bike)
SV OG-1 (steel fun bike)
Custom Ti (my first and favorite fancy bike)

Gravel:

All-Road Black Cat NAHBS bike (trying to get to 20/80)
Hampsten Classic (my 80/20)

MTB:

Santa Cruz 5010 (older version)

This thread is prompted by the fact that I have a new road frame coming in, and I will be building it up with the parts from either the Emonda or SV. And I probably will sell one or both of those frames because why couldn't I race on my Ti bike.

And, for a little dirt, the Hampsten rocks. It is more road bike than gravel bike but I am hoping that that bike will be a ton of fun on rides like the Grasshoppers in Northern California where there is a ton of pavement climbing but the bike has to handle dirt descents ok. Because that bike cannot handle full on nasty fire roads, I sort-of desire 2 gravel bikes. Plus, the Black Cat is a beautiful bike. It might end up for sale too, however, because I am still trying to get the fit and components right.

Anyhow, if I had a point, I guess it is that n+1 is not the right metric, and that for me, n = 4 (or perhaps 5).

[mhespenheide]

Stable?

Felt F1PR, carbon wunderbike
LeMond Victoire, Ti road; mostly ridden on the trainer
Ritchey Ultra tig-welded steel mountain bike set up as a townie
Kona Ti hardtail 26'er

frames:
Bianchi lugged steel to be repainted and built up semi-correct to its period
Cannondale CAAD10; a project shelved for now
Kona Honky-Tonk steel road, waiting to be built up until I sell off the
Trek 400 lugged steel road

The Felt lives in the garage. The LeMond lives inside in on a trainer unless it comes on a road trip with me. The Ritchey lives in the entryway, towards the rest of campus. The Kona also lives in the garage.

So, no, not six or more (at least locally). When I lived in Seattle and had a full-size basement, I had three more bikes built up. But frankly, for me, more bikes meant more maintenance and less time for riding. So I'm pretty happy at 4-6, not n+1.

On the other hand, I prowl craigslist all the time, curious about deals and bikes that I wished for in the late eighties and early nineties, reading Bicycling and VeloNews as I grew up with the sport. So I guess I could still learn something from joosttx.

[CMiller]

I think every one needs a city bike with generator hubs, there's an excuse for N+1 ;)

My fun minimum:
Disc Cross = Road, gravel, cross, rando rides (different wheel sets), drop bars
29er = Mountain fun, flat bars
City Single Speed = around town, upright Nitto Albatross bars

[Alaska Mike]

Road racing
Criterium
Time trial
Training bike
Trainer bike
Foul-weather road bike
Endurance bike
Travel bike
Loaner bike

... I think that does it for road bikes...

[Hilltopperny]

I’m currently sitting on a few extra bikes. Trying to pare down a bit and get down to 5 or so.

Road bikes
Lynskey helix sport disc
No22 Great Divide
Wittson Carbon/ti

Cx/gravel/adventure
Santa Cruz Stigmata
No22 Drifter
Zanconato cx

Mountain bikes
Trek Procaliber 9.8 sl
Salsa Mukluk SUS

All are excellent bikes, but I typically weed out a few based on ride time. If it’s been sitting for too long or I get the bug to try something else I’ll move something along.




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[Llewellyn]

Four for me, all road bikes:

Llewellyn Crescendo - this gets the most time for obvious reasons, but only when the weather is good.

Tommasini Sintesi for fine weather. I bought this because I lusted after a Tommasini for as long as I can remember. It has different gearing and aesthetics to the Llewellyn so that justifies it's place in the stable.

Lynskey Peloton for wet weather rides, and an aluminium Bianchi with 700C wheels, flat bars and disc brakes. This is the bike I use when my wife and I go riding or if I commute.

These serve all my riding needs and I don't feel like I NEED any more bikes. Of course I occasionally WANT another one and my wife doesn't object, even says "go for it", but I figure the more bikes I have then the less time each one will get ridden. Mind you, if a steel Merckx in the right size and colour scheme comes along ............

[R3awak3n]

I have 4 and that is 1 more that I really need but its nice to have the extras when 1 breaks down (or 2 or 3 which is where I am right now).

1 road bike
1 gravel bike (extra set of wheels with skinny tires so this can also be a road bike)
1 travel bike
1 trainer bike (also road bike but will mostly be on the trainer during winter)


Missing a MTB here and maybe one day if I get into it.

[saab2000]

I have six or so and it's too many. I could actually see going down to 2 or 3, tops and I could actually make it work with one, though that's risky because if something goes wrong with the bike then you can't ride at all.

[AngryScientist]

i have WAY too many bikes.

i like them all, and selling them seems like too much of a hassle, so i dont bother.

if i could go back and not have bought them all, my ideal stable would probably be three bikes.

A: Production carbon road bike
B: Custom steel all-road bike, with clearance for 35c under caliper brakes
C: Titanium gravel bike

and a half dozen sets of wheels with various tires mounted ready for varied conditions/surfaces.

[oldpotatoe]

I have/ride 2, dry day Merckx, wet day Moots..I have a Campag 80th anniversary Moots and 50th Campag anniversary Merckx hanging in Vecchio's. I have a Ciocc in my shop. Complete with no tires..Can only ride one bike atta time.

[charliedid]

I'm afraid of horses but I do have and ride 3 bikes. :)

[nesteel]

I have 8 ready to ride:
1 gravelish old touring bike, steel. 650b 41mm wide. Handles gravel well
1 old touring bike, steel
1 old touring bike, aluminum
5 road only bikes, all steel, almost all old, ranging from an '81 Merckx to an '09Bianchi

I don't justify any of it. It's a hobby, I keep what I want, and when I get bored with one of them, it moves on, likely to be replaced with another soon after.
That's why there are normally 4 more in the build que waiting their turn.

I have a workshop in the house, and the ready to ride bikes live there, hanging on the "wall o bikes" waiting their turn.
They get rotated in the ride schedule. My go to is usually the wide tired gravel bike, as it's quite smooth on pavement also. Or one of the other "touring" bikes.

Could I get down to three bikes? Sure. Do I want to? No. Would I if I needed to? Absolutely.

[OtayBW]

Ya gotta have three only
road, mountain, other
MODERATORS: I thought we had a Forum Policy against Objectionable Content! :rolleyes:

Four road for me:
Peg Responsorium
Serotta Legend Ti
'91 DeRosa Primato
BMC SLC01 (ProMachine)

[John H.]

I agree with Houston- I like bikes, I have space for a fleet, I don't mind having many bikes.
But I don't need redundant bikes or bikes that don't suit the type of riding that I like to do.

I agree that chasing deals or bikes that are not exactly what you want is often a waste of money- But some like it, so who am I to say.

The biggest point that Houston makes is that nostalgia makes a crappy bike. I couldn't agree more.
I rode and raced pretty much every variation from lugged steel, tig'd steel, steel with carbon fork, ti, all sorts of aluminum, and finally carbon. Stock and custom versions of all of those. But I rode then when they were state of the art- not 20 years after.
I have zero desire to go all the way back to the steel bikes that I raced in the 90's- They are fine bikes, but todays bikes are better in every way.
I did once wax nostalgic for a custom Parlee Z3 that I owned- This made me buy a used stock Z3. I was super underwhelmed with how a stock 2006 Parlee Z3 rode (compared to what I was riding in 2016).

I buy what I want, when I want- none of this dream bike or grail bike business (and I am not a rich man). Relatively speaking, cycling is a cheap sport. It is not that hard to own the best bike that money can buy for the riding that you do. Just keep your fleet, wheels, and spare parts current.

I have four bikes- Road bike, MTB bike, Gravel bike, Rando/commuter bike. This is all I really want. I believe if you going chasing deals for good or great bikes that are not exactly what you want you will spend more money and waste more time than buying the bikes that are dialed to your exact wishes.

Also, I am a believer that nostalgia makes crappy bikes. I know many disagree. Remember its just an opinion.


I guess the only bike I would really like to have is to switch my 44 for a Ti 44 or a Ti Bingham Built MTB

[DrSpoke]

What a sweet fleet. Especially the SV and Black Cat.
Any photos of the Black Cat?



So I have:

Road:

Trek Emonda (race bike)
SV OG-1 (steel fun bike)
Custom Ti (my first and favorite fancy bike)

Gravel:

All-Road Black Cat NAHBS bike (trying to get to 20/80)
Hampsten Classic (my 80/20)

MTB:

Santa Cruz 5010 (older version)

This thread is prompted by the fact that I have a new road frame coming in, and I will be building it up with the parts from either the Emonda or SV. And I probably will sell one or both of those frames because why couldn't I race on my Ti bike.

And, for a little dirt, the Hampsten rocks. It is more road bike than gravel bike but I am hoping that that bike will be a ton of fun on rides like the Grasshoppers in Northern California where there is a ton of pavement climbing but the bike has to handle dirt descents ok. Because that bike cannot handle full on nasty fire roads, I sort-of desire 2 gravel bikes. Plus, the Black Cat is a beautiful bike. It might end up for sale too, however, because I am still trying to get the fit and components right.

Anyhow, if I had a point, I guess it is that n+1 is not the right metric, and that for me, n = 4 (or perhaps 5).

[Gummee]

I've gotten deals and I've gone 'all in' on FN bikes so have more than a few and some I need to sell...

Mtn:
DS (Top Fuel Med for sale)
AL HT (Superfly)
steel HT (Ritchey P650b for sale)
steel SS mtn (Niner SIR 9 for sale)

Road:
FN Fast (carbon)
FN Spirit (steel)
AL road: (BMC Teammachine ALR01* for sale, 02 E5 S-Works*, Quattro Assi Team 2000* for sale)

Road or CX Fixed/SS
AL fixed (Langster for sale)
steel fixed/SSCX (All City Nature Boy 853 disc for sale)

CX:
FN Cross (carbon canti for sale once the new FNs come in)

There's a Masi* that needs a seatstay replaced in the garage too. That one's a 56cm SLX/SP frame. Pay shipping and it's yours. I got it from a customer for free so I'm passing it on for free)

How do you know what you like if you don't try em all? That 'I'm only riding these X bikes' thing always did mystify me. Kinda like 'I'm only going to have meat and potatoes...' Boring!

M

*framesets

[MattTuck]

I look to Dave Kirk for inspiration here.

4 Bikes.

Road, CX/Gravel, Mountain, Fat.

Minimal over lap, maximum total range.

[s4life]

5 bikes
Custom steel Zanc
CX Moots Psychlo SL.
Custom carbon meivici (not made for me, but it fits me better than any carbon road bike I've tried)
A light road carbon bike for climbing Wilier Zero.7 for now
A mondonico foco lugged steel

Ideally I'd have only three: a light road bike (steel or carbon), a disc gravel one instead of the canti CX one, and keep the lugged steel one for commuting.. Almost there I suppose.

[warren128]

Oops, I didn't get the memo :)

I have 5 road-ready bikes, all redundant. LOL.

2 Steel, 3 titanium, all road bikes, all 10 speed, none newer than 2001.

I ride all of them, 3 have gearing for the hills around here. The other two are more geared for flatter rides, but I have compact cranks in reserve for one day when I decide to make them hill climbers too.

[vav]

I feel I am at a good spot now.

A Zanconato CX / gravel
A Parlee Z5 for roads
An IF MTB
An old steel Raleigh converted to SS for commuting

[sparky33]

before I thought this:
road, road, fatroad, rando, cx, gravel, gravel, mtb

now I like this:
road, cx, gravel/rando, mtb, mtb

[prototoast]

I have:

-2 custom carbon road bikes made by me. One is the bike I ride most often, the other I wish I could get rid of, but it has no sale value, so I keep it.
-2 custom steel bikes made by other people. I don't ride either of them enough, but I love them both in different ways, so I can't bring myself to get rid of either.
-1 generic carbon bike I got to be my rainy day commuter bike, but then I started working from home, so it's just collecting dust. I'd like to sell this.
-1 Ti gravel frame. Keeping it.
-1 Steel cyclocross frame. Trying to sell it.
-1 steel mountain bike. Keeping it.
-1 steel single speed / beater / commuter / errand bike. I don't use it much, but it's the only bike I'll leave locked up outside.

So that's 9. Could easily be down to 5, and the garage would look nicer for it.

[zlin]

2. cx which I ride on all types of surfaces and a track bike that sits on a trainer and never gets pedaled. Few sets of wheels and one bike with tire space is best for me.

[weaponsgrade]

Currently, these are the bikes that are in regular rotation:
1) Kirk road for pure road rides.
2) Ripely FS 29er. This gets pulled out when driving out to the chunky/technical stuff.
3) Field 29er, hardtail with rigid fork. My lunch break ride for the small network of relatively smooth single track I've got near me. Sometimes I'll also use it for longer mixed road/dirt rides. You feel the drag on the road, but get to really enjoy the dirt sections.
4) Specialized Cross Roads commuter/townie. This bike looks really beat cosmetically, but everything is solid mechanically. I don't worry about babying the paint when I lock it to a rack or whatever.
5) TBD: Disc gravel to run something between 700x38 and 42s. I think these five would cover 99.9% of my current riding.

[93KgBike]

I always find these inventories interesting, because I've always wanted to ride frames or frame sets made of certain materials, which largely makes redundancy impossible-ish.

For example road:
Tange #1 frameset, 531 frameset, 531/520 f-r frameset, 531 tandem frameset, SLX frameset, CCL (Columbus) frame, CCL (Reynolds) frameset, CCAL/AL frameset, High-modulus CF frameset.

I also have MTB, CX & Cargo bikes.

None of these seem redundant to me. They are all wonderful to ride.

And I long for an Onesto by DK, a Sachs CX, and a Tallboy.

And I really want to fabricate some frames.

The perfect stable is the one that suits you.

But it's casual.

[Matthew]

Mine: Serotta Meivici, Colnago EPS, Moots Compact for the road. Mountain bike: Moots Rigormootis 26er. All kept in the basement.

[fogrider]

The issue is no bike is perfect. One of my favs is Rock Lobster road bike made of scandium. It's light and responsive and great handling ride. But the tire clearance is tight, a 25mm tire can barely clear. I also have a Ron Cooper that is joy to ride! It's a steel frame that is not light and with lightweight parts, it builds to a little over 18 pound bike and just a sweet ride. Then there's the Serotta Legend Ti, setup a little on the relaxed side which I take out for lunch rides. And then there's the Time VXSR setup to be a weapon.

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[whateveronfire]

My group exactly. Maybe it's an LA thing? :banana:

I have four: road, gravel, rando/commuter/pack mule, and a fixed gear. The gravel was the latest addition and it's been here two years now.

I might add a mtb at some point, but it's not really a thought now. I'm pretty happy with what I have and enjoy riding each of them.

[cachagua]

The issue is no bike is perfect...


True. And yet, at the same time, lots of bikes are perfect -- in a way, that's an issue itself! I've sold or given away at least a dozen perfect bikes over the years, and I've got a handful of perfect ones now.

Hampsten MAX, Suntour Sprint build
Kirk NAHBS bike, 7700 Dura-Ace
1980s Ciocc, 10-speed era Campagnolo
Kish Crossmuter/Suntour XC-Pro
Sweet little old-fashioned Masi, roadgoing fixie
De Salvo fat-tire road bike...

And by Xmas or so there will be a perfect hardtail mountain bike arriving.

My goal is to keep myself in single digits, but inevitably there are a few miscellaneous things hanging around and frames I haven't built yet that push me above that limit. I don't worry about it much.

And while we're on the subject, many of you will recognize bikes up there that you used to own, and have I thanked you recently? Thank you! The riding and building pleasure that members of this board have made possible for me is incalculable.

[Ozz]

3 bikes

Serotta CSI - steel road -nice weather road bike...best riding bike ever
Serotta Legend - Ti road - similar riding to CSI, a little quicker handling
Yeti 575 - FS mountain bike - was given this bike last year by widow of a good friend.

I think about getting more bikes, and am toying with the idea of a commuter / gravel type bike....something that can take fenders, wide tires and racks. Something off the shelf would work, but a Hampsten Il Mostro Brutta would be really special!

[veloduffer]

I’ve pared down to

3 road
Eriksen ti
Parlee Z1 and Z5

2 gravel/cross
Seven Evergreen
Trek Boone

1 project: Moots Compact to be painted in Team 7-Eleven colors

I’ve changed bikes to get a better fit as my body ages - shorter top tube (from 56 to 55.5) and steeper seat angle (72.5/73 to 73.5), which has also kept my pedal stroke smooth.

The two Parlees seem redundant but they are the only carbon bikes that I’ve really liked.

I was thinking of adding a Trek Farley fatbike since we had so much snow last winter. Looks like a fun bike to ride.


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[rmk]

What a sweet fleet. Especially the SV and Black Cat.
Any photos of the Black Cat?

Todd took better photos than I ever could: http://blackcatbicycles.com/road-1/#/disc-road/

This was part of an experiment where he built two similar Max bikes--one with through axles and one without; one with the GRD and one with a cross fork. The frame fit me (although not perfectly) so I bought it when he posted it. The thing rides so well on rolling terrain.

Ryan--

[cachagua]

Todd... built two similar Max bikes--one with through axles and one without...

(Like to hear the results of his experiment!)

[weisan]

>>Your Preferred Stable

What I have now. Everything I ever wanted and more. It took me a while but I am already there.

Will that stop me from buying more bikes?

No.

I am way past "need". What I get now or later are just icing on the cake, special bonus, all of which I will receive with gratitude and without judgment.

[jamesdak]

Guess I'm the odd bird here. For one, I'm not seeing a reason to limit number of bikes very much. I also am totally embracing the golden era of steel bikes, so much so that I gave up my modern C.F. bikes. I even tried the custom Ti route, found it was no better than most of my older steel, and sold it.

I know lots of folks say how much "better" modern bikes are. Maybe that applies if you're a top notch rider. But after a study of my bike logs for a 7 year period I really found no real advantage to the modern bikes over my old stuff when pedaled by me. Only marginal advantage was on climbs and there was just barely a difference there.

So my stable is a slew of steel bikes. Lots of 80s and 90s road racers mainly. I've got an English 3 speed with baskets for errand running, a CX bike with fenders for rain and winter riding, a "funny bike" TT ride, and an 80s Fuji converted to a cushy 650b setup. All and all, around 25 or so right now. And of course there is a wonderful Serotta CSI in the mix.

Most of the stable:

http://www.pbase.com/jhuddle/image/166846457.jpg

The Lemonds:

http://www.pbase.com/jhuddle/image/166811291.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jhuddle/image/167016672.jpg

The Giordana's:

http://www.pbase.com/jhuddle/image/164473640.jpg

I ride everything in my stable. That's part of the appeal. I do 5000-8000 on a normal year over mainly the same roads. It's nice to be able to mix it up by grabbing any given bike on any given day. I'd get totally bored with one or two bikes only.

[Spaghetti Legs]

I fall on the jamesdak side of the line and have 18 or so bikes, mostly 80’s and 90’s steel. I’ve turned into a bit of a collector with a soft spot for Italian racers but have some carbon fiber and aluminum too. One thing about having a bunch of cool bikes is I’m often motivated to ride even if the legs aren’t quite there. Always itching to get out on a bike I haven’t ridden in a while.

Back before I started getting all these bikes though, my stable requirements were:

Race bike - fast bike but aluminum that I wouldn’t mind crashing as much.
Plush bike - carbon fiber
Time trial bike
Cross bike
Mountain bike
Commuter bike - single speed

[jlwdm]

Steel road
Ti road
Carbon & Ti road

Jeff

[mcteague]

I never had more than two bikes, makes me a bit of an oddity around here. That used to be a road bike and a mt bike. When I hit 60 I found woods riding was not really my thing any longer, too many rocks and roots. Even full suspension didn't stop the aches and pains. Now I have two road bikes but I mostly ride the newer one. I don't think I could justify another. Around here there are not any gravel roads, unless I want to drive about 50 miles to get to them. So, a gravel bike is out.

2002 Seven Axiom
2013 Seven 622 SLX

Tim

[john903]

I seem to be holding steady at 3 but lately a number 4 might be slipping into the mix, oh darn.

My 2009 Curtlo all rounder: fixed gear/single speed, fat tire gravel 1X9, commuter, you get the idea.

My 2001 Hampsten Cinghale fast fun comfortable bike.

My 2006 new purchase Hot Tubes Cyclocross bike.

Have a great day.

[Lionel]

I downsized significantly because I was getting frustrated by the many great bikes that were getting a 100km per year. I live in 2 locations so there is a real justification for having more bikes :)

In CA I have the Spectrum, the Seven Evergreen Pro an incoming Sola SL HT and a Sachs F/F in a box :bike:

In France I have the Crumpton the F10 and a Trek Fuel EX FS and my incoming Gaulzetti Aerotack to replace the F10.

[Kirk007]

I was at (or approaching) a sensible number but then a few cool bikes that could have been made to measure for me presented themselves, and used bikes are so inexpensive these days...so...

In Seattle:

Hampsten carbon w/etap road - good weather

Spectrum ti w/ etap hrd, clearance for fenders and up to 35s w/o fenders - all year, all road. Could be a one and only road/gravel

333FAB air land sea - steel 650b randoish adventure bike and year round commuter set up with dynamo lighting etc.

These cover all my needs but also:

2008 Peg Marcelo, currently just f/f

2008 Sachs road - recent aquisition, built up with groupset from the Peg.

Tough to let go of any of these. And I disagree with the proposition that an "old" steel bike can't measure up to a newer "modern" bike at least for my riding.

In Bend Ore at son's place:

Yeti SB5+.

Hampsten by Moots Strada Bianca with YBB rear shock and cantis. Don't really need this one but given what used to bikes sell for these days it's hardly worth the effort.

Want for Seattle: ti hardtail or short travel FS something for kicking around on the many easy trails around the Island.



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[SPOKE]

I have my “preferred stable” of bikes. There’s about 36 built and rideable with a bunch more waiting to be built. I lean toward custom lugged steel but have my share of carbon or mixed material bikes and a few Titanium bikes thrown in for a complete variety. Got em all....Mtb, road (a bunch), gravel & a tandem. I’m like a few others that posted and buy a bike when ever I see something interesting.

[Lanternrouge]

There’s about 36 built and rideable with a bunch more waiting to be built.

That makes the extent of my addiction seem less severe.

[Duende]

My stable is rather pathetic. Torn between trying to minimalize all my material items, and figure out what I really “need”. Which is conceptual at best and really boring at worst!

Current Stable:

80’s Paramount. Single speed conversion commuter. Too big for me, up for sale

80’s Ciocc San Cristoball. Too big for me, (58, I ride a 56), but it’s minty and reminds me of my favorite childhood racing bike. Hangs on the wall as art. except for Eroica rides.

Waterford RS33 great bike but I left it in Tucson to ride when I visit my mom. Renting bikes was getting too costly

Mosaic GT-1. My only bike I ride really. Jack of all trades. Kind of negates the need for anything else except maybe a FS mountain bike. Everything else doesn’t seem like the difference warrants the purchase or added space being taken up at my small SF apartment.

Still lusting after more bikes though. That’s the problem!!

[SPOKE]

That makes the extent of my addiction seem less severe.

When I post about my collection it usually helps others feel better about this "bicycle sickness".......I'm really sick and not sure if there is a cure😏!

[weisan]

I'm really sick and not sure if there is a cure😏!

Some of us collect bikes while others collect something else...

https://www.americanphotomag.com/sites/americanphotomag.com/files/styles/1000_1x_/public/files/gallery-images/IAM_00026613s.jpg?itok=egtb-KuY

[rmk]

(Like to hear the results of his experiment!)

My sense from him was that the through axle didn't make a meaningful difference. The Enve CX fork has more tire clearance, which led to that bike rocking Nanos or Bruce Gordons on M50s, and that would make a bigger difference in the two bikes.

Ryan--

[SPOKE]

Some of us collect bikes while others collect something else...

https://www.americanphotomag.com/sites/americanphotomag.com/files/styles/1000_1x_/public/files/gallery-images/IAM_00026613s.jpg?itok=egtb-KuY

WOW!!!!!!!! That's a bunch of "dead heads"....

[fa63]

My preferred stable would look something like this:

- Carbon aero bike (the new Specialized Venge maybe?) for fast rides
- Crumpton carbon road frame with big road clearance (let's say 35mm) using mid-reach brakes for coffee rides
- Open UP for gravel / light MTB
- Santa Cruz Bronson for real MTB

But I am not rich, so currently, I have a titanium frame that can take up to 40mm tires, and I use it for both road and gravel rides. It is not really ideal for either task, but it is not like I am racing so it doesn't really matter anyways :)

[simplemind]

Simple:
1. Mountain bike (Yeti SB4.5) with two wheelsets (XC & Trail)
2. Gravel bike (Chebacco) with two wheelsets (Gravel & road)

Do I have other bikes? Hell yeah, can't part with some, plus wife's road and mountain. Haven't caught up with Weisan, never will, but I'm trying!

[Mzilliox]

Im evolving into it, but it looks something like:
Steel Road w/ level TT w room for 32/28mm tires
Carbon/alu/ti light road with sloping TT
Ti gravel bike w/ room for 35mm plus
steel touring rig frenchy style w fenders 650b
travel bike w fenders
fancy show bike aka sunday driver or MTB

thats 6.
so far i have:
ROAD:
steel goodrich
alu zank
ti/carbon 7

GRAVEL:
Ti Heretic
Steel Lavecaise

TOURING:
Steel Lavecaise travel 650b
Steel Berthoud Rando

Fancy:
Bishop WIP

[Duende]

Seeing a few posts with a bike for 28c roads and a gravel bike for 35-40c.

I’m intrigue by this too. I’m just struggling with it because my 35c slick tires feel every bit as fast as my 28c tires. No data or science to back this up though. Feel pretty good so far off road too, just a bit slippery in the corners.

Trying to justify a road bike!!!

[rmk]

So . . . I have a steel bike that takes up to 35s, and I current have 32s on there. While it is not as quick as other bikes I have, the 32s seem to roll as well as the 25s, and the bike climbs really well too. So go for the additional bike . . . . smile.

[madsciencenow]

Bumping this to the top again. I was reading through this as I’m considering how many bikes/road bikes I want/need.

I’ve had up to four bikes in the past including 3x road (Al, CF, and Ti) and 1 MTB. I lived in a different location then and a MTB made sense.

Since then, I’ve relocated to where gravel is a thing and MTB isn’t practical without tons of driving. I still ride road and am in the process of rearranging my entire stable to include at least 2x road (Ti, Custom Lugged Steel) and potentially a CF go fast bike. I’ll also have one Gravel Bike (Al).

What I’m wrestling with is if I’m gonna end up wanting the CF go fast bike. I know that I’m the only one who can answer this but I am interested in others thinking on what they ride and don’t ride.

I figured using this old thread would be better than starting another as I’ve already gleaned some interesting thoughts from it and it seems applicable to what I’m asking.


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[Toeclips]

My stable includes a collection of Serottas

Two Club Specials one signed by Ben Serotta
Two Atlanta's
One Nova Special
One Otrott Sierra Nevada/Kodak signed by Ben Serotta

Frames
Bob Jackson
Gios Torino
Basso

The Sierra Nevada model I rarely ride, but the other Serottas are fair game, the Atlanta's get the most ride time

The frames I'll eventually build but right now they look so good as wall art

[ducati2]

Wilier Superleggera Ramato

[kiwisimon]

Strong Ti dirt road.--- Everyday rider
Strong SS coupling steel road ----- trainer/ travel bike (for cyclists)
BMC SLR01 ---- to be sold and replaced with another steel bike.

Griffen MMC track bike -------in storage as track is shut since last November

Tomac MTB sadly not ridden enough.

NOS Mantis Profloater frame and NOS forks. will build it up one day.

[415km]

1 fat tired road geo frame with 700x44 slicks. I never ride only on the road anymore so this is all I need for my mixed terrain adventures

1 rigid mtb 29x2.6. Love this setup

1 fendered townie 700x33 slicks. Doesn't get much use since we moved to the burbs and live on top of a very long, steep hill. Used to do all my errands and shopping with this bike

[choke]

I certainly have far more bikes than I need. Most will take at least a 30mm tire which is good enough for any gravel I ride, and in fact I ride more on gravel than I do on pavement.

I would like to keep them all but it seems silly to do so, since I only seem to ride a few of them. If I can make myself part with some, I'd like to thin it down to...

Hampsten
DeRosa
1986 Losa
1970s Losa
Ciöcc
Pogliaghi
Frejus
Kondor

That would mean parting with...

Pegoretti
Bianchi CX
Pelizzoli
Eddy Merckx
Magni
Mercian
Serotta Ti
Scapin MTB

[Spinner]

Serotta CIII (2 x 9)

Serotta CIII (3 x 9)

Rivendell Rambouillet (2 x 9)

CoMotion CoPilot Tandem (3 x 9)

[veloduffer]

What I’m wrestling with is if I’m gonna end up wanting the CF go fast bike. I know that I’m the only one who can answer this but I am interested in others thinking on what they ride and don’t ride.

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This resonates with me. Being in this lockdown has me contemplating about my stable (and moving things around).

Road is 4x:
Parlee Z1 (carbon) - I've ridden carbon since they came onto the scene in the early 90s. Parlees have all the riding characteristics that I like - right blend of stiffness for acceleration, stable handling and all day comfort.

Eriksen road (titanium) - very similar to the Parlee in ride but titanium! A forever bike.

Trek Madone SLR - just got this disc racing/aero bike; with the adjustable IsoSpeed, this is a comfortable and go-fast bike. Great for fast rides - usually less than 40 miles for me. I usually don't prefer disc on a road bike but this allows the bike to accept 700x32 tires easily (I use 25mm) if I want. Great reviews and was on sale - couldn't resist and I'm close with the LBS, so we did the assembly together to dial in the fit.

Eddy Merckx steel - I'm putting this together now and it's a tribute bike with the Team 7-Eleven colors. Plus I will use downtube shifters, as I still like using them (as well as manual shift cars). Something different, change of pace ride.

Gravel 3x
Seven Evergreen (titanium) - great all-around bike with neutral handling and can take 700x40 tires.

Moots Baxter - another addition to the stable this year. It's really a drop-bar 29er mtb and can be fitted with a 100mm travel suspension fork; currently has an Enve mtb fork (48-49 cm long so same as suspension fork). Also, more upright position that works well on rough downhills.

Cannondale Touring 2 frameset: got it here for a great deal. I'm not sure what I will do with it yet but a future project.

Recent deletions:
Trek Boone - awesome bike but duplication with other gravel bikes and limited tire clearance since it is a cross race bike

Parlee Z5 SLI - another duplication that had to go once the Madone came in.

Temptations: there's a Hampsten MAX and another Eriksen on the classifieds. I wouldn't mind repainting for another tribute bike. So many bikes, so little space....

[Coffee Rider]

I'm always contemplating my stable. I have more bikes than I need but fewer than I want. I also have enough projects that I could do with current bikes that can keep me spending money for years without buying another frame.

My next build will be a carbon groad bike. I just need a few parts and mechanical assistance for that to happen.

I have commitments to two more frames. The first is a steel disc road bike and the other is a steel rim road bike. Other projects I'm thinking about are a BIXXIS, a Crumpton disc (or maybe a Sarto Seta Plus) and possibly a Pedallino or Firefly.

I'm kind of addicted to acquiring bikes, though I don't get anything that I don't plan on building up and riding. Unless there's really some more context to a bike, it's just a think until I really spend time riding it.

[mhespenheide]

Stable?

Felt F1PR, carbon wunderbike
LeMond Victoire, Ti road; mostly ridden on the trainer
Ritchey Ultra tig-welded steel mountain bike set up as a townie
Kona Ti hardtail 26'er

frames:
Bianchi lugged steel to be repainted and built up semi-correct to its period
Cannondale CAAD10; a project shelved for now
Kona Honky-Tonk steel road, waiting to be built up until I sell off the
Trek 400 lugged steel road


Let's see: A year and a half later, it is:
Felt F1PR, carbon wunderbike
Bianchi Campione d'Italia lugged steel semi-Eroica style
LeMond Victoire, Ti road; mostly ridden on the trainer
Ritchey Ultra tig-welded steel mountain bike set up as a townie

In-process but long delayed:
Kona Ti hardtail monstercross 26'er set up with drop bars; needs a non-suspension corrected rigid fork for more road-like handling

Frames:
Trek 720, to be built up as a road-trip travel bike; lugged Reynolds 531 and fits 32's
LeMond Buenos Aires, was going to be the road-trip travel bike before the Trek popped up right after I bought it (not sure what's going to happen with it yet)
Kona Honky Tonk (need to sell)

With parents:
Schwinn PDG
1983 Trek 660 (need to pass along)

Sold:
Cannondale CAAD10
Trek 400, built up as a townie

I need to cut back, but have emotional attachments to the bikes I have right now. Except the F1PR, but it's the "nicest", so it stays for now.

[madsciencenow]

Let's see: A year and a half later, it is:
Felt F1PR, carbon wunderbike
Bianchi Campione d'Italia lugged steel semi-Eroica style
LeMond Victoire, Ti road; mostly ridden on the trainer
Ritchey Ultra tig-welded steel mountain bike set up as a townie

In-process but long delayed:
Kona Ti hardtail monstercross 26'er set up with drop bars; needs a non-suspension corrected rigid fork for more road-like handling

Frames:
Trek 720, to be built up as a road-trip travel bike; lugged Reynolds 531 and fits 32's
LeMond Buenos Aires, was going to be the road-trip travel bike before the Trek popped up right after I bought it (not sure what's going to happen with it yet)
Kona Honky Tonk (need to sell)

With parents:
Schwinn PDG
1983 Trek 660 (need to pass along)

Sold:
Cannondale CAAD10
Trek 400, built up as a townie

I need to cut back, but have emotional attachments to the bikes I have right now. Except the F1PR, but it's the "nicest", so it stays for now.


I was wondering if anyone would fess up to changes:)


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[whateveronfire]

I've got three at the moment:

Trek Domane SL (carbon production bike)
Speedvagen OG1 (steel citric bike)
Lynskey Cooper (ti gravel bike)

I sort of have:
Trek 2200 (aluminum bike for riding at the beach when I visit my parents, not that that's happening again anytime soon)
Strong 26" hardtail (on loan to a friend b/c it's too small for me and her son is desperate for her to ride with him)

I want:
A MTB but can't decide whether I want a Trail 27.5+ or XC 29er HT.

[Dunk]

I am at a point where I am changing up my scene, also. I did just move to a place with a 3 car garage, and have one car. The rest is my dream bike cave, so that helps with my large contingent of bikes. Luckily my partner has just as many bikes as I, and he also likes to send me links to bikes he thinks would be great for me and I should buy. Its like having your own personal shopper. So there's no relationship pressure to clear out.

I think I am quite happy with the lineup now, and will just need to sell off two bikes that I've switched up lately. As it stands:
Road Bike: In process of swapping from Merlin Ti Fortius Tom Kellogg to Desalvo Ti Road. I'll post on custom bike thread when I get closer!
All Road: Just swapped from Rivendell Custom to DeSalvo Ti Cross, rebirth to All Road (post on custom thread)
Touring bike: Bantam Bicycleworks custom, 29er by 2.0-2.4 ish. Bought used, so it was a deal.
Plus bike: Surly Krampus. Its a beast but it does what it is supposed to do well. For touring and day rides.
Mountain bike: Santa Cruz Carbon Tall boy. Also bought used. The thing is a riot.

My "problem" (not problem) is that I have a great van that I love to travel in to go do great rides in the western US, and therefore if I was considering getting rid of a bike because it is not as useful as it could be where I am living, well, I can go on a fun trip and make it useful!

[R3awak3n]

I currently have 4.

Only reason I don't think 1 or 2 bikes are not enough is because if it breaks then you are not ridding for a bit.

I think 3-5 is a good number. More than that you end up not really ridding them enough.

I have my:

OPEN U.P. - This one could be my only bike. Decent on the road, great on gravel, an do some MTB trails with it too. Will eventually replace with something non carbon and probably custom but it will have similar geo.

Cielo Base Racer - All road. Has 35mm tires, its good on pavement, decent on gravel. Electronic shifting is super nice.

Rock Lobster Road - Road bike. Rim brakes. Campy. Classic and the best on pavement by far.

Trek Fat bike - Sees snow winter duties and rest of the year mtb trail duties. This thing is super fun and perfect for me since I am MTB noob. Has suspension fork which helps with its dual purpose.

[jtbadge]

I've been mostly content with the stable of
1. road (Rock Lobster, aluminum, 28c tires)
2. cross/gravel (Thrive, fillet brazed steel, 40c-ish tires)
3. townie (currently All-City Space Horse, sweep bars, rack, 43c tires)

for a couple of years now, but I keep buying bikes to fill a hole that doesn't exist.

[slowpoke]

I think 3 covers a good amount of disciplines, but if you bike-commute then you'd want a lock-up bike that wouldn't cause too much distress if stolen.

So 4 is the new 3 bike stable. ;)

[madsciencenow]

I think 3 covers a good amount of disciplines, but if you bike-commute then you'd want a lock-up bike that wouldn't cause too much distress if stolen.

So 4 is the new 3 bike stable. ;)


Sounds like a recipe for n+1;)


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[slowpoke]

Sounds like a recipe for n+1;)

Definitely need to adjust for inflation as well.

[robt57]

If like them I try them. If I really like them, I keep them.
If I was sane, I'd thing and agree that 3-4 are enough.

Ti
Lynskey Pro CX as Gravel Mongrel.
Lynskey Pro Helix Disc [latest].
1997 Spectrum Ti Super Campy 80 Ani SR.

Plastic
Domane Team Issue [RadioShk/Leopard] Di2ed Roubaix bike.
Spesh SL3 S-Works Tarmac mutt groupo. [top 3 fav].
Look 585 striped to naked weave, SR/Chorus mix. [top 1 fav].
Wife's Early Madone. [her all time fav, suggesting a new one not greeted well].
Madone Di2ed Kammtail [frame new was $550.00 lifetime warranty]. Most superfluous build yet.

Steel
2015 Strong All road all everything disc [lots of braze ons]
Custom 1/2 Stainless Campy SR Sport Road Machine.
1985 Saronni SLX Nago Victory resto mod 11s Chorus.
90s Merckx Corsa Molteni refresh SRAM Automatix 2 speed.
Strong Road Race [delivered 2000] 7800 Dura Ace.
No name True Temper Tandem, Specialized Sugino gear, Ergos real mutt.
Minty Lemond Croix De Fer.

Alpha Alloy Frosting Pink Crockett Di2 [color got me].

Old Dirt [oldies/goodies/keepers].
90s Steel Stump Jumper SID.
Gary Paragon 29er [been run 27.5 for years].

Two oldies with minimal builds of oldest parts and cracked wheels on the Computrainers permanently. ;)

And a small collection of frames and groupos that will get decided on as far as paint and builds eventually.

[joosttx]

1. Built MTB
2. Built All Road bike with fenders and ti racks and generator hub
3. Baum Orbis +
4. Specialized Sworks Evo Epic FS
5. Samei 27.5 tandem MTB ebike
6. Dinucci road bike
7. Winter rando bike
8. Specialized Sworks epic HT
9. Specialized Turbo Levo SL ebike
10. Baum Coretto

[wgp]

I'm down to three built up road bikes (no MTB or gravel rides), all purchased used (two from classifieds here and one from eBay); one in each material:
Parlee Z1(2006)
Moots Vamoots (2006)
Peg Marcelo (2007) - Why Not paint scheme
Funny that they were all built within a year of each other!

They all have "newer" Campy 11 gruppos except the Peg (Campy 10).
Still trying to sell the Parlee Z3 frameset that the Z1 replaced.
Also have a Gios from late70s, built with period Campy. Don't ride it but weighing having it restored to its original glorious Gios blue (it was re-painted in the mid80s to match my then team colors) with new paint job.

Never say never, but I can't imagine buying anything more, though if the right Peg with a compelling ciavete scheme came along in my size I might yield to temptation. Maybe a Sachs also ...

[Burning Pines]

I just got down to 3. Mountain, single speed cross, and one for road/gravel/touring

The cross bike is the least ridden but it’s fun sometimes, I race a few times a year and it wouldn’t have much resale value anyways. I could find a reason for more bikes, but feel pretty well covered. Don’t race road and all my social riding is MTB so a 650b x 42ish gravel bike covers all my drop bar needs.

[Coffee Rider]

1. Built MTB
2. Built All Road bike with fenders and ti racks and generator hub
3. Baum Orbis +
4. Specialized Sworks Evo Epic FS
5. Samei 27.5 tandem MTB ebike
6. Dinucci road bike
7. Winter rando bike
8. Specialized Sworks epic HT
9. Specialized Turbo Levo SL ebike
10. Baum Coretto

Have you posted pictures of either Baum or the Dinucci? I'd love to see those.

[TheseGoTo11]

I'm fortunate to live in a place spoiled for riding choices. From out the back door I can get to everything from rolling tarmac to steep and rocky mountain trails. I like to ride it all (only wish there was more time), so I've got a stable that reflects that. I also rarely drive, so all my commuting and shopping is done on two wheels, too.

2 road bikes (one with fat tires and fenders for winter slop, one ti go fast bike)
3 MTB (all steel hardtail 29ers...full rigid SS, full rigid geared, squish fork geared)
2 fat bikes (one set up for winter snow and bike camping, one drop bar for sloppy fun)
1 "gravel" bike (if that's what you want to call it...Baxter...a blast on any surface)
1 cargo setup (Surly Troll with an old Xtracycle Freeradical for hauling duties)

Definitely don't want any more and could certainly get by with fewer, but they each serve a role and they all get ridden. That's kind of the litmus test for adding to the litter...needs to fill a role not being served by something already in the stable (or has to replace something in the stable).

[Jaybee]

The ride dictates the tires, and the tires dictate the bike. By having extra wheels, I don't need as many bikes:

1) Fuji Jari for gravel, easy singletrack, commutes, road - 3 wheelsets (700x43 small knobs, 700x32 slick, 650x2.0 knobs)

2) Salsa Mukluk for snow/sand, trail rides and bikepacking (27.5x4.5 and 29x3)

3) Hightower CC for singletrack (29x2.5 - would take a 27.5+ tire but I don't like that config)

4) Marin Pine Mountain with a front basket and rack - pulls trail-a-bike, gets groceries, goes to bar (or at least it did in the Before Times).

An OG CAAD9 frame is hanging on a hook if I ever get the urge to build a go-fast roadie again.

[XXtwindad]

Firefly Ti road.
A*Train Stainless Steel All-Road
Alliance Ti Gravel
Alliance Ti MTB

[madsciencenow]

Have you posted pictures of either Baum or the Dinucci? I'd love to see those.


I was wondering the same?


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[Kirk007]

1. Spectrum Ti disc "all road" - up to 35/38 w/o fenders but designed around 28 mm tire

2. Spectrum Steel road - 24-28mm tires

3. Hampsten Carbon road - 24-28mm tires

4. 333 FAB Air Land Sea -all road/gravel/bike packing. best with 650B x 42/47 maybe a bit bigger

5. Evil the Following FS built as cross country/light trail bike

6. Lynskey hardtail 29er with rigid fork (probably going to market as between the 333Fab and the Evil my mountain bike, rough gravel needs are met).

7. Richard Sachs road bike frame being repaired and repainted

Three pure road bikes are probably a bit much, but they are all great bikes, each with their own nuances and neither the Sachs nor the Spectrum steel are nostalgia bikes in any sense.

[robt57]

As I suspected, I am not alone here in terms of, well... the illness.

:bike:

[Ozz]

Ya gotta have three only
road, mountain, other
sound about right.....

I have:

Serotta CSI - sunny day road
Serotta Legend - rainy day road
Yeti 575 - mountain bike

Thought about some sort of road/gravel that could take fenders and wider tires, possible commuter type (Hampsten Il Mostro?)....but not convinced I need it.......

[seanile]

yall are really missing the opportunity to post some bike porn for the rest of us.

for me, ideally i'd have:

mtb
cx (+road wheelset)
commuter fixed gear/ss
rotating space for something fun

i aim to have one bike for each active discipline. however, i've divested from road and just opt to put slicks on my cx bike when i get the craving, so that's why it's off the list. i greatly prefer to have no redundancy (because let's be honest, you end up with favorites and the non-favorite gets neglected), unless the bikes fit very well and were either a) inexpensive to obtain or b) would yield less than my perceived value if sold (that's why i have two sscx's below).

presently have built up:

cx (+road wheelset) :: Sketchy
sscx :: Sketchy
mtb :: Giant XTC composite
fixed gear commuter :: Firefly 666 SSCX
rack & fender bike for fishing or rainy commuting :: Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross

i'm proud to say i have only one frame unbuilt (a Giant Defy 3 road bike)

i have to update my pedalroom profile, but some pics: https://www.pedalroom.com/members/seanile

[Drmojo]

11 biikes:
Road
Kirk terraplane
Moots
Speedvagen
Cheribum
Eisentraut
Spectrum Ti

Mountain/ all road
Erickson 29er full rigid
Raliegh belt drive 650 b Alfine 11
Urban/ grocery
Spot porteur single speed

Travel
S &S SS with racks
Tandem
Santa Ti

Don’t need most of the road bikes..
But breaking up is hard to do.

[Hikyle2]

I think 4 is the magic number, I pretty much have to justify it with the significant other.

My 4 are:
CX/Gravel bike
Mountain Bike - currently fulls suspension
Road bike
Commuter bike that is heavy, fully fendered, and security bolts to help it not get stolen.

I sometimes have a 5th but it usually goes in and out depending on cash flow.

[whateveronfire]

T
3) Hightower CC for singletrack (29x2.5 - would take a 27.5+ tire but I don't like that config)



Can you talk a little about why? That's what I'm trying to decide between 29 v 27.5+

[joosttx]

1. Built MTB
2. Built All Road bike with fenders and ti racks and generator hub
3. Baum Orbis +
4. Specialized Sworks Evo Epic FS
5. Samei 27.5 tandem MTB ebike
6. Dinucci road bike
7. Winter rando bike
8. Specialized Sworks epic HT
9. Specialized Turbo Levo SL ebike
10. Baum Coretto

Whoops I thought this was aspirational list. All I have now is a Built MTB

[AngryScientist]

Whoops I thought this was aspirational list. All I have now is a Built MTB

you were loco to sell that festka.

l.o.c.o.

[joosttx]

you were loco to sell that festka.

l.o.c.o.

The new owner is very happy. He painted it white. I never rode it. I’m excited to get my new Built all rode bike and do Paris Roubaix challenge next year.

[veloduffer]

As I suspected, I am not alone here in terms of, well... the illness.

:bike:

What illness? :confused::p:banana:

[Jaybee]

Can you talk a little about why? That's what I'm trying to decide between 29 v 27.5+

At least where I ride, the bottom bracket is just too low in 27.5+. This is a common complaint for the v1 Hightower, and more broadly to a lot of the recent long low slack bikes. It might work on a machine-built bermed-out flow trail (and those are awesome), but for real world chunk and techy rock steps, I need more clearance. Running 29 x 2.5 has helped a ton with pedal strikes - I wish I could fit a real 2.6 in the rear. Fork is no problem. 29 seems better in every respect to me, maybe with the exception of pure traction in extremely loose situations (Had some 3" High Rollers on there). But that can be remedied by tire choice - I've never really wanted more traction than a 2.5" DHF/Aggressor combo provides.

[whateveronfire]

At least where I ride, the bottom bracket is just too low in 27.5+. This is a common complaint for the v1 Hightower, and more broadly to a lot of the recent long low slack bikes. It might work on a machine-built bermed-out flow trail (and those are awesome), but for real world chunk and techy rock steps, I need more clearance. Running 29 x 2.5 has helped a ton with pedal strikes - I wish I could fit a real 2.6 in the rear. Fork is no problem. 29 seems better in every respect to me, maybe with the exception of pure traction in extremely loose situations (Had some 3" High Rollers on there). But that can be remedied by tire choice - I've never really wanted more traction than a 2.5" DHF/Aggressor combo provides.

That's super helpful. I'd love to be near those kinds of trails too (I rode on some in Virginia on my niece's hybrid).

It's pretty rocky around here, too. I'm thinking right now about the Orbea Laufey (used to be Loki) comes with 2.6" and has a high bb drop.

[Coffee Rider]

As I suspected, I am not alone here in terms of, well... the illness.

:bike:

If you can count all your bikes and frames on your fingers, it's not an illness.

[sparky33]

The stable is book-ended by a Built roadie road bike and a Santa Cruz mtb because those are great for those things

In between, there are various fat tire gravelly bikes that currently occupy my obsessions, now a snappy Firefly 650b and a Lauf True Grit. I didn't know I needed a gravel bike with a suspension fork until I had the Lauf, as a distinct rig from a fully rigid fat tire bike.

[doomridesout]

These days I have:

A speedy titanium Seven all-roadie (carbon fork and carbon 650b hoops, slick 38 or 42c tires, or 700x28s), road position.

A beautiful lugged 700c rando bike with fenders and dyno lighting

and

A Black Mountain MCD set up for commuting, chunkier gravelling, light trails, and eventually bikepacking.

I'd happily take a carbon disc road bike, titanium or carbon hardtail, and carbon FS trail bike. But those are wants, not needs. I'm more satisfied with this configuration than I have been in years.

[robt57]

What illness? :confused::p:banana:

If you can count all your bikes and frames on your fingers, it's not an illness.

This^

I happen to like this illness personally.

[gbcoupe]

Too many and never enough.

Closest 5 in the 1st pic are the main rotation.

Della Santa, Zanconato, Fondriest, Torelli and Moser

https://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1697996572&stc=1&d=1586635487

https://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1697996573&stc=1&d=1586635498

[Elefantino]

Holy crap that's a lot of steeds!

[Spdntrxi]

I have a lot of bikes I dont even count in my collection because well I dont ride them... but I do ride :

1. BMC TimeMachine Road- Main aero road bike
2. Moots Compact-SL- Rim brake road bike
3. Parlee Z-Zero XD - Gravel Rig
4. Parlee TTir - TT/Tri bike

Think of going Ti for #3.. but not sure.

[witcombusa]

I'm well under 40 bikes these days.(All in riding condition) This can happen when;

You NEVER sell anything.

You've been cycling regularly for more than 40 years.

You really like bikes! :banana:

BTW, I know several people with WAY more bikes than me.

[Coffee Rider]

You've got some great stuff. Thank you for sharing. Aside from funds, I'm otherwise limited with how many can live comfortably in my bike garage plus maybe one by the front door. My SO is against me storing bikes inside the house. It's really a shame because there's so much good display space, such as in the bedroom and living room. Sadly, my point of view on this subject did not carry the day.

I've been around cycling for a bit past 30 years and it wasn't until relatively recently in life that I really started "collecting."

I'm well under 40 bikes these days.(All in riding condition) This can happen when;

You NEVER sell anything.

You've been cycling regularly for more than 40 years.

You really like bikes! :banana:

BTW, I know several people with WAY more bikes than me.

[cabriggs]

I'm up to four now, which is all I can fit in my garage without parking outside.

1. Plastic Fred Sled: Cannondale Synapse Hi-mod Red
2. Obligatory Gravel: Specialized Diverge Comp E5
3. Squishy Trail Bike: Trek Fuel EX 8
4. Fat Bikes Rule: Specialized Fatboy

Those nicely cover the types of riding I like to do, so I'm not thinking about expanding. I do expect that I'll upgrade/replace some eventually. I'd like to try titanium someday and I think I'll probably want that for gravel.

I have a friend who occasionally suggests I get a single-speed. At first I thought "never," but as time goes on I've started to think it might be worth checking out at some point.

[theboucher]

To the OP: It's a good question, and the answer is mutable.

Factors to consider include:

-riding time
-wrenching time
-storage space
-money
-support (or lack thereof) from household/spouse
-local terrain
-weather


All of these things change over time. For example, when I was in graduate school and lived in an apartment I had time and excellent and varied riding terrain, but no money or space for the bicycles I wanted. Now that I'm older I have space, relatively more money and an encouraging partner, but much less time and thus I have a different set of bikes and a different set of needs.

Another important factor to delve into is the question of riding vs wrenching time. When you own several bikes, it's difficult to avoid having several projects in the works - a wheel to true here or a position to tweak there - which might interfere with the time you spend outside on a bike, not to mention the issue of maintaining the same position/fit on each bike in a many bike stable. Having fewer bikes means less time fiddling with bikes (though if there's an issue you may not have a bike to ride in the interim...).

Then there are the potential usages - if you race you have different criteria than if you don't. When I was racing road bikes more seriously, I chose parts and frames that I could afford to replace when invariably they were damaged in crashes. Now that I don't race road bikes anymore, concerns about crashes are much fewer.

I have seven bikes at the moment. All of them get ridden. I absolutely do not need seven bikes, but I like all of them and have a basement to store them. For where I live (Seattle) it's possible to ride year-round and we have excellent road, gravel, and mountain bike trails. I don't know what I would change about my current stable, as I've very happy with everything, but if I can come up with a way to simplify, I will do so.

Current bikes are as follows:

Breadwinner road, steel
Mosaic gravel, ti
Zanconato cx, alu
Mosaic hardtail, steel
Kona enduro, alu
Pinarello vintage road, steel
Soma adventure/commuter, steel

[ls1togo]

Down to two

Look 695 Aerolight - for fast rides when trying to keep up with my much younger riding partner

Serotta Ottrott - going out to Allan Wanta for a re-do next week

just sold two

Cinelli Tutto - singlespeed/fixie - a great bike just didn't get ridden much
Ridley Helium - regret selling this one, but to close in performance to the Look

Probably will start looking again, especially while the Ottrott is gone...not sure for what..

[m_sasso]

My current family, enjoy riding and working with them. There is some steel, some Ti and some Aluminum in there, no plastic.

1979 Rossin Record Professional
1981 Paletti Record Special
1981 Team Miyata
1982 Telaio da Corsa Rossin Record
1983 Koga Miyata Super Winner
1984 Gazelle Cross Trophy
1985 Marinoni Special
1988 Pinarello Montello Team
1988 Schwinn Prologue
1990 Basso Fior de Loto
1992 Team Marin
1994 Belgian Buick - Eddy Merckx MX-Leader
1998 Litespeed Ocoee
1999 Lemond Malliot Jaune
1999 LiteSpeed Ultimate
2001 Cervelo Super Prodigy
2003 Ti Lemond Victoire
80's Zunow Humminbird
my racing track bike, a 2015 BMC TR02
and currently purchasing 1999 bent seat stay Ritchey Swiss Cross

[marciero]

Three main bikes is all I need. I could even lose the Hampston, though I get a lot of pleasure out of riding 700c tubulars once in a while, and I need a bike to put them on.

Lyon rando 650b
Lynskey gravel/bikepacker/camper 650b
Hampston 700c

... I guess I need a commuter too. Used to anyway
Gunnar commuter

dont need, but are not worth selling. They are built and ready to ride. May donate
Derosa Merak. group rides, hill climbs.
Colnago Tecnos

Tandems. Do these count? If so, need these. They are both great but so very different.
Cannondale T2 650b
Comotion Speedster 700c coupled

other; dont need:
70's/80's Peugot single speed

[sparky33]

Three main bikes is all I need. I could even lose the Hampston, though I get a lot of pleasure out of riding 700c tubulars once in a while, and I need a bike to put them on.

Lyon rando 650b
Lynskey gravel/bikepacker/camper 650b
Hampston 700c

... I guess I need a commuter too. Used to anyway
Gunnar commuter


Nice to see a post that lists the preferred stable, aka the select key bikes and the reasons for them. :hello:

[Hilltopperny]

I have pared down a bit over the past year and went from around three bikes per genre to significantly less.

My current road bike is a mid 90’s Columbine road bike with Chorus 8spd. It is a classic steel bike that I enjoy riding. It is basically a time capsule as it is shod with skinny rims and 23mm tires, but the ride quality is as good as any bike I have thrown a leg over. It descends and climbs excellent and corners amazing! https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200424/c016d5cb0a64fdd7ab636635f9ab6c63.jpg
Gravel bike is the Drifter. My favorite bike and still could be my only Road/Gravel bike, but after putting some miles on the Columbine I decided it was also a keeper. I have three wheelsets for the No22 and that keeps things interesting. My main set of wheels are Belgium+ with some Herse Bon Jons. The secondary set are Reynolds ATR 650b with 42mm Soma Grand Rando tires and my Winter/Nightime riding wheels are a set of generic tubeless wide rims that I had rebuilt with a Son dynamo for when the days get shorter. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200424/dd65931bb141f10dc5693281da3e2a7f.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200424/4db27675d4cc0f6a9aac65ab890f3eaf.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200424/375fcfeb13dd034a60acba6ff5e4e89b.jpg
I picked up a Salsa Mukluk Carbon this winter because I live just outside the ADK park and snow is a regular thing for at least 5 months out of the year here. I have to say that it is one of the most versatile and fun bikes I have ever ridden and is a keeper. I may even do some bikepacking this year once things get settled. It is hands down the best fat bike that I have ridden and I am really impressed after getting acquainted with it!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200424/13b3f7d5f287bdb0f02a881bfc474774.jpg
Santa Cruz Highball 27.5. This bike is a ripper and probably the lightest mountain bike I have ever owned. It is a blast to ride and a nice break from drop bars if I feel like riding gravel/dirt/xc trails instead of the Drifter. I may end up selling/trading it at some point for a full suspension trail bike, but I haven’t really decided yet.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200424/b12096646c993acbe4249bf94397d0db.jpg
I picked up a Trek Stache over the winter before getting the Mukluk Carbon. It is a bit larger than I typically ride, but an awesome bike! I feel after riding the Mukluk that the Stache is kind of redundant and the fit is a touch larger than I need, so I am in the process of trying to find it a new home. Lots of fun and it is much quicker then I expected it to be. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200424/be5038320ccd9d4029c1045a209c3bee.jpg
Ultimately I think a 3 or 4 bike stable is best for me. I could live without the Stache and Highball, but having 1 pure road bike, 1 gravel bike and a dedicated Adventure/Fat/Mountain bike is all I really need.


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[madsciencenow]

I have pared down a bit over the past year and went from around three bikes per genre to significantly less.

My current road bike is a mid 90’s Columbine road bike with Chorus 8spd. It is a classic steel bike that I enjoy riding. It is basically a time capsule as it is shod with skinny rims and 23mm tires, but the ride quality is as good as any bike I have thrown a leg over. It descends and climbs excellent and corners amazing! https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200424/c016d5cb0a64fdd7ab636635f9ab6c63.jpg
Gravel bike is the Drifter. My favorite bike and still could be my only Road/Gravel bike, but after putting some miles on the Columbine I decided it was also a keeper. I have three wheelsets for the No22 and that keeps things interesting. My main set of wheels are Belgium+ with some Herse Bon Jons. The secondary set are Reynolds ATR 650b with 42mm Soma Grand Rando tires and my Winter/Nightime riding wheels are a set of generic tubeless wide rims that I had rebuilt with a Son dynamo for when the days get shorter. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200424/dd65931bb141f10dc5693281da3e2a7f.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200424/4db27675d4cc0f6a9aac65ab890f3eaf.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200424/375fcfeb13dd034a60acba6ff5e4e89b.jpg
I picked up a Salsa Mukluk Carbon this winter because I live just outside the ADK park and snow is a regular thing for at least 5 months out of the year here. I have to say that it is one of the most versatile and fun bikes I have ever ridden and is a keeper. I may even do some bikepacking this year once things get settled. It is hands down the best fat bike that I have ridden and I am really impressed after getting acquainted with it!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200424/13b3f7d5f287bdb0f02a881bfc474774.jpg
Santa Cruz Highball 27.5. This bike is a ripper and probably the lightest mountain bike I have ever owned. It is a blast to ride and a nice break from drop bars if I feel like riding gravel/dirt/xc trails instead of the Drifter. I may end up selling/trading it at some point for a full suspension trail bike, but I haven’t really decided yet.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200424/b12096646c993acbe4249bf94397d0db.jpg
I picked up a Trek Stache over the winter before getting the Mukluk Carbon. It is a bit larger than I typically ride, but an awesome bike! I feel after riding the Mukluk that the Stache is kind of redundant and the fit is a touch larger than I need, so I am in the process of trying to find it a new home. Lots of fun and it is much quicker then I expected it to be. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200424/be5038320ccd9d4029c1045a209c3bee.jpg
Ultimately I think a 3 or 4 bike stable is best for me. I could live without the Stache and Highball, but having 1 pure road bike, 1 gravel bike and a dedicated Adventure/Fat/Mountain bike is all I really need.


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That last pic is sweet! When was the last time your stable was this empty?


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[Elefantino]

My modest service course
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200424/2c45b98f948a84bd6eba57f38efdbf0f.jpg

[Spdntrxi]

I need something like that... rack brand please

[Safepants]

These are all the bikes I regularly ride during the year. I have other projects and loaner/backup bikes I don't use as much.

Commuter - all around bike.
Currently a 1994 GT Karakorum drop bar conversion with racks and dynamo lights.

Winter commuter - non studded tires.
This has the Continental Top Contact Winter tires, they are amazing for 90% of winter here. Our bike lanes get plowed 24hours after snowfall and are usually bare after a few days. These tires handle light ice just fine as long as you ride accordingly.

Winter commuter - studded tires.
There are those rare days in the freeze thaw cycle when you just need studded tires. I also ride this bike when there's loose snowpack on the ground as the knobbies help. I use Schwalbe Ice Spiker's.

Steel road bike
This used to be my other long distance commuter but I've since dedicated it to be my road bike when my carbon bike developed suspicious cracks in paint.

Carbon road bike
Sadly a trainer bike for now. It has 23mm tires still, im happy with this on my trainer.

Bikepacking/29er rigid
This is a Surly Ogre. I toyed with putting drop bars on for monstercross style, but the reach was just too long to be comfy. I have swept back bars now and front and rear racks.

XC hard tail MTB
I have a 29er Trek i use for singletrack riding.

So with the exception of the trainer bike, I have 6 bikes i ride mainly.
I have a gravel bike project I'm working on and am not sure how this will fit in the mix.

I think it depends on the terrain where you live. I'm spoiled with some wicked singletrack minutes ride from my house. I could do 75km of trails in my city, without having to drive to a trailhead.

[robt57]

because my 35c slick tires feel every bit as fast as my 28c tires. No data or science to back this up though.

Even after 30 miles of rotating those 35s 'fast'? If yes, I wish I had your legs/stamina... ;)

[NHAero]

My preferred stable includes:
- a go-fast road bike - the Firefly fits the bill
- a fendered all road bike with hydro discs and ability to mount racks - the Anderson - rainy days, D2R2, touring
- a light FS MTB - Pivot 429C
- cargo bike - Big Dummy, fenders and gen hub - shopping and going to the beach - gets studded tires in the winter

My extended stable also includes:
- Bob Jackson all road bike built for me in 1972 - hard to give that up, my only bike for decades
- 1988 Nagasawa fixed/SS road trainer - love it each time I ride it
- 1989 Casati with Campy 10 - just because I always wanted an Italian steel rig
- 1995 Bilenky Aermet 100 tandem
- 1999 Litespeed Unicoi with YBB, now dropbar 26er - main commuting rig, great for mixed trail and pavement errands
- 1996 Klein Pulse II MTB - needs a new home
- late 1960s Raleigh 20 folder, 10 pound weight loss conversion many years ago - leave at one end of a through hike or through paddle bike, or locked up at the ferry or shuttle bus

I could give up the bikes in the extended stable if needs be, but I have the space in the basement and except for the Klein they all are ridden. The Firefly, Bob Jackson, Anderson, Bilenky, Nagasawa, Casati - they are superb examples of beautiful craft, and they please me every time I look at them. Now no longer working full time I am riding more, so they're getting more use than in the past. More time plus more money than in my youth seems to translate to more bikes - way more bikes than I need, for sure!

[seanile]

with all this talk of people wanting to liquidate some bikes, we should really ahve the size we ride in our signatures. that way i can poach what i want from a willing victim ;)

[smellymcfatfats]

with all this talk of people wanting to liquidate some bikes, we should really ahve the size we ride in our signatures. that way i can poach what i want from a willing victim ;)
love this