quest for the perfect bike - fruitless?

[etu]

I recently had a bike built by Carl Strong and now I have a hard time riding my other bikes. The other bikes were/are very nice and I used to gush about how perfect their handling and ride characterstics were. Now one feels too stiff and jarring and the other is a bit wippy at speed.
The new Strong bike initially felt odd over the first 1000 miles or so, but now it feels "perfect". Am I doomed to a repeat this process over and over again or does it eventually come to a happy ending? What does one do with the "other bikes"? I am already thinking of how to get another bike from Carl with minor modification of this "perfect" one.

[rwsaunders]

In the words of Johnny Cochran...."If it fits, you must acquit."

[sloji]

Forget the bike...write 100 times and then ride 50 miles as penance.

[eddief]

every time you spend a couple of thousand dollars for a new frameset your wallet will convince you you have hit the jackpot. don't listen to your wallet.

on the other hand, in the last 10 years I am sure I've owned 25 different bikes or so. i now have the fit dialed in and own a custom steel with carbon fork, an off the rack steel Gunnar with custom Waterford steel fork, an S&S coupled Rivendell all steel Rambouillet, and a titanium Easy Racers long wheel base recumbent. The variety keeps me interested and every time I go out to the garage, I am happy to get on any of the four. Almost never the same one two days in a row.

After great fit, I am starting to believe tire choice may be as impt as any other variable. I had Riv Roughy Tuffies on the Gunnar for quite some time. I just put 700x25 Michelin Pro Racers on it...and I swear the bike has a new more lively personality.

Bikes are less expensive than women, fast cars, and drugs. Enjoy the ride.

I am an addict. But my memory is still good.

I learned much of what I know from Douglas Brooks; without quite the same resources. The one bike I still covet is that fine all arounder Tournesol in carbon with the satin finish; first owned by DBRK and then Dave Thompson. Don't know who owns it now.

Airborne titanium
Ritchey Road Logic
Serotta CSI
Rivendell Rambouillet orange 60 cm(2)
*Rivendell Rambouillet S&S coupled green 58 cm
Rivendell Bleriot (2)
Habanero Ti
TST Ti
Giant OCR-C carbon
Fuji Touring
*Custom Rex
Kogswell P58
*Gunnar Sport
Waterford RS
Ibis Spanky
Specialized Sequoia
Specialized Stumpjumper
Easy Racers steel Tour Easy
Easy Racers aluminum Gold Rush Replica
*Easy Racers Ti-Rush
Volae Century
Bacchetta Corsa
Trice recumbent trike
Bike Friday Crusoe

[StellaBlue]

I sold all (4) but my Peg.. Have no intention of buying a bike till it fails.. Fruitless? No.

[pbjbike]

Ride more, think less.

[dave thompson]

Just remember: N + 1 = the perfect number of bikes.

[cmg]

"I am already thinking of how to get another bike with minor modification of this "perfect" one." isn't that part of the fun, the search...................

[mjbrekke]

"Perfect" usually applies only to a particular point in time. Your body will change as you age, and your perfect bike will likely become less so. Of course, then you have a reason to buy a new bike.

[Bob Loblaw]

This

Ride more, think less.

And this

"Perfect" usually applies only to a particular point in time. Your body will change as you age, and your perfect bike will likely become less so. Of course, then you have a reason to buy a new bike.

Semirelevant rambling anecdote:
I used to have a thing about gloves on climbs. It would drive me nuts the way my hands felt on a hot California mountain climb. It felt like my skin was stifling, smothering. I could feel the heat collecting on my skin, like an oven mitt after you've handled something hot.

I convinced myself my gloves were impairing my body's ability to cool itself, which was costing me time. To prove it, I timed myself up my pet mountain with gloves and again without gloves. Sure enough, the gloves were costing me a minute and a half on a 40 minute climb. I started shucking them at the start of every climb. This went on for months.

Then one day, I was riding with a buddy who saw me do my glove thing. He asked me about it, and I launched into a long winded explanation about surface area and heat dissipation and evaporative cooling and dehydration. I told him about the minute and a half I was saving.

After my friend told me I was an idiot, he shared with me a true pearl of cycling wisdom. "It's ALL in your head."

BL

[Steve in SLO]

The 'Ideal Bike' is a moving target, so the search is not so much pointless as it is endless.

[rustychisel]

The 'Ideal Bike' is a moving target, so the search is not so much pointless as it is endless.

Yup. This.

Some days you have the perfect bike underneath you and all is right with the world. Other days you have lead pedals, glass cranks, and itchy ass, the bartape is bumpy and needs rewrapping, the stem is a tad too long, the tyres are overinflated and the braking seems a little grabby, so you curse that idiotic Doctor Pangloss. This can happen whether you own 1 bike or 20.

[Ken Robb]

"Perfect" usually applies only to a particular point in time. Your body will change as you age, and your perfect bike will likely become less so. Of course, then you have a reason to buy a new bike.

True, but with quill stems we can easily keep sneaking our fit along to suit our aging bodies. :-)

[Climb01742]

all quests have a validity but where they become problematic is if they hurt your enjoyment of the present.

if looking for the 1% doesn't take away from your pleasure in the 99%, go for it. if it does, let it go.

[AngryScientist]

nothing in this world is perfect.

bicycles are like vehicles - an M3 might be my "perfect" sports car, but it's not what i want when i go to home depot to pick up sheets of drywall, or the car i want to drive home with in a blizzard.

the bike i grab for a fast group ride or a crit would certainly not be perfect to ride double centuries either.

[fiamme red]

After my friend told me I was an idiot, he shared with me a true pearl of cycling wisdom. "It's ALL in your head."Another instance:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/millar-ends-season-in-best-time-trialling-form-of-his-career

David Millar (Garmin-Transitions) broke the course record in winning the Chrono des Nations on Sunday and revealed afterwards that one of the secrets of his success was riding without a rear brake.

"When you think that your brakes are rubbing against the wheel, it obsesses you and you no longer feel free to perform," Millar explained to L’Équipe after his victory at Les Herbiers.

[snah]

This



And this



Semirelevant rambling anecdote:
I used to have a thing about gloves on climbs. It would drive me nuts the way my hands felt on a hot California mountain climb. It felt like my skin was stifling, smothering. I could feel the heat collecting on my skin, like an oven mitt after you've handled something hot.

I convinced myself my gloves were impairing my body's ability to cool itself, which was costing me time. To prove it, I timed myself up my pet mountain with gloves and again without gloves. Sure enough, the gloves were costing me a minute and a half on a 40 minute climb. I started shucking them at the start of every climb. This went on for months.

Then one day, I was riding with a buddy who saw me do my glove thing. He asked me about it, and I launched into a long winded explanation about surface area and heat dissipation and evaporative cooling and dehydration. I told him about the minute and a half I was saving.

After my friend told me I was an idiot, he shared with me a true pearl of cycling wisdom. "It's ALL in your head."

BL

This pearl of wisdom applies to more than just bikes. :)

[Ti Designs]

First, why wouldn't you want to drive an M3 home in a blizzard?

As for the perfect bike, I've had many. My Peter Mooney race bike was perfect - I spent countless hours on it, rider and bike working as a team. Was it really perfect? Hell no. I'm just not dumb enough to waste my time with little details. My Serotta is perfect (which would explain why I've used it for 5 seasons and haven't changed any of the parts). My fixed gear is perfect - this is one that many would argue. It has some rust (probably less than a pound), the wheels aren't that round any more, the stem creaks, one of the brake levers flops around, the saddle is worn out and it doesn't track that well. None of that stuff matters when I'm riding. My pub crawl bike is perfect. The frame is an old Raleigh 3-speed that was crushed and bent back, the chain is made of the spare links of lots of other chains (not even the same colors), the chainring is attached to the crank with drywall screws and it wobbles like a drunk if you try to ride it sober.

[FlashUNC]

As Steve in SLO mentioned, there's so many changing tastes that the perfect bike changes over time.

Ten years ago in college, I was more concerned about racing crits and hammering around with a bunch of other like-minded folks. Who cared about scenery? Wins and losses were the ultimate guide. I bought a bike and equipment accordingly.

Now? I'm riding a heavier steel frame that I can mash on, but still rides nice enough to pick me head up and look at the world around me. Its less about the destination than it is about the journey itself, so my main bike has changed accordingly.

[flydhest]

nothing in this world is perfect.

the bike i grab for a fast group ride or a crit would certainly not be perfect to ride double centuries either.

I don't understand this point. I have two road bikes now. Have raced both in crits as well as road races and have done rides well over 100 miles on each. I can't imagine riding a bike that isn't comfortable for either endeavor--racing or longer rides. If you had said touring, that's prolly a different beast, but going out for an all day ride of six to 8 hours, I'm still taking one of my race bikes (and not just because that's all I have).

[sg8357]

First, why wouldn't you want to drive an M3 home in a blizzard?.

The Roger Penske method for preparing your BMW for a Vermont winter,
as to told to Mr. Hudson.

Step 1, obtain 3 bags of Sakrete 5000 Plus concrete.

Step 2, one set of steel rims

Step 3, one set of Fulda Blizzak tires,
prepped by Stig "on the roof" Bloomqvist.

Step 4,Go to a heated garage, install tires & wheels, arrange Sakrete in
a H pattern in the trunk.

Step 5, Close garage door.

Step 6, Get into your Subaru

Step 7,Retrieve BMW in the spring.

[Charles M]

He'll no it's not fuitless...

I've had the best bike ever... Several times.

Materials move on,

your understanding of your fit moves on...

Your desired handling moves with time.

And you get better at ordering bikes as your own knowledge grows.


Will you find the last bike you ever want?

Who knows.

But it's a fruit filled trip.

[AngryScientist]

I don't understand this point. I have two road bikes now. Have raced both in crits as well as road races and have done rides well over 100 miles on each. I can't imagine riding a bike that isn't comfortable for either endeavor--racing or longer rides. If you had said touring, that's prolly a different beast, but going out for an all day ride of six to 8 hours, I'm still taking one of my race bikes (and not just because that's all I have).


my "fast" bike is a lot stiffer than my "long" bike, it also has a lot more saddle to bar drop. it responds better to power input, at the expense of beating you up a bit more. its not extreme mind you, and i'm very comfortable on both, but given the choice, one is for going damned fast, one is for relaxing on. sure they can swap duties, but one is always (even if slightly) better suited than the other.

[djg]

First, why wouldn't you want to drive an M3 home in a blizzard?



Well, sure, I'm not just going to leave my precious M3 parked along the side of the road in a blizzard. OTOH, with the usual tires (and the usual engine driving those 19" rear wheels), if you weren't already out and about in an M3, it might not be the first choice of car for driving through a blizzard, on snow and ice covered roads, even if it's a great car and, as sports cars go, pretty darn versatile in dealing with everyday stuff.

But we digress.