Does your "favorite" bike keep changing?

[Elefantino]

Had a chance to ride my Fierte IT for the first time in a long while today. Been riding mostly other bikes because I had taken apart the Serotta for an overhaul and never got around to the putting-it-back-together stage.

Yesterday, I took it out for a rolly 20-miler. I felt like I could have easily done a century. Despite only trainer miles (and limited at that) recently, I felt as fresh when I finished as when I started and even came within 1 second of a PR on a local climb. (Aside: M5 brakes ... wow!)

The 585 I have is still my lifer bike but I'm convinced that the Serotta is now, too. Probably 1 and 1a now.

Does your "favorite" within your stable change? Often?

[kiwisimon]

all my bikes are my favorite and make me smile. But at some stage I will have to downsize but the three Bozeman bikes will not be leaving me.

[gbcoupe]

I don't know about often, but my go to bike does rotate a bit.

Moser Leader AX, Della Santa, Scapin Dyesys, Assos Goomah g731 and my new to me Fondriest X-Status is creeping in.

I have quite a few other nice rides, but these are the ones that have been on the top of the list for the last few years.

[terry]

How about not having a favorite? I keep switching day to day and like them all. I got ride of The ones I didn’t really like.

[joosttx]

I have only one bike.

Untitled by Houston Joost, on Flickr

Untitled by Houston Joost, on Flickr\

Untitled by Houston Joost, on Flickr

but it is sure nice when your favorite bike was the one you rode last.

[R3awak3n]

yeah, I have ridden all of my 3 bikes this past 2 weeks and every time I get on one (I have been pretty much on the trainer and only 1 bike sees the trainer) I am like wow this bike is amazing, I forgot how good it was. Next day was the other and same exactly feel. I also felt amazing on the bike... Training 5 times a week for the past month and a half definitely is showing.

[gbcoupe]

Originally Posted by joosttx

I have only one bike.

Untitled by Houston Joost, on Flickr

Untitled by Houston Joost, on Flickr\

Untitled by Houston Joost, on Flickr

but it is sure nice when your favorite bike was the one you rode last.

I'm not buying it. You could take a pic of a Huffy Aerowind and it'd look spectacular!

Not saying I'm comparing your Built to a Huffy though... more, my riding environs and camera skills suck!

[Matthew]

Got 4 bikes, ride them all. Meivici, EPS, Moots Compact, and Rigormootis. Minor tweeks over the years but not much else. They're all great.

[osbk67]

image.jpg

Among the several bikes I am fortunate to own now the favourite doesn't change. But I am forever looking for a new favourite.

[Schredder]

Originally Posted by joosttx

I have only one bike.

Untitled by Houston Joost, on Flickr

Untitled by Houston Joost, on Flickr\

Untitled by Houston Joost, on Flickr

but it is sure nice when your favorite bike was the one you rode last.

Wow beautiful tig welds! Know who the welder is?

[mhespenheide]

Originally Posted by Schredder

Wow beautiful tig welds! Know who the welder is?

"BUILT" is short for Bingham Built, for Brad Bingham. Former head welder for Moots and then for Kent Erickson cycles. Two decades of being one of the best welders in the bike business.

[veloduffer]

Originally Posted by mhespenheide

"BUILT" is short for Bingham Built, for Brad Bingham. Former head welder for Moots and then for Kent Erickson cycles. Two decades of being one of the best welders in the bike business.

Brad is the standard on which others are judged. Here's a great article about his welding on Red Kite Prayer about NAHBS judging


Best TIG Welding
As judges we face exactly the dilemma above with Brad Bingham, the welder for Kent Eriksen Cycles and his own, new mark, Bingham Built. Bingham has won each of the last … does it matter? He’s dominant in a way that no one can touch. I’ve had any number of people tell me I should disqualify him from future entries because he’s too good or something. That idea strikes me irrationally unfair. His work has consistently shone as superior to other entrants. I can’t dream up any reason, any rational justification to disqualify him. So, it’s not much of a dilemma.

The best part of his entries? They are essentially straight out of the jig. The entries we get from other competitors are usually bead blasted or cleaned up by some other method. In other words, his competitors have an edge, and yet, his work is still better. I have no idea if the heat-affected zone around the welds of the other competitors is as good as Bingham’s, but it doesn’t actually matter. His welds start at 6:00 (bottom of the tube) and finish there as well, in the spot that is least noticeable. Where some builders might rivet in water bottle bosses or simply cut slots for internal cable routing, Bingham always welds everything, including his stem and on this year’s submission, the head of the seatpost as well. Until or unless Seven Cycles exhibits at the show, he’ll keep winning, because they may be the only company employing welders good enough to go toe-to-toe with him. We’re all fortunate that there’s more to a great titanium frame than weld quality.

Note, I love my Eriksen (and just added a Bingham stem).