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What do you think is the truly appropriate number of bikes to own?

15K views 156 replies 115 participants last post by  ghost_03 
#1 ·
Forget how many you want or how many you own. From a purely logical and reasonable standpoint, given how much you ride and how many different types of riding you do - how many do you think you should own?

I say three. One for on-road use that's practical for picking up groceries and getting places, one for off road use - getting to more remote places, enjoying the outdoors in general etc, and one for exactly the type of riding you like best - whatever that is - and this third one would be the less compromise, all-you-can-afford 'dream bike'.

In reality, I have four and would like to be at six. Here are three of them, the fourth lives in the parkade (bar bike).

 
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#38 ·
The correct answer is n+1; there is no such thing as a practical limit to the number of bikes you should have, it's simply a limit of your current situation. Just because you don't have the money or room for another bike doesn't mean you don't need another one!

Let's see, my garage currently looks like this:
FS 170 trail bike
SS HT
DJ HT
Cruiser
CX
First hand built frame: CX
Wife's FS 140mm
Wife's cruiser
Random WalSchwinn (in case of company needing to ride to dinner with us)

Need:
Wife FS 170mm (will likely replace 140mm)
DH bike, probably 2
To learn to fillet braze, build 650b AM HT
Wife should have a HT
If velodrome finally gets funding: 2 track bikes
Near future: kid's bike(s)

If I ever get to get a new house, I'm going to need a garage bay for bikes and bike building.
 
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#87 ·
For those of you old enough to remember the early days of MTV, Billy Idol nailed it.

"Your too much, is never enough."

40 and counting. 1896 to 2012, they just keep coming up with new ones dammit.

It's a disease, albeit, a healthy one..... ;)
The appropriate number of bikes to own is one more than Craig. I'm not there yet but I am trying!
 
#9 ·
1 5"-6" 650b trail, AM bike;
1 HT 29'er;
1 rigid SS, 29" for off road;
1 rigid SS, 26" for indoor park;
1 carbon road bike;
1 titanium CX bike; AND

1 winning lottery ticket
 
#10 ·
Personally, I'd like to just have one bike that does everything but that's not realistic. So...
1. Gotta have a beater for commuting.
2. Gotta have a road/cross bike with high gears for road rides.
3. Gotta have a mtn.bike. A cross bike won't cut it around here. Trust me, I've tried.

If I really wanted to geek out -
1. Hardtail.
2. Full suspension.
3. Road.
4. Cross.
5. Beater mtn. with rigid fork or cross bike.
 
#11 ·
Pasted from velominati.com

Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
While the minimum number of bikes one should own is three, the correct number is n+1, where n is the number of bikes currently owned. This equation may also be re-written as s-1, where s is the number of bikes owned that would result in separation from your partner.
 
#16 ·
3 is the minimum number : 1 mountain bike, 1 road bike, 1 commuter.

And by commuter, I mean a bike just for casually riding around town regardless of whether you ride it to work or not. Personally, I won't ride junker bikes, so mine is a Surly Troll with a rear rack.
 
#22 ·
I think a bare minimum would be two - a road bike and a mountain bike. Beyond that would depend on where you live.

In or near a city I'd say 3 minimum. Add to the above an around-town/commuter/errand bike. Something single speed, fixie, or cruiser.. Something you can take to the store, a friends house, lunch, bar, etc and not have gotten geared up with SPD shoes and not afraid to leave it locked up. The key with one of these is to have it be nice enough that you want to ride it, but not so expensive you're paranoid about leaving it locked in a reasonable location. Quick release anything need not apply.
 
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