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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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#27 ·
Two!

That way you have one while you are repairing the other.

I violate this rule but I am unreasonable. I like having a trashy SS commuter bike and a long travel FS as well a a short travel FS.

But I could happily live with a trashy geared hardtail and a long travel FS, using my hardtail for commuting and smooth rides and my FS for big technical rides and as a commuter back-up when the other bike it in service.
 
#28 ·
4.

Carbon road bike
Hardtail 29er
Fatty
Commuter

I have the first three. The commuter is something I would love to have, I just don't know if it would get enough use to justify it. Of course, now that I have the Necromancer, my HT may also be relegated to that very thing.
 
#29 ·
I think this is based on geography. For me, four would be nice. I'm missing the gravel bike to complete my collection.

- XC (racing) bike
- commuting bike / grocery getter (I actually have 2 commuters right now, one for summer and one for winter)
- gravel road bike
- road racing bike
 
#30 ·
For me it's 5.

Trail bike
Downhill bike
Dirt jumper
Road (or cross) bike
Townie / bar bike

I have couple more than this (singlespeed MTB, singlespeed road bike) but those first five I feel are important, and the other two are sort of superfluous (but still fun).
 
#31 ·
I've always targeted three for me (as others have pointed out, 1 road, 1 mountain, 1 for errands), but I like the OP's idea of the third bike being for the riding you like best. That actually might be my errand bike for me-- I spend a lot of time pulling the kids around town, or using it for short overnighters.

I was briefly thinking about thinning down to 2, but now I'm ballooning up to six. It's like a diet yo-yo.
 
#32 ·
I like the idea of combining as many types of riding into each bike as possible - I was at two for a while, an all-mountain bike that sufficed on any type of trail and a touring road bike that could do everything from road rides to light trail use, with braze-ons for anything. It was a very well rounded pair.

Made-to-look-cheap bar bikes are key, I agree with the sentiment that it needs to be nice enough to be enjoyable to ride. My upcoming bar bike is a de-badged Long Haul Trucker with a parts-bin build.
 
#34 ·
I like the idea of combining as many types of riding into each bike as possible .
Agreed. For that reason I have to say 3.

One all-mountain/trail do it all mountain bike
One bar bike/commuter/road bike for training
And one fatbike for winter.

If i could combine the fatbike with the bar bike/commuter via wheel swaps - I would say 2. But I haven't looked into that yet.
 
#37 ·
Townie bike
Full sus trail bike (~140mm)
More hardcore AM bike (~160mm)
Hardtail trail bike (~120mm for winter and as backup)
Fancy road bike
Beater road bike (winter/backup)
CX bike
DH bike

So. Eight bikes. Damn that's a lot. I only have the first two!
 
#44 ·
4...

1 do everything full suspension.. (my mojo HD)
2 road bike
3 hardtail light 29er for racing
4 downhill/freeride

right now, I make the best of what I can with the Mojo HD, for racing I switch tires and forks, and same for DH and freeride. I have a road bike. It'd be nice to ad a xc racer, and a DH rig to my stable....
 
#49 ·
i would say 3,

1.your primary biking discipline - DH, road, XC ect.

2.a commuter - because everyone who can should bike to work, simply because if your lucky enough to have an excuse to ride everyday you should. =p

3.secondary discipline aka the fun bike. Single speed, DH sled for parks, trials, BMX ect.

I think personal think anything more then that gets to expense in initial purches and upkeep.

I have my little AM monster, which i do all my riding on. Im getting a commuter in a month or so, and i have been looking for a Bike park DH sled for a while.
 
#52 ·
I'm thinking 5:

HT 29er , wouldn't sell for nostalgic reasons
Old HT 26", now commuter/lender
Road bike..not sure I'll ever ride it, but I bought it cheap
( gave away another 26" HT to a deserving fellow sothe bike storage area looks less over-the-top)

(near future purchases...)
FS 26" all-purpose
Fat Tire bike cuz I live in the frozen tundra and I don't want to wait until June to ride again

Wonder when the Hubs is going to stop turning a blind eye to my bike habit...
 
#54 ·
commuter/grocery getter/waling the dog around the neighborhood bike

crap weather/trails are too wet roadie/commuter/around town/gotta feed the jones bike

hardtailtrialsinsoloridepedalingfromhomeridebike

trail/AM/riding with an undetermined group ride 5" bike

local burly trails/once in a blue moon shuttle/DH and park bike/still want to pedal it local on xc trails for shits and grins bike.

parts bin, leftover bits and studded tires in winter SS bike with way too big a fork but who cars it's stupid fun to ride bike
 
#55 ·
Several theories can be applied.
1) You can only ride 1 bike at a time so 1 is sufficient
2) 1 bike for every discipline I ride
3) 7 days in a week, so a different bike for each day
4) 1 bike for every discipline I ride with a backup bike for each
5) I ride a bike everyday and I never ride the same bike within a month
6) I'm a collector
7) I'm an obsessive wack job who likes to build bikes as much as I do riding them

The list goes on. Im sure I missed some. Its all good.
 
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