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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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#131 ·
1 cross bike set up for road, or a road bike, but I like cross bikes better.
1 cross bike with fenders for wet rides and rail trails.
1 bike for riding around the neighborhood with the family and pulling the kiddo trailer.
1 commuter bike (the foul weather cross bike would be okay, but I'd like to keep the rack and paniers off that bike)
1 bar bike (it's gotta have more style than the commuter or kid cart puller)
1 rigid single speed
1 hard tail trail bike
1 FS trail bike
1 dirt jump bike
1 6" travel fs bike
If I lived somewhere with lift served riding I'd also need a dh bike.
If either of my kids get into BMX, I'll also need a 24" cruiser so I can ride with them.

So, 10 to 12.
 
#133 ·
My wife's answer

We had this discussion yesterday, after I bought a used FS 29er frame on eBay, and her response was 2. There are 2 types of surfaces to ride on, trail, and road, therefore I need 1 bike for each. When she asked how many I have I said 4 (that is how many are assembled and functional;)).

That was the wrong answer! Alas, she may never understand my addiction!:thumbsup:

frog
 
#135 ·
Have:
1 HT 29er (gifted the other to a friend in need)
1 DJ
1 AM 26er
2 dh rigs (technically, one is for wife)

Would like to add:

1 FS 29er all mountain style thing
1 7"-ish light dh/"park bike"

So, 7 in my case I see seven as appropriate. Less would be inappropriate, more WILL be luxury...

sorry, I strayed fom the OP a bit, caught up in the contagion...

"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 don't think there is a measurement of "appropriate". I'm a cyclist, I like and enjoy cycling in many forms. There is no appropriate number. Right now, 7 makes me happy. However, I could also be content with just one. I just happen to be in a place at the moment where multiple bikes does not put a strain on my life.
 
#136 ·
If I would have answered this question a couple months ago I probably would have said one. A single good mtb would have been more than enough for me for offroading an misc commuting. Now after a few hundred miles under my belt and a weekly riding routine, I think 3 bikes about fits my needs...I'm sure this will change to include more down the road.

2 -MTB ( one serves as a spare in case I break something or a friend wants to ride)
1-Trail bike for commuting & errands (something light with bag packs)
 
#139 ·
^^agreed. I'm happy I have a complete wheelset that I can just change in seconds.

I think you should own as much bikes as you like. There is no perfect amount, just make sure you use them all.
 
#142 ·
I've decided to stop selling old bikes, I always end up missing them.
Current collection includes:
'98 Gunnar Rockhound- full rigid setup, I love this frame!
'99 Bianchi BUSS- brown ugly single speed, everyone needs a single speed
'07 Gunnar Sport- setup as a pure road bike
'08 Serotta GP- setup as a gravel path / touring bike
'11 Salsa Mukluk- fat bike
'11 Surly Troll- setup for dirt roads and commuting, built from the parts bin
'10 Focus Black Forest Expert- my single track rig
'12 Felt New Belgium Cruiser- just for fun!

I'm certain my perfect number will keep growing, good reasons for new bikes are easy to find! A Niner EMD sound pretty tempting.
 
#145 ·
3, Specialized Stumpy M4 hardtail (updated brakes to juicy's), Specialized Tri-Cross Sport (use this for road and cross by switching out tires), Diamond Back Ascent converted to a SS for cruising town, gravel paths and rolling single track.
I also have a pretty ancient Trek road bike that I may convert to a SS cross bike.
 
#149 ·
It's interesting to see all the different priorities that come to light here. Some people want lots of road bikes and don't care much about mountain bikes, others are just the opposite, others still want all kinds of 'niche' bikes, others still want a bunch of variations of the same sort of bike.
 
#150 ·
For me, the perfect amount of bikes is 3. One to shred, one for utility/ winter riding, and one for transportation/ roadie/commuting. With that being said, i have one more than the perfect #, but cant bring myself to get rid of trials bike even though it gets little use. My stable currently consists of
29 Full suspension (shred)
26 HT Singlespeed (utility)
Road bike (transport/train)
20 Trials bike (fun)

Looking to get rid of my Singlespeed and get a fat bike, then it will be the perfect stable. Anyone want to buy a bianchi s.a.s.s...lol.
 
#154 ·
So many different possibilities! So many differing answers. This all just proves that we are a diverse species. The answers depend on all manner of things, and any number of combinations of factors:
What we can afford; what we can justify to ourselves/others; what we can fit in our living space; what we find desirable and/or necessary; whether we are just plain greedy and acquisitive, or actually NEED these bikes; what trails we like to ride; what style of riding we prefer; whether we ride all year, and what the weather is like where we live; Whether the trail conditions differ thru the year; whether we enjoy tinkering with machinery or not; the list is extensive and this does not scratch the surface of all possibilities!
For ME, however, I do not ride on the road, I live near mountain trails of the kind I love to ride: rocky and technical where the attrition factor is high. SO, my ideal is to have 2 full suspension bikes, so if one is broken temporarily, as happens all too often here, I can pull the other off the rack and still ride. All good!
 
#155 ·
The way I see it, everybody needs at least 1 Trail-ish MTB, as MTBs can go on the road but not vice versa. I think everything else should be added on a la carte depending on your riding styles. Sometimes I see people who have only one bike and it's a 40lb DH monster that they're struggling to pedal on XC trails. Nothing against those bikes--they're freaking awesome--but it's a bad starting place for someone with only one bike that isn't usually riding lift assisted. Now, some of these in my list are not mutually exclusive, e.g., a winter bike might also be a commuter bike (as is the case for myself).

Starting Point
Casual Rider -- 1x
1x Trail MTB -- As we all know, the Trail MTB is perhaps the most versatile human powered vehicle ever created :).

Add-Ons
Racers -- Up To +5x
(All that Apply)
1x HT or FS XC 29er
1x CX
1x Road Race
1x Tri
1x DH

MTB Enthusiast -- Up To +2x
1x FS All-Mtn bike that can do it all. Quiver killer if you don't have a trial or XC bike already, otherwise more towards light freeride.
1x CX Bike for Training/Road/Gravel/Trail/Etc.

Commuters-- +1x
1x Commuter--Can be geared or fixie, flat or drop, whatever, so long as it's not a theft magnet.

Roadie Enthusiast -- Up To +2x
1x Fast Road Bike. Alu/Ti/Carbon, racing-ish geo. Good for group rides.
1x Winter Bike. Probably not necessary in, e.g., southwest. We get a LOT of salt around here.

Extreme Riders -- Up To +2x
1x Freeride/DH Rig
1x Dirt Jumper/4x/DS/BMX

Now, that's a total of 13 bikes. That said, you can hit most of these categories with 3 or 4, I think you can hit them all with 5 or 6. There's definitely categories I've left out (touring, tandem, utes, track, etc,) but I'm OK with that as I'm trying to fill (or design) a quiver and not list all of the categories that exist. Moreover, there is certainly an upper bound based on space, budget, S/O approval, etc.
 
#156 ·
Starting Point
Casual Rider -- 1x
1x Trail MTB -- As we all know, the Trail MTB is perhaps the most versatile human powered vehicle ever created :).

Add-Ons
Racers -- Up To +5x
(All that Apply)
1x HT or FS XC 29er
1x CX
1x Road Race
1x Tri
1x DH

MTB Enthusiast -- Up To +2x
1x FS All-Mtn bike that can do it all. Quiver killer if you don't have a trial or XC bike already, otherwise more towards light freeride.
1x CX Bike for Training/Road/Gravel/Trail/Etc.

Commuters-- +1x
1x Commuter--Can be geared or fixie, flat or drop, whatever, so long as it's not a theft magnet.

Roadie Enthusiast -- Up To +2x
1x Fast Road Bike. Alu/Ti/Carbon, racing-ish geo. Good for group rides.
1x Winter Bike. Probably not necessary in, e.g., southwest. We get a LOT of salt around here.

Extreme Riders -- Up To +2x
1x Freeride/DH Rig
1x Dirt Jumper/4x/DS/BMX
Thanks for the awesome and detailed answer! I see we have a lot of common (OCD-bordering) traits when it comes to making lists and analyzing a scenario like this. Also I see that we have similar personal quivers in terms of what ground each bike covers (no pun intended), mine's just a little heavier duty all around due no doubt to the fact I live in BC.

I think the MTB enthusiast category could be expanded a little (ie. a hardtail is good to have in the quiver if possible) but all in all I agree with your list.
 
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