Utility Cycling - Multiple Bikes, Different Purposes?

Do you have a single-purpose bike that you use for everything? Or do you have multiple bikes, each with a different purpose?

Elaborate, please! :)

I like to have more than one bike. Besides the obvious different purposes for different bikes, I use them as spares in case one or more is not in a rideable condition (like a flat tire).

Different bikes for different purposes:
1) Specialized Sirrus with racks, lights, fenders, rear baskets and trailer attachment for commuting and most errands.
2) Trek 520 for touring
3) Trek 5000 Carbon fibre for road riding with the cheetahs
4) Santana Arriva tandem for sharing good times with the spouse
5) Pashley 5-speed roadster for knocking around town and some errands
6) An old Trek Chromoly tourer I keep at the office for those rare occasions when I don't have my Sirrus and want to ride somewhere for lunch or something
7) A Raleigh Cadent road bike I keep at my mother-in-law's so I don't have to carry a bike back and forth when visiting.

A whole bunch that can be used for different purposes:p BTW the "perfect" number of bikes is n+1 where n equals the number of bikes you currently own;)

Most of mine can do dual purpose.

2006 Redline 9.2.5 single speed fixed...because
2003 Staiger Florida city bike, generator hub 24 speed, full fenders and racks. General purpose utility bike, may eventually get replaced by an Xtra cycle based on a Breezer Uptown.
1972 Raleigh Superbe, classic ride, gets ridden pretty much every weekend around town.
1968 Raliegh Compact RSW (sort of a folder) gets taken when I travel out of town by truck.
19?? Ratrod cruiser...just because I could
I have several others but these are the ones that get ridden regularly. I am in going to be buying a folder in the near future, probably a Brompton. Also considering a Schwinn Classic 3 cruiser with large front and rear baskets for grocery runs and general around town riding. The town we are moving to is basically flat with a couple of hills on one end.

Aaron:)

oh man.... :)
one do-it-all bike and one full-susser mtb bike that gets ridden very little. i bought a road bike but will be selling it soon.

I get as much riding as I want while riding for transportation. So I have one bike that can get groceries or carry me and a few pounds of stuff to work and back. It is also pretty close to what my ideal bike would be for any non-racing rides on or off-road.

But then I also have a folding bike that I have brought with me on inter-city buses.

Do you have a single-purpose bike that you use for everything? Or do you have multiple bikes, each with a different purpose?

Elaborate, please! :)I used to go with the one bike-for-all-purposes philosophy. Now I'm going for the multiple-bikes for-multiple purposes philosophy. Sometimes, I really trying to rationalize my collection so I don't end up with a fleet that is a monument to OCD consumerism. Other times, I think "what's the harm" in buying a bike even if I already have another bike for the purpose. With that in mind:

Current fleet:

'91 Bianchi Project 7: 29er, current city bike/commuter
'86 Raleigh Portage: future city bike/grocery getter/beater (will be a porteur "interpretation")
'88 Trek 850: future commuter/expedition tourer (ala Thorn)
'91 Trek 830: future xtracycle base
'77 Motobecane Grand Touring: former commuter, future randonneur
'76 Motobecane Grand Touring mixte: future companion randonneur

Planned additions:

'91 Bianchi Grizzly: Mt. bike, monument to OCD
'91 Bianchi Equinox: cyclocross, monument to OCD
'91 Trek 830: future winter commuter, monument to OCD
Lotus Odyssey: future commuter/loaded tourer, monument to OCD
Gitane Tour de France: future vintage racer
'70 Gitane Grand Sport de Luxe: My dad's old bike

I think my sig has this but i have a bike for road racing-groups rides, a a cheaper sturdier road bike with racks and lights for my distance communitng (ten miles), and city hybrid bike that i don't worry about locking up at the bus stop or the bar, and MTB for MTBing, except I feel bad driving to the mtb trails and i get enough exercise commuting or runnign errands.

ideally I'd love a fixie and a beach crusier, one to look cool with all the hipsters in uptown, and the other to ride really slowly along the boardwalk, but those are both luxuries. the only thing i could possibly think of owning is a tandedm, to take girls out, and a trailer for big loads.

Surly LHT = Commuter, tourer, prime mover for various trailers.

Hardtail mtb on slicks = My wife's main ride. Also a backup for the LHT, just in case.

Dumpster special = rescued and rebirthed as a fixed gear for no other reason other than to enjoy the etheral purity of fg. Ideal utility bike when I don't have to carry much and won't be out after dark.

Cannondale CAAD9 Optimo1 = Mega-$$$$ mid life crisis machine for no other purpose than to go really fast on Sunday mornings. Nothing but Dura-Ace and high end carbon upgrades. She weighs less than flatulence and cost more than a divorce :D twitchy and a little uncomfortable to ride but sooooo much fun! ;)

there's also a couple of trail-a-bikes, a kiddicarrier, and several cargo trailers in the fleet. I spend 80% - 90% of the time on the Surly.

OK, I got 3.
I got a tough aluminum frame hard tail MTB with street tires, the tough kind, it has two trailer hitches(I have 2 trailers)(One for grandkids, and Nashbar Cargo Trailer). Love the bike. It rides too rough for dirt.
I call it my Pickup.

I have a full suspension high end dirt thing, with no reflectors or lights.
I call it my JEEP.

And now I got this sleek carboned up road thing that weighs nothing, goes like much faster than my others.
I call this one my Sports Car.

OK, I got 3.
I got a tough aluminum frame hard tail MTB with street tires, the tough kind, it has two trailer hitches(I have 2 trailers)(One for grandkids, and Nashbar Cargo Trailer). Love the bike. It rides too rough for dirt.
I call it my Pickup.

I have a full suspension high end dirt thing, with no reflectors or lights.
I call it my JEEP.

And now I got this sleek carboned up road thing that weighs nothing, goes like much faster than my others.
I call this one my Sports Car.

That's awesome!!!

Count me in with the A Bike For Every Purpose crowd :) Partly this is because I am getting into classic/vintage bikes and I just can't resist a deal or something to tinker on :D

1) 2006 Norco Pinnable MTB - I'm actually selling this one to finance the rest! :p Used it for re-learning to ride and for commuting before I moved 10 km further out. It's a decent entry level bike but I find it heavy and a harsh ride over longer distances. I'm not a MTB-er so that makes a difference - I might keep it if I did more dirt-trail stuff.

2) 1984 Raleigh City Tourer (5 speed). AKA "Sir Lancelot" - my commuter. Rack, panniers, lights, but not so great in the rain owing to steel rims.

3) 1984 Raleigh tourer, ladies' frame - AKA Lady Jane. For puttering around the neighbourhood and an unintimidating guest bike. (My sister and girl friends are not cyclists, for the most part, and they find the road and MTB styles a bit scary). Looks lovely with her wicker handlebar basket.

4) Early 80s sport-touring bike made in Japan for an obscure Canadian company (Boyes and Rosser, out of Vancouver). Future randonneur.

5) Early 90s Norco Katmandu MTB (non suspension). Future Xtracycle and/or winter commuting bike.

6) c. 1990 Pro-Flex 750 MTB. Belongs to The Boy but I get to tinker on it :)

I have a commuter, touring and race bike. Each used according to how much stuff I want to carry. My race bike would do little for me, when completing errands. I just do not like the feel of backpacks. My touring bike, I have carried as much as probably 40 pounds. Besides, it's good to have multiple bikes should one break down.

I plan on four bikes, three of which I already have:

1. Recreational long-distance bike is a Cycle Genius Falcon (http://www.cyclegenius.com/ltx.html).

2. Recreational around-town and guest bike is a RANS Fusion (http://www.ransbikes.com/Fusion07.htm).

3. I have a Worksman cruiser (http://worksmancycles.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/cruisers.html) for a Golden Eagle engine kit (http://www.bikeengines.com/) I have, that I am putting together. The Worksman bikes are said to be pretty much the most durable overall for engine use.

4. I had also planned on buying another Worksman cruiser with big baskets front and rear for use as a (non-motorized!) errand bike, but I need to see how well the one I already have works out. It seems rather uncomfortable initially and I've ordered taller bars and a laid-back seatpost to help with that. ...If I don't get another Worksman, I will probably get another cheapo steel-frame MTB or cruiser and cut/weld the frame into something like the Fusion.
~

A 15 year old Specialized Hard Rock set up for street commuting.
A 35 year old American Eagle/Nishiki 10 speed, my former commuting bike, now being restomoded.
A 2 year old Giant Stiletto chopper for riding in parades.
A Free Spirit Brittany girls bike for beater bike chores.

25 yr old schwinn worldsport singlespeeded--- backup workbike
2007 motobecane vent noir roadbike (aluminum w/mix 105/tiagra) --- racebike/long distance bike
2006 Tsunami track bike --- workbike
2007 IRO group buy frame track bike --- workbike

Commuter / In town fun bike:
1999 Specialized Hardrock Comp FS (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=4408101&postcount=1809)
Go play in the dirt bike:
2003 Specialized Rockhopper FSR Comp (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=545760&postcount=745)
Planned additions:
Surly Crosscheck (http://www.surlybikes.com/crosscheck_comp.html)

Ugh don't encourage me.

Roadie, 2006 Trek 1500 with some upgraded stuff - Long rides more than 10-15 miles

Fixie, 80's Fuji, painted, original handle bars, seat post and brake calipers, everything else new - used to commute to work (1 mile) and around town running errands (<10 miles)

Mountain bike, early 90's Trek, needs new derailers and a basic clean up after many years of hard riding but too busy riding on the road to do anything.

I want to get another bike, something like a new fixed gear like a Rush Hour for longer rides (like 10-20 miles) to use instead of my roadie. My current fixed not worth upgrading since it is a little too small and I'd be afraid of it getting stolen if it were any nicer.

Once I get more reacquainted with biking, I'd like to pick up a road bike and use my current bike solely for commuting/beating around.

definitely multiple bikes.

Grocery getters(mine and my wifes)

http://bikerubbish.com/olddeimages/xtracycle/images/gallery/wedding16.jpg


Heavy, all weather commuter/hauler

http://bikerubbish.com/olddeimages/xtracycle/images/gallery/wedding3.jpg


Hot date bikes, beach rides etc

http://bikerubbish.com/olddeimages/xtracycle/images/gallery/wedding14.jpg


For anything offroad.

http://bikerubbish.com/olddeimages/xtracycle/images/gallery/wedding22.jpg

I'd like to have 4 bikes eventually:
Hardtail XC MTB, for offroad and all around use.
Road bike, for... road use.
Vintage track bike/singlespeed road bike for all around use.
Cyclocross bike. Just 'cause they're sweet.

Use to have three bikes.
1) My main bike which was a Raleigh mountain/commuter style bike.
2) Road bike which I used to get from point A to point B quickly.
3) And an old dutch style bike which was just from riding around.

Now I only have the first bike I mentioned. I just prefer having the one bike now. Well, I do have a cheap mountain bike lying around as a back-up.