General Cycling Discussion - Owners of Multiple Bicycles

I have several bikes (about to get 2 more) so I'm throwing these questions to those who own more than 2 bicycles. How do you manage to use all your bikes? Are the bikes part of a collection and are there any garage queens?

I have four, at present. The FG/SS gets used for pootling around town, going to the pub etc. and for hill repeats when I want to do some interval training. The tourer gets used for touring, obviously, and about once a week for carrying groceries. The roubaix-style carbon road bike is the most heavily used, especially for long distance rides and sometimes for light touring - if I'm only going to be away two or three nights and am not camping I can get all I need into a saddlebag. The more aggressive carbon road bike - a Giant TCR - gets used when I want to keep up on group rides and now that I am entering my second childhood, will from next spring be used for racing.

I don't have much trouble giving them all a fair bit of use, my mileage this year will probably top 10,000. I have to keep stopping myself from going out and buying a CX bike. I really don't need one...

We ride the tandem most evenings and on long, flattish rides.
I ride my titanium on hillier rides and longer rides.
My touring bicycle is new to the pack and has been used for some short evening rides and a ride on a rail trail ... a surface I wouldn't take the titanium on.
My Giant usually rides the trainer, but can be used on the road if the titanium is undergoing repairs.
My mountain bike will be used on the gravel roads around here, but it needs a bit of work.

I've got 5 bikes. I put most of my miles on 2, the rest are older bikes that I take out when inspired.

I have 7 bikes, my wife has 4 and we have no problem using them all. I don't really have a hangar queen, but I do have lots of spare parts and an old italian bianchi frame that I can't decide whether to rebuild or sell.

I ride the latest and greatest most often by far. The previous latest and greatest hasn't been ridden in quite awhile but may come into play if I have to relocate temporarily for work. The third bike back is my rain/slush bike.

I've got 5 bikes. I put most of my miles on 2, the rest are older bikes that I take out when inspired.

This.. I have six bikes, my wife has six, plus we have a tandem. This year we've mostly been riding our 700x35 hybrids and our 26 inch comfort bikes. It just worked out that way, (people we've rode with this year, etc). Last year we did more road riding and vintage rides so we rode those bikes. Last year we used the tandem alot, this year, not so much. Our mtbs have become our guest bikes this year.

So far I have reduced the number to 3 bikes from a high of 8. My Miyata is on a trainer which my wife and I use during bad weather. I use the Bianchi in light rain because it has fenders. I use the Mixte only on cloudless days as it doesn't have fenders yet. Both have rear racks so I can easily transfer my panniers onto either bike. I guess I am like some of you who use a bike depending on how you feel that day.

I have three that are ride-able.
One is for pulling the kid around on the trail-a-bike (franken-bike cobbled together from bits of old mountain bikes).
One is my main commuter and general all-around bike (Surly LHT).
One is for group rides and long and/or fast solo rides (Felt z90).

I have four bikes in the basement that need work. Three of them were curbside finds, and one is my old recumbent.

Even though they're all geared pretty much the same, they all feel different . If I'm doing a REALLY hilly ride, or need to carry a bunch of stuff, I'll grab a triple. Really bad roads? Bigger ,softer tires. No mercy training on the Viner singlespeed. Cadence work with a corncob freewheel. The Bianchi makes me feel like Fausto Coppi. And , of course, I have at least ONE that has good old track pedals for when I don't feel like walking funny...

Four bikes:
1) Single Speed - primary commuter and around town bike
2) Surly LHT - touring, gravel, trailer towing, and I'm going to use it for a 'cross race (I know, I know)
3) Long-wheelbase recumbent - used to be my primary bike, but it's now relegated to when my neck issues flare up
4) Dahon folding bike - travelling and loaner bike

I still need:
Mountain bike
Fast road/brevet bike
Dedicated gravel bike
Longtail Cargo bike

Four bikes:
1) Single Speed - primary commuter and around town bike
2) Surly LHT - touring, gravel, trailer towing, and I'm going to use it for a 'cross race (I know, I know)
3) Long-wheelbase recumbent - used to be my primary bike, but it's now relegated to when my neck issues flare up
4) Dahon folding bike - travelling and loaner bike

I still need:
Mountain bike
Fast road/brevet bike
Dedicated gravel bike
Longtail Cargo bike

And...Why do we feel that we NEED these things, Mr. Crowell?.....

I own four bicycles. My Giant Innova is parked by the door for easy access. My Nishiki Sebring hangs on the wall locked. My Trek 7.5FX is in the laundry room unlocked standing with the assistance of a kickstand. My Raleigh Grand Prix is locked to the steering wheel of an old car that's locked inside of my garage.

The next few bikes that I'll need are as follows:

1) Surly LHT

2) Cannondale CAAD 10 5 105

3) Jamis - Bosanova

4) Bike Friday NWT

5) Xtracycle

6) Surly - Pugsley

That's it!

- Slim :)

I have three.
1) Specialized hardrock mtb: I ride with my 8 year old son on this bike and ride it during winter. It is relatively unused and I plan to re-purpose it as a xtracycle.
2) Specialized Tarmac: I ride this most of the time when the weather is nice.
3) Salsa casserole FG: winter fun ride and bad weather bike. I am working on the BB and as such it is not seeing any road time. However, I love riding it.

bikes i could just hop on and ride (maybe have to air up the tires)? 5-8. of those i mostly ride two stretch cruisers around the neighborhood or downtown on the river bike path. that also includes a fairly serious trek that's hung on the wall so long i'd have to see if the tires will still hold air, a couple of bikes i built for family but i still have in my garage, a schwinn varsity i picked up last fall and just still have, and a faux fixie city type bike i just don't ride much.

in total? i don't know. i have a lot of bikes that are experiments and ideas (they left the alt bike door open and i'm wandering around 'til they come with the straight jacket). i might be able to ride them but they're imcompleat (maybe brakes and/or gears not hooked up), just not practical (like gravity bikes) or something built for a purpose that might be rideable but not useable.

And...Why do we feel that we NEED these things, Mr. Crowell?.....

I know what I need. :P

Actually right now all three of my older bikes are hangar queens. One has a flat, one has a bad tire, and one has a BB knock.

I realized the other day I'm a collector/cyclist I have 2 vintage 3 speeds I love but never ride, a Le Mans that I restored/updated that seems to be a garage queen now... my touring bike is awaiting spring and for now my coaster bomber bike and I ride the roads and my trail beater for everything else... the peugeot doesn't count because it's basically a frame now.. not even sure I want to do anything with it. Framesets that you happen to have the rest of the components for don't count in this I hope?

I only have three, and one (the Trek) is probably on its way out:

Trek 1500 road bike (ca. 1990 except for frame, rear derailleur and brake levers, all of which have been replaced over the years)
Fisher Marlin mountain bike (currently running 1.5" street tires)
Cannondale Synapse Alloy 5 road bike

While I'd love a hi-zoot racing bike like a nice Pinarello or something just for the flash, it hain't gonna happen. The only N+1 I can realistically see getting sometime is a bike that's more suitable to fast city riding/commuting/errands. Maybe something from Salsa, or if I win the lottery, a Hampsten Special/Zucchera.

No hangers !:D



http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/111010C.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/081810Q.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/SA%20River%20Trail%20Ride/tandem.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/B2.jpg

some I just cannot part with , short of parting them out ,
reversing the piece at a time process I used to build them.

Touring bike and a road bike and a cross bike, largely similar drive trains
friction shift , freewheel hubs.
one which sits with the studded tires mounted , so I just have to
charge the light battery and pump up the tires.. when there is a freeze up.

Though have 2 Bromptons, friend who wanted the older one had medical bills to pay instead.
so will sell one ,
newest Bike friday Pocket Llama.. just wish it had a Kickstand..

I know what I need. :P

Excellent answer.

A) Trek mountain bike that is my favorite bike ever.
B) Specialized Crossroads hybrid (from the early 90's). I am going to put a rear rack and fenders on it and make that bike my dedicated commuter bike.
C) I also have an old Murray cruiser bike that, that has to be from the 70's, and is in great shape and fun to ride. I hold out hope that my wife will ride that one and join me more often. The weather has to be perfect, yada yada yada...

One fair weather hybrid commuter.
One bad weather MTB commuter.
So far.

4 rideable right now:

Race bike
Neo-retro race bike
Geared CX bike
SSCX

They've all been ridden within the last week.

I have three bikes now -- one fast roadie, one commuter (used to have flat bars, but I converted it to drops), and one FS MTB. My wife has a Townie, so that's four in the house. All serve different roles.

Other bikes I've had over the past few years:
Hardtail MTB - got in in college, gave it to a coworker so he could carry his little girl on the back;
Singlespeed - thought I would enjoy the simplicity, but didn't like the lack of gear ratios;
Commuter/CX bike with drops & disc brakes - neat, and a lot like how I'd build my next commuter, but it was too big. Otherwise, it'd have a dynohub by now and still be in my possession;
Another road bike - simply too big, plus I wanted something that rode smoother.

I'm nearly done buying bikes now, at least for my own use. I could imagine another commuter, but I'd have to have a reason and plenty of spare cash. I'd also like to see my wife get more interested in biking, so she might end up wanting another bike, too.

I have several bikes (about to get 2 more) so I'm throwing these questions to those who own more than 2 bicycles. How do you manage to use all your bikes? Are the bikes part of a collection and are there any garage queens?
Pretty simple, really. Each bike has its own purpose.
I ride each depending on its function.

- Road bike for hauling ass
- Heavy road bike for general touring and road use
- Hauler for rough weather and local store commutes.

I have four. A four-seasons all-conditions commuter, a three-seasons commuter, and two roadies--one steel, the other Ti.

My four-seasons commuter gets about twice the miles as the three-seasons one, and my Ti roadie gets about twice the miles as the steel one. The three-seasons commuter and the steel roadie both get put up for the winter. The other two get to play in the snow.

Each of the bikes has a unique personality. I love riding each one. If I don't ride one for a while, I miss it.

Four is my practical limit unless I were to get a larger apartment, which isn't likely. It's also about the limit of how many I can put respectable mileage on. I'd be spread too thin on more bikes.

AndyMann, Because of a New Year's resolution, in which the bikes were caught up in I'm now N-4 and down to three, a roadie, a tourer and a mountain bike.

The roadie, the tourer, the mountain bike:
220563
220564
220565

Brad

9 I think, I haven't counted recently. 4 are special purpose, like a MTB that doesn't ever get ridden on the asphalt, one's a night rider, one's a sprinter, one's commute only. All the rest get ridden, it's easy to rotate through most of the bikes over the course of a month.

There is no consistent favorite, I get a crush on one for a week or so..then another catches my eye. It is like having a harem...well, like I would know...:twitchy:

I've only got two bikes, so I might not even qualify to post in this thread. ;)

The '91 Bianchi Eros is a pretty flexible bike with the 700x30 cross-ish tires on it. Kinda wish I could fit fenders on it for rainy conditions, but that won't happen without a switch to smaller tires or 650B wheels.

The '64 Armstrong is not as zippy, but fairly comfortable on- and off-road. The lack of a saddle that agrees with my behind is what keeps me from riding it more, so I'm scoping out used B66's and B72's.

If asked what I wanted to add to the stable, it would probably be a cheap MTB that I could use for mud and snow without worrying too much about it. Single-speed and an aluminum frame would give me fewer things to worry about. :)

- Scott

We are a car free family of four...

I have 17 plus 8 more between my wife and daughters as they have 3, 3 and 2 and one of those 17 bicycles is our tandem which we can all enjoy and my daughters say we need another one so we can all go tandem riding together.

I ride them all although the majority are part of a vintage collection I have been building for some time and most date to 1975 or older with the oldest being a 1951.

My primary rides are my rigid XC mountain bike (faster multi surfacecommutes / day rides), ATB (commuter/ utility / trekking) and my folder (commuter / tourer) although I just built up an old Peugeot as a single speed coaster for light errands and have been enjoying this bike immensely.

I have a dedicated road bike, hardtail XC bike, and a touring bike that do not get used for much besides what they were built and designed to do.

My daughters each have two bikes in their rotation and my youngest has a racing bike in the works while my wife has three... two are with her in Portland and she has a bicycle her as well.

I think that anyone who commutes on daily basis should have at least one more bike as a decent backup or "B" bike... as I ride through the winter I have two winter bikes as one is a lighter rigid mtb and the other is an extrabike which I use in the winter instead of my trailer.

I have six in the garage and five in the house. The one that gets the most usage is my commuter but every once in a while I'll stash some clothes at work and ride another bike into work, taking a dirt detour here and there. Great for mixing it up for the daily commute and ride a different bike. I usually ride a different bike after work and on weekends for more fun on two wheels.

[QUOTE=Sixty Fiver;13288314

I think that anyone who commutes on daily basis should have at least one more bike as a decent backup or "B" bike... as I ride through the winter I have two winter bikes as one is a lighter rigid mtb and the other is an extrabike which I use in the winter instead of my trailer.[/QUOTE]
You cant beat redundancy when it comes to bikes.

A Raleigh Hybrid for rail trails.
A Specialized Sequoia for the road.
A Specialized Rockhopper for single track.
A Trek 820 mtb with skinny road tires, lights, fenders, and a rack. It gets used the most.
An old Montague folder I keep at work for running errands, or for short rides during lunch.

I have three, and they get used.

My primary bike I use as a commuter and around town as well as long jaunts is a Raleigh Sojourn.

I have a 90's Gary Fisher Mamba which I use to feel like a 10 year old, bombing around town, riding down stairs, jumping curbs, and just generally have fun. It's also a back up every day bike so I fitted it with a rack so I can put bags on it if needed.

I use my Broadway folder when taking the train to L.A. or wherever as it's just easier to tug around.

I have three:
a dedicated road bike
a rusting MTB that is my wet weather commuter (and planning to use as a winter bike too)
a hybrid (flat-bar road, not much clearance for tires) that is sort of redundant now I have the road bike. I might turn it into a fixie as the shifting sucks on it anyway.

I store them either in the laundry/unfinished basement room or just inside the (finished) basement area. I do have some hangers I bought (not bike specific) but I haven't figured where I'll use them.

Plus one still in my parents house. A higher-end hardtail with XT/LX components.
And I want a cross bike still.

I've got 5 bikes. I put most of my miles on 2, the rest are older bikes that I take out when inspired.

Pretty much the way it works around here...supposedly there are 31 bikes in the bike shed, I think there may actually be more because she didn't think to count frames, wheels and other parts. :D

I have 4-5 bikes that get used regularly depending on the ride, day of the week and distance. There is one tandem. Most of the bikes are vintage and a few are very unusual and I like having them around for the time being.

Aaron :)

I have about 15 bikes. As you can guess, many of them barely get ridden.

-the mountain bike has not been ridden this year yet.
-a couple of my vintage bikes have only been ridden around the block a couple times out of guilt the last two years
-the brand new touring bike has only been ridden on two shakedown training rides (no time for overnighters this year)
-my single speeds have not been ridden this year

so basically, this season, only my three training bikes have been ridden regularly.

time to sell some I'd say.

Had only three bikes for a very long time, two vintage steel road bikes (Gitane & Raleigh) and one (Giant) aluminum MTB, all are becoming backup bikes. But since I'm now semi retired and am riding primarily for fitness every day, I've managed to acquire two more in the last few months, a lighter aluminum road bike (Trek), and another also lighter titanium mountain bike (DBR), both used for the big three available hike and bike trails in the local metro area, all of which are in various stages of either repair and/or new construction or both simultaneously. Am considering buying another road bike off of EBAY because it's carbon and I don't have one and never had one of those. So I want one and that will bring me up to six, which should hold me for awhile.

It seems that the local city government is starting to wake up to the new cycling movement and it's perceived need to provide bikeways, mostly for recreation, because there is very little if any bike commuting going on here in most of the city because of the climate and the size, except for closer to downtown where there is a busy messenger industry and maybe a small bit of commuting from the newly built inner city residential neighborhoods. But recreational use is growing with lots of clubs and group rides, in spite of the great number of new buyers deciding they can't handle it, hence the massive CL listings of nearly brand new bikes for reduced prices. It's sort of a cycling Renaissance. :)

I have several bikes (about to get 2 more) so I'm throwing these questions to those who own more than 2 bicycles. How do you manage to use all your bikes? Are the bikes part of a collection and are there any garage queens?

I pedal them. :D

I'm one of those guys who enjoys changing things up now and then. I have some redundancy on the mountain-bike end of the spectrum. When I want a change of pace, I grab a different bike, switching from 29er to 26er, from full-suspension to hardtail, and soon a rigid option will be at my beck and call.

The extra bikes come in handy as loaners when my son's friends want to ride with us. Few things in life are as fun as putting a kid onto a quality bike and watching for the ensuing big fat grin of delight.

Then there are the bikes for specific purposes. I've a bike for the skate park, a simple single-speed bike with skinny tires for use in toodling around the neighborhood, a drop bar bike with fat tires for dirt-road explorations, a winter-bike on which I run studded tires.

No garage queens here. The closest is a $15 Huffy that I bought at a thrift store on a whim with the idea of fixing up. That one hangs on a hook because I've been too busy enjoying my other bikes to strip and repaint the junker.

Everything I have gets used. Working on the bikes and changing up the parts has become a hobby.

Had only three bikes for a very long time, two vintage steel road bikes (Gitane & Raleigh) and one (Giant) aluminum MTB, all are becoming backup bikes. But since I'm now semi retired and am riding primarily for fitness every day, I've managed to acquire two more in the last few months, a lighter aluminum road bike (Trek), and another also lighter titanium mountain bike (DBR), both used for the big three available hike and bike trails in the local metro area, all of which are in various stages of either repair and/or new construction or both simultaneously. Am considering buying another road bike off of EBAY because it's carbon and I don't have one and never had one of those. So I want one and that will bring me up to six, which should hold me for awhile.

It seems that the local city government is starting to wake up to the new cycling movement and it's perceived need to provide bikeways, mostly for recreation, because there is very little if any bike commuting going on here in most of the city because of the climate and the size, except for closer to downtown where there is a busy messenger industry and maybe a small bit of commuting from the newly built inner city residential neighborhoods. But recreational use is growing with lots of clubs and group rides, in spite of the great number of new buyers deciding they can't handle it, hence the massive CL listings of nearly brand new bikes for reduced prices. It's sort of a cycling Renaissance. :)
Cycling is the new golf, you know.

I have several bikes, but I've narrowed my riding down to just one since I really enjoy riding it, plus I've refined it over the course of time to suit my commuting needs. The other bikes are relegated to either as commuter back up or to an occasional family ride, with only one garage queen.