Folding Bikes - The Correct number of bikes to own .........

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.

We already have 4 bikes in the garage. One for my kid, a run around for riding with the baby or shopping, my wifes fashionably slow and pretty abomination (I hate riding that thing!) and my hardtail exercise mtb. I don't think any extra bikes would go down well! Oh yes there are also two cheap folding bikes left behind from tenants in our units. They are so rusted from disuse that I doubt they would be worth repairing.

As long as you have room for them, and have the time to enjoy each of them, there is no limit.

The correct number is three and half. 1 x Fodling Bike for city cruising, 1 x MTB for Dangerous Pursuits, and 1 x fast road bike for hurtling past lycra-clad iPhone wielding dimwits on Sundays.

The half a bike comes when your ex leaves with your Downtube, along with the cat and your Dylan CD's, then relents five years later and lets you ride it because you fixed her lawn mower.

This equation may also be re-written as s-1...

I've used a renaming technique to skirt this issue. When I got my tikit, I re-categorized my Pocket Llama as "her bike" thus we both have the same number of bikes so there's no way she's allowed to complain about my number of bikes :-P (3 each)

As long as you have room for them, and have the time to enjoy each of them, there is no limit.

I have to go with this version of N+1. My problem is with bikes I no longer ride but keep for sentimental reasons.

never enough and I got more

For us the correct number is R where R = 2 (a Nova and a Brompton) is the number of bike riders. We have an extra unused splitter laying in one of the rooms and it feels like a waste of a good bike.

.. have set up several nice bikes for X-GFs over the years..

Well, three each works, but could possibly justify 4 each at some point (like a Brompton/tikit type folder).

Sort of run out of space as well as reasons after that.

Definitely helps that wife likes her bikes and loves to ride.

Suggestion: Don't skimp - ALWAYS make sure wife/GF has an equal or better bike than you do.

Lou

A many as you feel comfortable with.

I've used a renaming technique to skirt this issue. When I got my tikit, I re-categorized my Pocket Llama as "her bike" thus we both have the same number of bikes so there's no way she's allowed to complain about my number of bikes :-P (3 each)
Good call, Quiwi!

But I don`t think I can pull that one off though, because she already counts the extra bike (which doesn`t fit me or anybody else) and the WHOLE tandem completely within my stash. I don`t see any way I could ever pawn off ownership of the real MY bikes on somebody the bikes won`t even remotely fit. Hmmm... might be worth a try though, since "my" spare clearly doesn`t fit me. Do ya think that works both ways?

I found some years ago that some bikes, even though they were hot favourites at their height of use, have been supplanted by other bikes. So my Birdy has been replaced by the Brompton, and is now unused. The Moulton sees its use from time to time, more for touring and leasure rides. The Brompton is my commuting machine, while the Swift is getting and keeping me in the top 10 (mostly at least) of the current strava climbing challenge. So my optimum number of bikes is certainly not less than 3 - it has happened a surprising number of times that 2 bikes were out of action at once, most recently when the Brompton got a pinch flat, ultimately resulting in the rear tyre needing replacement, while the Swift's one pedal disintegrated. So for relying on a bike for daily transportation, 3 bikes seems to be the number.

Well, three each works, but could possibly justify 4 each at some point (like a Brompton/tikit type folder.

Sort of run out of space as well as reasons after that.

Definitely helps that wife likes her ride and loves to ride.

Hint: Don't skimp - ALWAYS make sure wife/GF has an equal or better bike than you do.

Lou

I like this sentiment.

Hmm, I commute on my Birdy when the weather is good, or when I want to take a bike with me on the train. I use my old Phantom (in my avatar) on rainy/wet days as it has the best fenders. I use my Japan Post Office issue Bridgestone Standard for shopping or carrying packages. I ride my Gios Compact Pro on long ride with my GF, or in the occasional group ride. I never ride my Vivalo track bike at all, but it makes a nice colorful decoration to hang on my wall. I have no mountain bikes, here in central Tokyo any kind of dirt or soil is hard to find.

Back to the serious stuff, and I'm not sure three bikes is adequate. There's the road bike, the commuting bike, the packable bike. I am lacking the true folder, the touring bike, the tandem, the MTB. The list could go on.

Back to the serious stuff, and I'm not sure three bikes is adequate. There's the road bike, the commuting bike, the packable bike. I am lacking the true folder, the touring bike, the tandem, the MTB. The list could go on.

For me the list must include some kind of recumbent and a velomobile is truly a worthwhile experience.

However if (perish the thought) I could only have one bike, it would have to be a folder, it is the only one that will do almost everything.

The idea of "needing" a mountain bike, a road bike, a folder, etc makes sense, and is pretty much what my 4.5 bike stable (unlike my wife, I only count 0.5 tandems as mine) looked like up until last summer. Unfortunately, I`ve found that even though all the bikes were very much unique, and you`d need to use some really broad definitions to say that I had overlap going on, some of those bikes rarely got used. Since I don`t have them very well sheltered, the poor neglected souls got so grungy between one outing and the next to the point that I found myself doing at least a tuneup, and occasionally a minor overhaul, every time I dug one out from the bottom of the stack. It just wasn`t worth the trouble, and I hated to see them going to hell in a basket, so I ended up putting two of mine up for adoption. Since then, I bought a folder, we`ve given away our extra bike, passed my wife`s DF single along to our niece, and my wife`s `bent will be going on Craigslist as soon as the weather warms up enough that we can expect to get some money out of it. We`ll have a total of four in the household. So far I don`t miss the ones that went to live better lives somewhere else, but it really did hurt to see them leave.

'so I ended up putting two of mine up for adoption.'

Aw. <Sniffle> I was so tempted to sell my home-brew road bike, leaving me with 2.5 cycles, but realised I loved it too much. I downsized the Mercedes, instead.

THE first bike - aluminum road (now a rain bike)
Then was carbon for the longhaul, sunday rides easy on the body
A MTB for the off-season
A vintage roadie bike for the cool factor back to basics days
A cross-bike a neighbor threw away and it just because it says made in USA
A bmx another neighbor threw away, is used for chillin w the kids at park
A cruiser back from the dead after salvaged from a dumpster

So far 7 bikes, each is owned be it for what its used for, because where it was made or simply hand me downs I have restored

Its cool to have a few extras as whenever we get visitors they jump in on any of them just for fun

I have had a few more but have come and gone, sometimes get bored sell and then by other ones.