atetrachordof3

I am just curious what people think about the idea of having a back up bike-- you know, in case your usual bike is getting worked on and you hate buses.

Do you have one? if so, do you think a different style offers a more versatile overall biking experience (for example, a mountain bike as your backup) or would you set it up as similar to your commuter bike as possible?

tsl

Yes I have one, and yes, it's because I think it's necessary.

I like road bikes, so all my bikes are road bikes. Why should I ride something I don't like in order to be "versatile"?

If you like something else, go for it.

daredevil

I got about 6 back ups.

Only 3 I typically use for commuting though. In winter, I definitely need a bike with studs and one without.

caloso

This is like asking if you have backup shoes.

gerv 

Since bikes usually cost a lot more than shoes, I can understand the OP. But if you do a lot of cycling and don't want any downtime, it's a no-brainer.

CACycling

I feel a back up is important. Whether that is a "clone" of your commuter or another type of bike depends. Currently I have my dedicated commuter and 3 other bikes. The other bikes serve other purposes (pure road bike, MTB and vintage roadie) but any would get me to work and back in a pinch. If something took my dedicated commuter out for very long, I'd just go back to commuting on my vintage as it was previously my primary commuter.

afwen

No backup bike--I'm one of those "versatility" folks (cross bike). I do have backup wheels, tho.

electrik

Yeah, backup bike... sometimes things break and you don't feel like paying an arm and a leg for rush replacement.

xray1978

I have a back up bike because if my primary commuter is in the shop I am in trouble because I don't have a car. So, for me at least, it is necessary; if I owned a car I might not feel that way though. My sunny day commuter (SS road bike) gets rode the most, if it is raining or the road bike is in the shop I ride the cruiser.

HardyWeinberg

Not necessary but very pleasant

Giants

I thought commuter bikes were "backup" bikes? (As in not our best bike...) I have a steel framed fixie that is my commuter/bar/rain/fun/training bike that quite nicely backs up my carbon fiber TCR that I don't let people sneeze near.

Grim

Back up? I just have a bike for every day of the week.

PaulH

I have one, and it is necessary. Otherwise, I'd have to drive my car in rush hour traffic, which is sort of like pounding myself on the head with a hammer, except one can always find a place to park a hammer.

The bike is a Specialized Crossroads hybrid, made halfway civilized with a battery LED headlight, fenders, and a rear blinkie. No dynamo, chainguard, rack, or kickstand. It's minimally equipped because I only ride it a few times a year and there is no reason to spend money on it.

Paul

old's'cool

I use all three of my vintage bikes for commuting and they're all fairly similar road bikes. The 89 Peugeot is the mainstay with the most up to date equipment and only moderate collectibility, hence I'm ok with putting lots of miles on it and eventually replacing some of the original wear components (which I've begun to do already by way of optimizing the gearing for my needs). My FrankenVega is the "beater" for adverse weather, with fenders fitted and a general rag-tag appearance, which belies its mechanical condition. The Motobecane is my flagship; I commute with it occasionally just to keep it limbered up and to enjoy the ride, but I'm intentionally limiting its use in order to keep it preserved in near original condition.

CCrew

Thanks... I was looking at the responses and thinking "just one backup?"

exile

I have a back up. I originally bought a bike to replace my "first real bike". Instead of selling the original I decided to keep it.

LesterOfPuppets

Backup wheelset at the very least! I've got 4 backups to my roadbike ATM. None are set up anything close to my roadbike, but I'm thinking of putting road bars w/ bar end shifters on the KHS, so it'll be somewhat similar, just lower gears and a tad heavier.

If I come into some money anytime soon, I might get another road bike, though.

Nole302

Can't afford one, but I guess i could ride my girlfriend's hybrid/cruiser if I had to. Although I really need to equip that with a second brake and fix some fork issues, so lets hope my primary bike doesn't get sick anytime soon. Don't have a car either.

RT

Without a doubt. Just last week I snapped a cable in a freak garage accident and had to take the backup. Be sure to keep both in excellent riding condition for cases just like this. Nothing sucks harder than leaving the bike at home and driving to work on a nice spring day.

Well, headwinds suck harder, but you get my drift.

travelmama

No back up, just 9 others around the house.

tjspiel

A single cross bike with decent tire clearance would probably cover my commuting needs but good cross bikes in my size don't show up on craigslist too often. I picked up a very nice (but older) off road bike for $125 and a good modern road bike for $350. The combined cost is less than what I'd pay for a cross bike and they're each better at their intended purpose than what the cross bike would be.

Plus I have a backup.

Epicus07

My backup bike is my commuter. The "wife" insists that i keep it outside under cover.

I've suggested that she sleep outside under cover, the Surly takes the bike "spot" and my Roubaix takes her spot in bed.

I wouldn't even mind the grease stains on the sheets.

akohekohe

I have three bikes - an Alex Moulton Dual Pylon which is my commuting bike, a Surly Big Dummy which is my shopping/beach bike, and a Surly Cross Check as my backup which does a pretty good job as either a commuter or as a shopping/beach bike although not quite as good as the DP or Big Dummy for their dedicated purposes. I have a full bicycle workshop at home and used to be a professional bike mechanic so I can keep the bikes going with minimum downtime but I do have to wait on parts sometimes or simply don't have the time to fix it right away, so it is always good to have a spare.

enio

have mtb,and now ordered a touring bike.my mtb fork was warrantied recently and i was bikeless for a 15,20 days...i really don't want to go through similar situation again, and was already set before on getting an option for the road.don't se a point in having two same style bikes except if one is used as a bad weather/beater bike to save a nicer one.my both bikes belong in nice bikes category,now i only need a road gear/ss beater bike

ItsJustMe

No, I can just drive. Buses aren't a factor - there aren't any bus runs for miles from here. You get yourself there or you don't get there.

I have used my wife's bike for a few days in the past when I broke an axle. For less major stuff I just fix the bike.