N + 1 and done?
 

http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/...s/one-and-done

Two bikes are often simpler than one.

http://www.bicycling.com/sites/defau..._bike_snob.jpg

Ain't the truth.

Ain't it the truth

I fixed it for you

If you ride a bunch, two bikes will really help. Three bikes are probably more than one needs though. That's been my experience anyway.

Sounds like martinis and women's breasts.
1's not enough and 3's too many!

but I can see having n +2

A-roadbike, B-roadbike, mtn bike, singlespeed, bout sums it up for me.

Gary, where did you get the picture of my house!

I don't think you can have too many bike until you either 1. run out of space, or 2. start duplicating styles and usage.

There are 3 people in our house. We have 17 bikes. Most are "adopted orphans" but each is unique. I did recently do another N-1 when I realized I had a yet another duplicate style/usage bike. 19 was getting a bit much. But I DON'T have a bent or a CX, (not to mention about a dozen other styles) both bikes I would like to have. But I'm beginning to bump up against limit #1.

I could see myself having at least three for personal use. My 29 hardtail for MTB duty. A road bike for serious pavement riding. And some sort of all-purpose just jump on and ride to a coffee shop or store.

Maybe more eventually. But that'd be a start. I do have about 6 bikes in the garage right now for multiple family members.

I'm planning on selling four. That will get me down to two.

I have 10 bikes (8 are mine), 2 frames, and lots of boxes of miscellaneous bike parts in our basement. My wife won't come within 10 feet of my workshop.:p

If I was single, there would probably be bikes upstairs like in the above cartoon.:o

n+1 is one too many for me. I don't ride my hybrid and it has been hanging in the garage un-used for 6 mo. A friend used it 6 mo ago. I had it tuned up for her; so, it is in good condition, but when I can ride, I wouldn't ride anything but my road bicycle. I have no desire for any other bike.

I might eventually get interested in commuting, but I go home for lunch. Bicycling home during lunch wouldn't leave enough time to eat. My road bicycle probably isn't what I would want to use for commuting.

After my previous post, I got to thinking about how it would be nice to have a steel road bike with couplers to put on the airplane when I go on business trips.

Lots of people I know have more than two bikes. Usually a road bike, a MTB or hybrid and a beater or two that probably hasn't seen pavement for a few years. But bikes don't take up that much space compared to other stuff as I'll explain later.

So for 5 people:

my garage

has 5 bikes:The basement has:

At least they don't take up much space

It's worse at my cottage up north where dockside on any given day, you'll see:I had to put in a 12 foot dock extension on the side of boat dock for what is commonly referred to around the house as "the rest of the fleet". And I'm not alone. Plenty of people here have 2 boats.. usually an aluminium "beater" for fishing.

and my wife thinks that we can keep some bikes up there ? ? She was also pondering the purchase of either a kevlar and carbon fiber canoe or a kevlar and carbon fiber kayak...

and it's all in part to this lemming-like instinct that 40-60% of the residents of the Province of Ontario have to migrate north to cottage country on weekends between the May 24th Victoria day holiday (also known as May 2-4 after the ubiquitous cases of 24 bottles of beer) and Canadian Thanksgiving in October.

Now if I just figure out where I can safely store some bikes ..... :twitchy:

Oh. one other problem.. The bikes would have to be carried up/down this staircase

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30605122@N07/2868157018/

I've currently got six fully functional road bikes, all or which get ridden regularly. How can I not ride them? I've also got three framsets in the process of slowing being built up. They all have unique qualities that make them special. Yesterday I was out on the Colnago Master XL and upon my return home, found myself thinking: "This bike rides at its best when you push it. It seems to come alive when you hammer." Funny I bought it to be my Sunday afternoon relaxed late summer ride. You know like owning a 1966 Thunderbird. The day before I was on my Independent Fabrication Ti CJ and didn't want the ride to end. I mean I feel like I could just go on forever on that bike. Tomorrow I'm looking forward to doing some climbing on my S-Works Roubaix. I guess the point is, that I like all of my bikes, or I wouldn't have them. I don't gamble, run around, smoke, hang out in bars, etc. So, I do allow myself this one vice.

Ultimately it comes down to the accumulation of "stuff". The older you get, the more stuff.. the more stuff... well...:lol:

I call it "Mass Effect" the reality game.. not the video game.:)

I have four bikes, lots of skies, a canoe and two kayaks and lots of backpacks and other camping gear as well as fishing stuff. When my wife calls to my attention that I have lots of gear that is taking up lots of space I tell her that she should view me as a collector. If I were a stamp collector, she wouldn't get after me for having too many stamps. It isn't my fault that the things I collect don't fit into an album. My gear, including my bikes, represents a lifetime of outdoor activity. I like having the stuff around, and I have it all neatly stored in various places.

There's nothing wrong with all that gear as long as it's in use and not sitting around collecting dust and dirt. It's a good thing that we have it spread out between the house and the cottage and not just in one place.

We have 3 recumbent bikes in a one bedroom apt. Mine, the wife's and a "back up" we can both fit on to use if the "primary" machines have problems. Now it's gona be FUN when we add a recumbent trike for the wife next year, sure wish we had a balcony I could put the "utility trailer" out on! ;)

Good grief ! Where do you put them ?

LOL, well the R-bikes are along the "longest" part of the bedroom wall, (one single/two doubled up), currently the utility trailer is in the kitchen, sometimes used as a extra serving table! ;) When the trike arrives it will have to live in the "kitchen" as it's probably going to be "a bit too wide" to get through the "bedroom door". The utility trailer will have to go back into the bedroom somehow! ;)

I have 5 project bikes. Two (a CX and a Tri) are up on Craigslist. One, an 85 Windsor tourer is ready to refurbish - and sell. Another, a track type frame, has a 3 speed IH, drum brakes, front generator hub, and Honjo fenders. I'm building it for myself but don't know how to set up the SA internal hub system.
One DiammondBack ridgid frame is arriving this week to use up my stock of MTB parts and be sold.
When I'm done with the projects I will have 11 bikes - single speed, vintage, old carbon, CX, MTB, and tri in my fleet. I could/should sell off a couple but I like them all and would have a hard time picking which ones to give up. That said, If I don't ride them I will eventually sell them.

It sounds like you're starting a new trend "Bikes as furniture" :lol: