oldroadog

Easy question for me. I would choose my new Caad8. It seems to be the perfect bike for me. With only 4 bikes it's an easy choice.

Null66

Such pretty bikes.

Me I ride only one bike. My for this exact purpose, built DT. It suits me, and I don't break it...

Hypno Toad

I don't qualify for 50+ yet, but I can see it from here. I'd keep my penny-farthling:


Joking aside, clear and easy choice is the 2009 Kona Dew Drop:



This bike is fun, flexible, durable, and just awesome. Does it all for me, daily-commuter, centuries, gravel centuries, pulls the BOB home from the grocery store, summer, winter, what ever you throw at it, it's up to it.

My other bikes (listed over there << ) include a nice city bike (Globe Daily); SS MTB/winter-commuter (Marin Nail Trail) and the pure road bike (Felt Z85). I truly enjoy all of these bikes, but if I had to live with one bike every day, the Kona is the winner without any question!

martianone

Very fortunate to have space and resources for six cycles. Three years ago got a Gunnar Roadie- a steel road racing frame, with custom geometry so it fits like a touring bike. It is a 1x10 with mountain bike parts for the drivetrain, all set up like a cyclocross bike. All very comfortable and satisfying to ride. If I had a one bike limit- this would be it.

ping jockey

I.m sorry I don't have a picture of my Bianchi Volpe. I love this bike. The steel frame and 700x32 tires soak up the road buzz and it just fits me. We were shopping for a new bike for the wife last week and she asked me what I would buy if I were getting a new bike, I couldn't think of anything I would rather ride.

Doug64

My Bianchi Volpe CX bike.

I have 5 bikes, 2 touring bikes, 2 light weight road bikes, and the CX bike. The Volpe does not do anything especially well, but it does just about everything reasonably well. I rode it across the U.S;, ride it to the gym, post office and store daily; take it on faster club rides when I want fenders or a good climbing gear; and I ride it for just plain fun. It will go off road and can take tire widths from 28 mm to 35 mm.

Loaded for touring.


Hauling table saw parts from the post office.


and...................

tsl

My bikes are my primary transportation. I've long said that if forced to own only one, it would be my 2006 Trek Portland. Versatility the reason.


Shown here in full commute regalia. It manages to haul ass while hauling freight.


It fits studded snow tires in the winter,


the commuting equipment makes it well suited for rainy club rides,


and it's a pretty good climber, despite being a commuter.

big john

I've had a Seven Axiom for 2+ years and it's a great bike. It's a bit stiff on rough roads but I have more fun on it than other bikes I've had.
I also have a Gunnar Sport which has a triple and can take a rack, and a Cannondale touring bike from 1988.
I always want to have a mountain bike around, even if I can only have one road bike.

h2oxtc

Are you sure that those are your winter wheels? They look like they belong on my road bike with 23c tires.

Carbonfiberboy 

Easy here, too. Our CoMo Speedster tandem.

Cyclosaurus

If it really came to that I would get a bike friday. Having a folding bike is so damn practical it would be hard to give that up.

But if I didn't have a commute where the folder comes in handy, I might just go with my Bullitt cargo bike. That bike is as much fun to ride as anything else I've ridden.

energyandair

I'd keep a Birdy folding bike for me and another for my wife. They are fast, fun, relatively light, comfortable for long rides, adjust easily for different riding positions, can handle loads, will adjust to fit almost any rider, don't take much space and are far easier to travel with than a regular bike which is really important if we continue to spend winters in California and summers in BC.

Sixty Fiver

It would have to handle the road, trail, touring, utilitarian riding (can I use a trailer ?) and commuting... I'd miss my other bikes a great deal but think my custom Moulden MX has already demonstrated it can do all of that.



Maybe I'd have to add S&S couplers so it would travel more compactly.

jjames1452 

Hopefully in a year or so, it will be our Tandem.
Right now my Voyageur (and yes - I adjusted the seat angle before riding, added a dark green, matching Brook's tool bag - but still looking for the back rack bag - haven't found anything that matches the motif):

Trsnrtr

I generally ride a Campy Record equipped Specialized Roubaix Pro but if I had to own one for the rest of my life, it would be this one:


image by trsnrtr, on Flickr

tsl

Those were crap wheels, unsuited to anything other the recycle bin. Not even good enough for a wall art road bike, let alone one that gets ridden. That's what came on the bike and that winter shot is from its first winter. I'd already purchased a second pair of them by that time so that I could swap wheels instead of swapping tires on nicer winter days.

This was one of the costs of being on the bleeding edge. They were the only road disc wheels with a 130mm rear hub available, anywhere in the world at the time. It's also why I have to chuckle about all the breathless ranting about those new fangled road disc bikes. Mine is eight years old. Nine, since the 2015s will soon be in the showrooms.

In any event, totaled together, I got only 8,150 miles out of both sets of those crap wheels, and each set was rebuilt TWICE during that time, including new hoops for one set.

When Velocity introduced a disc-specific rim and 130mm road disc hub, I had new wheels custom handbuilt using those, with a dynamo hub in front. They're the wheels you see in the top pic, taken just this past June. It's been five years now without them ever seeing a spoke wrench.

RR3

One bike per lifetime or the rest of your life. Interesting. I am doing that exact build now. For real.

Carbon is out. It breaks. Or so they say although I haven't had one break in 25+ years of owing them.

Steel is out. It rusts.

Aluminum is out. It fatiques and has poor vibration dampening.

That leaves titanium, magnesium, and bamboo. Bamboo is for Hippies and Titanium is too harsh.

Need to be able to mount 32mm tires for rough roads or narrow 25mm for faster rides. Fender capable. Longer wheel base. Eyelets for racks. Caliper brakes. Building such a bike now. It will be my last bike. N-1. Custom Mg frame with every part hand picked. Might keep one other bike just to beat on. I don't know.....I always wanted a TT bike. Maybe just one more.

BluesDawg

What a depressing question. I think I'll go take short rides on a few of my bikes and think about ideas for the next one.

berner

Reading through the posts, the consensus seem to be mostly in favor of versatility. Many people here commute to work by bike, may not race but enjoy a fast ride on the roads, do shopping or other errands around town, enjoy excursions off road, do some light touring and otherwise bring cycling into the various aspects of their lives. The posts serve as a catalog of of desirable characteristics for those activities. My one and only bike, a Specialized Secteur works well for all these except it will take only 28mm tires and I'd prefer the capacity for 32mm tires. I will say that I do take the bike through wooded trails and it does alright if not great.

tinrobot

Easy. Ritchey Breakaway Cross Ti. Fast enough for road rides, fun on gravel, rack mounts for light touring, plus it packs into a suitcase for travel to faraway places.

badger1

I'm not so sure about consensus, but I certainly fit the profile you define. For me, cycling is something I do and is an integral and important part of my life (Mrs. Badger would say obsessive), but it is neither a 'job' nor a sport.

One bike suits me fine, to cover commuting (five days/wk, early Spring into very late Fall); fast(ish!) -- and long distance -- road rides some evenings and most weekends; 'about town'; and a little dirt/gravel road and non-technical off-road. Light touring is something I aspire to, but haven't done yet. I live in hope.

Mine is a 2010 Sirrus Comp (pictured below with its early Spring shoes [32s]). Bought it new in 2010 and rode it stock (save saddle, pedals, and grips) first season. That was enough to convince me that the frame/fork/fit perfectly covered my needs/wants/dreams as above, so I had it rebuilt entirely over that first winter -- everything from headset to drivetrain to brakes/levers -- to suit my specific preferences and to add durability. Added new wheels this past Spring. It will do me nicely for the foreseeable future unless it breaks.

VACaver

I love riding on both rails-to-trails and on road. So if I were force to give up my road bike or my mtn bike, the road bike would go since the mtn bike is usable in all conditions, while the road bike is not.

Terry66

Easy....Salsa Vaya. Road bike, commuter bike, touring bike and gravel grinder.

Commuter Mode


Mule mode

dbg

Not too many single speeds making the cut. I don't take my single speed on our lightweight (but long) tours, --but I have to go with my absolute favorite current ride. And that is my workout single-speed. Pristine eighties Raleigh Technium, 28's (might go bigger), 69 gear-inch, perfect chain line, no-hand-able endlessly, --oh I love to ride that thing. Clip in and stir up some joy.

I'd consider a custom build (recently had a nice conversation with John Sotherland) but I'm afraid I'd spend $5K and still like my single speed better.

curdog

I love my Co Motion Cascadia for it's versatility and love riding on 32's. My 2nd choice is my Indy Fab Light Weight steel which was my custom dream bike build.