Hendricks97

What are your thoughts? I owned a Felt F75, a Kona Ute (which I share with my wife), and a Surly Necro Pugsley. A couple months ago, I was hit hard by a car, totaling the Pug (and the guys car), keeping me off any bikes for a few months due to some very serious injuries. In the mean time, my oldest son has realized that he almost fits on my Felt, which I had told him would be his when he grew. He probably wont really fit until the end of the year or early next year, so Im basically starting over with nothing to call 100% mine.
Im getting some good money from the guys insurance and trying to figure out what I want to do bike wise. My current purchasing thought process is a Surly Cross Check SS (I have a almost new Tiagra setup on my sons ex-road bike that I will be swapping out when I need to), a Titanium Salsa Fargo, the titanium being a gift to myself for still being alive, and then maybe a Krampus.
What would you buy if you had to start over again completely?

Retro Grouch 

I recently did just that. I think that it's exactly like starting over. The first bike is just a "test bike" to find out what you really want in the long term bike that you're going to buy.

Following an accident that broke both of my elbows I converted to recumbents - a Rans Enduro Sport for my single ride and we replaced our Santana Noventa with a nicely modified Rans Screamer. Mrs. Grouch also bought herself a Greenspeed GT3. We never did get fully acclimated to riding the Screamer (not the bike's fault) and, after a second serious accident, we invested in a pair of Kettweisel delta trikes that we can link together to form a tandem.

So now the GT3 is up for sale and, although the preliminary ride experience has been good, we haven't really tested the Ketts to see how they are going to work out for us. It's been interesting and it's been fun but it hasn't been cheap.

Robert C

I am also in the process of starting over. While I was out of the country for a few years my wife moved from Ashland, OR to Salt Lake, UT. As she was limited on space when she moved, she ended up leaving my bikes at my fathers in Northern CA.

I had my Dahon folder, which I had purchased in China, with me. No matter what the folder guys say,I do not consider a folder, particularly this folder, to be anything but a compromise. So, I ordered a bike. I have always liked my bike-e for in town comfort; but, I have disliked its relative lack of performance.

As such, I decided to order another recumbent. I should have a Bacchetta Giro 26att here on Tuesday (if the FedEx tracker is correct). I also ordered a majicshine clone and a taillight on Amazon.

The good thing about starting over is that you have already done the learning curve. At this point you have a better idea of what you like and what works well for you.

LarDasse74

1. A proper road racing or road-sport bike - probably with a carbon or steel frame and ~Ultegra level components, such as this or built on a frame like this.
2. A city or hybrid or touring bike - probably with an IGH like a Rohloff or Alfine 11, randonneur or trekking bars, or something in the same vein
3. A 4-6" travel suspension MTB
4. A fat-tired snow bike.
5. A cargo trailer for use with #2 and likely #4
6. A rigid MTB, possibly single speed

I don't know what order I would get them in if I had no bike and not enough money to buy them all at once. I guess a good touring bike can go almost anywhere the others can go. ANd a trailer would mean I can do whatever I want with it.

A rigid and/or SS mtb would also be the cat's pyjamas, as these are super fun to ride, but you occaisionally just have to take your time... not so good for group road rides or loaded touring through the Hymalayas, but anything else.

I have owned the same road racing bike for the past ~20 years, and I avoided the tempatation to sell it because I knew it would take me a long time to get another. Even though it is the bike I use least out of my current stable (4 working bikes and a Chariot kid trailer that the kids have outgrown), I am glad I have it. If I was populating a new stable, this would likely be the third, as soon as I had a working MTB.

Then a suspension MTB to do more recreational riding.

Then a snow bike as they are a bit of a luxury, and I could turn the SS MTB into a studded-tire winter bike with little effort.

marqueemoon

I would get a nice-ish road frame that can fit 28mm tires and full coverage fenders (32-ish tires without) and put a group from Ribble on it. Probably Force.

I could do just about everything I'd want to do on a bike short of gnarlier MTB trails and really muddy cross racing on a bike like that.

I'd probably have two wheelsets - a light one for road-only use, and a beefier one for commuting/ trail use with 32s when the fenders come off.

Bikeforumuser0017

Definitely not a fixed gear. I'd probably buy the Salsa Fargo because of the more relaxed geometry or any MTB for that matter.