stapfam

Like several of us here--I have a multitude of bikes. I am now looking at those bikes and wondering why I have them. Only a few of those bikes are used nowadays so there are several that I doubt I will ever use again so what to do with them.

I started on mountain bikes way back in 1990 but in 2006 I decided to give Road riding a try. Did not want to commit myself too much Financially so got a lowly Giant OCR3. Not a bad bike but a decent set of wheels and a few minor component changes and I eventually found out that this was the way my riding was going to be. Holiday in France that year was arranged to be in the Alpes and I climbed my first Mountain on it. I managed it but it definitely got me thinking about my future cycling. The body was slowing down and the offroad enduros were getting a bit too hard so I decided that road riding was my future. Back Home and a call into the LBS for N+1. Sorted it and that lowly OCR now had a companion in a Custom build on a Boreas Ignis Aluminium Frame. Just over 15lbs of joy but The price was correspondingly high to go with it. The OCR was going to be kept as a Foul weather bike till 4 months later and I cycled to the LBS in a rain storm and 40mph winds.

The shop owner offered me a very good deal on a Mountain bike. XT drive train- Good lightweight forks- Hope Disc brakes- in fact everything that a year before I would have jumped at. But I told him that if I was going to get a new bike- it was going to be a road bike to replace the OCR. 30 minutes later and I had ordered a custom build up on a Giant TCR-C frame at a very good price.

That was the last bike I bought for me but since then I have gained a Giant Trance full suspension beast in exchange for the Giant FCR 1 that I bought for my son-in-law so that I could get the TCR back into my use. He also now likes road riding. My old Kona Explosif has been rebuilt so another good bike to ride- but Offroad.

The only bikes I ride are Boreas and the TCR and occasionally the Tandem and the Bianchi for offroad. 4 Bikes that are regularly used so why Do I have a further 5 Ridable bikes in the shed that are never used and a futher 5 that need a bit of work done on them to get sensible and safe.

So currently the Explosif and the Trance are being checked over to get rid off. The OCR is ready to go now and the GT Talera just needs new tyres. Then there are the 4 other "Projects" that will need a bit of work before they can go.

So I will be cutting myself back to just 4 bikes sometime this year.

I may be getting rid of a few bikes this year- but the good side in that N+1 will still exist in this household. I will then have enough space for me to get the CX bike that I have been thinking about for the last year. And by that time- I reckon that the Grandchildren may be needing a bike or two aswell.



These are the 4 I am keeping But I definitely need more room in the bike shed.

jdon

My wife encourages a culling program, one in, one out. Work in progress bikes don't count. This works for me as I really can't ride more than the four I always have. 1 cross, 1 MTB, 2 road.

RonH

No, you just need a bigger shed.

Barrettscv 

Four "active" bikes is a good number.
It's great to have several bikes for various routes and weather. My stable includes;

A) Titanium Road bike for fast rides in dry weather, no loads, 2x10 gearing,

B) Steel Cyclocross bike for Century rides in all weather, light loads, 3x10 gearing

C) 24 year old Touring bike with fenders for moderate speed in wet weather, moderate loads, 2x10 gearing

D) 38 year old semi-active vintage Road bike that I keep in perfect condition for sentimental reasons, I've owned it since new.

I also need a low cost mountain or dirt-road touring bike for trails and winter ice & snow rides.

I like having some variety and having the right tool for the job.

Rhodabike

I want two more bikes - a touring bike and one of those Soma mixtes - but all the room in the garage is taken by my husband's bikes. I guess we'll have to move to a house with a bigger garage, as he can't seem to let go of anything. He even still has his track bike, and he quit track racing years before I did.

Retro Grouch 

Stap, When the question seems difficult the answer is usually simple.

Why don't you do like me and simply acquire a bigger family to fill out those extra bike seats?

NOS88

Your choices for the four bikes your keeping makes sense. It is a shame the others don't get ridden. Getting them back out and in use seems to be a good thing. I'm also in the process of trying to narrow my stable down to five. I get stuck, because there's not one in the line up that doesn't get ridden. It's just that some see very little riding time compared to others, and like you I'm running out of places to keep them. Although we do have an extra bedroom since the youngest moved out. I'd probably have a heck of a time getting that space. My wife has her eye on it for setting up her loom. Come to think of it, if she gets that room, she'll be happier, and a happier wife is always a good thing.

JanMM

My garage is (almost) down to just bikes that are ridden: Two recumbents (one is my commuter), two hybrids (one my wife rides and one that, after hanging forlornly from the ceiling for several years after I took up with 'bents, is now ridden by my son), our new 'bent tandem, and our soon-to-be-up-for-sale non-'bent tandem.

BengeBoy 

After going a little nuts buying and fixing up old bikes a couple of years ago, I started focusing just on bikes I ride.

When I toted up my 2010 mileage, I noticed that one of my bikes had 3,000 plus miles; another had 2,000 miles; another had 1,000 miles. My 4th bike had 3 miles on it for the entire year. I am considering either selling the 4th bike or rebuilding it for other purposes so it gets more use -- shame to keep an old bike in the garage that isn't getting ridden.

JohnDThompson 

I do not understand this concept termed "too many bikes" -- it makes no sense.

ThatBritBloke

Yeah! What is that?

2manybikes

I don't really exist.

cranky old dude

I believe the best result coming from culling the herd is acquiring space to satisfy N+1. It sounds to me like you have a great plan. I can't wait to see the pictures of the new bikes as they gradually fill the void you're creating out in the bike shed.

ThatBritBloke

Whoa!!! Careful. That equation would become (N-x)+1<N+1 therefore not satisfying the the universal constant (N+1=contentment).

Retro Grouch 

Oh oh! That's a symptom of Compulsive Bike Tinkerers Disorder..

LAriverRat

I have ten bikes so i am going to try this idea. There is a local craigslist flipper that has some nice stuff that does not sell very fast. Called her up and maybe she will take three of my bike plus some cash for a Bianchi Laggera in my size. So, minus three and plus one. More space, a bike that fits me(of the three one is to big, one is to small and one fits).

CB HI

You exist, but they are saying you make NO sense.

Allegheny Jet

I agree. I have read then re-read the original post and just don't understand what the OP is saying.

bjjoondo 

LOL, well it's actually simple, IF like us you live in a "one bedroom apt."!!!! The bedroom has 2-road hybrids and 2-recumbents, that's all it can handle!! Since 2-bikes are the wife's, she did say that IF we get a R-bike tandem in the future, we will just put it in the kitchen!!

Allegheny Jet

Well, that makes perfect sense to me.

HIPCHIP

Is there such a thing as too many bikes?

rck

I'm down to 3 bikes as that is all that will fit around the dining room table. While you can argue that they all should get ridden more, they do all get riden.

BigBlueToe

I have four bikes: a road bike, a touring bike, a mountain bike, and a "shopping bike" (and old, rigid Stumpjumper that I have my Bob trailer hooked to.) I use the road bike probably 90% of the time, but the tourer is vital for my yearly summer tour (last year I got a spring tour in as well.) The mountain bike is fun for something different. The shopping bike is fun and makes me feel environmentally responsible.

Okay, I'm thinking about a 5th. I'm toying with the idea of a Great Divide ride, and I think a 29er would be perfect (I'm 6'4" and the 26 inch wheels on my mountain bike seem too small.)

Do project bikes count? (I have an old Nishiki tourer with 27" wheels that I'm gradually fixing up.) Do wife's and kids' bike count? I paid for 'em! They would add significant numbers to my stable.

VT_Speed_TR

Culling the heard, that just sounds too cruel. I had all the bikes I wanted many years ago, but then came an opportunity. So then I was happy and had all the bikes I wanted. Then came that villain once again, and then I had everything I required to be happy. This has gone on for many years now, and just this past weekend there came a knock, and the newest addition is on the way! But I know now that this will be it and I will be happy and content. Really I will, really.

pennstater

You could buy a second home. That's what my wife wanted. A place at the beach. She got the place, she lets me use it and I got a reason to buy more bikes. Seemed fair.