It's time to thin my herd seriously. I have at least two bikes for every purpose. Well, wait, do I? What are the purposes for a bike?

- commuting and errands
- club rides
- hauling
- long distance touring
- winter riding
- 3-speed
- folding bike (for trains)

Clearly, the purposes overlap, but that's OK. Nothing is pure in my world. I work at home, so I don't strictly commute by bike. I live in a small town (for the NYC area), and most of my clients are close, and I visit them by bike at least half the time.

Have I left any out?

I might be making a major reorganization, rebuilding bikes for new purposes. This would involve moving parts from one frame to another and perhaps rebuilding wheels. In selling bikes, I might part them out, I might rebuild them before selling, and I might sell them as they are. There are lots of possibilities to keep me busy!

My Cross Check is a versatile bike, so I can imagine having two or more pairs of wheels for it.

What is 3-speed as a category? None, really, except that I just have to own a 3-speed. It's a reliable bike, and I can jump on it any time, without having to fix something before I head out. I don't even need to bind my trousers up, since it has a chainguard.

And to be honest, I haven't taken a loaded tour since 1982, but I still dream about it, so I want a bike fit for it. But it's the lowest priority now. When the time for my tour draws near, I'll probably want to build or rebuild a bike anyway.