Originally Posted by
nlerner
For me, that "commuting and errands" category has several sub categories. I'll use almost all of my bikes for commuting, but only some in rain or snow. And if errands involve hauling groceries, I need to use one of two bikes that have rear racks for my grocery panniers. And if hauling involves a whole bunch of stuff, then it's my Specialized Hard Rock that's set up to hook on my trailer.
Neal
Good point. I have three (and a half) commuter bikes: one for dry days in summer (no fenders), one for rainy days in summer (fenders), and one for the winter once the snow flies. It has two sets of wheels (hence the "and a half"), one with 25C slicks ('cos it doesn't really snow all that much here) and one with 32C cyclo-cross knobs (for when it does.) Alas, can't fit studs. Now, my commute is long so I spend a lot of time on my commuter bikes and want to enjoy each optimized for weather conditions. I don't use any of them for grocery getting (unless they'll go in my backpack), but flowers for my wife can be tied athwart the handlebars.
So Tom, don't be too quick to cull your fleet. Even if you could use the money, think hard about whether your collection will be worth as much to the marketplace as it is to you now. For most people cycling isn't a "way of life" the way it is here for many of us -- you might find yourself with a little more cash but a lot worse off.