Living in El Paso Texas, I just need one bike - we have an 11 month summer, followed by a one month "almost" summer. Actually, it does get a little coldish in the winter months, but riding conditions vary so little between the seasons one bicycle is fine. The major bicycle-related weather issue here is the springtime winds. We receive a "serious" snowstorm on the average of once every five or six years. My second bike is a 1985 Trek 520 touring bicycle, but I don't consider it a backup - just a second bicycle.