N+ how many? I have a bunch of bikes. And still had nothing to ride last week!

I have my original MTB from the early 90s. It needs a head set and a bunch of other parts have worn out and been replaced over time. I have a sentimental attachment to this thing and don't want to ride it into the ground so I "retired" it so to speak. Being "retired" there is no "need" to replace the headset so it is not really eligible to be un-retired.

I have my Trek 820 Wonder Bike which is set up to haul groceries and pull the kid trailer. North Road style bars, super wide and squish and comfy gel-seat with springs. Basket, rack and all that jazz. I'm riding that thing more than 5-10 miles? No way!

I have my Gary Fisher low-level hard-tail. Geared like a goat 2.1 Veloceraptors. Pretty good off-road but on road? I got stuck last weekend and had to peddle the thing 4 miles of street. The whole thing was like riding through sand.

Then I have my "road" bike. Specialized Tricross. I love this bike and of hem all this one is the one that I am referring to when I use the phrase "my bike". It was in the shop, out of service, for a week last week.

I have my C&V Marathon. She got called up to the Bigs while the Tricross was in the shop and promptly broke a spoke at the furthest point from home on my favorite loop.This is a chronic condition that I though was fixed. I think that this is the injury that gets her put out to pasture. Even if I get the wheel rebuilt, I'll not likely trust her again for any sort of serious ride.

So, there you go. A whole bunch of bikes and nothing to ride the roads on for a week. So that's N+ a whole bunch and I was still on foot! Now, if I had a bike that was "similar to" my Tricross it would have seemed silly, right until the point where I "needed" it.

Also, keep in mind that this is from the point to view of a totally recreational rider. If I were commuting I would DEFINATELY have a spare ready to go and people who race have several similar bike ready to chose from depending on the even.