Ok, fellow twelve-steppers....I'll admit I am/was on the trajectory for "hoarder" but the realities of life (an electric word, life, it means forever and that's a mighty long time ), put the brakes on that.
Some of ya'll are enablers (WRK101 and RobbieTunes are responsible for five of the bikes in my garage).
A lot of the bikes are rarely/barely ridden but as the money's been spent and will be nigh-well impossible to recover. There's a limited market for 60-63cm vintage mid-tier steel frames with semi-modernized components. The date-coded NR crowd doesn't care for my Dura-Ace/Tiagra/Veloce/Tektro mix bikes. (I'm also the guy who'll put modern distributors and electronic ignitions into vintage cars, damn you numbers-matching breakerpoint afficianados). Some of them are family member bikes that might not get ridden much but are sentimentally important to them. Everyone in my house has at least two bikes. That means I've a minimum of eight in the garage.
So what does this ramble mean: I've managed to get rid of some! And some will probably stay. Here are the bikes on the hit list or got the axe this year.
-I got rid of the Madison fixed gear. I never really rode it (age, hills, etc) and my last non-running profile physical fitness test was last year, so I couldn't hold on to it for "I'll need this one for a PT test")
-I built up a "winter bike" (Schwinn World DBX aluminum frame) under the auspices of "I'll get in some training over the winter." It never quite fit right; TT seemed short/awkward even though the tape measure says it's OK. I also had to be honest: I gain little out of riding in cold, rainy conditions other than "this sucks" and feeling mildly hypothermic afterwards. I've got a Kurt trainer in the garage that I much prefer to cold water running down my neck. So it's going to be either sold complete or stripped of it's 105 triple build and the frame disposed of or discarded. There's a very limited market for big-boy sized aluminum touring geometry frames.
-The 1980 Raleigh Super Course 12 that WRK101 horsetraded me. It was a pretty copper orange but it doesn't fit without some money spent on it. Who the hell specs a 25" frame with 40cm bars? And those Raleigh-labeled Weinmann brakes aren't confidence inspiring. After some wider bars and some Tektro nutted dual pivots with KoolStop pads, I'll reassess the bike. I'd call it a potential L'Eroica bike except the bar-cons disqualify the bike. As I recall, I traded some Mavic drivetrain parts for it so it isn't a pile of C-notes taunting me. But anyone with some good trade bait or money is welcome to make me an offer. I just don't want to expend the effort to market it. Hoarding via sloth, I suppose.
-The 1987 Paramount with Mavic SSC is too pretty to get rid of, even it it's best suited for someone 40 lbs lighter. Clydes like me can get that bottom bracket swaying with the standard-diameter tubes on the standing climbs. 39/26 and rolling hills don't always allow seated climbs for me.
The two daily riders are the 2010 LeTour Classic and the 1999 Peloton. The Letour is just a supremely comfortable "all day" bike with room for fat tires or fenders. Not the lightest, not the fastest but it just works. And like a good horse, it'll get you home, even if I don't do my part. The 1999 Peloton is Paramount/Bianchi (parallel 73-74 and square st/tt geometry with shortish stays) and like most bikes made of 853 is fast, responsive and rewards fitness and aggressive, focused riding. It will also scold and scare you for sloppy bike handling. I'm lucky that I'm permitted to rack them on the wall at work and a shower's available for lunchtime rides and can pick on a near-daily basis.
B