Originally Posted by
smontanaro
A buddy of mine in the UK (was in Chicago for a few years) had a similar predicament. He bought a Paratella for L'Eroica in Gaiole, picked it up from the seller in Florence, but hadn't told his wife about it. (She's not an N+1 fan.) Rode it in Italy, shipped it home, then stashed it in his loft. He's been working his way through his bikes, putting everything back together, those he took to the US and shipped back (and those he bought in the US!) as well as the bikes he'd stowed in his loft. He eventually got to the Paratella. It was built and leaning up against a wall somewhere. His wife walked right past it, didn't bat an eye...
Time and numbers hide all bikes.
Having multiple bikes of the same color and storing them in more than one location can help the ruse. Also keeping the bikes arranged so that it always looks like there is some empty space. The key is avoiding her taking count of the actual number.