My stuff is mostly junk, but I've been at it so long, the number of decent bikes is starting to go up. I definitely had a real problem for a while, and collected everything I could get, regardless --- and I mean REGARDLESS -- of quality. Now I'm getting a little more refined, and I get things that fill a niche in my collection (or I could imagine filling a niche, after various mods) or are just too good a deal to pass up.

Let's see (quick visit downstairs and to the garage to count) ...

CRAP.

Despite recent vigorous thinning, donation of frames and complete bikes to the bike coop, and recycling a whole pickup full of junk, I still have about 45 bikes or framesets and 60-ish wheels or wheelsets.

In there, about six or so that are nice road bikes. Also includes two recumbent trikes and a recumbent Short Wheelbase bike -- actually, a classic, a very old RANS V-Rex.

Still lots of junk, much of which I'll recycle or donate to the local bike coop this Spring and Summer.

For a while, I set a new rule that if I ever acquired an additional item, I would get rid of two. I figured if I did that until I started having to make hard choices, I would know when I'd reached the core of my collection.

Hmm. I should set a goal to be down to, say, 25 max by the end of the summer. Ooh, my wife would like that. I bet she'd let me start sleeping in the bed again.

Eric