Heh. I know what you mean. A lot of my bikes are placeholders or tokens of the thing that I'd really like. For example, I'm restoring a very small sized Humber that I bought just because I liked it. I could never ride it. But I'd love to find one like that in my size some day (preferably also with 1953 SA AW with alloy shell). So I'm slowly cleaning it up, hoping one day to swap it out for something I could ride.

Hmm. On second thought, that wasn't really consistent with the theme you broached. Yeah, anyway, I'd trade about thirty of my crappies out for about five sweet ones. (a big-ass all black roadster with a triple sprung brooks saddle and bolt-upright riding position, a 1960s lightweight road bike with sweet old-school campy, one of those dreamy light-blue fillet-brazed Schwinn Super Sports in near-mint condition (it it were mint, I'd be afraid to ride it), an amazing touring bike with 10,000 braze-ons and racks and lots of brown leather and waxed canvas bags, ... mmm, and an Easy Racers Gold Rush Replica, and probably a couple of modern things, too, plus I'd keep a few of the things I have that I really like).

If I had those, they could back a truck up to my garage and take the 40 other things away.

But I'd feel sad.

Better to slowly acquire and build and trade and learn to appreciate the things you yearn for.

Oh, did I mention that I'd put my dibs on a 1971 Raleigh 3 spd tonight at the bike coop? And that I've put in a hopeful offer to buy something else special from a bike forums member? I just can't stop.

Eric