bwilli88 

My 72 Witcomb.

majmt 

Here’s another along the same lines (but different bikes). I love looking at the beautiful bikes posted these threads. Part of the reason I log in here. Maybe there should be a Concours d’Elegance sticky thread.
Best overall bike you ever rode, bar none. One choice only.

Chuck M 

My number one is my 1980 Takara 970 Grand Touring. I guess it is my favorite for a multitude of reasons. Riding it sort of takes me back to high school when I had a Takara 960 Deluxe Touring. It rides well and I am quite comfortable on it being able to come in from a run and hop on it with my running shoes and shorts. That convenience also makes it handy to hop on for quick rides about the neighborhood with the grandkids. It is well built, easily maintained and even if it didn't get maintenance, I think it would still be a dependable rider. I have a late '70s/early '80s Carabela and a '54 Hercules built Wester Flyer that I need to restore that may unseat this as number one. I also have another Takara and an '84 Raleigh I ride that don't hold the same spot for me as this one, but I do like to get them out from time to time.


Number two is not vintage but I do enjoy it and the tan sidewalls give it a vintage vibe that I like. If I had any regrets at all about this purchase it would be that I didn't get carbon fiber or electronic shifting. And I love the disk brakes.

jamesdak 

Well, I'll chime in with the same answer I've had for years, same answer on the other threads. No matter how many good bikes pass trough my hands this one always stands out! It not that old, it's a pretty modern build, it's a usually not thought of brand, and it's an absolute gem on the road.

My mid 90's Giordana XL Super with a modest Campagnolo Athena 11 speed setup and Shamal wheels.



There's just a feel about it when I riding it, a connection, a joy, bliss, that none of the other bikes give. I mean I have chased after so many nice bikes and enjoyed so many yet nothing has ever topped this one. I've let a Colnago Super, two De Rosa's, a Basso Gap, Schwinn Paramount, Serotta CSI, countless Italian Lemonds, and many, many others go while still keeping this beauty. I have two David Kirk beauties, a Davidson Impulse, Tetra Pro, Pinerello Monaviso, a Coppi, 15 lb CAAD 8 Optimo, the Paletti and many others that are exceptional bikes but pale in comparison to the ketchup/mustard machine. I went so far as to pick up and identical framed XL Super and built it up 2 lbs lighter with "better" parts only to have it fall short on road field. I truly, truly believe this one was forged by the bike gods themselves at birth from the way it feels when I ride it. Ok.... maybe that 's the morning coffee talking but it's truly one fine ride, LOL!

I do have the new to me Olmo Forma and Merckx Corsa 01 to give a try in the spring. Maybe one of them will beat it. I also finally pulled the trigger on a Gianni Motta Personal 2001r so we'll see how that does when built up. But for now this Giordana is my best and for years now nothing has "dethroned" it.

Everything in this room bows in respect to it, plain and simple.


....and the five other bikes scattered around the place.

Classtime 

My #1 would be that Cinelli. Or that Colnago. Or that Motorola Merckx. But for now…


Made for me and getting in the Queue was a gift from my wife.

Inusuit

Would be this lightly modified 1995 Rockhopper. With the Schwalbe Land Cruiser tires, it rolls nicely on pavement and gives me the option of exploring dirt roads and gravel tracks. Perfect for my routes and style of riding. Has a new group set, chain, and FD courtesy of the Shimano crank arm recall. I paid $75 for it and a four-bike Thule rack.

brewerkz 

late 50s/60s Wally Green....this bike captured my interest to pursue earlier road bicycles.

jamesdak 

Every time I see this bike I just think it looks absolutely perfect!

Rocket-Sauce 

1984 Peter Mooney with 10speed Campagnolo Record. I've wanted a Peter Mooney for a long time. This one rides very nice and is so pretty to my eye.
It now has different wheels (Record hubs, H plus Son Archetypes built by me) which fit the look better (those Fulcrums are a little flashy for this one).

Bianchigirll 

My Picnic bike

repechage

enduring relationship- the deposit to build date could get quite long. You have owned it for a while as the graphics package is from years gone by.

embankmentlb

I have about 4 bikes that I really really enjoy. This is the #1. It was my Gainesville Schwinn team Guerciotti. I designed the kit and graphics for the team back in 1988. It’s a modest road bike, Athena & Aelle. Great memories of a fun times riding and being involved with that dream. I never was any good at bike racing. In all honesty I didn’t enjoy the racing scene. Just not my cup of tea. I just enjoy riding.

sced

1973 Holdsworth custom. For Christmas 1972 my parents bought my 2-year older sister a new Datsun 510 and my consolation prize as 16-year old was a blank check for a new bicycle. A few years ago I had the frameset professionally restored and this spring will be mounting a traditional tubular wheelset like it came with.

The Golden Boy 

Same as it was in the 4 year old "Flagship" thread- my 1985 Trek 720 is my #1.

I've probably put more miles on my 620- and I think I preferred the ride of the 620, but after getting the 720 set up with a 10 speed rear end- the gearing choices make the 720 more preferable. I finally had the 620 upgraded to 10 speed and built up similarly, but now the 720 just feels "better."

85720Yard by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr


IMG_0616 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

RiddleOfSteel

Four years later and more knowledge gained...and maybe a little softer (lol) ...'82 Trek 720. Bulletproof down tube shifting and Shimano running gear, lovely Tektro brake calipers and comfortable levers, (used) Compass 35mm tires, all the gears in a 3x10 setup, all used to their utmost with full 531 tubing over a super long wheelbase (a proper WB is, I believe, a critically underrated element in a bike's overall comfort and balance). Comfort, speed, responsiveness, playfulness. Classy, timeless, with relative rarity an added bonus. It is a 'finished' bike. I have others that I'm working on and excited to 'discover' as I work through ideal setups, but the 720 is the Queen.

This is #1 against a phalanx of past and present bikes: A modified '85 Trek 620 is close due to wheelbase and partial 531 construction, but is ~350g heavier in frame and fork, which results in a spritelier and stiffer ride that's a bit tire-dependent (a pound's worth of fenders really helps balance it more). Two '70s Paramounts. My '89 OS Paramount. Late '80s 400 series Treks. Davidson Impulse. At my height and what I like to ride, I find the 47cm chainstay Treks to be a formidable opponent for other bikes, regardless of age and pedigree. Even the 620 in rain bike form fends off many challengers and just plain feels good to ride. A Cannondale ST will be close in overall balance with its 46cm stays, but IIRC falls short on tire clearance (I'd have to revisit that, and will soon via a brother's bike).

(pictured here with not its current saddle--I'm running a black newer Fizik Aliante R5)

merziac

Freakin beautiful!

nlerner

Likely because of that recent thread on how to deal your bikes and your bike cr@p should you meet an untimely demise, I've been thinking of a radical pairing of the fleet. I'm currently at 22 total bikes set up to ride, and it would seem semi-rational if I could get down to five. So that makes me think about my top 5, not necessarily my #1:

2019 Waltly Ti all-rounder: Based on the geometry of my Black Mountain Road but with provisions for disc brakes, thru-axkles, and 700c x 38mm tires (and 650B x 42mm, which is what it's currently sporting), it's the bike I probably put 90% of my miles on. I use it for fast weekend rides, for bikepacking, and for credit-card touring. I suppose if I had to have only one, it would be this one. Yeah, not at all C&V.

2019 Black Mountain Road: I actually own two of these, but the one I'd keep had S&S couplers installed and is powdercoated an awesome pink. It's my travel road bike. Also not very C&V.

201x Milwaukee single-speed: A Waterford-built frame and just a blast to ride for 30-40 mile jaunts. I have it geared low so that I can climb just about any hill around here. It's steel and USA-made, but not particularly C&V.

1998 Kona Explosif: Reynolds 853 steel frame, XTR mechs, and Avid V-brakes. I bought this as a frame plus original mechs and brakes, and built it up for this year's Cino ride. I'd use this one as my primary commuter, most likely, and for bikepacking in rough conditions. Somewhat more C&V.

1961 Hetchins Experto Crede: The one true C&V bike that would be a special occasion rider.

Man, the list of what would need to go is painful! Okay, maybe I'll start with 10 and then try and whittle that down to five in a couple of years.

geeteeiii

My 79 HVZ Meteor most likely, first bike i got that actually had any basic level of quality. Tried to retire it from its main rider duties, as its actually worth abit of money, but havent found a worthy replacement.


79 HVZ Meteor

theblackbullet

The way people tend to romanticize steel bikes has often been lost on me. At 6'4" 230lbs, most vintage steel frames feel like noodles. Not this one. It's light. It's responsive. It's remarkedly stiff considering how large a frame it is. The mile long chainstays make it the smoothest frame I've ever ridden. When paired with the 700x38 GravelKing Slick tires, it's even smoother. I can leave my doorstep and ride it anywhere. Gravel roads, singletrack, anything paved, down stairs, up mountains. It's a mountain bike. It's a road bike. It's a beach cruiser. It's gravel bike. It's a commuter. It's a touring bike. I find myself making excuses to choose this bike over the others in the stable. It has around 1500 miles on it since picking it up in June.

John E

Thank you everyone for the eye candy. Great thread!

I have three "#1" bikes in operating condition, plus a couple of potential #1s waiting in the wings, currently in disassembled condition.

General purpose transportation, trails, riding in the rain: the 1988 Schwinn Project KOM-10.
Beauty queen: the 1959 Capo Modell Campagnolo, very comfortable for long rides
Fast and fun: the 1982 Bianchi Campione d'Italia






Original equipment matched 1982 Campione d'Italia specs. Frame date is late 1981. "Charcoal" color not found in catalog listing.

Germany_chris

This one, it’s the one I ride every day

Fredo76

Having just gotten back into riding during the pandemic, I haven't had very many bikes over the years. But I do have my 1976 Fredo Speciale, which will likely always be #1.

Here it is, mostly original, except for '80s clinchers, the brand new seat and post, and the thief's paint job:



Me and my old racing bike, summer of 2020.

It was stolen in a burglary in Tucson, but I got it back a couple years later in Seattle, almost a miracle right there. Now it's re-finished and geezerized:



Fredo at Rio Grande

Why is it my #1? Two reasons:

1. I built the frame myself in Colin Laing's shop as a senior in high school, long ago.
2. I can still ride it!

motochick 

Right now, this is my #1 bike....everything else is basically useless



Sledgehammer ski bike, RVL8 KTP skibaords

The Golden Boy 

That's amazing!!! I'm so happy for you!!!

Bianchigirll 

The "Cantaloupe Express" Great paint