Too many bikes ?
 

When is too many bikes simply too many bikes? I spent some happy hours in the basement today starting to install the four Stronglight A9, one old XTR and one chorus headset that I bought before christmas. Have not yet made or bought tools for the crown race (how does one install the A9 race without destroying it?) but the rest is going well. On the way up I started counting and I did not realize I had so many. Here's what I got at the moment:
9 complete bikes: Basso Loto 91, Basso Loto 97, Paganini 84, Colnago Super 84, DBS Daccordi 97, Kuwahara 87 (mtb converted to touring), Merida 89 all XT (aluminum, looking for a nice frame to put those nice parts on), 97 Coyote Mono six carbon mtb,90 Miyata Ridgerunner team( winterbeater SS)
Frames and projects: Pinarello Montello or Treviso 88,De Rosa 83, 1963 French 531 frame made for Norway's DBS, 531 Crescent frame 1973, Gianni Motta frame end of the seventies, NOS Miyata Team frame 90,Kona Kilauea frame 94, Kona Muni Mula frame 99, Scott Teton 86 mtb frame.
I managed to give a coworker a beatup Eddy Merckx-frame last week but for the most part they just keeps following me home to stay. I had a buyer for the Paganini but it is so nice and you do not get much money for old roadbikes in Norway so it is still here.

I have a feeling it is going to vary from individual to individual:p ;) I know some guys with 70 bikes and others with only 3 or 4. My general rule is if I don't ride it at least once every 3 months I need to consider moving it along. I currently only have about 7 bikes of my own, my wife has 3 and then there are several project bikes that are in the process of being set up to give away to friends.

Aaron:)

I think my limit is about 10...any more than that, and my husband starts tripping over them. I've tried to convince him that he should get rid of that pickup truck that is taking up space in the garage, but I have not yet convinced him.

East Hill

I think a good practice is to have one for every use?

A good bike for serious riding
A long distance rider
A ride to work/general commuter
A beater bike for winter
A replacement beater bike for when the one above falls apart
and so on!

I'm up to 9, as of yesterday. In my basement there are, at present, 13 bikes. Some of these belong to family and friends whose bikes I've serviced and have yet to be picked up.

It's getting crowded but my wife understands my passion. I wonder just how far she can be pushed?:o

My wife keeps complaining about my 5 bikes but I only have 4. Does that mean I'm one short?

Well lets see my bikes now: 73 P-13, 76 P-14, 80 Viner track, 85/86 Eddy Merckx Corsa, 85 Schwinn Peloton fixed, 01 Fuji track, Surly Karate Monkey SS, Van Dessel Buzzbomb fixed gear 29er, VD Buzzbomb full suser 29er, and my college bike a 95 Schwinn Moab MTB. I have a late 80's Schwinn Passage f/f that I will be building into a retro/modern mix touring bike (planning stage right now). Three bikes waiting to be finished to flip on CL, 13 road bike frames (all parts from frames are still here somewhere?), 1 Centurion Lemans I bought a week ago, and two other Schwinn MTBs waiting to be worked on. I think that is over 30 bikes, and it doesn't see to be stoping. I bought a '90 Schwinn high Plains MTB today in fact (pics will be posted to catch of the day thread later) N+1 right???

Of the personal bikes I have yet to ride two of them: the Eddy and the Viner track. I got the Eddy late last year so the weather hasn't been nice enough to ride it here. The Viner needs some new tires, and it will probably be a mostly track only bike.

I am in the process of reducing my numbers but...
1. touring/commuting
1. super record bike
1. nuovo record bike (in progress)
1. serious steel road with modern campy
1. track
1. Beater/ guest bike

If I had room I would like to have a conversion/road fixed and a day tripped that is a little lighter and tighter than the full touring bike...
then if you are into cross and MTB it gets even more difficult to keep the numbers down.

yes it does:D

I've got 4.75 bikes (3 track - gitane kilo, samson, sabatini that's nearing completion, 1 geared Mariposa, and 1 winter beater), the wife has 1.5 (specialized rockhopper, proctor frame that needs to get built).

I find it bloody hard to keep up with maintenance and building up / upgrading / hunting. Once I get a bike, I have a hard time letting it go, because a fair amount of sweat has gone into every one. Trying to get nice components usually sucks, as pickings are slim and/or pricey. Is it too much to ask to have just 1 perfect bike for each day of the week?

And there's always a sweet, cheap frame on the come. I've got a mint white Rossin with campy SR cranks and HS just sitting for me, but I'm afraid I'll catch a screwdriver to the neck if I come home with another frame. Not to mention the matching Proctor, or the lugged aluminum Concorde with chorus/record that are also mine for the taking, should I need another sound beating. I don't even want to get into the Colnago Super, Louison Bobet, or Pogliaghi '76 olympic track bike.

eff bikes. I'm taking up clarinet.

Personally I think there's no such thing as 'too many bikes' (my wife most strongly disagrees). Unfortunately, for most of us, there IS such a thing as too little storage space though.

It means she didn't fall for your 'that old grocery-getter doesn't really coun't, dear' argument. I just KNOW 'cause I tried that one too! :)

I've used the Park crown race installer with good success on A9's.

Yeah, in my Brooklyn 1br I've got a frame under my bed awaiting Spring repainting. My single speed beater/commuter, GF's Schwinn Collegiate, and the halfway built Univega, along with assorted wheels and my repair stand, are sitting under a tarp on the fire escape. My vintage-campy 1981 Carlton only goes outside when I ride it, so it lives in a narrow hallway by the bathroom. My spare parts and tool boxes sit in a closet next to my suits and the laundry hampers.

I NEED more bikes, but have nowhere to put them.:mad:

I think n+1 is the perfect amount.

What is too many? LOL...... I have a few.... they all have their place!!

At the moment I'v got over 30. My retirement plan is to strip them and sell the bits on ebay - so I'd better collect more then I will be even more financially well off in my old age - won't I?

You know, there's a method to the madness here :p .

East Hill

Mine have all, always, got things that I need to do to them, pretty much. Currently, my personal fleet looks like this:

Chrome Single Speed - doesn't need a thing!

Gazelle Trim Trophy - Needs a clean and tune-up, and for me to install my Campy clipless pedals, and give it a try.

Raleigh Royal - supposed to be my main load hauler, and has a flat, on the tube I just put in. It's pissing me off, so I'm ignoring it. I also need to tinker with the trailer hitch on it.

EG Bates track bike - needs a new tubular. I can afford it, but I'm scared!

Nigel Dean fixed gear - needs a 15t quality track cog, and a longer seatpost (which I might actually have
). Longer term, needs the wheels rebuilding on aluminium rims.

HR Bates BAR - needs stripping, respraying, forks and stem rechroming, a pair of old fashioned track bars, a pair of suitable wheels, then rebuilding. Maybe it needs Chater Lea pedals and cranks too? Not decided. Oh, and a new Brooks!

Raleigh Gran Sport - needs me to fit the Shimano Golden Arrow derailleurs I've got and tune them up - that's just waiting for time. Also needs me to fit the Velo Orange Elkhide bar tape - I'm scared!

Raleigh Quasar - strip and repaint, rebuild as a single speed, either "scorcher" style, with flipped north roads, or as a nice upright, with Nitto Promenades...


Nasty Chinese Road Bike - needs me to build a long triple tree fork, and fabricate a really long sissy bar, and then fit a banana seat, and ape hangers. Maybe I'll cover the banana seat with leopard print material? Decisions decisions.

Double boinger dept store MTB - I'm fairly sure there's something wrong with it, but I can't remember what, other than it's too small.

Raleigh 20 Folder - needs to be picked up. Should be usable as is, but will need, in time: A longer seatpost, a longer stem, converting to cotterless cranks, and the hubs rebuilding in lightweight BMX rims, with high pressure tires. Oh! and an Ortlieb Office Bag!

Falcon Singlespeed Urban Assault - needs me to cable up the brakes, and to man up and strip the cassette out, make spacers from plumbers pipe, and put it back together. I know how to do it, theoretically..... Also needs bar tape, and a rack. Oh, and a chain!

So, that's my personal fleet. I'm not short of projects......

Now, on to bikes belonging to others in the household:

G/F's mountain bike - flat tyre

G/F's Mercian Mixte - needs a thorough tuneup and lube, and needs me to convince her to get rid of the god-awful saddle and bar tape.

Housemates BSA 3 speed - thorough tuneup

Tandem - needs me to collect, tuneup etc, and probably at minimum replace the brakes with centrepulls or dual pivots. If it's got steel rims, that may give me pause as well, hard to tell in the picture. Maybe I should look for a front wheel with a disc or drum?

Son's MTB - flat tire, tuneup

Son's Chopper - tuneup

Son's BMX - flat tire

Son's Vintage Road Bike project - strip paint, spray, clean up parts, rebuild

Jacques Anquetil Mixte - build up for g/f's mother. Need to dig out a suitable set of wheels, tune it all up, select some suitable bars.

Falcon road frame - build up as tourer for friend. I have to take a triple crankset and suitable BB from a hybrid someone gave me, fit derailleurs, bars, stem, brakes, wheels, seatpost and seat, fenders, rack, the whole damned works. He'd better like it.

On top of all that, I've got 4 (Currently) bikes to strip for parts and clean them up for ebaying, and another to add a rack and fenders to, so that it'll sell for more.

On top of all THAT, I'm looking actively for a butchers bike/delivery bike to modernize, thinking about building an Xtracycle, and I've got a 1971 bus to restore. And I've got 3 jobs. Ought I to slow down?

I have/had....a lot! LOL! Im down to seven from about 35! LOL! Thinned the herd due to lack of space, I gave that GT Mountain I had up for sale to a kid from my neighborhood that was riding a Magna POS that he found in the trash, he was happy!

Sammyboy - scares me too - just reading your list of things to do.

You probably go to work just to have a rest - and finance more scary projects.

Work? WHEN???

I limit myself to 3. The good thing is I have financed a family vaction this summer and paid for all of my bike stuff as well as for the family and then some, flipping bikes. I would love to keep them all but space, sanity and the health of my marriage require that I pass what I find along to other interetesd parties.:D

I do have to say that my wife (who is very suppotive generally) was not wild about the time I was spending finding, cleaning ,selling etc. I have two small children, so time is tight. When the vacation house in Cape May NJ was paid for in full from my paypal account, the light bulb went off in her head that my "bike aditction" had a positive effect on everyone, not just myself.

My wife has likewise resigned herself to the bike addiction and is seeing the positive side of flipping. My personal fleet numbers only 4: fixed, road, beater, MTB. ALways willing to add more, though....

I am running out of space. I have 5 plus an incomplete project and I just sent payment off for another. My gf just bought bike #3 so she can't complain too much, but something's got to go. My personal rule about the project bike is I have to obtain as many parts used as possible. No breaking down and buying new parts just so I can ride it.