steve-in-kville 

For those that commute entirely by bike, who has a spare that can be put into action at a moment's notice? Like in the event of a mechanical issue? Do you have a back-up?

I got to thinking about this the other day... what would it take to get one of the other bikes ready to roll out the door at 4am? What if I wreck a bike on the way home from work one day, do I have a plan to have another bike ready for the next morning?

Barring using a car or public transit, what's your back-up plan?

Tractortom

My other bike is an S-10 Pickup truck with a 2.2L 4 cylinder and a 5 speed...it gets about 24mpg around town.

Tractor Tom in Okeechobee, FL

seely

I've got my fixie for such occasions. Rims & wheel bearings are shot, bottom bracket is shot, etc. but it still rolls okay, and never seems to fail. It'll get an overhaul sometime soon.

AdamDZ

I have 4 bikes which is a sweet spot for me, all my needs are covered One of them is a touring bike that can serve as a backup for my commuter. But I can also ride my road bike or my mountain bike if I have to, although I'd have to use a backpack since they don't have racks. But I' prefer not to use my MTB on asphalt, it's got nice Schwalbe Nobby Nic tires.

Oh, but yeah, mass transit is an option for me since I live in NYC.

cjewett65

I think im set. Aside from my main commuter set up I have my road bike, one of my mountain bikes, 1 full suspension, 1 hard tail 26, and 1 hard tail 29'er. Aside from all that I currently have 2 singles speeds and a fixie built up, and roughly 10 random bikes I either dumpster picked or acquired for free and plan to resell. Yea this is all after I recently "weeded out" my collection. This is what happens when you work in your lbs and truly have a passion for everything bikes. Im set for anything. Now if only I can convince my father that I need 3/4 of our shed and half of the garage for "emergency/backup" bike storage!

ryanwood

I was in your shoes for a while, but I would just cobble the bike back together and continue riding it until it was toast. Then I would either walk a mile to the nearest bus stop, or get my wife to drop me off at work.

I upgraded my commuter to my current Surly, and converted my old Schwinn LeTour into a SS. It's not in the best shape in the world, but it makes a great winter/spare commuter.

I have used it as a back up plenty of times. Most recently when I crashed my Surly and I really didn't want to spend the rest of the day nursing a concussion and repairing my bike, so I rode the LeTour for 4 days before I felt like working on my Cross Check over the weekend.

sippel729

I have 4 bikes, any of which could be used for commuting if needed. My mountain bike would only be used if my other 3 bikes were out of commission for some reason. I have my beater, my fixed gear (the normal commuter), and my road bike all set up with racks so I can hang my panniers on any one of them and use it for my commute. I just have to switch the lights over to the bike I'm riding and its good to go.

fietsbob

2 with hub dynamo lights, for rain and dark,
and one for the frozen water on the road

Spld cyclist

Right now, I have three functional bikes, all of which have racks and identical headlight and taillight mounts. Two of the bikes have fenders, so I even have a backup rain bike. One of the three is my 15-year old rigid fork mountain bike, which I don't enjoy riding as much, but it does the job when needed.

hubcap

All 5 of my bikes see commuter duty. My Yuba Mundo cargo bike is used the least often on my normal M-F work commute, but it get's used more than others on weekends.

My family is car light, so I consider a backup bike almost essential.

cooker

I have what I consider my "winter" and "summer" bikes, so I generally have one to back up the other. However they are both old and I'm always a bit nervous that they'll both fail. I also have a more expensive bike I don't want to lock up outside the office.

Andy_K 

I've got six bikes, any of which could be a commuter in a pinch, but I just finished putting together a beater with the specific intention of relieving my main commuter when I have it torn apart. My main commuter is a 2008 Kona Jake. Its understudy is a 1989 Specialized Rockhopper frankenbike (featuring at least one part that was taken off each of my other bikes) currently disguised as a 26" touring bike, complete with drop bars and bar end shifters.

I'm thinking that when it stops raining every day I might take the fenders off the Jake and use the Rockhopper on rainy days.

a1penguin

Three bikes now. Another on order. I'm going to sell the mountain bike. I only used it for errands where I leave the bike locked up but unattended. The hybrid can do that and more. And I might be happy if someone stole it :-)

mr geeker

if my bike breaks down, and isn't immediately fixable, my but is walking or taking the metro.

mustang1

I have a road bike to commute on and needed a backup bike that can also be used in light snow so bought a cx bike. I never rode it much and found it to be a waste. It got stolen and was never replaced so I went back to my pre-2-bike plan of using public transport as my backup.

I prefer to just have one bike. If I ever get another bike, it'll be a folding one.

hyhuu

I commute on a road bike and I have two. I also have a MTB with slick tires but the distance is too long to use it.

tjspiel

Right now I have 3 bikes but I will only keep two. I have my 3 season bike and a winter bike. The winter bike is new and still doesn't have it's own saddle and seat post. I borrowed those from my summer bike, and then switched them back last month when it got warm.

A new saddle and seat post are on their way so I won't have to swap anymore. My third bike is my old winter bike which I hope to pass on to my son but it's not clear that he has the good sense to want it.

Hopefully he does, otherwise I will sell it and if I do I won't have a suitable backup to my winter bike in the family anymore. Not a huge deal, I'll just take the train in that case. Also, I'm not thrilled about the idea of subjecting more than one bike to the abuse of winter riding. The old Bianchi has paid its dues and deserves a cushier life.

Steely Dan

as a backpack commuter, any of my 3 bikes can be ready at a moment's notice to serve in the commuter role. i've got a road bike that serves as my fair-weather thoroughbred, an IGH/disc brake hybrid that serves as my foul-weather/winter work horse, and a 20" folder that i use to alleviate street locking my other two rides when i've got places to go after work (chicago is notorious for bike theft).

if all 3 of my bikes are busted, i have a very easy train commute to my job (i live 2 blocks from one station; my office is 1 block from another station), but roundtrip train fare is $7.60, so i try to stay off the train as much as possible.

SlimRider

I've got four bikes, plus a Toyota, that I only use for shopping and emergencies.

chipcom 

I have 7 bikes and a fairly new pickup truck that feels neglected. I wouldn't want to go back to the days when all I had was one old used, usually wally-world, bike and one old pickup, both held together with bubblegum and baling wire.

eofelis 

I have 7 bikes, 4 of which are fine commuters.

Two bikes are dedicated commuter bikes. They are both old Novara Randonee touring frames with 26" size wheels. I really like these old steel frames. I got one for $15 and the other for $50. One is set up with flat bars and thumb shifters, racks and panniers front and rear. It's just "not nice enough" that I will lock it up somewhere for a short time. I ride it a lot in winter because the thumb shifters work well with heavy gloves. The other Randonee, with an LHT fork, has drop bars and brifters. It's a little more sporty. I just had it powdercoated Imperial Bronze and it's being rebuilt now.

I recently got a Motobecane Fantom CXX cross bike. The frame is just like a CrossCheck. I don't race cross. So it's set up as a fun around town bike with small panniers.

My LHT is perfectly fine for commuting. I've been riding it to work everyday for the past week. Next week I'll ride something different.

My Gunnar Sport road bike has a rack on in and carries panniers nicely. Sometimes I ride that to work.

My cf Specialized Ruby doesn't get used much for commuting. Nor does my mtn bike.

I also have a 2001 Subaru Outback that I drive occasionally.

jdswitters

old nishiki touring bike as back-up. Always ready.

Out at my shop which is 9 miles away I have my pub cruiser, fat tire schwinn beach bike. I have ridden that back into town recently and it wasn't as bad or as slow as I thought.

idc

All 3 of my bikes make decent commuters, although my MTB still has studded tires on right now (a good 15-30 mins to change), and my hybrid has a child seat on it (< 5 mins to change).

jr59

I have more than a few bikes, but if the Co-motion belt drive IGH breaks down.
I'll ride the Davidson touring, or the Trek 620.

Or I could use a mess type bag and ride one of the road bikes.

But NO CAR!

Leebo

Yes, 2 winter commuters, a summer commuter and a touring bike. 2 mountain bikes also get used for the long, 20 mile commute, 8 of which is dirt.