Hmm

You've been kind in the past when I've mentioned that my current place of residence is not what it was. Employment is subject to factors other than .....

Out of here in a month, maybe 2

Santana Visa Tandem, 9000 happy miles with spouse - sold
Sirrus Specialized Triple, history of London to Marseilles, 14000 happy miles - sold
Rocky Mountain Solo 50 ST - 400o miles - Sold
Spouse's Trek 7.5fx, 8000 miles, Helsinki to Stockholm, London to Barcelona - sold

Cat - adopted
Chinese table from Jakarta when we first set up a house - sold
Custom designed sofas and such - sold
Barbecue - sold
Garden furniture - sold

Y'know, the 'Life Laundry' advice, it's good to clear out, is good

But.....

Well you should have a good wr chest for an N+................. whatever, now, hope things work out alright WOG.

Bill

I knew you were looking to relocate, but then I kinda lost track. I haven't done a very good job keeping up with psosts lately....looks like I missed a big Life Change for you Wog!

Here's hoping things quiet down for you in the near future.

Just think of all the fun you will have- choosing the N+4 to replace what you have just given up.

Gotta be a Tandem in there although if you need to borrow one- Mine is spare at present.

Road bike and The choice is yours- Couple of good shops in Brighton but there is a new Giant shop in Shoreham--Or still a couple of Custom builders around Croydon.

Sirrus but for those that have had one and still use it- There is not much to replace it.

The spouses bike is going to be a problem though as I can't think of a good Trek agent down South but never really looked as I don't favour trek's.

Garden Furniture and B.B.Q and Don't bother replacing. Many more summers like the one we have just had and it would not be used much.

Sorry to hear your Employment is coming to an end but about time you retired and travelled a bit of the England.

Gee, It sounds like a lot is going on for you...

Here's that it all turns out for the best!
... And keep us all posted

Thanks, 50+ friends

Couple of specifics -

Yes, the bikes have new owners. They are friends from the group I bike with. The term of sale is - have them, give them back if I stay close, keep them and pay for them if I don't.

I'm out of Bahrain soon. A multinational based in Saudi Arabia wants me - they have 8 operating Co.s in Saudi, 4 in Brazil, 3 in Russia, 3 in China ---might be interesting. If that comes through, I'll take the bikes to Saudi with me. Saudi location is just 3 hours away in the pickup truck. And I can pop back most weekends to see friends and have a maltade and some French fruit juice.

If not, I'll be wobbling around in UK with Mr Stap and shivering in any temperature lower than 85 F

Will keep the forum posted. Clarity might focus in a week or so

(And thanks and memories to all brave soldiers today)

I've downsized several times and later regretted giving up some, but not all, stuff. The bikes and parts are among the regrets. It's why this time, when we packed up for this current overseas trip, that we put everything into storage. Not an item was sold or given away.

I know of a guy who kept all his bikes from his racing days in the 50s and 60s, including one he won a state indoor title on. They were kept in mint condition. Not only are they collector's items now, they are great talking points for visitors.

The other problem is that you have to pay to store these bikes. In your situation, that probably works as you need to store other things for when your tour finished.

For myself, I have 4 bikes currently and the fourth bike has me convinced that I'm over the top. I only have it to for tweed rides and kind of showing off (it's a sweet old thing though...). The other three bikes serve a real purpose in my life. I used them all the time... including a dedicated winter bike.

However, every time I think about adding a fifth bike... I stop and consider whether I really want to go there.

The bikes aren't costing us any more than our other household stuff because of the height of the storage unit. All the bikes, even the tandem, are suspended by the saddles from a steel pole suspended across the entire width of the storage unit, which fortunately was very high under the pitched roof (12', in fact).

Bicycling is important to us in so many ways.

I basically started with nothing when I arrived in the area where we live, and then lost a substantial part of that when the bushfires ripped through. We don't really have much, but the household stuff fits in the unit that measures around 15 ft x 9ft. It took some creative packing in, but it worked. The vehicle with kayak and canoe on top are stored outside. The total cost is $205 a calendar month. It's not going to break the bank for seven or eight months.

I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum.
In the last 2 years I have purchased a second bike (Koga Miyata World Traveller) tripping canoe, 4 backpacks (2 vinyl for canoeing, and two for hiking), skis, snowshoes, hiking boots. Each item with all the accompanying junk.

I need to get a larger apartment, or curb my desire to stimulate the economy, although I could be persuaded to buy a solo kayak, or a sailing dinghy.

At least non of these toys generate green-house gases.

I've got four bikes built up. The tandem stays in the tandem partner/gf's garage. The carbon fiber Trek is in the bike room, mostly unused. The Dolan track bike gets used durng the winter indoor track training season. And the Rodriguez street fixie with S&S couplers (with about 60,000 km on it so far) gets used all the time, even for some of the track training. I could probably do all the riding I would want to do with just that one bike, if I were determined to go absolutely minimalist!

Luis