Which is great. Then I ride until something wears out or my needs change.

I had exactly what I wanted built in 1997 - Litespeed titanium frame, Look carbon fork, Campagnolo components, 50-40-30x13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21 yielding a low like 42x28 for mountains west of Boulder, CO and 13-19 straight block for plains east, hand-built wheels with grease ports for lubrication. Perfect.

I rode that from Grand Junction to Golden on a lovely 418 mile supported tour with 28,000 feet of climbing.

In 2000 Campagnolo discontinued the 13-21 so I upgraded to 9 cogs 13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21-23 with a new index cam, and Record Titanium freehubs. That was still perfect until I wore out my big ring and bottom bracket.

In 2006 I swapped the triple for a 50-34 FSA Carbon Pro Compact and Chorus CT derailleur. That led to 10X more front shifting which wasn't perfect, but I lived with that because I could shift quickly - simultaneous thumb button presses got me from big ring to next smaller gear on my little ring five cogs away, and working both front paddles plus two clicks on the right took me to the next bigger gear on my large ring five cogs in the other direction.

In 2012 I broke a discontinued shifter spring so I moved on to 10 cogs with a 50-39-30 FSA SLK Light triple crank for less front shifting, 14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-22-23 straight block, NOS 2010 Centaur Carbon Ultrashift levers, and 2004-2006 Record Titanium derailleurs. I also updated to 1997-2006 Record skewers which are the sexiest ever. Perfect.

I slacked, grew to 205 pounds, and started getting back in shape in Fall 2013.

By April 2014 I'd shrunk to 185, wanted my speed back, and got back into training with power by rebuiding my silver PowerTap SL+ (a complete replacement by Saris) with a matching NOS front into an ideal wheelset with 25mm deep HALO retro-reflective Velocity Fusions and 32 DT 2.0/1.5mm Revolutions in each end. I also switched to 13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21-23-26 because 22 wasn't different enough from 21/23 and was a minor inconvenience moving to the small ring. Perfect.

By June 2015 I was riding at 135-137 pounds like I weighed in 1997, doing 800-900 miles a month headed for more, managing 3.5-3.6W/kg, and levitating up mountains until I crashed and broke my collar bone in June.

In 2016 I realized middle age gave me the patience to ride longer than daylight, battery headlights, and GPS batteries. I built a silver SON28 hub into a HALO retro-reflective Velocity Fusion rim with 32 DT 2.0/1.5mm revolutions. I used that to power a fork crown mounted Schmidt Edelux ii, B&M rear light, and USB-Werk powers supply to run my GPS. Perfect.

I've been riding 800-900 miles a month since getting back to full volume in October, 2015; and have done long unsupported solo rides every month this year (109 miles, 134, 209, 200 with the two highest SF Bay Area paved peaks, and 126).

"Dream bikes <pull negative pressure>" is an exaggeration, obviously. The idea of a monogamous relationship with a bike is appealing: just focus on the ride. But the reality is, novelty has appeal, the grass is always greener. When on a steel bike I think "wow, love the energy and smoothness", then the next bike is usually aluminum and I think "aluminum just feels so right". Never tried carbon, and may never get the chance: they seldom come in my size.

The best bike I have ever owned or ridden, by far, is my fully equipped rando bike. Communing, long rides, hammering, anything. It rides so easy in every way, but top speeds are not it's thing. But my current flame is a single speed made from spare parts. It feels so light and responsive, and the simplicity is an appealing contrast. But in their wake are a series of much more forgettable bikes, as dialed in as they were.

Maybe I simply love designing and building bikes more than riding them. 10-15,000 miles and it is time for something new-ish.

Jobst Brandt always owned just one bike
Cozy Beehive: Jobst Brandt : Part IV
and focused his efforts on riding 10,000+ miles a year every year until his crash at age 76.

I have a nice Klein.
I had a $5K Venge (bought used for much less)
etc, etc.

The bike I always seem to remember most, and the one I recall having the most fun on (as an adult) was the POS BSO I found in the garbage in my 20's; resuscitated, and rode the crap out of and enjoyed.

Didn't have to worry about it being stolen (Thieves would feel sorry for me); didn't care if I got caught in the rain; if it fell over; if I rode over a curb or down some stairs....

It was a fun and care-free bike. I didn't even have to think about the bike; just rode it and enjoyed the ride- and it did exactly what any other bike does...you pedal it, and it goes. It was faster than the Venge. [May have had something to do with the fact that I was in my 20's when I owned the BSO, as opposed to my 50's with the Venge...ya think?]

Mine is certainly no dream bike but it is a good riding (now that I'm getting used to the handling) and everything functions as it should. I'm still looking for the right saddle, bought 2 more this week (I think that's 9 I've bought). Also have bought and tried 3 pairs of shoes and 4 sets of pedals. Now have some road shoes with SPD-SL cleats and pedals that I'm happy with but still dialing in my cleat placement. Once I get something right I leave it alone but until then I'm obsessed with getting it there. After I get the right seat I'll mess with the fit a little more but if I'm not able to get it perfect I'll seek professional help.

Something about building, modding, and stuff like that, gives a really satisfying sense of ownership. You can look at your bike and say, "Yea that's mine!" That could be why we like our builds so much more than an off-the-shelf beauty. Also, some others said that building is half(or more) of the fun. Completely agree with that! There is just something so addicting? about modifying your bikes Yup, the grass is always greener on the other side, especially if you're a cow with a good amount of money!