multi purpose bikes or one for each role?
 

What bike(s) do you own and what kind of riding do you use it(them) for?

Categories: Racing, Roading, Triathlon, Commuting (+rain/snow), Shopping, MTBing, Credit Card touring, Fully Loaded Touring, Bike Pathing

So for me:
2000 Airborne Carpe Diem: Commuting, Roading, Credit Card Touring, dirt roads
2001 Thorn Nomad: Fully Loaded Touring, Grocery Shopping, errands
1999 Ellsworth Isis: MTBing
beater For parking in dicey locations

also, Would you like to enlarge your collection or reduce it?

If I had the space for a bigger stable, I'd have one, but right now I have one all-rounder that does it all. My Le Tour with new components and 700x37 tires can pretty much go anywhere I like, and it seriously takes a beating. You've got a really well-rounded stable, bokes, and in the next few years I think I'm gonna do like you.

In my dreams:
Rivendell Atlantis-moustache bars, Brook'sand full-on Baggins panniers.
A Litespeed Classic-Any one of their classic geometry, high-end roadies is cool. They're a quality, local company, and I'd like to support that.
I'll probably keep my Le Tour for the limited amount of rough stuff I do, I've never been an avid MTBer. If I had to get one I'd probably get another Trek 8000 or Giant Ranier.
Surly Steamroller-Built up with Phil wood BB and hubs and that beautiful Miche Supertype track stuff.

In Reality I'll probably end up with:
Surly LHT-A poor man's Atlantis, these are great bikes.
Litespeed Firenze-I love the classic geometry, and the LBS still has one of last years Ultegra-equipped models. These are just over 2 thousand, but are a really great deal. I started making payments the other day. (I sold my last dedicated roadie and miss it :( )
My Current heavily modified Le Tour-I honestly don't ever want to be parted from this bike, I'll probably modify to fixed after I get the LHT.

I was using the Voyageur with Gatorskins/rack/panniers for commuting and pleasure rides. The Voyageur frame broke, and the LBS decided to give it a new frame at no charge, but it left me with no bike - not a situation I want to find myself in again.

I decided to resurrect my old Specialized Crossroads Cruz (which was missing a rear wheel)for commuting/wet weather (just rigged it up yesterday), and will use the road bike for pleasure rides when I don't need fenders. I put Panaracer Pasela TG 700x35's on the Crossroads so I can use it for hard/gravel trails, and the Gators, which run at 28mm, are fast for long road rides.

I have :
* '78 Viscount Aero restoration project.
*'85 first gen. Raliegh Technium that might be getting a SS coversion ??
*SoCal style chopper that I used to commute with years ago complete w/real Union Generator.
*Monty trials bike
*Specialized P2
*Surly Cross-X, my main commuter / weekend tour rig. I :love: this bike !

I dont really worry about what a bikes 'sposed to be built for. I ride whatever
Im in the mood for, wherever. Keeps things very simple ! :)

Me:

Carbon road bike: rides over 20 mi
Alum road bike: rides 20 mi and under
Hard tail mtn bike: flat singletrack
Full susp mtn bike: longer rides or rides up in PA with the breakneck downhills

I got along for decades with just one bike and was quite satisfied.

As soon as I got the second one they just seemed to multiply. I remember being at a party once when somebody asked me how many bikes I had. I was trying to think of the right answer - do all of the components unassembled in a box equate to a bike? - when my wife jumped in "He has 8 bikes." I spent the rest of the night trying to figure out which ones she didn't know about.

Depending on how you count them I have either 5 or 7 bikes now. I think that it must be like having a harem. It's kind of neat in a way but I'm not able to use them all as much as I think they deserve.

2000 Klein Quantum Race, go fast bike.
1998 Santana Noventa, road tandem.
1998 Porsche FS, mountain bike.
1993 Marin Bear Mountain SE, beater bike.
1990 Bridgestone RB2, retro grouch bike.
1998 Terry Symmetry, small frame guest bike.
19?? Raleigh Techium, guest beater bike.

If I had to limit myself to only one bike, I'd take the Klein. Fortunately, however, my wife would never let me dispose of our tandem so I guess that I'll always have at least two.

So true. If only I hadn't gotten that second bike!

Until a couple of years ago I just had the one bike - a hybrid. It was great for commuting, recreational rides on the weekend, and very light trails. Then I got interested in longer distances on the road, more technical off road trails, and a longer commute.

Now have:
roadie
commuter (cyclocross)
MTB (hardtail)

Have plans for:
local errand bike (old hybrid converted to singlespeed)
second roadie (lighter, more agressive go-fast bike)
third roadie (might just be a replacement frame for the original roadie, but why not? :D)
maybe a fixed gear (just for gits and shiggles)

Damn straight!!!

I have a comfort that I try to use as a roadie and will start commuting next week. A used Roadie is in the future. Then I think that will be enough. The comfort is fun to just go crank on, but not that great for long distances.

So, imho, a bike for each is good.

I have:

1997 Breezer Storm set up strictly for commuting (~100 miles/week)
2005 Santa Cruz Blur for mountain biking only
1992 McMahon Ti hardtail (sadly hasn't seen much action since I got the Blur)

I also have shoes for each task, too. Commuting shoes and mtb shoes. Wear the same helmet, though :p

I have a...
2005 Trek 2100 road bike - road racing, crits, fast group rides, training
2001, 2005 build cervelo P2K TT bike for TTs

Someday I will have...
A cyclocross bike for commuting, getting in the dirt, etc.
An ultrastiff Ti (lightspeed, seven, serrata) crit and road racing bike (replace 2100 frameset)
A new FS MTB bike in 23 inch.

It is hard for one bike to do everything but it can be done!

'01 Trek 5200 (just upgraded to DA): racing, centuries, long training rides

'99 Novara Triompho: was my daily commuter but was really too fragile for that role, now set up with aerobars and forward seatpost for triathlon.

'89 GT mtb: Super-craptastic, all rigid, all steel, superheavy mountain bike. Just rescued from my parents' garage, for the purpose of pulling the twins' trailer. I've been riding it to work lately and I think I'm going to give it the Fred treatment: fenders, baskets, blinkies, maybe get some mustache or butterfly bars for more hand options.

I have 3
'05 Bianchi Via Nirone 7 for riding on the road
'03 Norco Mounteneer for Bike path and trails
late 80's Miele Magny road bike that's at the inlaws as my get away bike :D

Bianchi Vitoria road used to run errands and cruising.
Trek ZX 7000 mtb
Dean Ti road
Giant OCR touring set up for road and trail riding.

One problem with dedicated bikes : what happens when you tour ? I like the idea of having a bike that is good on asphalt, gravel and sand, rain, shine or snow.

Seems that a lot of us have 3, I've got:
2002 Orbea Vuelta for group rides
late 80's ish Giant RS990 fixed conversion for the daily commute
early 80's Rossin track bike for those special days

I enjoy different rides but the older ones get ridden much less. Over the years I've done some short tours, commuting, fitness riding. For 5 years the bikes took me on local shopping trips, errands, etc.

85 Centurion tourer, now set up with cross tires for trail/fireroad riding
90 Fisher no suspension, when riding with my MTBing son
96 Co-Motion tandem, road riding with my kids - fully touring capable
99 Calfee, my lifetime dream bike before the high tech electronics bust
04 Tallerico, custom, lugged steel - light touring capable

Just given an early 80's Peugeot roadie with horizontal dropouts for possible SS/fixie project.

Within the family's stable I can use a Bridgestone city bike, a beach cruiser, and a Rocky Mt mtb bike.

RIghtnow I have a roadie and a MTB....soon there will be a Touring bike built up for the purpose of shopping...complete with "grocery bag" style panniers.

I'm going old school with it...Dura-Ace downtube shifters, and such. Might even dork the frame up abit to lower it's steal-me factor.

Right now, I have a multi-purpose comfort bike. (Trek Navigator 300)

When I got it 1 1/2 years ago, I didn't know what my level would be, whether I'd get more into off-road or road riding, etc... It was a good starter bike for someone who wasn't sure.

I recently just put road tires on it as I've discovered that I'm more of a road rider (mostly for weight loss). So maybe in a year or two if I increase my riding performace enough, I'll upgrade to a good road bike for me.

Downhill/fr bike - 2002 bighit with lots of mods
dirtjumping (adult sized bmx basically) - 2005 Transition TrailorPark - curstom build from the ground up
Xc/Trail/all rounder - 2002 Kona Roast

Roast is the bike I ride most but I don't prefer it, thats just the way I ride most. The other two are when I need a brain change :)

I am so firmly in favor of multi-purpose bikes that I have four of them.

:D

I had one bike that was a 'do it all' bike, a late 80's Rock Hopper. I currently have it setup with 26x1.25" slicks, and touring (climbing) gears. Its for anything that takes me out of town, or with lots of climbing. It is also my backup commuter bike, and will take anything I can toss at it.

My second bike is the dedicated commuter/around town bike, the fixed gear.

I am now down to 2 basic bicycles.
1. 1968 Vintage Phillips three speed bicycle.
2. 2003 Dahon Boardwalk S1 converted to Sturmey Archer AW three speed.

Both bicycles are intended to be used in similar circumstances. The Phillips has been a "Emergency Transport Vehicle" when public transit failed in the past. The Dahon was purchased to better the Phillips by it's folding ability and compact size. Both are commuters used in the same terrain routes. Both are Sunday Morning in the local park bikes. Both are used on the local train when running. Both get laughed at by it's nature of design (funny looking bikes!).

I already reduced my collection by sending my old Schwinn World road bike to charity since it was not as flexible or reliable as the internally hub gear ones I have at present.