Haha - and then one for the rain, and then a gravel bike, and then one for when the temperature is between 60-70 with slightly overcast skies, and then one to match my favorite socks, and then one to hang on the wall,......

I get it

exactly!

A gravel bike would probably be a good option. You could put a trainer tire on it (or get just a cheap trainer wheel with trainer tire). But it would give you something with different capabilities and you could still manage to have disc brakes for wheelset swapping - if needed, you could toss the road wheels on the gravel bike to ride on the road if the road bike is in the shop.

Here's the problem: You get a groupset of components that you happy with (for me: Shimano 6603, 10 speed). You know that in just a short time this group will be replaced by all manner of new electronic, hydraulic, etc. stuff; and your parts are now obsolete and unobtainable. So, you need to start spending your money stockpiling all of your parts that will wear out.

If you have multiple bikes, stockpiling multiple groupset parts gets mighty expensive and complicated. So, I keep Shimano 10-speed triple groups on my 3 brifter bikes, and I keep Campagnolo Racing T parts on my three 6-speed friction shifter bikes. Now I have a parts bin that can service the 6 bikes.

I disagree to the point of "we'd be nuts to spend 700 - 1000 extra for cross compatibility"

It's easy to imagine swapping out wheels for different purposes, but frankly I've never wound up doing that. Even with spare wheelsets in the closet for that specific reason, it's been a rare thing.

If we were talking about some deep section carbon fiber high dollar aero wheels that would be a different story, but we're not. Just regular wheels on 2 different bikes, there's no reason to ensure that you can swap them around. Let alone spend all that extra for it.

I’ve learned not to “stockpile” parts. I usually end up stuck with old new parts in the box that I no longer need.

I think the same thing would happen if I made decisions based on getting bikes to use the same components. As soon as I set up a second bike to match the first, I’ll end up changing the first.

But I guess a second bike is better than parts in a bin.

There are some things I "like". Like Ultegra 6703, XT Dyna-sys. Yokozuna Reaction cables. Both bikes go up hills a lot, and I like both bikes to stop and shift crisply.
Frames on the other hand are quite different, and that's where I'm interested in the different character.

On another bike I have bar-end shifters and they just annoy the crap out of me. Some day I'll have brifters on that one too.

I guess my personal point of view is that most of the time I'm not trying to ride a different bike. Instead I'm trying to ride a different route, and the route wants a different bike.

I can solve your problem...stockpile the parts into a good sturdy box for shipping and then bring it on down to USPS or FedEx or DHL or UPS office and ship it over to me that way you get to have those spare parts but you aren't stuck with them

You will want to stock pile some XT and Ultegra Di2 stuff and if you have any previous stock piles of Dura Ace 7400 and any XT M737 or XTR M900/M950 Rear derailleurs and shifters those are also handy. Also could use a couple extra XTR Octalink BBs and probably wouldn't hurt to have a couple sets of 25th anniversary Dura Ace lying around just in case.


The idea of multiple bikes is great but just a back up bike maybe not so much. Also keeping some spare parts is good especially for common wear items but I wouldn't buy new derailleurs and shifters and such unless I was trying to build another bike it is a big expense on something you may not need. However having old parts in bins can be quite nice, I have certainly built 4+ bikes out of parts bin items and could build more should I want and that is a fun making things all work together and play nice and have a random hodgepodge of stuff.

Nine of my bikes are compatible with each other. If my gravel and road bikes could switch wheels, that'd be great. In practice though, it's never been an issue.

I wouldn't get two bikes that are essentially the same. Maybe get a replacement that's still a good trainer but also good for something different, like gravel or touring.

Same type of pedals is nice. For me, look for road and spd for dirt and trails. Keeps the shoe closet less crowded.

If you have multiple bikes intended for the same purpose then matching components is probably a good idea. But most people I know, even those with extensive fleets of bikes, usually only have one bike for each purpose - one 'road' bike, one CX or gravel or touring bike which would generally have tires too wide to fit on a road bike, or a fat bike and an XC mountain bike, again with tires that cannot be interchangeable.

The only thing that I have standardized are pedals. I don't want to have different shoes for different bikes.

Spending extra for electronic shifting sounds kind of crazy,

but having swappable wheelsets is good if available.

What about from a purely maintenance perspective? Do you think not having to deal with adjusting/replacing shift cables, etc. be worth the extra cost?

If anything, I see more folks having trouble with their electronic shifting than with mechanical.

Dropout of function, dead batteries, broken FD, mysterious wiring issues.

I know they're very popular, & not bashing.

Also, for me the backup bike is for foul weather, mixed rides, loaner, & lower theft potential, so high-strung and expensive is not the best choice.

Thanks everyone for the input, really helpful to get different perspectives. Ended up going with the mechanical, rim brake bike. Think it should fit the bill very well. Why I love BikeForums.