ofajen

I ride our local trail system, so my “ideal” bike is probably the normal bike I see on those trails, a modern gravel bike with a 1x drivetrain and running some good 700x38 tires.

OTOH, I really don’t mind riding my cheap vintage road build with 32mm tires, especially since I switched from thin bar tape to Sunlite bar foam. That knocks down the chatter from the crushed stone.

I’ve also found that even when it is cold and muddy, I can manage to stay upright as long as I ride carefully and run a cyclocross tire on the front. I just leave the slick on the back all year. Once it gets warm and dry I can switch the front wheel to the slick tire.

Otto

wolfchild

I have three "wrong bikes" which according to some people are less than optimal for any type of riding....but the only thing I am really sacrificing or compromising is some speed which to me is irrelevant because I don't ride to chase numbers. Putting speed aside, I've been using my "wrong non-optimal bikes" for all types of riding in all types of terrain and weather conditions and including 100 mile century rides.

canalligators

For winter riding, including errands, a Del Rio Lowboy crank forward, with fenders and studded tires.
For epic touring, I use my Rans V-Rex short wheelbase recumbent with underseat panniers.
For light touring (sagged or credit card), I use my '73 Raleigh International, with rear rack.
For non-technical offroad touring, I use my Rans Sequoia crank forward.
For a tour having segments in the middle using train or bus, I use my folding Raleigh Twenty with racktop and small front panniers. I also use this bike for running errands in non-winter.
For club rides, a road bike, '80 Raleigh Professional.
For technical offroad, a 1990 GT Timberline MTB.
For recreational rides on open roads, my Optima Baron low racer.
For social rides and tours, the Vision R82 recumbent tandem.

For recreational rides, whichever of the above I feel like riding.

Russ Roth

This is the one I tend to grab the most. I'm hopeful I'll build a new wheelset for this using the same hubs but deeper rims for more road use and keep this set for offroad. With wider road tires, though I guess 27c aren't considered wide now, I can easily hit dirt roads, rail trails and do extended road miles. With cross tires I often hit the local beginner to intermediate trails and work on speed and handling for cross season, and also good for the rougher gravel areas. If its a road race then I use the road bike, if its real MTBing then I use the mtb. But this is the one I'm inclined to lean towards.

dedhed

Depends on how compromised your roads are...

tFUnK

Seems like there's nothing "wrong" about your bikes, then 👍 Wonder if you've ever tried a "right" bike, just for comparison? I'm as prone as any to not miss what I never had.

daihard 

These are the bikes I have. I take the road bike most of the time, including commuting, runing errands, meeting friends, etc. I also ride the cargo e-bike when I need to take our daughter to daycare, appointments, etc., on my own. When we travel as family, the cargo bike goes to my wife.

A new light rail station willl open within biking distance in a few years. I hope to get a cheap bike to ride between home and the station. Until then these two bikes will do.

Ironfish653

Had one bike for everything for years; a nice Cannondale F-1000 hard tail; since my primary riding was parks/trails, with the occasional light commuting. Like tFUnK said: with only one bike, sometimes only one bike means it might be too much or not enough, for a given day.
Or you get tired of changing slicks to knobbies every weekend, or re-rigging your bags every time you want to run errands.

I’ve got the space now, I have 5; all of them older, and most acquired second hand, but selectively upgraded and modernized for their intended use:

I don’t have to worry about what to do with the rack and baskets for a trail ride, because they’re on the townie, not the MTB, or whether I’m going to be able to hang with the coffeehouse sportive on my knobby tires, because I’ve also got a “fast” road bike.
I can also have a “fun” bike; in my case, an old Klein MTB done as a 26” BMX, which isn’t particularly great at any one thing, but is a lot of fun to ride, and it looks really cool.

rsbob 

I enjoy fast distance riding, so my choice is an endurance framed bike with 28s.

canalligators

I like the "mantle piece" description. My Pro is certainly that, with a little dolling up it will be like new. I definitely ride it!

Same idea with people who have bikes as lawn decorations. Man, put some air in the tires, oil the chain and take that puppy for a ride!

Robert7659

For me any bike will do for any and every thing.

However, the best is an endurance bike with 28mm to 32mm tires.

rumrunn6

I have 3 (well 4 but I haver to get rid of 1)

• road bike for obvious use
• mountain bike, again for obvious use
• hybrid, which fills in the gaps & usually gets selected for rides w/ family

Cdubs

I haven't tried one yet but I am thinking the gravel bike setup would be best for me. Right now I have a dual suspension mountain bike for off-road trails, a vintage road bike for some fun on the paved trails and a hardtail cheap steel mountain bike for my daily commuter too and from work a few times a week.

I have replaced the main shock on the off-road bike to something stiffer and replaced the cheap daily mountain bike tires with something more suited to pavement and asphalt trails. Maybe this summer I'll bit the bullet on a gravel bike.

staehpj1

I ride daily on mixed surfaces that include about half single track with lots of roots and some ruts. There is also some nice packed sand "gravel" riding and some pavement to get to and from there. I find a 29er hardtail MTB to be pretty much ideal for that. I might some ride my old rigid MTB if the roots weren't so numerous and harsh. I do ride it now and then if I ride different trails than usual. There are plenty of options nearby that suit it and would also suit a nice new gravel bike.

I tour on road and on mixed surfaces, but don't like touring bikes much. I enjoyed riding the southern tier on my old 1990 cannondale crit bike packing uktralight camping gear. I have also done ul touring on mixed on/off road on the rigid MTB. Both worked out really well, but I'd consider a gravel bike for all but the most technical off road if buying something new.

work4bike

I don't have a picture of my ideal bike, but this is the ideal cycling.


That's not a dog in the background

Although deer are much like dogs in many parts of the Blueridge parkway.

prairiepedaler

There has been a lot to ponder here in this thread, and thank you to the contributors.

Spring has started to show itself here finally (thank the heavens). In Winnipeg, getting around winters by bike is hard.

A dedicated winter bike would be nice, but the three season general purpose bike gets ridden in winter too. Ideally; a winterbike, a general purpose with load carrying capability, then a faster bike which is presentable in social circles. Another permutation is the general purpose which does winter duty as well, a faster bike and a more dedicated cargo bike.

Out of all those, the general purpose one would get used the most for sure. It's nice to have some bike type choices absent the fallback option of a car. It feels strange riding in a car now whenever that happens.

Hypno Toad

I am fortunate to have the room and the support of Frau Toad to keep a nice catalog of bikes. The funny truth answering the question about which of these bikes I 'just use' ... the answer is: all of them! The drop-bar Pugsley in the back is always the winter bike, but I put a ton of miles on it all year. Once the snow melts (I'm near Minneapolis, and there's still deep snow everywhere!), I'll use all these bikes, picking one based on the days ride. My rule, if I'm not using the bike, I get rid of it.

eljayski

This:

It was love at first sight and I had to have it!

Fredo76

^^^
Dig the bottle cage!

50PlusCycling

My latest project. I’ve been putting this bike together for the last few weeks, upgrading to the Dura Ace 7700 kit and Capreo 9-26 cassette, the last part remaining is the front derailleur which should be on by next week. I had always wanted a Moulton, and after receiving and riding this one, I can see why people love them. A wonderful ride, compact, and can be disassembled and carried in a bag. Now that the weather is looking better, I hope to put a lot of miles on this bike.

Kapusta

I’m of the same mindset. I do many types or riding and no bike is going to be much good at more than one of these uses.

1. “All Road” bike (sort of between Endurance Road and Gravel) with fast 35-38mm tire for all paved and gravel road riding.
2. 140mm FS MTB for mountain biking when the trails are not muddy and snow covered.
3. Fat Bike for when the trails are muddy or snow covered
4. Commuter / Utility bike.

Chuck Naill

Does anyone remember the TV show, Then Came Bronson? Bronson rode a Harley Davidson Sportster that he used for traveling about and by removing some parts using it as a hill climber. I always think about my Kona Sutra this way. I use it for the road, but by removing the luggage, ride the trails with my family.

Robert7659

A gravel bike with 32mm to 38mm slick puncture resistant tires (like Schwalbe Marathon Plus) easily combines the all-road and utility features. I have the Cannondale Topstone. With the handlebar lowered it’s a wide tire capable heavy duty road bike.

My race-y endurance bike is really nice to have but not that different or necessary really.

Chuck M 

Billy Joel sang "a bottle of red, a bottle of white. It all depends upon your appetite". Thus it is with bikes.

Photokid1970

I went into my LBS in 2015 and told them I wanted a bike. The salesman said "Road or Mountain?" I told him I didn't know the difference. He asked me questions and led me to a Trek Dual Sport Hybrid. My friends have since told me that I was dumb to pay full price for a bike instead of purchasing from CL or other used places... but I find that my LBS did me a great favor.

I've read all of the posts about what constitutes a gravel bike vs a MTB, and I know a lot more about the terminology now than I did 8 years ago. If I had it to do all over again, I'd get the exact same thing. Sure, it lacks a little on the road and all that, but for riding on trails or the neighborhood streets with my kids, it is perfect.

And yes, I did get also get a road bike for the days I'm going out by myself, and it is better. My favorite will be whichever one I'm riding, because they do different things. I'm not gonna do big steep hills that require the MTB setup, so I've been lucky that I've had no buyer's remorse. As many do on these forums, I say that the LBS is definitely the way to go!