N-1 (where N is the number of bikes that would make her leave you)

This is it. I have about 14 (I like old bikes and they are relatively cheap) and was going to get another tonight until she gave me that look. I listed 2 of the current fleet on craigslist

Ok, I get it. You can never have too many bikes. Thanks for the help.

Define "bike" I have somewhere in the vicinity of 30, I don't know if that includes the frames and parts or just the whole bikes, you would have to ask her.

Most of mine are vintage and there are a few duplicates. Some are unusual, others not so much but I like them and ride them.

Aaron

I don't know....maybe 160 or so....100 rideable...60 pretty close to riding condition...they need to be taken apart and put back together again!
A lot of my bike/bicycles have been residing in basements, garages, sheds, even a bedroom for 40 years or so! We give a lot of the bikes away or trade with some of my collectors. I do sell some bikes to augment my tool box. I try to run my hobby like a business. No home $s were hurt during the commision of this indulgence! No guilt!

Storing and maintains all of my project bikes, my riders, the kids bikes, and my wife's bike; I'm thinking less is more.

My only bike i have now is my Trek 520 touring bike which i use for everything, so one is all you need if you live simple like me.

I have a mtb and road bike and working on a track bike atm. I still need a cx bike and I think that would be it. I don't need a tt bike; I would barely use it because it's so impractical where I live (or where anyone would live?!) unless you race, which is pretty much all it's for.

My ideal setup with my small apt in Taiwan.

solid but cheap commuter bike stored in common area - $160 KHS mountain bike (3+ yrs old)
Surly LHT for touring - coming next week
Fuji Newest 1.0 road bike - in an ideal world I keep this to have a fast bike but space and money is tight - probably getting sold
Bike Friday or different high end folding bike for short touring trips in Asia - do not have but high on my list

I was at a party once when somebody asked me how many bikes I had. I was considering how to count. Does a bike that just lacks a seat count? How about if you have all the parts in a box? Should a bare frame count? My wife jumped in and sakd "He has 8 bicycles." The rest of the night I kept wondering which ones she didn't know about.

Funny thing about goldfish...they will grow into any space they are introduced into!
More space, more bikes!
Oh! I am the goldfish!

I have two single recumbent bikes that I ride. A tandem recumbent bike that we ride. Plus a hybrid bike that mostly just hangs in the garage.
My wife has a hybrid bike that she rides. My older son's older MTB frameset is in the attic. That's it.

I have three. One hardtail mtb with slicks as my do it all weekend bike, one cargo/kid carrier, and one dirt cheap flat bar roadie as a commuter/beater. Not into drops so they pretty much do all I need a bike to do. Also three makes sure I'm never short a bike to get to work. Not that I'd be happy with a 2000 dollar mtb parked outside. Hopwfully ut never comes to that. Also have a 50cc scooter left over from my motorcycle days. If ever I can't pedal to work that will do.

Road, Mountain, Tandem, Touring , Folder, SWB recumbent, ahh but I think I'll need a lighter road bike very soon, or a LWB recumbent. Looks like N + 1 to me is optimum

OP, you seem to have the right idea. As you say, the 'cross bike would be an adequate tourer and an ideal commuter. keep the MTB, P2 and Road bike and you're pretty much covered.

Personally I have an expedition tourer that is sufficiently heavy-duty to serve as utility bike and will take a suspension fork if I ever want to take on real MTB terrain - I usually don't. Then there's the road bike I train and race on, and the FG/SS (flip-flop hub) that I tool around town on and sometimes use as a winter training bike. Plus there's another road bike in bits that now serves as back-up in case I break the racing bike.

That pretty much covers the bases for me. I'm tempted by the idea of a TT bike but really, I'm not a serious time-triallist.

(Oh, and then there's the custom steel road bike I'm having built. But that is an entirely different story, it has nothing to do with need and everything to do with self-indulgence).

4 mountian bikes, 1 recumbent, 1 road bike, 1 hybrid, 2 choppers, 1 cargo bike, 3 sting rays, 1 beach cruiser, 2 fat tire bikes, 1 western flyer, a few more I can't think of. I was told when I had 15 no more till I get rid of some I have, now have 26. I was very lucky to find a new mountian bike same color combination as the last one I bought, that's not new I just cleaned it up. I don't have too many, just not enough space.

I want to get the number of bikes down to the following:

1. Univega Gran Turismo. Reliable and comfortable mileage maker

2. Univega Super Strada. Fast road bike

3. Schwinn S 95 .2 MTB converted to a rigid beater bike. All arounder, no big loss if stolen

4. American Eagle vintage roadster. For contemplative riding at a dignified pace.

An old unappreciated FS mountain bike would be nice

Having too much of anything is usually not good. More bikes equal more maintenance and more time spent trying to decide which one to ride. I find (and not just with bikes, but with virtually all endeavors) that people who are loaded down with equipment/paraphernalia tend to spend most of their time futzing with the equipment/thinking about it; and less time actually enjoying the use of it.

Nothing wrong with having lots of bikes or whatever, if that's what you enjoy- but very few people actually need more than two or three bikes.

I find that I tend most to enjoy an activity when I minimalize the equipment, and can concentrate on having one or two good items that I really like and which work well; and to which I can devote more attention to keeping in good shape- and especially so with something like a bike, which actually becomes an extension of your body.

Go for quality of relationship rather than quantity. Too many wives; too many children; too many cars; too many bikes, can all be bad things. You don't need a different bike for every little different riding circumstance. One skinny-tire bike and one fat-tire bike should pretty much be able to cover most conditions.

I agree that I don't need all these bikes but this is one of my hobbies. My other hobby is photography and I have a collection of film cameras.

I like futzing with all of my bikes, I was a bike mechanic at an LBS during high school and part-time after college. doing maintenance is therapeutic, I am the mechanic for my fleet and my bike shop is my fortress of solitude.

My wife was the one that suggested that I get different bikes, she preferred that I ride bikes and that would keep me out of trouble.

I also enjoy deciding which bike I will be riding, I am going on a semi supported credit card tour this summer and have been setting up a rode bike with a front bag and large trunk bag. I decided not to use the tourer since it is heavy compared to my carbon road bike and this ride is pretty flat, but I have been riding my tourer for training.

I also like the variety of bikes that I have

Waterford Road bike (its an older frame but the craftsmanship is beautiful)
3 Italian road bikes (zullo 80s, bianchi 90s and masi 90s)
Cannondale hybrid (I only have one aluminum bike and I like how clean the welds are finished on these bikes)
south american road bike (keeping this because it is unusual)
Giant Carbon Road bike (my only carbon bike)
Jamis touring bike (nice tourer that I got for a great price, I have made a few mods to the gearing)
Eisentraut TT bike (it's an Eisentraut!)
Tern Folder (Folder)
Specialized Stumpjumper "83" (this is one of the early Stumpjumpers it doesn't have the crowned fork)

I would like to get a different touring frame with SS couplers, a Pinarello Road bike and maybe a Ti frame just to try one out. I'm getting to the point where I like the bikes I have but just want to do some mods to try something different like Rohloff speed hub and dyno hub.

You know, I can actually understand and empathize with that. I like working on bikes, too; and I appreciate their beauty. I actually wish that I could make my living fooling with them (I live in very rural area now, where no one rides.....so no chance of that!)......but on the other hand, I tend to be a minimalist. I think, despite the fact that it would be cool to have all of your bikes to putter with; ride and enjoy....I think I would feel burdened if I had too much money invested in bike stuff; or spent too much time puttering with them; etc.

So thye obvious solution, is for you to move to my neck of the woods, so I can enjoy YOUR bikes...and then go home - Like grandparents do with grandkids!

I found that working at a bike shop that the owners had less time to ride because they were fixing bikes for everyone else that wanted to ride when it was nice. The casual bike owner does not bring his bike into a shop during the winter season but thinks about it when it starts to get warm enough to ride.

I was thinking that after my daughter graduates from college and has kids that I can help with those bikes, I still have the Burley Trailer and Burley Piccolo for the future grand kids. That way I can extend the number of bikes that I can work on when I visit.

I like working on bikes because it's so much easier; cleaner; and more pleasant than working on cars/trucks/tractors. What you describe about bike shops though, is exactly what I'd fear. (Bet those guys were hardly making any money, either, after all was said and done....)

I thought that when I retire it might be enjoyable to work at a bike shop but have decided against it since I enjoy my cycling. And I have so many bike I will always have something to work on. And I'm sure that my wife will have quite the honey-do list.

I have only one - an '86 Super Sport with new wheels and bar ends. Who could want more than a 16-speed Super Sport?