purplenbrown

A bike you would use for all purposes for the rest of your life. How would you have it set up?

SkyDog75

Something versatile like a Bianchi Volpe. Something I can ride like a road bike, or on trails, or loaded for a tour.

steve0257

Something along the line of the old English 3 Speeds. If you have one that takes wider tires, with the correct accessories they are quite versatile bikes.

SparkyBeacon 

My one bike would be my Bike Friday New World Tourist. Now most people aren't into small-wheeled folding bikes. I think touring bikes in general are the type of bike to have for all purposes.

JBHoren

Good choice!! I've got one of those, and it's every bit as nice as you imagine it to be. I rode it during 2010-2012 in Fairbanks, AK; and, since then, down here on South Florida's busy roads. In every instance, it has acquitted itself admirably (hey! so have I!)

devianb

Just about any road bike with disc brakes, in particular the Canyon prototype.

krobinson103

This. After 4 years of experimenting I have the ideal bike for me. I'm 90kg and 190cm I ride my bikes hard. They break. This one won't.

Soma Doublecross DC frame 54cm (57cm top tube though - perfect!)
Custom bars developed by me for me. Love em.
SRAM X9 (9 speed) shifters, X9 RD, Shimano 105 FD.
Shimano Deore 530 series Hydrololic disks. Old school but they match the shifters and will take current xt/xtr pads.
53/39/30 Crankset and an 11-32 rear cassette
SLX hubs - very quiet and totally reliable.
Sun Rhyno lite rims. 36 spoke and very very strong
Complete battery pack/solar panel charging system for off the grid adventures - lights all use the same li ion batteries which I can charge on the move
Garmin Etrex Vista hcx for my navigation needs.


For touring I have a rack and bag/pannier setup. For CX I have 35c cx tires. For a fast spin I have 32c slicks. Want to get a generator hub, but other than that its perfect. You can keep your carbon fiber roadies, your suspended mtbs. This bike is ideal for almost anything I do. They will pry it from my cold dead hands! So far around 6000km since I built her 4 months back and I find no fault other than being a bit heavy - but I'll take heavy when I know theres no way I can break it.

fietsbob

Now or when I was Only 30?

knobster

I was going to say something like a touring bike like a Trek 520, but I like the Bike Friday idea even more. Super versatile. My Moots is close if it had eyelets for racks and fenders.

cyccommute 

'Tis a silly question but...

I'd have a mountain bike with a lockable front suspension at the very least. I'd probably choose a Moots YBB to take a bit of the edge off rough trails. Already got one



and I'd leave it set up just like you see it. A mountain bike won't be a fast as a road bike on pavement but it will do everything that a road bike will on the road and be a whole lot better off-road. It also does a better job in ice and snow.

Artkansas 

Specialized Hard Rock, already been enjoying it for 10 years

MisterK

I really love my current xc mtb. I get bike crushes every so often (vintage road bike sold, rigid mtb pulls my trailer now). This year I'm gonna try an cx/gravelgrinder....I still don't think it'll steal the spot in my heart for my xc mtb....

linnefaulk

I keep looking at Rivendell Sam Hillborne or the Cheviot.

Jarrett2

Or, "What is your current favorite bike?"







<--- Here's mine

gregjones

I've got it down to two right not. As much as I like the road bike, I think I'd have to go with the commuter. I'm quite confident that I will at some time have to carry something.

Robert C

I don't have one; but what comes to mind is a long tail recumbent trike. It just seems that it would be the most practical arrangement.

GP 

I'd get a bike called an All-Rounder.

Dfrost 

I would pick this one, my 1987 Marinoni SLX Sports Tourer.

I'm very comfortable on it doing everything I want to do on a bike (errands, commuting, day trips of any intensity, centuries, light touring, group rides if I were to resume those). Most importantly, it is so much fun to ride that I want to ride more often and farther. My other bikes, present and past, have not given me that feeling, at least not to the same degree in all those different types of rides. I have the luxury of a rather nice dedicated fender bike (the Rivendell Rambouillet), but every time I ride it, I find myself wishing I was riding the Marinoni. And if it was the only bike, I could easily put fenders on it.

John Redcorn

I've always wanted to ride some kind of 'bent and maybe have one of my own later on, but having never rode one, I'd think it'd be scary to see/be seen so much less being so much lower. I think I wouldn't feel comfortable around cars and trucks. Is it not that bad?

MRT2

My 2012 Salsa Casserol comes pretty close. It can be set up with fat tires, or thin, with a triple, compact double, or even single chainring. With derailleurs or with an IGH, or even as a single speed. It can be set up for commuting, light touring, day touring, or club riding. With fat tires, it can even handle light trails.

The 9 speed Tiagra is a little pedestrian, but I could see upgrading it to 105 or switching out for a mountain group like Deore XT someday when the components wear out.

catgita

Pretty much by definition, I would pick a 650b allroad randonnuer: Supple 42mm tires, Son dyno, Edilux II headlight, rando handlebar bag and front rack, Sram red brifters, 46/30 x 12-28, phil rear hub, steel frame tuned to my riding style, low trail geometry, rando drop bars double wrapped, anatomica saddle, full coverage aluminum fenders.

I am building such a machine now. I will be using it for commuting, group rides, fire roads, brevets, credit card touring, or anything else on a bike but racing.

BigC_82

Mine would be fat bike with lefty fork and fenders

krobinson103

I've actually sold my other 8 bikes and now only have my Soma. I can only take one bike box on the plane at the end of the month. So the tourer it be.

Robert C

I have ridden several bents and I have never been uncomfortable with the visibility. In fact it is quite the opposite, it is unusual enough that it garners quite a bit of attention. Consider, people watch the road and you a significantly higher than the surface of the road.

bikemig 

+ 1. This is my Soma doublecross, built up with bar ends, deore derailleurs, 36 hole deore xt hubs laced onto mavic A719 rims, 11-28 9 spd cassette, sugino triple (46-36-26):