WickedOne513

What classification of bike would you own if you could only own one kind?

chewybrian 

Touring seems like the closest to an all-purpose choice. I've ridden club rides and randos on my LHT (did 300 miles in a day once), and also commuted, done loaded tours, and hauled a big load o' groceries.

Artkansas 

Roody

Good old fashioned mountain bike, hard tail with or without suspension fork. They're sturdy and reliable, and permit departures from pavement. I also like the semi-upright riding posture, which cuts wind resistance while remaining "heads up" in traffic. Also they're pretty cheap.

fietsbob

You throwing in a top flight affordable public transportation system and no bike theft in your Utopia?

Rowan

A quality touring bike.

GodsBassist

It would be between my touring and road bike. Necessity would probably dictate touring. (gotta get those groceries) It's not as fun, though!

Rowan

The beauty of a touring bike with the right widths on the fork and chainstays at the BB is that you can go from narrow wheels and tyres for a bit of fun, to wide and fat for 29er/CX style of offroad. Even with just 32s or 35s on our touring bikes, we can handle some of the offroad trails on offer around here without dramas.

The rack braze-ons really help for load carrying solutions, the rear triangle is sturdy enough to take a trailer, and as far as I can see, a conversion to a cargobike wouldn't take much work, either.

A couple of sets of wheels and tyres in the garage, and you've got yourself a bike that can do almost anything.

surreal

Choice #1 : full-rigid mtb with fender/rack braze-ons. I recently picked up a Panasonic Mountain Cat frameset to build into an all-rounder
Choice #2 : Surly cross-check.

But, I'm very thankful that I don't have to have just one.

no1mad 

Based upon current needs and location, my bike (model info) fits the bill for me. It has street tires currently, but I've got clearance for knobbies or studded tires, but not sure at what size I'd run into a conflict with the fenders...

If I lived in a denser urban environment where space of all kinds was at a premium, I'd opt for a minivelo, as finding a folder that would support my 230+ pounds (at a price I can tolerate) is difficult.

lasauge 

Call it what you like, but I'd pick a bike with 700c wheels, wide range gearing, the ability to run wider tires, and the mounting points for racks and fenders.

Here's my do-it-all build, frame is a Pake C'Mute:

Smallwheels

Fully enclosed velomobile. I choose that because I can't ride conventional bicycles leaning forward due to an injury. If I could ride in that position I would probably choose a Moulton fully suspended bicycle or something similar. Tiny wheels accelerate very fast and are a blast to ride. I would have kept my Dahon Smooth Hound with my Thudbuster suspension seat post if I could handle that position.

catonec 

cyclocross

wipekitty

I'm going to have to second the Surly cross-check (or a similarly styled frame). Fixed gear setup with a front brake...not much can go wrong. Two wheelsets: one with skinny tires for the summer, good weather commutes, and road biking; one with wider knobby tires for winter and trails; both set up flip flop with two different fixed cogs.

amdoo

Big Dummy. It's my grocery getter/general utility bike but I have commuted on it as well. Hard to beat the cargo capacity and comfort. That being said, LHT is a very close second. Yeah, I know, having drunk the Surly Kool Aid, I'll never be the same.

canascrews

I'm another that would say a cross check , fixed of course . You can mount any kind of rack or fenders on it as your needs change . Sadly , I'm another that cannot take that riding position anymore due to injuries . So I ended up with a Civia halsted . Rides just like a city bike and can carry an easy 100lbs.

enigmaT120

What utopia only allows one kind of bike?

I guess I would keep my Fargo.

B. Carfree

Bingo. I've used my touring bike on relatively challenging single-track, for fully loaded touring on and off-road, commuting, grocery runs and ridden double centuries in under 8 hours. I just change the wheels, tires, rack/fender situation and sometimes alter the gearing and/or pedals to what I want/need for the situation. Sure, it's a bit heavier than most road bikes, but if I want to reduce the weight I just remove some of the excess on the engine, which happens to be a free upgrade.

ro-monster

Mini-velo. There's something about them that I just love, not for any particularly practical reason.

Roody

I don't know much about mini-velo bikes. Can you say a little more about why you like them?

GuyWood

Have to agree with the hardtail MTB, especially if fitted with touring style tyres. Basically, my main bike:

fietsbob

My Bike friday gets most use .. until there's snow and Ice on the ground.

then the 26" wheel w studs is better..

Smallwheels

Look at these sites. My favorite is the Moulton. My second favorite is a tie between a Tyrell and a Birdy.

https://www.foldingstyle.net/2013/05/...ing-bikes.html

https://gear11.blogspot.com/2010/11/j...-for-2011.html

https://www.tyrellbike.com/products/pk1/

https://www.moultonbicycles.co.uk/

Quick steering and fast acceleration are two reasons I like them. The 16" and 20" wheels (406 & 451) are also stronger than larger wheels.

gerv 

I don't own a MTB but if I had to go with one bike...

mconlonx

Surly Troll.

Or better yet, a 90s rigid MTB with better spec, US-made frame. 26" wheeled do-everything bike.

That or a Xootr Swift, Bike Friday or other 20" wheeled folding bike.