It's time to thin my herd seriously. I have at least two bikes for every purpose. Well, wait, do I? What are the purposes for a bike?

- commuting and errands
- club rides
- hauling
- long distance touring
- winter riding
- 3-speed
- folding bike (for trains)

Clearly, the purposes overlap, but that's OK. Nothing is pure in my world. I work at home, so I don't strictly commute by bike. I live in a small town (for the NYC area), and most of my clients are close, and I visit them by bike at least half the time.

Have I left any out?

I might be making a major reorganization, rebuilding bikes for new purposes. This would involve moving parts from one frame to another and perhaps rebuilding wheels. In selling bikes, I might part them out, I might rebuild them before selling, and I might sell them as they are. There are lots of possibilities to keep me busy!

My Cross Check is a versatile bike, so I can imagine having two or more pairs of wheels for it.

What is 3-speed as a category? None, really, except that I just have to own a 3-speed. It's a reliable bike, and I can jump on it any time, without having to fix something before I head out. I don't even need to bind my trousers up, since it has a chainguard.

And to be honest, I haven't taken a loaded tour since 1982, but I still dream about it, so I want a bike fit for it. But it's the lowest priority now. When the time for my tour draws near, I'll probably want to build or rebuild a bike anyway.

For me, that "commuting and errands" category has several sub categories. I'll use almost all of my bikes for commuting, but only some in rain or snow. And if errands involve hauling groceries, I need to use one of two bikes that have rear racks for my grocery panniers. And if hauling involves a whole bunch of stuff, then it's my Specialized Hard Rock that's set up to hook on my trailer.

Another category for me are Brit bikes for club rides (my group is the Veteran Cycle Club--New England chapter). I have a few too many of those.

Neal

I use the same bike for the first 5 things you mentioned, and I don't need a folder or a 3-speed. It's all in your frame of mind. I just understand that I will not be able to carry as much cargo, or ride quite as fast in a group ride than if I had dedicated bikes for those purposes. But the one I have works fine, and will get me there.

I hate to admit it, but it's a misconception that you have to have the perfect bike for each and every possible function. It's nice, but definitely not required. In the name of simplicity and budget constraints, I use one bike for everything. I built the chopper in my sig as a novelty thing, but it's actually a capable bike, just doesn't have a rack or an upright riding position, so I rarely use it.

Light touring - one of those with a triple for tooling around the Ramapos.

The purpose of the bike is enjoyment - at least you have specific and varying uses (excuse's) for more than 1 bike. I have all the same bike mostly.
- club/daily/century or Main Road bike
- Cool Steel Bike/HTFU bike/
- Mountain Bike
- Cross/Hybrid
- Rain bike

The main road bike is really the only road bike I need, it is relatively new, has a nice component set, is super light and a joy to ride. I also ride trails so I have a MTB; I started with a Hardtail, perfect for the fire trails where I live. Then I saw lots of people on full suspension bikes, I added one to my fleet and began riding more complex trails. I got the old steel bug and bought and sold a few bikes before I found "Cool Steel Bike." This bike is fun, a bit heavier than my Main Road bike and has HTFU gearing. I cannot ride it on big climbs. I then discovered how fun it is to ride my fire trails on a Cross bike, a great workout and it really helped my climbing legs. So that is four useful bikes, with specific purposes. Unfortunately the Cool Old Steel bug doesn't stop with just one bike, I am building up two more of the things. And then I will be building up a nice steel hardtail. And then...

So I looked at the bikes and noticed my Cool Steel Road bikes were not of the same era! I had a '70s steel bike, an '80s steel bike and a '90s steel bike - My Main road bike is '00s so it all makes sense.

Then there is the so-called "Rain Bike". Shouldn't this be an Aluminum bike? Or is it just an older bike. I have the oldest bike owned by me targeted for that roll. It could also be the "Grocery Hauler", if I did that sort of thing. I think we all see the categories blur, the main thing is to get use out of the bikes. For me - if I find a bike simply doesn't get ridden - decisions will have to be made. Space and investment will be the mitigating factor.

What about aesthetics? The pleasure of looking at and handling a beautiful old bike means a lot to me and, I suspect, to all the followers of this list.

Tom, I think you're right on about the cross check. Vintage retrogrouchery aside, that's a super versatile bike (and IMO good looking for a modern bike) and now that you rock the trailer your hauling capabilities are much expanded. Your idea of a fast wheelset and a utility wheelset (like some big fat 26" to raise the gearing slightly) sounds like a good way to go for maximum bang per buck.

if you want to do some MTB'ing just get some knobby tires for it.

That, a 3 speed and a Folder pretty much covers the bases.

Me too...ditto...+1
You forgot racing Tom, but ...maybe not for we old coots.

My bikes are limited in purpose.

2 Road bikes, doubles with straight blocks.
3 Road bikes, doubles with up to 23t rears.
1 Road bike, triple.

Solo and group slow, normal, and hectic.

My bikes are all over the place. Some modern road bikes for group rides, two vintage bikes upgraded for group rides, 4 vintage MTBs for MUP rides, 4 MTBs for single track, at least one Nishiki and one Centurion road bikes because they are vintage and I really like them. Then theres a bunch of flippers that I need to finish and sell to pay off all the bikes I bought.

Almost all of my riding is either commuting, shopping, or going to a social event.
All my bikes are set up very similarly to support commuting & shopping, with rear rack and handlebar bag or front rack. Two of the bikes I acquired for the practical reason of reducing the wear and tear on my more precious bikes. The Versailles performs most of the commuting duties, while the Frankenvega is the shopper and damp weather commuter.
My other bikes I'm more nostalgic about. My Grand Jubilé I've owned since new, and is sporting the patina of a 32 year old unrestored bike that was and is regularly ridden. Since the bags & panniers I use for shopping and commuting are normally on the other bikes, the Moto is the one I like to take out for a relatively unloaded ride most of the time.
The FrankenCilo and Empire are still in the build stage.
The Cilo is definitely the best quality frame in my herd, i.e. Reynolds 531 double butted, and I'm looking forward to riding it for first time. It will be equipped with high end Italian, Swiss and French components from the 70's.
The Empire is the one I have the most nostalgia for, since the identical model one size smaller was my first high quality 10-speed, that I replaced with the Moto when I outgrew the frame. So I will be restoring the Empire to satisfy the nostalgia I feel for the one I owned previously.
When completed, the Cilo and the Empire will be equipped and used similarly to my already completed bikes.

I thank you all for these ideas. It gets my mind working in the right direction. I do realize that nothing is perfect, even when purpose-built, but purpose-building does help. I have even commuted on my "racing bike" (my McLean), when it's not wet out and I don't need to carry anything AND I can put it in a safe place. And I have gone on club rides with a heavy bike. But I do like at least a few bikes well suited to a job or two. And as I said, a little overlap is inevitable and even desirable. I realize I can do it all with one bike, but you know that ain't gonna happen.

I don't race, though I occasionally think I might try it again. I was in a relay team in the NYC triathlon this summer. I didn't prepare for it. I was a last minute substitute. It's an Olympic size triathlon, so the cycling leg was 25 miles, so it wasn't too hard. It was the first competition I was in since about 1983. I might do that again, but I'm not committed to it, so for the time being, I don't need a racing bike. I did the triathlon on my old McLean, only because my Cross Check's rear wheel is out of commission for a while.

Ćsthetics are important, and that's where my McLean comes in. It's my pride and joy. I also like a few of my other bikes to look good, but not all of them. I recently acquired a Raleigh International frame, and it might be my upscale commuting bike. That's my idea for it for the time being, but I'm not fixed on any particular idea. Nothing in this life is permanent anyway.

I can't mix 700c and 26" wheels on my cross check because I'd have to do major brake adjustments with wheel changes. But I certainly can have wide-ish rims and knobby tires.

I don't do much trail riding at all. I might, but I think a cross bike is adequate for now.

So come to think of it, there are several categories I don't need to build for right now:

- long distance touring
- racing
- off road riding

Snow riding is similar to trail riding, though. I don't feel the need for suspension on any bike, either, for now.

I have a Twenty as my folding bikes. It's completely stock, so the ride sucks. Not sure if I'll modify it or sell it. I'm keeping it for (1) sentimentality and (2) in case I find a need for it.

I forgot fixed gear riding. I like to do that occasionally. It might be easy to make a wheel for one of my existing bikes and somehow make it easy to swap in gearing and fixed gear wheels. Not sure about that. Any ideas?

Bikes I'm working with:

- McLean racing bike from 1982. It weighs a shocking 26 pounds. Never selling it.
- Cross Check. Not selling it because it would hurt the feelings of my friend who gave me an insane price on it.
- Raleigh International frame only
- Cannondale aluminum MTB frame and fork only
- Raleigh Twenty in original condition
- Rudge 3-speed with original equipment but needs work
- Raleigh Super Course Frankenbike that I've optimized for my commuting and touring. This should go, but I'll miss it dearly. I've given people test rides on it, and people have offered to buy it. Converting it somehow might make sense to sell it. It has a 12-speed friction drive train of 1970's and 1980's SunTour stuff and a Shimano freewheel. 27" lightweight wheels I build way back in about 1984.
- Trek 720 hybrid frame, built into a complete commuting Frankenbike by another mechanic. This has a 9-speed indexed drivetrain with bar-end shifters. The ride is luscious but it's too damned heavy. I think I should move the drivetrain to the International, downgrade this bike, and sell it. Probably turn it back into a doofy hybrid.

I have fenders and racks and components flowing out of all of my orifices, so I shouldn't need to purchase much, if anything, to get the bikes I need.

So if you want to puzzle over an engineering problem, design a fleet for me at minimum cost that might make me a profit if I sell the expendable things. Having written all of this now, I see I'm left with probably three road bike frames:

- McLean, which I don't think I'll modify much or at all
- Cross Check
- Raleigh International

I'd love it if the 9-speed drivetrain fit on the International. But hmm, if it doesn't, it's the makings of a stout pair of wheels for my Cross Check. Hey, I like the way you think, Tom Reingold!

I bet Sixty Fiver will say something like put the fixed gear wheel on the Rudge or the Twenty. It might make sense on paper, but I'm not sure I want to ride a heavy fixie. But I could be convinced. Maybe I can lighten the Twenty well, put on drop handlebars, and build some racing wheels for it. Wow, more ideas come up as I write!

ZB has wrote exactly what I would've.

I just finished thinning the herd down to four. I kept two road bikes for sentimental reasons, one which I do regulary ride, the other for a rain bike (Yeah, that's showing the love!) and my triple equipped bike for centurys, for when my knee acts up and for the Hill Country. The mountain bike is really the do-it-all bicycle with a change of tires and a dampening adjustment to the front fork.

Brad

Wait a sec. Those three road frames are all going to be too valuable, unless I manage to build the International cheap. Yes, I'd be downtrodden if the bike were stolen, but I wouldn't be out much money.

But still, I oughta have a cheapie bike like my Super Course. The paint on it is pretty bad, so I don't care when I lean it up against a signpost to lock it and it gets another scratch.

I could keep the Super Course for that purpose. But then there's too much redundancy.

I wonder if I could lighten up the Rudge a bit. I could put plastic fenders on it, aluminum stem and bars, and maybe an aluminum crank. It could surely benefit from aluminum rims, and while I'm at it, I could change to 650B wheels. But this is nuts, isn't it? I have a heavy, practical bike in the Trek 720. It's heavier than a typical road bike, but it's much easier to pedal than an old 3-speed.

Oy, I'm confused again!

I guess the idea of making a stealthy 3-speed is appealing. Plus if I keep the IGH, I could equip it with a drum (hub) brake front wheel, making it very suitable for rain and snow and hauling. And I could swap out the 3-speed wheel and toss in the fixed gear wheel for fun fixie rides.

This would enable me to get rid of the 720. While the 720 is more practical than the Rudge, the Rudge's presence is fixed in my fleet, and the 720 is expendable and sellable.

So now I have

- Cross Check with two pairs of wheels. It has an Ultegra 9-speed (27-speed) drivetrain with brifters.
- McLean, as is. It has a 12-speed friction drive train with bar end shifters.
- Raleigh International for elegant commuting and errands but to be kept mostly shiny.
- Rudge that serves a real purpose, not mere sentimentality for old English 3-speeds. This will need work and would involve expense, but I can do it over time.
- Twenty waiting for a raison d'ętre.

Noglider - I don't know if you rember the days when we just needed two pair of shoes maybe three at the most if you included Sunday shoes - All of our shoes are kind of like bikes - Each with a special purpose...

I find it much easier to thin out my shoes...

Tom, I wavered quite a bit before I made my decisions, the last bike to go was actually the nicest of the bunch... it was the only one I hadn't crashed!

Brad

Don't forget tinkering. If all I had was my one rider, I'd have nothing to tinker on. I try to keep at least one bike around just for monkeying with. It's best if it has at least one feature that I've never monkeyed with before.

^ I don't think Tom should be taking "thin the herd" advise from someone that lists their Craigslist region in their signature.

Neither should I. I just added a tandem to ride with the kids. They're stoked(Pardon the pun) by the idea.

Just 2 will do:

1, An everyday road bike to put on the miles and keep the pounds off doubles as a commuter

2, Fendered roadbike, more gears for those longer rides with friends and adventures into parts unkown

Oh, yeah..............

There's the Mountian bike which doubles as the winter bike cuz it doen't mind salt and can carry, drag or pull anything and then a Tandem just in case I want to bring a freind along, oh and a folder if I ever wanted to hop the trian into the city and a 3 spd for Sunday rides, very proper you know. Oh, and I forgot, a project bike to tinker with.

See 2 bikes are all you need.

Why not go with the 3 speed/fixed wheelset idea on the supercourse? It would surely be lighter than the rudge and still serve your quote on quote beater function, as well as the 3 speed and the fixed gear. I can't imagine that Rudge would a great fixed candidate.

Where did I read that a 650b set up would do it all? I'm starting to think how absolutely perfect one, beautiful bike would be.

Doin well so far.

If you wanna drop another off that list, keep in mind that of the ones you'd part with, the International would probably bring you the most $$$ and IMHO is of similar purpose however not quite as awesome as the McLean

Yes, let me also encourage you to think about letting that International go. Just doesn't seem to fit your needs, bring it over and we'll have some beers and talk about it some.

I got a fixed Phillips 3 speed that I adore. The Rudge would likely be similar.

There's three kinds of people in this world, Gnome, those who can count and those who can't.