cooker

Twelve years, I guess. I started bike commuting around 1992 and after I ruined my first (used) bike due to ignorance, I bought a used Panasonic sport tourer and used it as my main bike from about 1993-2005. Then I got my used Trek 520 and it has been my main commuter for 10 years, so eventually it may surpass the Panasonic.

I owned a recreational bike from about 1968 to 1984 or so when it got stolen, so that is probably my longest ownership, but I didn't ride much for most of that time.

My wife has an old bike from around 1974 in the garage but she doesn't ride it. It's a nice looking Bridgestone English-style bike with northroad bars and a five speed downtube shift rear derailleur.

Artkansas 

My new bike, a Bacchetta Giro 20, is about 7 years old now. My oldest bike, an American Eagle/Nishiki was made in about 1972, I started riding it in '76 and purchased it in '78. My daily driver, a Specialized Hard Rock, was made in about 1988 I got it in 2002.

gerv 

I've been riding and acquiring bikes for about 10 years. I have an old Fuji road bikes I have been riding since about 2007. I have swapped out various parts of it.. the frame was replaced after an interaction with a car in 2011.. although I managed to rehab the wheels and various other parts. I dented the top tube last year, but not enough to scrap it. I painted it sky blue last summer... with a paint brush and some rustoleum. It looks gorgeous.

B. Carfree

Our bodies do a bit of that too. I suppose the vast majority of the atoms we had a few decades ago have been replaced, but each of us is still considered to be the same person, albeit older and, for some, wiser.

Now, breathe in, breathe out and keep that replacement activity going.

Roody

Yes, the body was the original subject of the identity arguments. But, at least, as human beings we have consciousness and memory that allow us to maintian a continuous identity. Bikes don't even have that much.

katzenfinch

Well, let's see. I rode my used 1967 Schwinn Varsity from 1970 until 1982, so 12 years there. My 1982 Trek 614 I kept until I sold it in about 2000 (I still regret that), so let's say 18 years for it. I hardly ever ride my 1989 Bridgestone MB-5, but it's still around and functional so 26 years for it. My 1991 Trek 2100 still gets ridden, so 24 years so far. Our Burley Duet tandem is maybe a year newer than the Trek, but still gets ridden every now and then; let's call it 23 years. I’m 63 now, so given my history my 2014 Atlantis and 2015 Chapman should see me out.

B. Carfree

The bikes may not have memories, but we're gaining on them in that regard. This getting older stuff isn't for wimps.

badger1

Depends on how one looks at it. To my mind, not a difficult question at all because I hold to the (old?) view that the frameset (frame and fork) -- it's construction and geometry -- is the primary determinant of 'what' a bicycle is. A bike's identity is determined by the frameset, not by the components hung off it.

cooker

Apparently it goes back even to Plato or somebody. If you replaced the parts of a ship one at a time, and gave the discarded parts to a friend who gradually built them into a ship, eventually you'd both claim to own the "original" ship.

Bandera

Precisely, most really good bikes are built frame-up with components selected for the intended use down to which spokes to build the wheels with.
Versatile machines can go through several incarnations as my Interna'l has: road racer, 'cross racer, FG, touring and now as a town bike.
Each iteration required changes in hardware but it is the same Carlton built 531 frameset assigned a new role and fitted out properly for it.

Inanimate objects don't have identity "issues" anyway.

-Bandera

Mobile 155

I have finally found a frame a fork to build into a SS/Fixed gear and have started the build while I continue to recover and wait to get back on the road. It will be my first 531 frame I have had in 15 years but I am looking forward to making this my around town bike.

Bandera

Great winter project!

A word of caution from the late great Sheldon Brown especially applicable to a FG build:

"Many higher-quality French bicycles of the '70's came with AVA brand bars and stems. These have a reputation for failure, and should be replaced. "

French Bicycles

Post a pic when it's done, should ride great.

-Bandera

3alarmer

...I scored this Raleigh Sports in a Salvation Army store for twenty bucks when first I moved to Sacramento, so 1984.

It was a commuter ride/shopping bike for a while. Somewhere along the line in the later 80's or early 90's it got the wheels swapped out to 26" MTB rims and tyres.


I still use it as a winter rider, because fenders. Thinking of stripping the patina and powdercoating the frame, but every time I get the urge, i hear about another stolen bike, and I lose my enthusiasm.

Ekdog

"Retro Raleigh Post Apocalyptic Transportation Device"

CrippledKonaBoy

The longest-lived bike I had was actually a Walmart bike -- the "Next" Revolution, made by Pacific, a 6061 hardtail. Bought it used in '01, scrapped it in '08; it was an "occasional" bike, I'd retire it for a better full-suss bike (back issues), and rebuild it about every year, year and a half.

My present bike is set up similarly to the Revo's last build -- with stingray apehangers! I fully expect this bike (Kona Coiler) to outlast it and become the new longest-lived. Kona's about to turn 4, and it's been a daily rider. (The last 2 months have been tough, waiting on parts to adapt it to my new needs, and riding it only sparingly since.)

bikemig 

This thread reminds me that I need to rebuild my 1983 Trek 720. I rode it across the US and it is the bike I have ridden the longest continuously. I'm thinking the bike is good for another few decades.

wahoonc

I have a 1970'ish Raleigh Sports Standard that I bought back in 1981, still have it, still ride it. Currently being used as a backup grocery getter and beer bike. It will soon be living down at my parents' house about 20 miles from here. So it has been in my possession for 35 years. It was my only form of transportation from 1981-1988 or so.

Aaron

ironwood

I have a Zebrakenko Record Tour which I bought in 1978, and an Austro-Daimler Inter-10 from the same period. I leave the A-D in Europe and ride it when I'm there. The Zebrakenko has been in storage some of the time and ridden some of the time. I am converting it to 650B and will ride it when the snow melts and the salt is washed away. The component I treasure most is a Brooks B-17 that came with a bike I bought in 1974.

MikeRides

I still have the bikes I rode as a small child, a 16 inch and 20 inch Huffys. They are over 30 years old and I still keep them in good riding shape although for obvious reasons I haven't ridden them in years. The 16" still has 100% original parts while the 20" was modified many times over the years. My goddaughter learned how to ride on the 16" and although graduated from the 16 to a 24" the 20" often gets ridden by my nephews. IIRC both bikes were bought at big box stores. That said I have a 3 year old "urban" hybrid(700c) that probably doesn't have a single original part on it. FWIW I'm currently shopping for a road bike to replace it someday, but I'll probably keep it around as a bad-weather "beater" bike just because it won't fetch much on the secondhand market.

79pmooney

Well, if we allow that: my 1967 Peugeot UO-8 became a fix gear in 1976. Frame was crashed and replaced in '82 with a Japanses Schwinn frame. Rear wheel upgraded to Campy NR track hub. 1986 the bike was stolen, dead of Ann Arbor winter and the good rear wheel was at home. Rebuilt that bike around that wheel with a Sekine frame. 1990 that frame broke. Miyata 610 frame. Crashed that in 2008. Trek 420 frame. Still going (very) strong. 49 years, 5 frames?

Ben

Dahon.Steve

This woman has been riding a heavy Raleigh for 67 years and a single speed at that! LOL! Good story.

I don't know if there's any frame that can't (even her bike) that can be updated with new components. Bikes don't die, people just want new ones and discard the old. Shame.

zonatandem

It is not how many years you have owned a bicycle.
It's how many miles did you ride it during that time!!!
Our present custom c/f tandem has 45,000+ miles on it and is almost 13 years old.
The Co-Motion tandem we put 56,000 miles on before selling it.

Fargo Wolf

The bike I've owned AND ridden the same bike, is my BRC Mach II (2). Bought it back in 2002 and have ridden it since, quickly replacing my 2001 Trek 820 as my daily rider. The BRC is a mid 90s (going by the City of Kelowna License decals) bike and was originally purchased in Vancouver (still has the bike shop decal on it) from West Point Cycles.

Roody

I never keep a bike for more than a year or two.

Ekdog

Why?