Is a spare bike necessary?
#26
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A single speed, time trial, and standard road bike for the pavement. A 29 plus bike, 27 fat bike, and 26 fat bike for the trails. The benifit of extra trail bikes is I can have friends who don't have a trail bike come out a play in the woods with me. It's worked well because over the last couple years those who have used my bikes a few times then went and bought there own.
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I am thankful for my LBS, went to ride my bike one day and a spoke had pulled through the rim, ruining it. An old wheel anyway, I went to the LBS and bought a decent rear wheel and was able to save a gorgeous summer day. Take that Amazon!
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Seems like we might need a spare bike forum.
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#29
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Were the forum rules breached here? If so, I don't see it.
Thank you!
I care about it, and I'm glad to be a part of a forum that can have some light hearted fun now and then. A look at some of the silly replies in this thread shows that many here agree! If someone doesn't find it fun maybe they can just look away?
I care about it, and I'm glad to be a part of a forum that can have some light hearted fun now and then. A look at some of the silly replies in this thread shows that many here agree! If someone doesn't find it fun maybe they can just look away?
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I'm not answering. I don't want to offend anyone's sensibilities.
#32
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There is a formula for that.
Let n = number of bikes you have. Let n = number of bikes you should have. The formula for how many bikes you should have can be determined by plugging that value into this formula:
n = n + 1
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I did teach my son, who has been road-biking with me for about a year, the formula for how many bikes you should have. Most know this, but a refresher is good now and then.
Let n = number of bikes you have. Let n = number of bikes you should have. The formula for how many bikes you should have can be determined by plugging that value into this formula:
n = n + 1
Let n = number of bikes you have. Let n = number of bikes you should have. The formula for how many bikes you should have can be determined by plugging that value into this formula:
n = n + 1
0 = 1
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I have a small, but well maintained fleet of bikes. Most of my bikes have backup. For faster shorter road rides, I have two. For longer rides, like brevets, I have two. For mountain bikes, only 1,. And for Vintage classic rides with my local VVR group, two of those too.
VVR being Vintage Velo Rendezvous, a local group consisting of classic lightweight racing bikes owners.
VVR being Vintage Velo Rendezvous, a local group consisting of classic lightweight racing bikes owners.
#37
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Hey, I actually ran into a problem once where my intended bike broke down the day before a big ride. N+1 saved me. Another time, I didn't have a backup and had to be up until 1 AM fixing my bike before getting up early for the event. That was a long next day...
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Maybe not a necessity for most people, but for myself I like having multiple bikes. I ride both on the road and off road and I also commute, so for me having different bikes makes cycling more interesting.
#40
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The problem starts when you've got so many bicycles that they get in the way of your motorcycles...
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Of course spare bikes. I had two exact Masi bikes, one as my back up. I even had them custom painted at Velo Colour. These were my commuter bikes so it was nice when one had a flat I had the back up. Did I need two exact bikes? Of course not but it was nice at the time. I stopped commuting by bikes so I eventually sold them.
#43
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I think there's no such thing as a spare bike. It's just another bike. If you get a spare bike, you'll want to ride it, and then it's not a spare bike any more. Or the other bike becomes the spare. For a while. Then you switch.
Truth be told, having a bike suddenly get taken out of commission the day before a trip is probably a rare occurrence if you keep up with maintenance. Barring crashes or theft, most bike problems signal their intentions far enough in advance for the perceptive cyclist to notice that something's going out of whack.
Truth be told, having a bike suddenly get taken out of commission the day before a trip is probably a rare occurrence if you keep up with maintenance. Barring crashes or theft, most bike problems signal their intentions far enough in advance for the perceptive cyclist to notice that something's going out of whack.
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I have two similarly outfitted bikes, and I alternate each bike on a weekly basis, to keep the wear and tear equally distributed between each bike. It sure is nice to have a spare bike on the ready, just in case on develops a lengthy or sudden repair issue, plus being able to down one bike for maintenance and not be rushed for at least a week.
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This is good advice and I've added OP to my list, joining a couple of other IDs with curiously similar posting styles However, I have to agree with so many others, the ignore list is not a substitute for active and appropriate moderation. JMO, of course
#48
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Common man! Just wait 'til we get a chance to kick around next weeks hot topic of "Why Don't Pros Fill Their Bikes With Helium?"
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Having 4 different bikes (e.g., road, mtb, commuter, gravel) is NOT the same as having spare bikes,
Its like spare tires: if they are not nearly identical, they don’t work.
Think about it: you are ready to go out on a road ride and you find a mechanical. What are you going to do? Take the gravel bike?!? That’s crazy talk!
Its like spare tires: if they are not nearly identical, they don’t work.
Think about it: you are ready to go out on a road ride and you find a mechanical. What are you going to do? Take the gravel bike?!? That’s crazy talk!
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