[Closed] How many bikes is too many?

N+1

I thought that n+1 was just the right amount! I'm confused. 😕

How many bikes is too many?

Does not compute...

N+1 means its impossible to have too many.

Run out of house space at 3 for me and 3 for the missus, probably for the best. Five, Scandal 29er and Tricross here to vaguely cover the spectrum.

Surely you have a few there you've not ridden in years but can't be arsed to sell?

You only need one bike, the one you're riding.

And for the next day, a different frame, a few wheels of suitable sizes, and lots of cabling.

Surely you have a few there you've not ridden in years but can't be arsed to sell?

Toasty that is very true. The Kona is up for sale! But only to pay for my next project!

But the collect needs adding too? i want an Enduro bike, an Alps bike, an xc bike, a 29er. But where do you stop?

You stop at S-1 (where "S" is the number of bikes resulting in separation from your partner).

I think double figures would be excessive

If Mrs alandavidpetrie79 was to answer, she'd say 1 is plenty, as you can only ride 1 at a time 🙄

I disagree, so have 3.

1) A Cotic Solaris for trail riding.

2) A Specialized Roubaix for long distance tarmac jonts.

3) A Giant Seek 1 - converted to SS for commuting.

I did have almost ten but decided that was A bit crazy so spilt some of them up!

I just think i have too many in the gravity line. I don't do much proper mountain biking like getting out a putting in the miles.
Just seem to point a bike down a hill and hold on.

N+2 is too many

As many as you want but with no overlap. Each bike needs a purpose or it won't get ridden.

I also run out of room in the house at 3 but going to invest in a shed 🙂

Schweiz gives us the answer with Swiss precision. my HT and Anthem do almost the same thing, and I only ride the anthem.

Tomorrow is a different day, and will therefore require a different bike, same for the day after, and the day after that, and....

As many as you want but with no overlap. Each bike needs a purpose or it won't get ridden.

+1

Duplication of use results in at least one barely touched toy...

If you feel you need to do some fitness miles might I propose a rigid SS, an all singing all dancing XC or Enduro type machine might seem like the tool for it but a really basic SS is so much less bother and cost to own and 30 miles on a rigid SS will have far more effect on your fitness than the same route on a geared bike... Plus you have to build this with the proceeds from selling an old kona.

only bikes i have are a road bike, a 4" full sus xc, a 5"full sus trailbike. 6"full sus alps bike and a race hardtail. And a singlespeed. would like a ti hardtail one day. And poss a 29er. So no amount is too many or enough it would seem

Differing views here.... 1 vs 5+

you only need one - a rigid singlespeed made from bits found in the garage or bought cheaply off ebay.

n +2 as Aracer says.....

I disagree with Schweiz about not having bikes that overlap, as I have at least 2 that do. Sometimes you just fancy a change. Having an alternate bike is good for the mind, body & soul! 😀

I've enough 'shed' space for two dozen bikes, but after a period with multiple bikes and pretty much every ride at some point wishing I was on one of the others - I've only one MTB and one commuter.

Actually re-reading your list I reckon you have alot of overlapping bikes TBH I think you could probably loose at least 3 and still cover the same "riding bases"... IMO of course

I think I have reached mine with 5 as I turned down an offer of a bmx cruiser yesterday, even though I sort of want one for the track.

Enduro Evo
Stinky delux
Operator
Chameleon
Road bike

I tried an XC bike but hated it (Scott Spark), now use the evo for that sort of stuff.

Then there my son:
Big hit grom
Shred 24
WTP Arcade

This discussion just makes me jealous. I can only afford one bike and even thats pushing it. My Meta 5.

I was going to say N+1 also, but you do have quite a large collection there! We have 8, mine:

Old Cinder Cone (ex commuter, pub bike, and kiddie transporter)
Soul
Five
Storck (road/commute)

Hers:
Spesh Hardrock (pub bike, kiddie transporter)
Spesh Dolce (road)

Ours:
Lemond Spinner (prob doesn't count)

Eldest (3):
Isla Rothan

I'm in the process of building up an old Stumpy for her and on the lookout for an Isla Cnoc 14 for the eldest to progress to (youngest will get the Rothan).

I'd love a Ti hardtail also, would prob replace the Soul with a Soda if I could find one and had any money!

I'm up to 4 which I think is probably enough, fs trail bike, 29er hardtail, road bike and hybrid/rigid/commuter/hack. I also had something more gravity orientated but sold it to buy the road bike as it was hardly getting used. Cant think of anthing else I want at the moment apart from better versions of what I've already got. Although I do quite fancy a fs 29er. So the answer is 6... or 7

In all seriousness. My collection will stop (or at least go to 1 in 1 out) at
Big full suss - got
Fast full suss- got my eye on an anthem 29er...
SS hardtail - got
Beater/winter/commuter road bike - got
Nice road bike - soon 🙂

Storck (road/[b]commute[/b])

😯

you can only ride 1 at a time

This sounds like a challenge to me. Show her who's boss and ride all 3 down the street at once.

😯

Show her who's boss and ride all 3 down the street at once.

I might be featuring in a YouTube video soon! 🙂

I feel pretty smug with two bikes after reading this. One mountain bike that does all I want it to, and a £50 road bike that I don't mind leaving outside the college/shops.

The only reason I got the road bike was to save my mountain bike getting stolen when, otherwise I'd have just bought a spare set of wheels with slicks for the mtb and gladly owned just one bike.

How do you decide which bike to take? Does it require endless "which bike for xx" questions before you go someowhere new or do you just take a chance and be disappointed you took the wrong one?

Oh yeah, and what's wrong with the Rockhopper for XC?

tomhoward - I know, it breaks my heart but I can't manage a 35 mile round trip three times a week on a 93 rigid Kona 🙂

It's currently got clip on mud guards and about 6 lights hanging off it. Makes me want to weep just typing this, but at least it's getting ridden!

Onewing- sure you don't need a 2013 bike as yours are getting on a bit 😉

How do you decide which bike to take?

It depends how good I'm feeling, around this time of year I'm truly terrible so the full sus wins, it goes:

Five -> Scandal 29er -> Tricross

As I gradually improve, then winter hits, I stop riding for 2 months and it all repeats. The Circle of Bike if you like.

2. I have 2 bikes, my wife also has 2.

Having usually had fat/mud/slick tyres as my bike choices, having a 'spare' bike seems a luxury. Best make sure I get out on the bike(s) twice as much?

Is a hardtail a 'winter bike' just because if has a rusty chain now?

My problem is finding the time / right system to keep the buggers maintained. I have 2 Mtbs, 1 comuter/ cx thing, and sometimes if i don't ride one for a while i forget what needs fixing, then the next ride out is semi-self-sabotaged by a skipping chain or whatever.
Also if you have loads of bikes the wear is spread so thinly you don't go through parts fast enough to justify buying up to date gear. Or you find the parts you own which have little wear falling into obsolescence due to standards changing. I reckon i could at the top end justify 1 more mtb and a road bike,but that would be it.

[i]As I gradually improve, then winter hits, I stop riding for 2 months and it all repeats. The Circle of Bike if you like. [/i]

So you've 3 bikes, but only ride when its 'nice'... 🙄

I've three bikes, a steel hardtail, a 120mm full suss and a 160mm AM full suss.

The hardtail does winter riding and commuting duties, the 120mm bike is great for the drier half of the year as it inspires me to put some effort into my pedalling. The AM bike can be a pain to haul around, but if you sit and spin it'll climb most things...eventually. It's by far the most difficult bike of the three to set up though.

When they are taking up living space

I have 8 in the house at the moment ,the rest are in the shed

At the start of the week I had 4; a 140mm 26'er FS, a 100mm 29'er FS, a 100mm 29'er HT and a carbon road sled.

The 26'er is all but gone, the 29'er HT may well follow and then I'll be down to the 29'er FS & the road sled. Plenty did me, for all my riding requirements if I'm honest

3 is good 🙂

Road bike - Tuesday nights & sat am
Hardtail - Thursday nights
160 alpine - Sunday play times

Feel happy and lucky at 4.

Monstercross does the faster rough stuff and doubles up as tourer and almost road bike
SS hardtail keeps me riding through the mud and cold
SS Cross Check does the everyday and shorter road loops.
Folder does some touring and train hopping

All but the folder get used throughout the week. If they didn't they'd have to leave the house. Hanker after something a bit faster and lighter titanium or steel SS to replace the Cross Check but haven't seen what I could afford yet. I'd probably worry about locking it up places anyway.

Currently six:
Road bike
Commuter/cx/light tourer
Proper nasty ol' hack (80s Claud Butler road frame running ss)
26 FS
26 Rohloff HT
29 rigid SS

Just bought the 29er and therefore one of the other MTBs will probably be gotten rid....

So you've 3 bikes, but only ride when its 'nice'...

Exactly!

About to build number 4 but I think one will have to give way, or at least be broken down for shed storage so it doesn't appear to exist 😉

for me, 8 would be too many.

1) commute/winter/pub
2) road
3) hardtail
4) something like a Horsethief (probably a horsethief)
5) single-speed
6) bmx
7) dad's old dawes - it'll be lovely when i've finished it

I currently have 5

Full Suss (for all day rides)
Ti Hardtail (for riding fast)
Road bike (for the road)
Old retro hardtail (because I love it)
Pub bike (for the pub)

I will add at some point
Better road bike (so I have winter and summer options)
Single speed (for when the mud comes)
Brompton (for the upcoming commute on the train)

That gives me all the options I'm likely to need but I can see me adding a Rohloff bike.

My theory is, if you have lots, you can spread the wear across many and you dont buy as much to repair on a weekly basis. Lets hope they dont all fail in the same week !!
So far:
singlespeed
Scandal
C456
Winter road bike
and building a new road bike this week

I have six, with another one on the way although that will mean selling one of the current six (Anthem). I use them all although its my Soda that gets used most if you take out the commuting side of things as that gets used 4 days a week at the moment.

I could get rid of the soul and use the Soda for off road commutes but I like the option and also have it built quite differently.

Santa Criz Blur LT - DH, more extreme rides and places like Golspie and Laggan black
Giant Anthem x1 - About to be sold but was my bike for events
Cotic Soda - Long XC and trail centre rides
Cotic Soul - Play ht and off road commutes
Trek Madone 4.9 - Sportives and long road rides
Kona Bandwagon - Road commutes

Just purchased an Anthem X1 Advanced 29er to replace my old Anthem X1, will be used for racing events and occasional XC rides.

My partner has 5 bikes (Blur, Lynskey, Condor Fixie, Ridley road and Orange R8, my son 2 (Bfe and BMX) and my daughter one (Isla bikes). Its quite a busy and well alarmed garage.