[Closed] Which is better? One super bike OR multiple bikes for different ocassions?

Superbike.
you can easily add a cheap and cheerful winter hack bike for next to nothing but if you had the many bikes you would always be wishing you had the superbike and that's much harder to obtain.
why would you want a garage full of Golfs when you could have one 458?

Depends on budget. One £3k bike is better than 6 £50 bikes, but an £8k bike (assuming you can find one) is not as good as four £2k bikes.

It all depends on how you ride. I have 3 mtbs, but they are all different. An XC race bike, a trail bike, and a 'big' bike which for me is a 170mm Patriot. If you like to DH and also XC race, then you obviously benefit from multiple bikes. If you just hit the local trails, then there's no point in having many bikes.

why would you want a garage full of Golfs when you could have one 458?

You'd be a fool to buy a garage full of Golfs. Better to buy a Golf, an MX5, a Transporter, a camper van, a Landie, etc etc.

Multiple bikes for me. One bike would mean too much compromising.

Multiple.

Jack of all trades is not master of one!

Cheap do-it all HT...

I saw an £8'000+ bike last night, Santa Cruz Bronson with full XTR for £8'619.00 😯

Superbike schmuperbike!

Once you've bought your overpriced, over specced bling machine you'll be stuck with it. One single bike that, once you're over the thrill of buying it, will be at best marginally better than each of the two or three bikes you could have bought for the same price.

A cheaper selection gives you more choice, more variety in your riding, a better chance of having the right tool for the job and generally more bang for your buck.

Of course if you only ever ride the same trails in the same way in the same conditions with the same people then ignore me.

I shouldn't have really used the term 'super bike'. So we'll go with just a normal bike which costs the equivalent to your multiple bikes

as others have said, 4 bikes at £2k each would suit me better than 1 £8k dream machine.

Multiple superbikes, duh...

If you have space, several bikes.

Bear in mind the law of diminishing returns applies, a 4 grand bike isn't twice as good as a two grand bike. Four grand is better spent on 2 bikes that are good at what they do than on 1 bike that does a bit of each.

I like having multiple bikes to do different things on. For me it keeps things fresh and stops me getting bored / complacent.

I've not ridden my BFe or road bike for a week whilst I've been in Scotland and I can't wait to get out on them again. Once you spend over a certain amount, I think your into the world of diminishing returns.

There is no such thing as one "do it all" bike - not unless your "all" lacks imagination and scope.

matt_outandabout - Member
Cheap do-it all HT...

+1

contrary to scotroutes assertion this is a very good solution, and very satisfying.. you just need a little imagination.. 😉

If you spent all your money on a 140mm travel light as possible full sus, this would do most things.

This seems to be bringing up another good topic of discussion. What's the optimum amount to spend on a bike. like mattjg said, a £4k bike is unlikely to be twice as good as a £2k bike. But I'm sure a £1k is easily twice as good as a £500 bike... maybe we need a graph 🙂

I'm happy with my one 'super bike' if you can call it that. Wouldn't change to 2 cheaper ones.

Same as Njee20, one bike, doesn't stop me having fun

what are the pro's and con's for each scenario?

Depends what the total budget is surely.

Total budget 1k = one bike (for me rigid geared 29r or cx)
2k = 2 bikes - roadie and ht mtb
4k = 2 bikes - nicer roadie and ht mtb
5k + add tourer

For me I cannot really see where in ht or road bike territory spending much more than 2k would bring ME any more benefit. I am not that good or fussed about kit but reckon i could enjoy the weight savings on the ups.

The above bears no resemblance to the 5 bikes i own so maybe it is all bull.

Ok, at retail my one is £6500, and I'm still happy with that, over two cheaper ones.

That's MTB only. I wouldn't be without a road bike.

I have 3 super bikes, but being as I bought them 2nd hand and swapped the spec over time, the total outlay is less than £3k (for all 3!!)

Buying a new big money bike is for poseurs and the weak willed.

[quote=njee20 ]Ok, at retail my one is £6500, and I'm still happy with that, over two cheaper ones.
That's MTB only. I wouldn't be without a road bike.
That's at least two bikes then

think budget is the issue tbh

I would prefer multiple bikes as that is what I have

Oddly my most expensive gets the least use [ FS] but if I could only have one it would be the one I keep

Hardtail [ geared and SS] gets much more use but that is mainly due to where I live

EDIT: good point scotsroutes Yes and the road bike would not be without that

so there you go one bike means having a CX bike - it can do everything but much much worse than a useful could 😉

That's at least two bikes then

Aye, did say that's just MTB. I know plenty of folk would have several cheaper MTBs, but I'm happy with the one. But yes, if I had £6.5k to spend altogether I'd have a £4k MTB and a £2.5k road bike I think.

I must have had 5 or 6 bikes at one time before, now I'm down to 1 MTB and 1 road bike. I wouldn't go back to more, but my only agenda with bikes is to ride and have fun. 🙂

My one bike is perfect for Scotland local trails and big mountain rides.

For me, one bike that just feels perfect is all I need. Rather than 3 or 4 that are just great.

Everyone's different though 😉

As said, budget is clearly the driver. I would have a trail bike if I had the money, so it's not that I feel no need for any more bikes, just that I'd sooner have one better one than two cheaper ones for a given budget.

There's a law that says you're only allowed a total of 33 ratios* no matter how many bikes you have.

So if you have a bike with a compact and an 11 speed, then you've used up 22 ratios, and you're left with 11 ratios. This is why so many people run a single ring on their second bikes.

Of course, if you are a singlespeeder, then you'll immediately realise that you are allowed 33 bikes, although most SSers restrict themselves to 30 proper bikes, and a 3 speed for days when they are feeling old and frail or have trimmed their beards.
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*I may have made up this rule, but I'm trying to live up to it. 🙂

One ride will always be a compromise , rather hZve a selection
And does not have to cost mega money
My summer hack cost me £ 100 its a retro road bike and plenty fastenough

I've got a 29er HT and a 140mm full suss 26er. Best thing I've found about having multiple bikes is if one is "off the road" needing work/service, I can ride the other.

Buying a new big money bike is for poseurs and the weak willed.

I'm lucky enough to have 3 mountain bikes with excellent specs, they lack for nothing really... But I could spend that budget on a single bike with a phenomenal spec. It definitely wouldn't be as good.

I guess it depends on your riding. For a lot of people, it's all fairly similiar so one bike does it all, a brillant xc bike could be the perfect tool for all their riding. There's no one bike that'll do brilliantly at xc and dh racing no matter how much you spend on it though. Or jumping, or whatever else you might be into.

Loads of bikes FTW. Most of the riding I do is imaginary, but when I do get the energy to ride, I like the bike to fit the ideal.

Therefore I have retro road bike, dripping in 853 and Campo bits, a singlespeed Cannondale MTB for nipping to the pub, a decently upgraded Boardman Pro for everything and a couple of vintage Konas for, erm, [i]fun[/i]?

I'm still confused by those saying a single bike is a compromise. It only *is* if you think that way. My 28lb 5 Spot may not be the fastest bike uphill, but I'm pretty strong and can keep up with most on xc race bikes on it.

Plus, its a real hoot down hill. The only compromise is in your head, just enjoy what bike you have and enjoy the ride.

Don't be silly. Of course one bike is a compromise if you enjoy different types of cycling. My mum's 1960s BSA shopper is compromised should she decide to hit Whistler. My stepdad's folder is compromised if he fancies a spot of 4X.

My singlespeed is no good on The Devil's Staircase (some singlespeed ratios will work but mine doesn't).

Etc.

EDIT: the basket would fall off in the case of the Ladies' Shopper. Other than that, it'd probably be fine. It's a BSA.

It depends what sort of riding you do or want to do, and whether for example you feel the need for a singlespeed or something similar. Personally I'm happy enough to ride a geared bike off-road (I also ride other things which make singlespeeds seem easy), and whilst it might be fun to have a longer travel bike I doubt I'd want to ride the sort of terrain where I'd really notice the benefit over my XC full-sus (though I'm good enough to ride any trail center red route I've come across and also most black stuff on that). Hence I'm struggling to think of a situation where I'd really prefer to be on something different.

What differences do other people have between their bikes that make it worth having multiple ones for different things? Are we just talking XC/DH/jump here, or do people have multiple different "freeride" bikes?

Of course like njee I'm just talking mountain bike here - I also have multiple road bikes, and several other wheeled contraptions.

rickon - Member

I'm still confused by those saying a single bike is a compromise. It only *is* if you think that way. My 28lb 5 Spot may not be the fastest bike uphill, but I'm pretty strong and can keep up with most on xc race bikes on it.

That doesn't make any sense. Take your 5 spot to fort william or give it a fair comparison with an xc race bike and then tell us how uncompromised it is.

But if he doesn't go to Fort William or race XC it's a moot point.

Multiple bikes - I have 4 at just over the £1k mark and I ride them all for different things regularly. If I had a better version of one of them there are loads of rides I wouldn't want to do on it.

I used to have multiple bikes, until i got fit and discovered Singlespeed. I subsequently sold all the others (bar my Pitch, which i'll probably be getting rid of soon).

Now i really enjoy batting my mates around trail centers on my Gaspipe Special On-One Singlespeed! One mate in particular rides a £7k Yeti SB66, and i take extra satisfaction from dropping him!

I have one bike/frame but 3 forks (120/140/150), 4 wheelsets and numerous stems/bars/seatpost/saddles etc.

This way I can have a top-line brakes/drivetrain setup, without spending absolutely loads and barely using them.

I've got 3 bikes,

Enduro
456ti
croix de fer

I've just sold the 456ti frame so am on one mountain bike now and one road bike

Couldn't contemplate one bike only. One mountain bike only is going to be tough.

Why would a 5" full suspension bike be a compromise at fort william? Am I missing something?

I have a hardtail and went to Antur Stiniog and rode all the blacks etc. Certainly a compromise in terms of speed but not fun, it was awesome. But I can take the same bike on XC rides, dirt jump sessions, the bmx track and it's good at all those. You might WANT a different bike for all that but you don't NEED one.

I would have one superbike that I was totally in tune with, rather than a number of bikes that took a while to get used to each time I switched

[i]I've just sold the 456ti frame so am on one mountain bike now and one road bike[/i]

What! But you're the guy that hates his Enduro?

I'm still confused by those saying a single bike is a compromise. It only *is* if you think that way. My 28lb 5 Spot may not be the fastest bike uphill, but I'm pretty strong and can keep up with most on xc race bikes on it.

Plus, its a real hoot down hill. The only compromise is in your head, just enjoy what bike you have and enjoy the ride.

i'm with you on this, 'cept my one bike is now a bfe with nice long forks.
but then, the "it's the rider not the bike" camp often gets short shrift in this fantasy stw land of bottomless pocketbooks and cavernous sheds where quivers of bikes are swapped around, depending what's being ridden, be it trail centre or "natural" trails or towpath or whatevs.

ride wot ya brung.

end of.

(insert winking emoticon - or one of your own choosing - here).

I'm a fan of N-1 when N>3. Had many bikes at one point, it's over-rated. Better to have one or two bikes that you're totally in tune with, pay attention to and always run perfectly. Easier to afford nice / durable kit for just one or two bikes also.

I know no bike is ideal for everything, but that's more of an attitude thing. I ride one of my bikes (my main ride) in places that it's not best suited to, I'm happy accepting the challenge, riding some stuff slower etc. It's all compromise somewhere and I'd rather ride a bike I love on less than ideal terrain than have the 'perfect ride' for that day but it actually being a kind of bike that leaves me a bit cold. If you're not really into committed DH or DJ stuff, I don't see the need for more than two MTBs and I could be totally happy with just one.

depends on how you ride, one very expensive road or mtb, not really interested, but one of each ok. Beyond that for me not interested in multiple bikes.

The way i ride, the reasons i ride for, having dozens of bikes would simply mean having dozens of bikes in bits or unused. I have two frames in the attic as it is!

njee20 - Member

But if he doesn't go to Fort William or race XC it's a moot point.

Avoiding the compromise doesn't mean it's not there.

chamley - Member

Why would a 5" full suspension bike be a compromise at fort william? Am I missing something?

I think you're missing having ridden the track on a 5 inch bike and a downhill bike tbh! I have... There is a [i]little[/i] bit of a difference.

Avoiding the compromise doesn't mean it's not there.

I bet your bikes are all a compromise - none of them any good at riding a team pursuit. Just because you avoid the compromise doesn't mean it's not there.

Better to have one or two bikes that you're totally in tune with, pay attention to and always run perfectly.

There is that too. I'm sure something more freeride might be more fun some of the time, but given when it's important I'll be riding the XC steed, I might as well get used to riding that fast in as challenging terrain as possible.

Putting any bike costing more than £1000 through the horrors of a British winter would be just too painful on both wallet and soul, so multiple bikes here.

aracer - Member

I bet your bikes are all a compromise - none of them any good at riding a team pursuit. Just because you avoid the compromise doesn't mean it's not there.

Not mountain biking though, so hard to see your point- none of them are very good hang-gliders either.

And yes, all my bikes are compromised as all rounders, that's the entire point I'm making! No one bike can do everything well, so either you have to do less things, or you have to accept it doing lots of things less well, but either one is a compromise. The more bikes you have, the less compromises you have to make but there's still choices.

One bike owner here -100mm 29er. Had four and now I ride more and tinker less - wearing aldi gear.
(Well done fresh goods friday)

Currently own four bikes :-
2004 100mm full suss Mount Vision
2009 140mm full suss Wolf Ridge
road hybrid Boardman
Singlespeed Mango for commuting.

About to buy my first proper road bike as well. Thing is, i bought the Boardman 3yrs ago as a general purpose road/commuter bike and its done the job of getting me into road riding - something - i had never fancied/understood before - but now i have hit it's limitations.
Whilst i can hit a 17/18mph average on it i have real trouble keeping up with my mate, and its blooming heavy.

So, a new road bike it is, not sure if the Boardman will stay as a winter hack/girlfriends bike or be sold on yet.

I don't earn a lot of money by anyone's standards and i keep bikes for a long time, so having several is spread over some 10years of riding.

One mountain bike - an Alfine/SS steel HT. Suits all my riding and I'll take it anywhere. Not the lightest, not a lot of travel on the front, but it's a lovely ride. I've ridden my son's FS, but I prefer the HT.

Road bikes, however. Well I have a Super Bike, if that's what they are called. I've raced it, commuted on it and sportived on it. But I still need two others - at least 😉

A fixed wheel commuting road bike with proper mudguards and a rack for normal day-to-day commuting and wet training
A winter and race bike for salty roads,bad weather and crash fest crits!
(A cyclocross bike may be a fourth, and a folder is a nice to have.)

So for road, no chance. For off-road, a super-bling custom singlespeed would be enough for me (Niner SS carbon, probably) because that suits my riding.

I said last year i wasn't gonna buy anymore bikes,its July an ive added 3 more

Multiple bikes definitely.
Gets to a point where a £4000 bike isn't twice as good as two £2000 ones, especially if they're for wildly different purposes - one road, one FS for example.

I've got 6 bikes. One I want to sell, in fact I've advertised it a couple of times and although it gets loads of interest and several people have viewed it, when it comes to the parting with money bit, they don't!

But other than that, the bikes are all very different. One MTB, a CX bike set up as a do-it-all, a road bike, a SS road bike (commuter/winter trainer) and a track bike. If I stopped riding track then that'd be the first thing to go but it gets loads of use at the moment.

1x basic specialized 29er city/ghetto/shopper ride (if it gets nicked no worrys) bike
1x full suss XC
1x full suss small frame 17in (pump track/bmx ) stylee
1x charge mixer custom 700cmx shoreditch poodle
1x 2013 road bike
1x vintage gios road bike,which im gonna sell (hope no buys it though)
if you love riding all terrains you do need a few bikes,4sure.

If less is more, imagine how much more more is....

The true benefit of multiple bikes is that there is always a project or 'what if' scenario.

It is different for different people.

Live in a flat and like using one bike for everything? All good.

Have a big shed, and like having 15 bikes suited to each purpose? Fine

Are competitive and need a particular bike for the race? Get it!

Something in between? Why not?

The beauty of being human is we are all different. We all like different things. We all have different priorities and viewpoints and skills and endeavors. None of them are really 'wrong' if they work for that person.

Vive la difference!

After a quick head count ive got
a 456 evo
a c456
a sovereign mk1
an imperial
a supreme mini
and a faith..

x+1 where x is current amount currently owned

Just my Nomad, does everything.

I have several bikes
1 x FS 29er carbon tallboy ltc
1 x HT 29er 2 souls QH
1 x SS 29er rigid Curtis
1 x Steel road bike Kona
1 x CX Ritchey Swiss Cross
1 x SS HT 26" Curtis

I ride them all except the 26" Curtis now, I have no intention of selling any, but I may strip the 26" of its parts, dip, polish and lacquer the frame and hang on my office wall.

All the mtb's get ridden on the same trails, just at varying speeds.