[Closed] Who genuinely has one bike to do it all?

I can't see me stopping riding MTB or road any time soon - so it's difficult to cover both needs with just one bike.

I currently have 4 bikes: a racey carbon 29er HT, steel "all-road" 700c (discs and mudguards), more focused steel caliper-braked road 700c and a Brompton. All are high spec (XT / Ultegra level) and cover different needs.

If I had to slim down, I'd keep the hardtail and all-round road bike as they're sufficiently different. The more racey road bike and Brompton could go if needs be, but I can't see it happening any time soon.

I currently have 5 bikes in my stable.
They consist of a 2006 Giant XTC (sometimes used by my son), a 2010 Giant Defy Advanced (winter road bike) a Boardman Pro 29er (my main mtb) a Cannondale Supersix (Best road bike) and a Pinnacle Lithium hybrid.
The one I clock up the most miles onis the Supersix but the one that is most versatile is the Pinnacle Lithium.

Let’s see ye riding Wharnscale on one then! 🙂

CX bike at Aberfoyle.

(btw I've tried Bat House on our CX. Propper sh*ts and giggles.)

If I had to have one bike, I’d change my definition of “all”. Currently “all” is everything from Alps/Lakes MTB to long, hilly road rides, via CX and a bit of TTing. I could ride all of that on one bike, but I wouldn’t enjoy most of it.

Probably the best somethingion.

You might not be able to do the Rangers path down Snowdon on a cross bike, but you could ride a lot of other stuff. Enough that you wouldn't get bored anyway.

OTOH if you've no interest in cycling on the road then a trail bike would do "it all", as long as you never wanted to go for a road ride quicker than a bimble.

What would I upset the wife with if I only had one bike? 😀

If I had to keep just one, the Stanton Slackline (Gen2) I've just bought would be the one, simply because it's the most fun bike I've ever owned.

However, my 2017 Kona Unit 27+ is probably the most versatile bike I own.

I'd miss my 2014 Charge Plug though.

CX bike at Aberfoyle.

Which is a million times easier than the descent I suggested.

As most have said (in one way or another), it’s ridiculous to expect any bike that can descend a rocky mountain at high-speeds to also place respectably in a TDF stage. It’s likewise ridiculous to expect a light, rigid bike with drop bars to descend a mountain at speed without mincing or stacking

The definition of ‘Do it all’ for the (1.) purely recreational and/or competitive cyclist will differ whether road or mtb. Presumably highest-speed over a particular terrain is the priority?

‘Do it all’ for someone like (2.) me (have always ridden for both utility and recreation) means a versatile, nicely-made yet cheaply-maintained bike that will travel happily both on-road and off-road (paths) and also easily carry a good load of stuff in comfort and at a ‘decent’ pace. A kind of ATB in other words.

Anything else to me is a ‘play-bike‘ (ie MTB or road-racer)

Even then a ‘compromise bias‘ will lean:

1. Toward ‘road‘ vs ‘offroad‘

2. Toward ‘performance/speed’ vs ‘utility/versatility’

Captain Obvious concludes that a ‘do it all’ bike is more about ‘bias’ than ‘compromise’. If it becomes more about ‘compromise‘ then it’s time to change tack.

One-size-fits-all is the perfect scenario for endless rounds of disagreement!

Growing up in working-class 1970s England I was convinced that 99% of adult-bicycles were all shed-bound variants of (50s-60s vintage) Raleigh Wayfarers* that were no longer required because the more successful grown-ups now had money for cars!

The other 1% I perceived as road or track-racing lightweight machines reserved for some odd/distant class of people about which I knew nothing at all.

It’s weird to think back to when the ‘everyman’ bike looked like this:

Weirder still that it looks very much like my current ‘do it all’ bike! (1990 vintage) But at least it’s moved out of the shed 🙂

*note - socks with sandals? Utility vs recreation?

Nowadays we ‘can have it all’

‘Gravel’ is just the bicycle version of socks with sandals? Discuss...🤓

I think everyone needs a second bike in the form of a commuter or town bike that can be locked up without fear. If I only had to have one main mtb it would be my gt 4x bike. It can do everything from xc to bike parks and is a ht.

Everyone needs

^ ‘Some people‘ need? I’d agree.

Then the discussion becomes about whether a ‘cyclist’ is someone who rides a bike more than drives a car, or a ‘cyclist’ is someone that more often drives to places to ride a bike? No ‘serious cyclist’ would have just one bike? A conundrum...

I have three bikes and do not think it would be possible to pick one bike to do it all. I could maybe do without the road bike, just using the commuter bike with maybe a different chainset on, but with 26" wheels, that's always going to limit my tyre choice. I might get down to a 35mm, but that is still a lot bigger than the 25s I have on the Malt-R.

The stumpy FSR is a different beast to look at changing. Big tubeless grippy tyres make it hilarious to commute on, but slow, even if it means that I can jump on and off curbs more easily. It's also a lot of bike to be leaving in a bike shed or on the curb. That's why god invested the commuter bike.

it’s ridiculous to expect any bike that can descend a rocky mountain at high-speeds to also place respectably in a TDF stage

I did use the caveat that I was referring to one bike for offroad, and in that scenario, a MTB is the most versatile. I've no plans to ride, never mind place, in the TDF, same as everyone else on here.

Good lord no.

I could make do with two MTBs and a road bike at a minimum, but don't try to make me.

I've done some road rides on my Geometron recently, 3C tyres, the lot. Does that count?

(I do have a hardtail, that would clearly be more appropriate, but it decided to lock down in a different location to me.)

Current stable is:

Cannondale FSi carbon 29er hardtail
Santa Cruz Highball 29er hardtail
Bombtrack Audax 650 “adventure” road
1956 George Whitlow 531 tourer
1990 653 Cougar roadbike with d/t shifters

If someone said “you can only keep one” it would have to be the George Whitlow for sentimental reasons (it was my Dads), but then I’d be stuffed for most of my riding!

If someone had said I could only keep my Dad’s bike (3spd Raleigh Wayfarer gas-pipe,and two sizes too small) then I’d really be stuffed for riding!

As it is (inversely to the above) a 531 tourer does most of my riding, as most of my riding is where most people would be driving and walking (roads, tracks and paths). It would be an uninspiring slog to use a hardtail as my everyday transport. So I always keep an MTB for fun, bikepacking, escape from roads and to maintain access to social-rides with other MTBers. So I wouldn’t be ‘stuffed’ without the 531 tourer, but everyday riding on an MTB would be slower and more of a faff to carry stuff. Hence my proposal that a modern ‘ATB’ (rigid 29er) covers the widest spectrum of general ‘do it all’ bike? I guess some short-travel lockout-capable forks could be a cherry on top? I actually enjoy rigid steel forks with some built-in boingery. Possible luddite. Did once have a Cannondale MTB with lockout Headshocks. It was my only bike at the time and pretty much ‘did it all’ with two sets of tyres.

Which is a million times easier than the descent I suggested.

Having ridden both (should I say walked most of the way down), Wharnscale is longer and rockier.

Golden Owl, Danny's Dirty Dozen etc are way, way steeper.

One horse for courses....? 😆

Let a face it (having rode all of those) yer average Joe on here ain't riding a gravel bike down any of them! 😂