Any one use one bike for everything

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Any one use one bike for everything

47 posts & 39 voices | Started 1 year ago by DIS | Latest reply from guitarhero

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DIS - Member

I am considering consolidation my bikes to just one and wonder how others that have done this find it. I currently have my 'proper' of road bike and a bike i commute on. Both bikes are worth about £1000 - £1500.

I only have limited money to spend on bikes and was thinking that if i just had one then i could save a bit and have slightly nicer stuff on the one bike.

The bikes are singular hummingbird and peregrine. i would keep the hummingbird, which i like to ride of or on road, peregrine is nice but i just really like the feel of the hummingbird. Can't quite describe it but it is the nicest bike i have ever ridden (and i have tried quite a few!).

I would have two sets of wheels for road and of road.

I am interested in others thoughts on this, particularly those who have done similar.

Posted 1 year ago #
bunnerscj - Member

29er

Posted 1 year ago #
DIS - Member

Tried 29er much prefer 26er.

Posted 1 year ago #
chvck - Member

Yarrrr. My NS Surge with pikes. Use it for downhill, dirt jumping and xc (I don't do much road unless it happens to be in my xc loop!) ranging from short blasts to stuff like the dyfi enduro.

I wouldn't mind a lighter bike for the xc but I'm not that bothered, the surge does the job and is great for the downhill bits!

Posted 1 year ago #
Northwind - Member

I have done, my Soul was my only bike for ages. But you know what? It's better having 2.

Posted 1 year ago #
DIS - Member

Northwind why do you think having two is better? can understand nice bike and pub/leave in town bike but two reasonable nice bike, why is that better? (bear in mind i don't mind doing 50-70 miles on the mountain bike on the road)

Posted 1 year ago #
R.lepecha - Member

Something like a Ragley Piglet with 120mm forks would by choice, should take most of the abuse while still not sapping much of your energy on road

Posted 1 year ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

2 bikes for me - mountainbike commuterised, mountainbike for offroad.

I don't like wearing my knobblies out on the road and I like different gearing

Posted 1 year ago #
edhornby - Member

I wouldn't

commuting takes it's toll on bikes, especially when the weather is crappy... if you are on a budget, get a budget road bike or similar secondhand, suspension forks on the road aren't needed

Posted 1 year ago #
don simon - Member

What an interesting concept, good luck.

Posted 1 year ago #
convert - Member

2 - try 7

Posted 1 year ago #
Northwind - Member

DIS - Member

Northwind why do you think having two is better? can understand nice bike and pub/leave in town bike but two reasonable nice bike, why is that better? (bear in mind i don't mind doing 50-70 miles on the mountain bike on the road)

OK you're right, 3 is better than 2.

The reason 2 nice bikes is better than 1 is that there's no 1 bike that can do everything. So I've got a light agile hardtail, and a bigger blunter full suss. Going downhill racing amateurishly? Take the full suss. Going for a wednesday night pentlands ride... take... Hmm... Take the rigid bike.

4 is better than 3 it turns out!

Posted 1 year ago #
ton - Member

i tried to do this a year or two ago.
lasted about a month...............went back to five bikes.

now got just two.
one of those i have not ridden since july............so might sell it and try the just one bike thing again.

Posted 1 year ago #
grum - Member

One road/commuter bike - one mountain bike for me. I have big knobbly tires my mountain bike and riding it on the road is soul destroying.

Posted 1 year ago #
Northwind - Member

Too late to edit my post... I should have said, one bike could well be fine if your chosen riding is more limited. Just having an XC bike was fine for me when I was just doing easier trail centre routes and the like, and there's nothing wrong with that but if you broaden your riding you start to hit compromises.

I could do every ride I've ever done on either of my bikes, but, it'd often have a pretty big impact on the ride. I'd have possibly not tried the fort william dh or the races I've done at innerleithen without the big bike, and it's a chore to lug around the extra weight, bike tyres etc for simple stuff- and less rewarding too, the Hemlock's a machine for making stuff easier and some trails just feel beneath its notice.

Posted 1 year ago #
philconsequence - Member

carrera fury.

Posted 1 year ago #
samuri - Member

I've had more than one bike for about twenty years but there was a period I rode only one bike, nothing else. I rode it everywhere, I rode everything.

On-one pompino. Cost me two hundred quid.

Posted 1 year ago #
jakeds - Member

On-one pompino. Cost me two hundred quid.

Word to that.

Posted 1 year ago #
lowey - Member

I got a five spot. Had it since 2004. Its battered twice a week over alkes and rivi and commuted on as well and its still ace.Never let me down.

Posted 1 year ago #
alpin - Member

Any one use one bike for everything

despite the lack of a question mark denoting that the above is in fact a question, i shall endeavour to answer it.

yes. my DB Alpine. everything from pootling through the woods, guiding multi-day transalp tours, going to the shops, jumping and light DH.

oh, i do have two wheelsets, though. although, the lighter set haven't been used in ages; i too lazy to change wheels and tyres every few days.

Posted 1 year ago #
AlasdairMc - Member

One was all the bike I needed. Then I got my second. Then my third. My third, a Genesis Altitude, became the bike I rode 99% of the time, but now that I commute on a CX I'm riding all of them a lot more.

Posted 1 year ago #
ahwiles - Member

blue pig.

i've raced Xc on it, i've raced Dh on it, i've commuted on it, i've found that it even works quite well at the bmx track.

yes i've got a lighter xc bike, yes i've got a bouncy dh bike, yes i've got a commuter, yes i've got a bmx.

ok, i've got 2 bmx's, and a road bike... ok, i've got 3 road bikes, but that's not the point.

each 1 is better in it's niche than the pig, but i keep finding myself riding the stupid orange pig with a stupid big grin on my face when there's a 'better' bike hanging in the cellar.

maybe because it's the best bike i've got for wheelies...?

Posted 1 year ago #
_tom_ - Member

One road and one mtb for me - used to be happy riding the mtb for everything but the position and everything feels so inefficient after riding a roadie. Eventually I think I'll replace the road bike with either a cx or 29er mtb to get a bit more versatility out of it for riding local "trails". I would also like a short travel full sus mtb to compliment my hardtail!

Posted 12 months ago #
amplebrew - Member

Only a few months ago my bike collection consisted of a Litespeed Obed, a Pace RC200, a Rocky Mountain Vertex, a Hewitt touring bike and my Kona Big Unit.

I've since sold the Litespeed, Pace, Rocky Mountain and Hewitt and all my riding is now on my Kona Big Unit singlespeed.

I use my Kona for commuting to work, mtb rides and road rides.

I've found that I've grown far more attached to my now one and only bike and I enjoy my cycling just as much.

Posted 12 months ago #
Tracker1972 - Member

philconsequence - Member
carrera fury.

Was my one bike and did everything from 5 day unsupported C2C camping trip, to my first Merida Marathons, to C2C in one go and everything in between.

Since got my hybrid I loaned out back for commuting and a lovely Fuel EX9 a couple of years ago though so...

EDIT-Sustrans C2C, nothing too gnarr-y

Posted 12 months ago #
jazid - Member

I have a road bike and my 2008 fuel ex8. The mtb satisfies
Xc duties from trail centres to racing (nothing serious - usually finish just above mid pack). Realized that
it is the engine that needs upgrading.
However I've realized that life is too short to worry about
minor details like this. Do what makes you happy and just get out and ride.

Posted 12 months ago #
yossarian - Member

3 bikes here

Road bike, 29er hardtail and 26" ute/parts bike. Pretty much covers it all although kinda thinking about a full sus...

Posted 12 months ago #
mattbee - Member

Have gone in the last 6 months from having a road bike and 3 mtbs down to a single hardtail mtb, as I found I wasn't really riding any of the bikes enough. Was also finding myself thinking I was never on the 'right' bike; wanted the 5" when I was on the singlespeed, or the hardtail when I was on the 5"...

Now ride a retromod hardtail everywhere and without the choices I am actually finding I enjoy myself more. My handling seems to have got more consistent too, probably because I'm not having to adjust my riding style for each bike.

Posted 12 months ago #
Clobber - Member

Your hummingbird is flexible if you're only having one bike. You can always make it into a 69er to give you another option

Posted 12 months ago #
DickBarton - Member

1 for me although technically I have 2 but the second is a keepsake so never ridden.

Posted 12 months ago #
Coasting - Member

Ive never heard such crazy talk.One bike.Cant be done.

Posted 12 months ago #
cynic-al - Member

1 bike = too much compromise, no amount of xtr or whatever on the 1 bike would make up for that for me.

But I have 7

Posted 12 months ago #
PJay - Member

I think it depends on what riding you do and whether your primary concern is going as fast and efficiently as possible or just bumbling around enjoying the ride.

I like having one bike (although I do have a 'spare' hack bike) but then I'm not a 'proper' mountain biker or road cyclist, I just pootle around on roads (mostly rough country ones), bridleways etc. for enjoyment and do the odd bit of commuting.

I've got a rigid mountain bike with semi-slick tyres which does me fine, it'd probably be hopeless in any sort of race but I don't do that and it's great for what I want from it.

Posted 12 months ago #
julians - Member

I use my endruo for everything, but my everything does not include any significant amount of riding on the road .

if I needed to cover soem road miles I'd get a bike better suited to it, but for all offroad duties and the very occaisional road miles the enduro does me fine.

Posted 12 months ago #
spiddy - Member

Had one bike for all for years but bought a second bike (full sus) last year for off road stuff only. I wouldn't go back while I can afford to keep the two. For me it's the faff of constantly swapping wheelsets between commuter and off road use that was the decider. Now I just grab the right bike for the job - no faff!

Downside to more bikes is of course more cleaning and maintenance... two is all I have time for.

Posted 12 months ago #