sat having coffee with friends, talking bikes and routes when one of my male friends new partner says why do you not just ride what you have…………. the deafening silence and jaw dropping was priceless

BUT really how many of us just really could should or will just ride what you’ve got????

N=X???????

Does not compute.

* I was riding the SS exclusively, then my knees started playing up so put some CX tyres on the fancy hybrid and I’ve rode that the last few times out. Different but still fun.

Well you cant exactly ride what you don’t have can you? Does she apply the same ‘logic’ to buying shoes and handbags?

No he did not apply that logic to shoes or bags……….do we when looking for new disco slippers and rucksacs 😀

No you cannot ride something you do not have but riders are always planning or justifying I need this for that or that and whilst a 29er 125mm full suss may not be the best bike for xc racing it will be more than adequate for that purpose or taking a Fat Bike up tourmelet (aka Trout of this parish) but can be done………….

after years of wasting tons of cash searching for the perfect bike, I realised that there isn’t one.

I now ride what I have got, a Surly LHT. my only bike.
I ride it on road, offroad, touring and for it’s main job commuting.

My mate rode his Giant XTC race snake bike around the Passportes last year, so yes, we ride what we have.

(I suspect he’d hire something a little more suspended if we did it again though!!)

I do spend more time thinking about my bike than I do riding it, and the time spent on this forum to time spent in the saddle ratio is embarrassing.

Chip what a wonderful equation……

I just went N-1. Might be getting shot of another in the new year. But it’s not like that leaves me in bike poverty…

Owning bikes is a different part of the hobby to riding bikes, building bikes, and talking about bikes. You can’t ride all the time.

Was this also followed up with question ” why do you need more than one bike? You can only ride one at anynone time.”…in a similar fashion to “why are you shouting at the football on the TV? You do know they can’t hear you?!”

If there was a perfect all do it bike, surely we would all have bought it?!

A fine sentiment, but it’s a bit windy out.

Matther………. I think it was ” you’ve spent x thousands” why can you not just…use that for bikepacking, riding in the lakes, riding in a trail centre, climbing cols…… leading to Tons appraisal on matters.

LOL showed that T shirt…………

I spent years riding a 36lb bike for everything eventually I realised it was wiping me out on every ride and my mates were getting sick of waiting for me at the top of every climb so I got shut and bought a reasonable hardtail for xc type duties and a dedicated dh bike for gravity riding. I have less than 1K in each bike as my skill levels prevent me spending more.

It’s a fair point.
But do they drive a 500 quid banger, or a nice shiny car.
We all like to have nice things, and some of us like having nice bikes.

If I wasn’t always planning the next bike, I’m not sure why I’d be going to work.

It’s a hobby, it’s meant to take up your time and money!
I don’t understand other people’s obsessions and I am surprised if they understand mine. [Excluding of course the other idiots who join me for wet cold miserable rides that we remember as wonderful]
There will always the ‘How much!How many!’ brigade, I am sure they will have some dark secret even golf.

If I wasn’t always planning the next bike, I’m not sure why I’d be going to work.

That’s as good a reason as any 😀

At the moment I have to just ride what I have, one is too small so can’t ride that, the other is my commuter but I love it so ride it everywhere I can.

BUT really how many of us just really could should or will just ride what you’ve got????

Most of us.

“N + 1” is such a great marketing device I’m surprised its not been trademarked by Specialized.

I see folk “upgrading” on here from say 9-10 speed, 1 1/8 to tapered etc, it’s just another type of consumption, it doesn’t significantly affect the experience, it just puts money into consumerism and keeps you on the treadmill.

Think about it.

I’ve always just ridden the one bike that I had and did whatever I wanted to do however less than perfectly suited it was as doing the thing of the ‘now’ was the most important factor in the equation. And that was fine until having just built a bike that I spec’d myself.
Now, having considered the suitability of everything, I’m questioning that spec and thinking about refinement or wholesale rebuilding. This is how it starts isn’t it?

Actually, I think I’ve become confused since having the loan of a road bike.

Lots of folks I work with are golfists, they ask the question about why so many bikes, I say why so many clubs. Easy.

Zen is the art of less bicycle maintenance.

Ive only got one bike, I make do with it fine. Road, Trail, XC racing, Alps, etc. Ive never understood the need for more bikes.

I just like messing about on my bike so I picked one that allowed that sort of riding. Im not going to win a XC race or DH race, so dont worry about the extremes of either side of biking.

^^^^^^^^
Crazy talk 🙂

Yup, all my N+1 mates dont get it. But they always seem to bring the wrong bike, or have to stock several types of brake pads, or never get round to fixing each bike.

Also, each one of them is good a one type of riding, despite having serveral types of bikes.

Thats a fair comment Trimix.But i personally would not fancy doing a 50mile road ride on my Remedy or risk taking the Remedy to work.So everybody to there own.
Some people have 2 or more houses now thats serious stuff.

I needed a bike that I could lock up outside my house or in town, something that wouldn’t need much maintenance, could tow the kids trailer or carry the shopping and still be a hoot across the moors and at the trail centres..

Riding what I’ve got ticked all the boxes

Love my bikes. I just NEED a sporty road bike.

I needed a bike I could ride fast on the road in the summer and winter (and commute on), a bike I could ride off road and a bike I can mess round on at the bmx track.

So I have 4 bikes. And plans for 2 more.

What was the question?

I could easily N-2. I have two carbon bikes (1 x road, 1 x 120FS) hanging up in the garage that have had about 6 rides between them this year. Thing is, I’d get little for them and it would cost me a lot to replace them if I changed my mind in the future.

I’ve even considered merging the fatbike and 29er into one “bike” with two sets of wheels. That would leave me just that and the tourer/CX/commuter. I think I could manage quite easily with just those two.

I went from something like 8 bikes to 2, a road bike and an MTB.

Never had more money, and never been happier with the bikes.

N+1 works great if you *need* another bike for a significant reason, e.g. road riding vs mtb, or cyclocross, or singlespeed for the winter. But if it’s just because you want less travel, or a different type of bike for the same purpose…. it’s a bit want than need, that’s when it gets expensive and stupid 🙂

Each to their own though, if you’ve got the money, and like buying bikes – go for it, it’s not like you can take your money with you when you die.

I like the idea of N+1 but can’t afford it… currently have a cheapish XC hartail used for all my riding (including commuting) so is always a compromise bike. Currently building a Dialled apline into a proper hardcore/trail HT. Then the other bike can be set up a lot better for commuting… buuuuuuut I really want a 4x/DJ type bike for mucking about on and I have a skatepark over the road from my house.

I only own one bike. I can afford more however why?!

I too see it as weird

It is fun to ride different bikes, my Orange Blood is vastly different to my 29er singlespeed (both heavy mind.)At this time of year it is nice to not worry about your drivetrain being destroyed!

More (different bikes) more opportunities Piccys haven’t copied over?

Okay there are a few days left…so shoot me. Actually the way I’ve felt these last three weeks I wish some one would. Sadly a bout of Bronchitis has robbed me of my last few weeks of riding and racing in 2013, but I’ve got a fair bit to look back over.
To summarise. 29 races started. 3 races I didn’t get to. 3 races where I got a great big DNF. I had one win, three 3rd’s and a shed load of top tens. Five reliability trials. Four sportives and one Audax. I rode in three other countries. I went to see the pros race on the Continent. I pedaled over the pavé and I pedaled over the Pyrenees. And I pedaled up and down this green and pleasant land. I rode through wind, rain, snow and sunshine, I even rode for hours in my garage! I raced my road bike, I raced my cyclo cross bike and I raced my mountain bike. I cemented old friendships as well as making new ones. I smiled, I grimaced, I felt euphoria, I felt pain, I lost sweat and I lost blood. And all fueled by coffee cake and beer.
The highlights of the year? The win has to be up there, even if it was a depleted field in the pouring rain, I still had to battle for it.
Then the Pavé. Surprisingly in the four decades I’ve been racing I’d never been there. I can recall that upon seeing the sign for the Arenberg I got a shiver down my spine. I conjured up images of Eddy, Roger, Bernard and Greg, the sense of being ‘on’ cycling history is immense. The surrounding areas are perhaps best appreciated only by the cyclists, not one for the family.
The most memorable trip was the one to the Pyrenees with Fraser and Philip. Trips away are always great, but this one was made better by staying at Frasers second home in Luchon. Quite simply a riders heaven. Wake, coffee, Patisserie, ride, thermes and walk to the cafés, arrange chairs to admire the mademoiselles drink, eat and repeat.

Perhaps the downside of the year was the National Road race Championships. The race itself was second to none, but I was training hard for half the season for something that was out of my league. I did my best, I obeyed the rules, but in the end I didn’t have the legs or the attitude. I remember getting angry at all the riders I’d drop eventually catching me up by riding over the white lines all the time despite the commissaires constant warnings, I couldn’t bring myself to what is effectively cheating, could I have stayed in longer if I had? After the race I had a long hard think and decided I didn’t have the time or desire to work any harder to reach the levels I’d need to be at to compete at that level. In a way it was a weight off my shoulders, and it’ll free up a lot of time in 2014. Perhaps the 3 Peaks or another mountain bike 24 hour solo?

So back to the end of 2013. And a season of (as yet unfinished) cyclo cross has gone pretty well, I managed to cling onto 3rd overall in age for the first nine races, illness probably means a final standing nearer 6th?
I haven’t let this get me down too much though, and decided to marshal when I could. Wrapped up like Scott of the Antarctic I marshaled the local round of the National Trophy. Field was amazing, watch out you Belges. And I had a chat with Roger Hammond, which was nice! and it sort of took things full circle as I remember going to Leeds in 1992 to see him take the World Junior title, and now here he was managing a team.of his own.

So there we have it, just a few words, but it doesn’t go anywhere near capturing the entire joy riding and all it entails brings to me, wrapping handlebars, fitting tyres, hitting the buy button, getting lost, cutting rides short, training, racing, talking bollocks, beasting your mates, getting dropped, getting in a crafty one after work, the wind on your back, just everything, good times or bad times without one the experience isn’t complete.

On the Arenbergs pavé

Summiting the Tourmalet

cyclo cross action

Criteriums at the MK Bowl

In readiness for 3 hours of XC racing

Audax with Fraser and Keith

Riding for the hell of it

I’ve got more than one bike, but they’re all fairly different; the Rube gets ridden the most, then there is my tiny BFe used mucking about on and my road bike. Also got an old Cannondale that us getting rebuilt as a single speed.

I don’t really care what none bike people think. It’s my money and I’ll spend it on what I want!

Can’t see me ever having one bike. I’ll always need an old snotter for riding to the pub or taking to centerparcs/holiday.

Really need to rationalise my bikes. None of my mtbs have seen the light of day in recent weeks/months, so having three is a bit pointless. I think I’ll most likely keep my Dialled Alpine, put some adjustable forks on it and keep a couple of wheelsets. I then need to decide which of my road bikes to keep!!