[Closed] How do you know when you have too many bikes?

I just measure the dust, there's an awful lot on top of my xc bike just now so it's getting sold.

When you time delivery for the days the Mrs is not home then try and conceal them somewhere where they won't get clocked. 😉

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I have a wife to tell me when I have too many bikes. Apparently 3 is the maximum acceptable number. The occassional appearance of a fourth prompts discussion about divorce.

I like building and fiddling with bikes so don't think that you can have too many.

Although I only have 3.5... bike bouncy bike that gets used for most rides, hardtail play/fun bike for short rides (this is currently getting used a fair amount), road bike (this got used the most last year I reckon) and a half built singlespeed to use a retro Cannondale that I have.

I don't think I need anymore, but do often get tempted by old bikes that I could never afford when I first started riding even though I know that I'll most likely not like it or use it!

There is a simple way to work out the bikes you actually need as a minimum:

Bikes needed = n + 1 where n = number of bikes owned.

As said, it's a minimum. I've got five but can see two more coming before long.

Thanks tomhoward 🙂

When your wife leaves beacause of them. Then there are too many 😀

@ JoeG - where is that t-shirt from? I have certain friends that I need to wear that in front of!!

I dunno - I just got the pic from google images. Looks like its from ebay, though. Anyhow, easy to find for sale online.

this is a good thread! Its making me feel better about the 7 i have!

Tried so hard to keep to a 4 bike policy. it lasted for a bit too! But last year went a bit crazy and bought 2x new cx bikes, and a TT bike too (this has only done 20 miles since september last year - good investment!)

Currently got:
26" Hardtail
29" Hardtail
TT Bike
2x Cross bikes
Old Cross Bike - now winter road bike
Carbon road bike

I just love building and messing with them though, and still find myself looking at frames etc on ebay.. luckily my wife is very understanding and supportive of my addiction. although every time a package arrives at the house i do feel a but like i'm pushing my luck!

Still have a hankering after another Pace RC200 retro build....

I hadn't ridden at all for the last 3 month, due to the weather and DIY after moving house. Last week I decided it was time to get out on the bike.

1) Tuesday - all went well
2) Thursday - rear calliper seized on my FS after 5 miles ( I'll fix it over the weekend!)
3) Saturday - front puncture on my tubeless HT (the sealant had dried up - I'll fix it over the weekend!)
4) Sunday - walked to the pub and no maintenance carried out
5) Monday - snapped a spoke on my road bike

So I've decided that 3 isn't enough as all 3 were working last Monday but by this Monday they are all out of use. I'll be busy this weekend.

I sold my kona Cindercone, Alan

I have two issues here....

You don't call an old Kona Alan.

You don't sell an old Kona.

Retire it to pub duties, use it to practice wheelies....

Just

DON'T

SELL

THE

OLD

KONA

or call it Alan

I think 5 is about right.

A full on downhill bike (I started downhilling before I really took an interest in any other discipline and still love it)
A 6" travel trail bike
A lightweight XC hardtail, this also gets used for the odd cross race.
A hardcore singlespeed park/dirt jump hardtail
And a road bike.

If I was really pushing the boat out I could perhaps make room for a winter trainer roadie and a dedicated cross bike, but I'm not into either discipline enough. A lightweight hardtail 29er would fit in there too, but I know really it would replace the 26" bike which I want to keep out of sentimental value so I probably won't get one for a while.

As of right now, I only have one. A rigid, single speed, 29er.

On the radar:
Trail Bike (HT)
Trail Bike (FS)
Ti 1*10 Rigid 29er
CX Bike

A full on downhill bike

A 6" travel trail bike

A lightweight XC hardtail

A hardcore singlespeed park/dirt jump hardtail

And a road bike.

I have 4 bikes, which all get ridden equally (if they aren't in pieces, obviously)

DH (224) <- awaiting a rear wheel rebuild
XC (Dialled PA)
Road (Canondale CAAD-8)
BMX (Dialled MX20)

@JoeG - that T-shirt is ace. Now I have one in the post, thanks to eBay. Cheers!

n+1 is a good measure. You could use d-1 as the ideal number, where d is the number of bikes that leads to divorce. If you have d bikes, then you have too many... possibly!

I have 6, house rules state i am only supposed to have 4 at any one time, but LBS was sellling very cheap dodgy land rover thing which is ideal for commute/pub/leave anywhere and CX bike (planet X XXL) that has snuck in last week.
Singlespeed 29, ride loads.
Cotic Soul, doesn't get much use, 65 miles last year, so might have to go.
Kinises Gran Fondo, winter bike, turbo.
S works Tarmac, for all big road rides, alpine trips and sunny days.

I have 5 bikes on total, though one is for sale.

Cotic soul - probably most used.
Liteville 301 - new, loving it
Salsa vaya - touring bike, only ever did one big trip and never ended up using it. Soon to change though as I'm planning on using it as a baby transport machine.
Brompton - Used as a runabout around town and doubles as gf's bike.

Yeti 575 - for sale

Personally I think having 5 bikes is scandalous and provokes horrible feelings of guilt. Reading other contributions here makes me feel slightly better.

Personally I think having 5 bikes is scandalous and provokes horrible feelings of guilt. Reading other contributions here makes me feel slightly better.

So I feel better already about my 4 [i](the tandem doesn't count as technically I only own the front end of that, despite "owning" the cleaning and maintenance of both ends)[/i]

My wife reluctantly accepts the number I have now, but any more would not go down too well. So it is satisfying to know that I have passed one of the STW benchmarks on the ideal number, but clearly I need to use my favourite bike a lot more.

I don't have too many bikes (7), I just don't have enough sheds to keep them in.
The less I ride, the more bikes I have.

One thing I've learned is that there's more than one threshold. Like, 4 mountain bikes wasn't too many, til 2 of them were titanium, and at that point people started taking the piss. I reckon the same's going to happen when I end up with 2 versions of the same bike, that'll be officially worse than 2 different bikes. Fat bikes might be another. It's like drum solos.

Oh and one singlespeed is too many of course 😉

I got sick of reminiscing about old bikes and how I missed them once I'd sold them. so I decided never to sell them.
I don't care if they don't get used. Why do you HAVE to sell something just because it's not being used? Especially something as wonderful as a bicycle.

Oh and one singlespeed is too many of course

👿

3 = too many

You need one you love and one you'll happily drop in a beer garden / attach a child seat to etc

I have five.

Full suss Giant Trance X for proper biking fun.
Hub geared Gary Fisher Sawyer for winter/trekking/kids/do anything (either rigid or with rebas depending on mood swings)
Rigid On-One Lurcher Single speed
Ridley Boreas Road bike, means to an end for fixed length clean training rides.
A ebay supplied pink Raleigh Shopper bike that I did the SPAM winter challenge on, kept for the next event that I can slipstream lycra clad XC weanies on ;D (if only for the hilarious 30yds until I get dropped)

Tbh I have no need for the Lurcher beyond that it feels good to have and I built it, worth keeping for that alone. The pink shopper really should go!

Last week I needed a fat/no-fat bike. But now decided I don’t, or maybe I’ll see something at the Frome Bike Jumble that takes my fancy.

So all that blather probably indicates that I have no idea how to know when I have too many bikes.

Andy

I have a serious case of N + ?, so I have started on my N - 1 process on eBay.

If any of you lads need help with your N + 1, I can help. 🙂

There's a few highly collectable items heading out the door eg

[url= http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4096/4763388521_a96a7cfbd3_o.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4096/4763388521_a96a7cfbd3_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/49097109@N07/13266351925/ ]Untitled[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/49097109@N07/ ]Bruce Ritchie[/url], on Flickr

It's not tidy or owt but it's mine!