[Closed] One bike and one bike only

my ragley td-1 would be the last bike to go if i was forced to sell my bikes.

If i was building a custom bike there are a few minor details id change but the geometry isnt one of them.

ive toured on road , ive toured offroad , ive done the commute on it , ive ridden some enduro Gnar on it and not been near last (in an actual race) ive raced 24 hour races on it and ive raced short track.

Its hands down the best bike i ever bought.

One bike! Wash your mouth out you flithy animal 😆 😉

Honestly though a gravel type machine. Probably steel. Likely a Surly badge.

But if we are talking from current bikes then I would say my KM Ops (although the Pugs would be hard to say goodbye to)

My Cotic Solaris 😀

I don't road ride. I used to do only freeride(?) and the easier downhill tracks. But now I'm getting into shorter more technical xc loops as well.

I can't imagine anything (I could afford) that would be a better compromise than my 456 with heavy duty wheels and forks, 27 gears and a dropper.

1x11 intrigues me though..

I'd give up road riding before making some horrible worst-of-all-possible-worlds compromise like a gravel bike.

So a short travel, slack-ish, full-sus 29er - and I'd have to demo them all to choose which one.

My Remedy 29 could do all the mountain biking I do, and I'd just stop commuting/riding on the road.

I'm a roadie who enjoys a spot of mtb'ing on a mountain bike. I've tried the gravel thing and cx but it's not for me. I would just give up any off roading and stick with a killer road bike and live with race blade longs for winter.

tricky, I'm pretty happy with my N=2 pairing of full sus trail bike and cx bike with 'gravel' tyres... I'd probably have to split the difference and have a hardtail 29er trail bike (and 2 pairs of wheels)

It would be my speedball as its bloody epic, but I would cunningly give my jones to my fiance, then I could just " borrow" her bike for ride now and then 😀

I'd give up road riding before making some horrible worst-of-all-possible-worlds compromise like a gravel bike.

This...

So a short travel, slack-ish, full-sus 29er - and I'd have to demo them all to choose which one.

I'd have a hard time choosing between a HT and full sus if we've got to go down to one bike, but similar priorities for sure. Starling Murmur with both 200x57 Enduro shock and 200x51 XC shock, internally travel adjustable fork between 140-160, 2 sets of wheels and tyres etc. Would probably be where I'd end up. Come to think of it... Only having one bike doesn't sound quite so bad after all! 😆

My Stumpjumper FSR. I love it and it is the go to bike pretty much all of the time now.

My Mason Definition ... 🙂

I'd keep my FS trail bike Foxy Carbon XR. The Road bike and Hardtail would go - the latter reluctantly. I've come to the conclusion an MTB can do what a road bike does, keep me relatively fit....
It's grins for me and the Trail bike gives me the most.

I think I would have to say a 29er HT, not that I wouldn't be tempted to go with a Grrrravel/CX type bike, the majority of my riding is currently done on a CX or a Road bike... But on a nice day when the trails are calling I know I'd struggle to enjoy attacking singletrack and jumps on a rigid, drop-barred machine with tyres under 2" I think a good 29er would strike the right compromise for me in that respect.

A Bokeh with two sets of wheels.

I had this actual dilemma when I quit motorbikes and was treating myself

I thought I wanted a hand made gravel / tourer with rohloff rather than the Jones spaceframe I'd often dreamed about

Turns out after a year I was wrong I now have a Jones as my one bike instead

And a ramin plus with spare 29er wheels an ss Kona cinder cone and a boardman hybrid as you do when you have one bike 🙂

What made you quit motorbikes if you don't mind me asking?

My Kona Abra Cadabra is still my go to bike whether it's a cross country bimble or trail centres or whatever.
It's just so comfy to ride in all conditions. Climbs so well and never feels heavy.

Just don't tell the wife as she will ask about the other four

A couple of my friends were killed and then my Mrs mates dad and son were killed all within a short period of time so the Mrs and the daughter weren't fans and with the bike accidents I attend at work being mostly fatals I decided to let her win on this occasion. I do miss it though and sometimes think of getting another

Interesting that some of you have tried the gravel/CX route and not been impressed. I might have to rethink my answer...

Part of the dilemma is that where I live now, the road riding on my doorstep is fantastic, but not so much the mountain biking. If I really could only have one bike, it might be a road bike...

...BUT if I lived only 30 minutes up the road where the doorstep mountain biking is a lot better, it might be a different answer.

Bokeh, Merlin CR64, tiFargo, tiBrompton.
That sounds like 1 bike, to me anyway 😉

That was my thinking stilltortoise but it turns out I'd rather drive to better trails or just ride to them on the mtb

Similarly to Northy, my Bronson can do all the biking that I love.

A FS is the true do it all bike.

Mr Tortoise you have answered your own question ! Move house. Bigger storage for more bikes.
Of my current bikes, OO 456 ti evo would be the keeper

i effectively done this already, i got myself a Santa Cruz Stigmata and i ride everywhere and over every kind of terrain with it... it's amazing and i love it so... road bike is now used for commuting only (the stigmata was being used for that too, but it's too nice for that so some self control has been exercised) and the HT has been sold and the FS doesn't really get a look in... the Stigmata was excellent on the Hope Pre Peaks, fast on the roads, fast on the climbs, a giggle (though not fast as such) on the descents... what's not to love?!

i can ride all day from my door and have an absolute blast with it, whereas riding something the justifies a FS means 3ish hours of driving... ergo, i rarely use the FS

you can fit narrow tyres to an mtb, whether its fs or ht, not ideal, but doable,
you can't fit properly big tyres to a road bike, so for me it would have to be some kind of rigid or HT 29er.
i personally would discount a fs bike as my only one as i like to go camping on it, and a rear rack is a necessity for me.
ymmv of course, it's always interesting to hear other's responses too.

Probably a slightly shorter travel bike than I have now. Or maybe longer.

Right now, I have a trail bike (enduro weapon, gnarpoon, mince tank) that in the last two years I have
-ridden DH
-ridden to work
-raced 100 km XC
-raced enduro
with nothing more than changing tyres and very occasionally pedals.

If my soul was shallow and devoid of life I'd even ride some CX on it.

I'd rather quit commuting and road riding entirely than have a CX or road bike be my only bike.

Either a 29er or 27.5+ hardtail and several sets of wheels

I would really be torn between getting a straight-up road bike or a CX.

Probably the latter, as I would still have the option of hitting the trails.

Interesting that some of you have tried the gravel/CX route and not been impressed. I might have to rethink my answer...

It's not that I'm not impressed by gravel bikes, they're extremely capable and adaptable and would basically cover 85% of my riding, but that remaining 15% only an MTB can really address...

A rigid steel 29er MTB frame with rack and mudguard braze ons and flared drop bars. Basically a monstercross but MTB rather than cross geometry.

Banshee Spitfire

Been DHing at Stiniog, been to the Alps, been down Pila, been all over Scotland, been along loads of Canals and roads, BPW, etc etc.

Having a road bike and a DH bike too is better though.

Banshee Spitfire

Been DHing at Stiniog, been to the Alps, been down Pila, been all over Scotland, been along loads of Canals and roads, BPW, etc etc.

Having a road bike and a DH bike too is better though.

#edit, it must be the best as I got a double post

Cannondale slate, with a sneaky spare set of wheels

steel 29er for me. good for all the stuff i do. touring/pottering, and a bit of offroad.

my present solaris would suit.

My Niner SIR.9
I've ran it in a few guises, 100mm forked hardtail, fully rigid whippet, plus wheeled behemoth.
It's the only bike I've never grown tired of & would be the one I'd grab in a fire.
The Puffin is a close second though, currently Fat but I'm cobbling a 29+ wheelset for a laugh. It's not quite got the feel of the Niner but it's not far off. That Sam bloke knows how to spec a steel hardtail. It it were a bit lighter, with a bit of the Niners flex, it would be a keeper.
The Five would (will...) be the first to go. I always wanted one, I had one, it's a great bike but it's intended riding is just not my thing anymore.

A CX/Gravel bike.
A Jack of all trades, master of none.
Impressed with the alloy GT Grade I have. Two sets of wheels = quick changes between road/ muddy stuff.

But really, one bike is not "ideal".

Of my current selection, I would keep my fully rigid Yeti ArcC which is now sporting a Whisky carbon fork. Without anything else silly on it, it weighs 20.2lbs so with different tyres it would be OK on the road and can still go offroad on the 'it's not exactly gnar' off road that is the bread and butter of most of Britain 🙂

Blank canvas would be ...

650B tough (probably steel) hard tail, 140mm fork (ideally as simple as the old Fox Vanillas), 1*11, 200mm/180mm rotors and reliable brakes, dropper.

Basically my 456 but a bit lighter, built to a better standard of finish and 650b so I can easily get decent spare wheels and tyres.

Shit on the road, good enough for an all dayer in the hills, not a chore on towpaths/railway lines etc., great for a trail centre blue/red route/quick blat ride, good for riding with the family.

Impossible choice really. But pushed its got to be a steel 29er.

Solaris for me.

I think I may have just built the perfect bike for ton!
XL Grypon, Rohloff, Big Apples, BB7s, Midges.

Carradice SQR on the seat post to take a SuperC bag.

[img] [/img]

This is coming up to Dumfries with me in a few weeks for some fire road/country lane pootling.

Cross bike with two or three sets of wheels. I'd still struggle to road race it, because the gearing would be challenging. But I have raced by Boardman CX Pro at Hillingdon with a road groupset. Cantilever brakes are UCI legal in all disciplines.

Tripster if I could only keep one.

If I had to [i]choose[/i] one it'd likely end up a 2x11 new Swift with a few wheelsets. Probably enough wheelsets that I might as well have another bike.

If i really had to, then 29er rigid or HT with different wheels for road. 'Proper' bars and full mtb tyres all the way! Curly bars no use for fun mtbing for me...even though I do plenty of road, i'd rather sacrifice road enjoyment for off road fun any day!

Gravel bike/ CX

would basically cover 85% of my riding, but that remaining 15% only an MTB can really address

having a seperate commuter makes things much easier IME. Can run guards and racks a dynamo and most importantly great big horrible punture proof tyres. My commute has a lot of glass and any tyre that i'd enjoy riding on a weekend club run is no good at all in the week.

Just bought a ti Fargo. (Present for large number birthday). Think that would be it.

Difficult! So, I have to commute to work, can't afford not to, and yet I couldn't just live with a gravel bike... a Slate is a good call, but no, I'd have to keep my Big Top. 29er hardtail. I could ride to work on that and its a fun bike.
Trail Centres do rentals don't they? 🙂

I think I may have just built the perfect bike for ton!
XL Grypon, Rohloff, Big Apples, BB7s, Midges.

Carradice SQR on the seat post to take a SuperC bag.

very nice too stoner.....wanna sell?

I did JOGLE on my MTB (Cannondale hardtail with a Lefty) back in 2001, so one bike is quite do-able if you're happy to accept compromises. I commuted and toured a fair bit on that bike.

I've thought about going back to a single bike several times over the years (see some historic posts) and came to the conclusion that a 29er hardtail with 2 wheelsets and some good luggage would be the sweet spot.

One bike probably works best if you're have a main use and then occasionally something else (e.g. MTB mainly, with an occasional tour), but will inevitably be tested if you're doing a more diverse range (e.g. technical MTB and chain gang stuff) and / or bigger miles.

-

YT Capra CF Pro with a spare set of wheels/tyres for the road.

It would have to be a hard tail of some description, all things considered.

Sonder Camino Ti

One bike, ONE BIKE, ahhh. I've rather a lot of bikes so can't really give a proper view on this but if you said all we're going but one... the first that comes to mind to keep is my Solaris, (but I'd have three sets of wheels/tyres, 29mtb, 27.5mtb+ and a road set of 29s. But if I could only keep one, it would probably be my 1986/7 Stumpjumper, currently set up as a tourer (has been for 20 years), it is also lots of fun and reasonably capable off road on decent tyres. It is a great alrounder, city cycling, loaded up tourer, on the trails, only place it lets its self down is steep (ish) downhill quickly but I'm getting a bit old for that...

One bike you say.......would have to be the Krampus.
Might have to keep hold of the Alfine and SS rear wheels so I had a choice of gears or not.

That's like saying you can only have one pint!
However, out of SC Superlight, ti 456 Mk1, Inbred singlespeed, Stanton Sherpa, Kinesis XC Pro 2 and Look KG361, I'd keep the 456 (cos it's ti!).but swap for a ti Sherpa if I could.

Ti29 plus...with 29er and road wheels, and spare Pikes (and a spare Turner Sultan frame 😉 )

160mm enduro bike

For off road riding, which is what I prefer - they cover everything well enough. Alps trip? Comfortable enough for a week shuttling downhill tracks.

Trail centre? Great on reds and blacks, some people argue that they make them too easy but I like the sensation of speed you can get from them by really laying off the brakes.

All day ride in the peaks? Totally doable, enduro bike builds are pretty light these days and with 3/4 way adjustable suspension and a tyre swap they can be 80-90 percent as manageable as a 130/140mm trailbike.

I want a bike that is good for UK riding but will also put a smile on my face and help me enjoy a week of shuttling alpine descents, I can't say how much I am looking forward to 2018 in Morzine already.

I think I'm a bit of an odd one out here - but I'd never be without a proper bouncy bike. I'd forgo all other types of bikes, my enduro bike would be clawed out of my cold dead hands though.

As I currently only have two, I'd forego the rigid SS commuter and keep the Aeris 145. The only road riding I do is either to the trails or a 4km commute so I think I'd cope. So chalk me up as another who'd stick with a FS as my only bike!

very nice too stoner.....wanna sell?

Thank you.
But Im afraid not for sale. At least not until Ive tested it 🙂

I think I'm a bit of an odd one out here

Nope, there's a few of us echoed your sentiments earlier in the thread.

I only ever have one bike at a time. Have lived in the same place for many years and the bike that works for me on and off road is a fixed gear track bike. I swap bars around as the mood takes (drops, risers, bullhorns) but the underlying bike remains the same, it is all I need.

Good on roads, good fun off road (most off road is gravel) and makes the lame single-track quite challenging.

Easy choice.
Carbon 29er HT.
Covers the widest range of possible uses I think.

Another vote for 29er hardtail, my solaris would do. Ideally after i've put the 120mm stiffer fork on i've been hoping to upgrade to. Currently 100mm reba which are a bit flexy under my impressive physique.

It's not that I'm not impressed by gravel bikes, they're extremely capable and adaptable and would basically cover 85% of my riding, but that remaining 15% only an MTB can really address...

As someone mentioned above, maybe rental could scratch that remaining 15% itch, especially if it's for occasional trail centres and holidays abroad. I used to ski every year and quickly came to the conclusion that renting made more sense for the one week of a year when I skied. If you only "need" a big full susser for the Summer Alps trips and weekend trail centre visits, it might be a cost effective way of having only one bike but still getting your n + 1 kicks.

EDIT - perhaps doesn't work so well if your doorstep riding needs a "big bike".

I do all my Mountain biking on my Bird Aeris 145. I've got a Boardman team Carbon racer which I mostly just commute on with an occasional road ride for fitness / leisure, then I've got a hardtail which is somewhere in between but which needs a fair bit of tlc.

I was thinking about this the other night and decided if I could only have one bike it would be the Aeris - but I'd get a spare set of narrow ish wheels to keep tyres on that I could commute on without being too draggy and could just lock the rear shock and turn the forks to their fullest compression setting.

So I'd keep the most fun bike basically.

It'd be my Surly Disc Trucker. I've done 200km+ road rides on it happily enough, it'll handle any off-road stuff round here and it'd do plenty more gnar at an appropriate speed, it tows the kids, does the shopping, carries luggage, does everything basically. I wouldn't mind a smidge more tyre/guard clearance if it was to do all the off-road duties as well (it's currently maxed out with 29x1.75s and guards), but hey.

Hardtail for me. Ideally 29er. Drop bars too compromised for off road, I would consider a lightweight FS but probably HT first.

Metal perhaps better for the rough and tumble of life? But something light and carbon would make it more fun with slicks on the road. So perhaps something like a pivot les?

How many sets of tyres are we allowed? Two sets of forks?

If it was a mountain bike and had to be used for commuting and other road use - I wonder how many of us would go back to 2 front chainrings... 11/32 would be a bit crap on the road.

I think I'm a bit of an odd one out here

You're not, well not the only odd one. Mountain biking is about fun for me so I'd definitely keep my Bird if I only had one bike. I use it for 90% of my riding anyway. I could use it where I use my hardtail, it just might be a bit overkill at times, but I'd rather that and have the bike to enjoy the fun stuff.

Easy, my Whyte T-130

As an XC bike it's great, DH is great... I guess it would lose a bit on Zwift, but i could live with that.

I'm thinking of doing this.

My two current bikes are both not-quite-right for me: a SS Inbred (can't run BB7 calpiers, only one bottle cage, 26er tyres getting harder to find) and a Cotic X (lose a bottle cage when running a frame bag, slightly smaller tyres than I'd like at times).

I'm thinking of getting a Singular Swift frame and forks. They would work for geared or SS, drop bars or risers, fat tyres or skinny, off-road or on-road.

Most of the parts from my current bikes would fit, so minimal shopping needed.

Careful kit choice should mean relatively easy swapping of parts - running road BB7 calipers and using canti brake levers for with riser bars, split cable outers, etc.

I wonder how many of us would go back to 2 front chainrings...

Go back to? Ah the joys of being a late adopter...

Without a doubt it would be my Stanton hardtail with 140mm forks and 26" wheels. Full sus is a "nice to have" rather than a necessity and doesn't play well on tight jumps or the BMX / pump track. Neither do bigger wheels.

If it was a mountain bike and had to be used for commuting and other road use - I wonder how many of us would go back to 2 front chainrings

Not me, I'd keep all three 🙂

[i]Go back to? Ah the joys of being a late adopter...[/i]

My chosen Big Top does have 2x10 🙂

If it was a mountain bike and had to be used for commuting and other road use - I wonder how many of us would go back to 2 front chainrings

A double chainring (32t and 42t) with an 11-32 cassette would do me for everything.

I'm in this exact position at the moment and have an NS Rag+ on it's way to me today. Should cover 90% of my riding until the kids are a bit older and then I'll get a full suss to compliment it. Local trails (Macc and Peak) will just be tackled at a slower pace

I wonder how many of us would go back to 2 front chainrings...

Not me. My 1x MTB already has a higher top gear than my commuter. Touring I would have to consider 2x or 3x but that would be a compromise for a small amount of total use. Besides, if it was one bike, I could probably justify 1x12.

For 'proper' road use a n/w chainring is a pretty cheap and cheerful swap to up the gears, and surely no worse than being allowed to change tyres?