What strategies for avoiding N+1?

Embrace it, I've just built my 7th.... I'm sure I could justify one or two more at least

Sell your bikes and take up fishing?

I have an elderly Brompton (which lives at work for popping around town), an electric full-sus and a singlespeed hardtail. I briefly had an electric and normal full-sus as well as a geared hardtail (before that got replaced with the singlespeed one) and having three MTBs was just too confusing - how do you choose which one to ride? Plus they take up more space, cost more, more things to keep on top of in terms of maintenance, etc. It was really annoying! With the kids having bikes too and property being stupidly expensive down here, I can't fit more bikes in or afford anywhere with more space anyway.

I do like having two MTBs - when I only had one, the pain of a broken bike that needed time/money to sort was made so much worse by not being able to go MTBing until it was sorted! My current two (which I have no desire to change) hugely overlap in terms of what they're made for riding, they just do it in different ways - and are set up super similar so I find it easy to swap between them. I think I'd really struggle to swap between a more diverse range of MTBs, like going from an XC to a DH bike.

@dave-h

Sell your bikes and take up fishing?

My brother, who fishes, tells me that's not a viable solution to the N+1 problem.

Well.

I'm on 4 as we speak (1 trail FS, 1 SS HT, 2 Ti Gravel, 1 old steel dropper SS CX/Commuter)

I've recently ordered a bigger FS bike, and put my current FS up for sale (full bike, or frameset). But, am fully expecting, in the current climate, it will not sell for what I am prepared to accept it for ... so I may end up with 2 FS bikes.

And then, I've just bought a used Ti HT frame, which will need building up. In theory, it could replace the SS HT, but as that is rather battered, and has a stuck dropper in the frame, I'd be unlikely to successfully sell it, so its worth keeping for winter slop. The other plan is to sell the current FS frame, but transfer the parts onto the Ti HT.

So ... if you're still with me ... I'm potentially on 6 bikes within a couple of months! 

Likewise, I try to keep costs sensible and not be wasteful but end up with a lot of bikes!

FS
HT (currently single-speed but do have a drivechain in a box for it)

Road
Track
Commuter/cargo (sit up and beg, hub brakes, basket, rack, guards, marathon plus', dynamo lights, the full works)
Commuter - drop bar fixie with 32c and guards, rack, dynamo etc, now just used as a winter bike but was used for my long commute. Also doubles as an SSCX if I take the guards off.
Gravel

Now looking at something like the Ribble CGR, which would suit road and gravel in summer, then road in winter, then I could make the fixie a winter gravel bike. It almost makes it 1 in 1 out. But on the other hand I really like my gravel bike, and my road bike is 10s with rim brakes so I don't see the point getting rid of the gravel bike and then having a nicer (albeit 4kg heavier) winter road bike than the summer one. So then I just end up keeping everything with the CGR as an extra winter road bike, but with compromised geometry compared to an actual dedicated winter bike.

Maybe I'll just sell the gravel frameset and keep the bits in a box incase I regret it.

The problem is that whilst I'm not a roadie, to keep up with the cycling club you end up needing a fairly optimized bike, not the latest Aero Fandango, but at least a road bike, or a gravel bike, or something speedy-ish with guards in winter. Whereas off-road where I'd rather ride, the speed difference between the SS HT, FS and any average group is marginal 🤷‍♂️

How can people exist with just 2 bikes? I think at the last count we had around 20.

obvious troll

Eh?

As long as they are used and are justifiable why not have more?

I've five bikes and all get ridden regularly and are quite different from each other.
I was recently thinking of reducing my number of bikes, just that but it would end up with me spending more as most of my bikes aren't worth too much.
The five bikes I have and where I ride them are:
- 120mm lightweight full sus. Gets used the least amount of times of my bikes and is primarily used for covering big days/multidays in the highlands or when I want to chase the occasional local kom.
- 150mm steel hadtail. Used for steeper more technical trails and riding with the kids.
- Steel road bike. For indoor roller use and occasionally club/pal road ride.
- Alloy cross bike. This is my most used bike and used for local cx/gravel and longer gravel rides. I have done a few local cx races and it's loads of fun to ride.
- Rigid singlespeed mountain bike. Only used for winter slop or local punishment rides
If starting from scratch, I'd get a Lauf gravel bike and a Yeti ARC hardtail. These would cover all bases but would leave me more compromised.

Picking up #5 this weekend, hopefully. The road bike belonging to my mates dad that helped get me into riding in the early 80s.

I'm pretty much done then. Though there are some absolute bargains in the Wiggle sale....

I really want a Brompton but end up not getting one as it gets pushed to one side for a more sexy, fun and less practical bike. Has been going on like this for years.

Get a partner that also rides.
That way you end up having to restrict your number of bikes as theirs take up half the garage space*.
Also have a rule about no bikes living in the actual living bits of the house. That rule only came into force when we moved to a new house and may get broken as time goes on...

* she's got more bikes than me at the moment which is a first.

As I’m utterly incapable of being sensible and only using bikes within their design parameters, I only run an enduro bike now and that works for me. Could it work for you? Different wheelsets? I do however, have a fair amount of spares and can always borrow the wife’s Sentry if it’s an emergency need a bike situation. 

My wife has three bikes, more by accident than design. And I do borrow her Dutch type shopping bike. For. Well. Shopping. 🙂

When the kids were wee and we were on a single income. I sold all but one of my bikes and only rode this for years. It was a 2009 Cotic Soul. It was great for the weekly local mtb ride and very occasional trail centre or big day ride.
The bike collection started again when I bought myself a cheap road bike to try and get fitter, the logic being that I could get more miles in for the same amount of - limited - time in the saddle. The cheap road bike soon got better wheels and a better groupset. Then a new Ritchey Logic frame was bought for a bargain price off eBay.
The bike buying has progressed over the years as we had 2 incomes again and my wages rose. These days though, my bike spending is going towards my 10 year olds bike collection, he's currently on 2 but could easily be more....
If you have the room and the funds then have as many bikes as you like.

IMO, the best bike buying advice is, buy a bike from a big popular brand in the sales and keep it for a year. Spend the least you can get away with on maintenance. Then sell it before expensive things need to be replaced.
Then repeat .......
Of course I don't do this, I prefer to buy a bike and keep it for years until it's worthless but still manages to cost me a small fortune to maintain.

@steamtb good in theory, the issue is, the right bike for the right job does make it more fun.

I admire ay attempt to avoiding N+1, but there's always a real risk of ending in glorious NBD failure so why resist it?

I've been as high as 7 bikes (singlespeed HT, hub-geared HT, geared HT, trail FSer, enduro FSer, DH bike, commuter) but have since settled on 4 as my magic number:
1) Hardtail
2) Trail FSer (main bike)
3) 'Big' FSer with 160/155 (skill compensator)
4) Gravel bike / commuter

For me it's all about this but really it's just the perfect excuse to justify N+1:

the right bike for the right job does make it more fun

So no, sorry, I can't provide any strategic advice for avoiding N+1. Embrace the inevitability of it.

3 bikes - endurance road bike, MTB race bike (also used to ride “gravel”) MTB 150mm fun bike

Then repeat …….

Son: race focused road bike, MTB race bike (also used to ride “gravel”) MTB 150mm fun bike

thankfully the only version of cycling my daughter likes is to school or pootling around Centerparcs.  

@a11y essentially you're one step further on from me...

What strategies for avoiding N+1?

Being married.

Being married.

Steady on, don't need to get radical about this.

Those Epic Evos at Certini look like a bargain…

In fact, they are such a bargain that it would be obscenely rude to quell your N+1 cravings, however, in order to solve the storage issue, you can buy one for me! Double win! 😉

Being married.   - 🙂

I'm always looking for that "quiver killer" to consolidate a few of the rides and go to n-1....then realise that I have held on to them for far too long for them to be worth anything on the 2nd hand market (coupled with the current climate for overstocked new bikes)... So I have a fleet of ageing steeds.

Space, we have 8 bikes between me and the wife (4 each) and the garage is full. I'd like a hack bike for nipping to the shops etc. but nowhere to put one. 

I'm no help here I'm afraid - whenever I get down to 3, I start all over again!!!  (I do "churn" them quite a bit though so I see that as recyclingg so no wastage involved!)

I'm picking up #6 tomorrow (of mine) but we also have my wife's 2, my two lads have three between them, and we have my dads (RIP) two road bikes in the loft - so that makes a current collection in the garage/loft of 15!!!

My 6 are:

Boardman Air aero carbon road bike
Scott Solace lightweight carbon road bike
Viking RoadMaster steel road bike
Speciaized Chisel Comp MTB
Shand Bahookie Rohloff MTB
1956 George Whitlow 531 tourer/allrounder currently permanently affixed to the turbo trainer

Now I'm reading that back, I realise how lucky I am!

To be fair, the Scott Solace and the Viking are both currently for sale (to fund another purchase!!)

I don’t understand the question

I know I’ve hit the limit when I started explaining why 2 didn’t really count 🤣

Enduro
Ebike
Hardtail
Road
Gravel
Vintage
Retro mtb*
Pub*

*doesn’t count 😅

Generally I sit at 3 or 4 in total.

Downcountry bike. Gets ridden quite a lot, and often on things it shouldn’t do.
Trail bike. Most ridden bike of the lot
Enduro bike. Least ridden, probably could do without it these days as decent trail bikes are so good.
EBike. Ridden a lot in winter.

I have less than my other half, so she can’t complain. If we want the bike in our house, we buy it.

I’m up to 5 bikes as it stands, but wouldn’t mind done thing like an Epic Evo as well (but I’m going to resist), wife would go mad though.

Got a big 29er fs (Sentinel), steel hardtail with 140mm fork, cruiser BMX, Nice road bike for commuting and fitness and a new Vitus (crc bargain) road bike to permanently live on the turbo trainer

I don’t think you can get away from n+1 cravings.

I have mostly stuck to 2 MTB and a drop bar bike.

I was up to 3 MTB with one justified as a kids ride shotgun bike with my wee one. That got stolen and I didn't replace it with the insurance money. Less to go wrong, less to upgrade and it's easier getting the rest of the bikes out of the shed.

So if you have space time and cash, have as many as you like 😃

I bought a gravel bike. It turns out I'd rather be fully off road on an MTB or fully on the road. So that sold and I don't miss it.

I had a road bike as a commuter, then bought a fancy road bike, then preferred riding the gravel bike as a commuter because it had fatter tires.

So now I’m at three bikes…

You really need to work on those numbers! As for fishing, have you seen the amount of kit fishists seem to tow along the bankside to catch a few small fish?

Three bikes would just about cover my Track bike collection. I chose bike for conditions and gave up with gears, just pull off the rack the bike with the appropriate gear/rack/mudguard combination. Best and race bike are off for hibernation. Winter road and gravel bikes are for gears. Recumbent is for rest days.

best way to avoid n+1 is, of course, to buy bikes in pairs - any fule etc

I've gone from three to five bikes in the space of a month, if you find the secret to stopping this madness let me know please!

If I just bought complete bikes I think I would be at a modest number, but generally I always build. With an existing bike the logic seems to go:

- I need a need saddle, so buy one.

- Handlebars too wide, so let's get some narrower ones

- There's a bargain on some aero wheels, so let's get some

- If I get a better groupset I can save 400g

- I've got enough parts for a new bike if I had a frameset, so I buy a frameset.

- And so on.

Don't know how many bikes I have off the top of my head so here goes with a list: Bird Aether 9, Ragley Big Al (£170 one), Vitus Sentier VRS, Diamond Back Ascent (pub bike), Genesis Equilibrium (commuter). Ridley U400 (ebike for when I want an easy commute), Brompton (for central london commuting when I take the train in), Cervelo R3 Disc(endurance bike), Cannondale Supersix Evo HM(lightweight climbing bike at 6.6kg), Vitus Vitesse Evo Rim (racing bike), Fairlight Strael (winter bike), Fairlight Secan (gravel bike).

Oh dear, I seem to have a problem! (just counted 12). Clearly I don't know what the strategy is.....

This thread is not helping.

Back to the OPs specific question ...

But then I find myself wondering about a short travel full sus for a bit more comfort on all day rides. Those Epic Evos at Certini look like a bargain…

My newly ordered FS bike is the new Bird Aeris AM. Its 160mm travel, so good for enduro, AM, Trail stuff. I did dally with the idea of buying a second hand 'bigger bike' and a second hand 'DC' bike (and could have made the money numbers work on eg a used Transition Sentinel and a Spur). But figured the Aeris, certainly with 2 sets of wheels/tyres, is light enough to cover all my FS needs (DC bimbles up to Enduros).

So ... tempting though it may be ... what will your DC bike bring that you can't achieve with your current trail bike?

Never really understand the more bikes = more maintenance argument (well I can to a limited extent but it’s limited). It’s miles / use that wears things out, so if you have multiple bikes you use less things wear out quickly vs one bike taking all of your miles.

@hardtailonly

So … tempting though it may be … what will your DC bike bring that you can’t achieve with your current trail bike?

My full-sus is a Stumpjumper Evo and it’s a bit too capable for normal trails, especially when they’re on rolling terrain, a downcountry would be more fun and less exhausting on epic rides, and more comfortable than my hardtail.

@kramer - what you waiting for them - you’ve clearly justified it - get it bought!

You NEED that Epic Evo 

Take the money you would spend on new bikes and upgrade the ones you have to the Nth degree.

With the money I’ve spent on the current squadron of 5, over 10 years, I could easily have bought 15 nice bikes, but I don’t have the space to store 15 bikes, nor the motivation to keep rotating them.

This way I have all the riding I do covered, and the bikes are really nice.

@joebristol get thee behind me satan.

How do I stop this, before I find myself at 4 justifiable bikes, then 5 and so on..?

Just don't count them, it'll only make you miserable. I have no idea how many bikes I have and I'm happy keeping it that way.

@thols2

1, 2, many, lots. 😉