Ok thank you folks some good points made

Most of my friends and I have ditched the ‘stable’ in favour of a single bike.

I’ve got a Cove G-Spot, no it doesn’t climb like some carbon HT 29er wonder bike, and yes I got passed a few times by lads on V10’s and whatnot in the Alps, but the margins aren’t nearly as big as you might think and I don’t ride competitively anymore so I don’t really care if I’m a few seconds faster or slower up or down something.

In it’s element, which frankly covers 90% off all riding it’s seriously effective, but more importantly fun and personally I gain more performance from increased familiarity than I would with a couple of extra inches of travel or a couple of Kgs less weight.

Right, so a different bike offers no practical difference, doesn’t change the “outcome” of the ride (struggling to keep up) but it does change your experience

Erm, this couldn’t be further from what I was getting at 😕 😆

I’d consider almost any bike that doesn’t lie at the extreme ends of the biking spectrum to be a reasonable do-it-all bike. When i started riding i had a basic hardtail and didn’t know that i needed a bike for every type of riding i was doing. So in my ignorance i used my bike for all day rides, quick blasts, dh and dirt jumping. Only on DH trails did i feel i was in any danger, but as i was inexperienced at riding steep, rough ground it could have been me riding beyond my skill level that introduced the fear.

I still have a hardtail which gets used for everything (it’s better on DH but worse for jumping) but i also have a 150mm fs which does everything too. I’d be happy with either if i could only have one bike.

Imo most bikes will do it all, it’s generally the riders mental fortitude and skill that introduce the doubt.

Perversely I have managed to achieve owning 3 bikes – none of which are great for anything really. But I love them too much to get rid of any of them.

Before I got my YT Capra I never believed that I could be happy on one bike for everything. I never would have contemplated riding a 165mm travel bike around a trail centre. Before this bike I always wanted the least weight and travel as possible and felt that slack angled bikes felt terrible on climbs or anything that wasn’t pointing down sharply.
The capra feels lively everywhere and capable of anything. Just a swap of tyres is al that is necessary to swap from Xc to DH. I belive this really is the least compromised do it all bike so far.
I’ve sold my lapierre froggy 180mm travel,and I think my very light Superlight xx1 etc will be adapted for my girlfriend.

i have a rigid singlespeed and a geared hardtail with matching geometry (scandal & inbred).

I could probably slim down to one frame, with gears and sus to be added when required (rarely) and mud/ normal/ beefy tyres.

But i’d spend a lot of time faffing when i don’t need to. + it doesn’t bother me that the geared bike doesn’t get ridden a lot.

For me, it’s not a case of can you do it all on one bike, because if you have the ability you can. It’s more a case of if you only have one bike which compromise serves you better, and that will vary from person to person.

+1
I’ve never had the luxury of more than one bike, so I’ve always tried to pick a do it all bike and I’ve always enjoyed riding them.
Taking a lack of compromise to it’s logical conclusion, and compromise is the issue here, I’d have to change tyres at leat 3 times each ride around here 😆

currently looking to make my 2 bikes into 1 bike.
got a surly tourer and a parkwood mtb.
thinking about buying a van nicholas pioneer rohloff 29er.

I have two because 1 is always broken…

Good point mugboo. Got to have a spare

I have two because 1 is always broken…

I got two out of action now, better get off the internet and go and fix one (or both) I suppose.

Stop thinking and press the bluddy “buy” button!

currently looking to make my 2 bikes into 1 bike.
got a surly tourer and a parkwood mtb.
thinking about buying a van nicholas pioneer rohloff 29er.

sounds very much like 2 bikes into 3…

If like me, you get the occasional serious bout of ‘upgradeitus”, you get a second bike out of it for free (ish)…… 😉

No such thing as “quiver-killer”… Which has become my favourite phrase of all time.

Mugboo has it – it’s very handy having two bikes for when the other one is broken! I have a hardtail and a 160mm fs, both can do each others jobs perfectly fine. The alpine 160 is a bit much for less full on stuff and the slackline a bit harder work (but massively fun) on the more full on stuff but they both work well enough once you accept the compromise. A one true do it all bike will be a compromise, much less so these days though. The dh bikes days are numbered imo as the 6″ bikes get more capable, over the last couple of years almost all of my riding mates have sold their dh bikes, me included.

Personally I think if you call your collection of bikes a “quiver” there should be some law that forces you to forfeit all of them. 😉

What’s the acceptable (stw approved) collective noun for bikes then?

Fleet?
Quiver?
Stable?
Arsenal?
Flock?

Shedful.
Pile.
Mess.

What’s the acceptable (stw approved) collective noun for bikes then?

My bikes

fLOLtilla…of carpark battleships.