Which is better? One super bike OR multiple bikes for different ocassions?

Assuming your one ‘super bike’ costs the same as your ‘multiple different bikes’. Which do you think is the better approach?

Superbike.
you can easily add a cheap and cheerful winter hack bike for next to nothing but if you had the many bikes you would always be wishing you had the superbike and that’s much harder to obtain.
why would you want a garage full of Golfs when you could have one 458?

Depends on budget. One £3k bike is better than 6 £50 bikes, but an £8k bike (assuming you can find one) is not as good as four £2k bikes.

It all depends on how you ride. I have 3 mtbs, but they are all different. An XC race bike, a trail bike, and a ‘big’ bike which for me is a 170mm Patriot. If you like to DH and also XC race, then you obviously benefit from multiple bikes. If you just hit the local trails, then there’s no point in having many bikes.

why would you want a garage full of Golfs when you could have one 458?

You’d be a fool to buy a garage full of Golfs. Better to buy a Golf, an MX5, a Transporter, a camper van, a Landie, etc etc.

Multiple bikes for me. One bike would mean too much compromising.

Multiple.

Jack of all trades is not master of one!

Cheap do-it all HT…

I saw an £8’000+ bike last night, Santa Cruz Bronson with full XTR for £8’619.00 😯

Superbike schmuperbike!

Once you’ve bought your overpriced, over specced bling machine you’ll be stuck with it. One single bike that, once you’re over the thrill of buying it, will be at best marginally better than each of the two or three bikes you could have bought for the same price.

A cheaper selection gives you more choice, more variety in your riding, a better chance of having the right tool for the job and generally more bang for your buck.

Of course if you only ever ride the same trails in the same way in the same conditions with the same people then ignore me.

I shouldn’t have really used the term ‘super bike’. So we’ll go with just a normal bike which costs the equivalent to your multiple bikes

as others have said, 4 bikes at £2k each would suit me better than 1 £8k dream machine.

Multiple superbikes, duh…

If you have space, several bikes.

Bear in mind the law of diminishing returns applies, a 4 grand bike isn’t twice as good as a two grand bike. Four grand is better spent on 2 bikes that are good at what they do than on 1 bike that does a bit of each.

I like having multiple bikes to do different things on. For me it keeps things fresh and stops me getting bored / complacent.

I’ve not ridden my BFe or road bike for a week whilst I’ve been in Scotland and I can’t wait to get out on them again. Once you spend over a certain amount, I think your into the world of diminishing returns.

There is no such thing as one “do it all” bike – not unless your “all” lacks imagination and scope.

matt_outandabout – Member
Cheap do-it all HT…

+1

contrary to scotroutes assertion this is a very good solution, and very satisfying.. you just need a little imagination.. 😉

If you spent all your money on a 140mm travel light as possible full sus, this would do most things.

This seems to be bringing up another good topic of discussion. What’s the optimum amount to spend on a bike. like mattjg said, a £4k bike is unlikely to be twice as good as a £2k bike. But I’m sure a £1k is easily twice as good as a £500 bike… maybe we need a graph 🙂

I’m happy with my one ‘super bike’ if you can call it that. Wouldn’t change to 2 cheaper ones.

Same as Njee20, one bike, doesn’t stop me having fun

what are the pro’s and con’s for each scenario?

Depends what the total budget is surely.

Total budget 1k = one bike (for me rigid geared 29r or cx)
2k = 2 bikes – roadie and ht mtb
4k = 2 bikes – nicer roadie and ht mtb
5k + add tourer

For me I cannot really see where in ht or road bike territory spending much more than 2k would bring ME any more benefit. I am not that good or fussed about kit but reckon i could enjoy the weight savings on the ups.

The above bears no resemblance to the 5 bikes i own so maybe it is all bull.

Ok, at retail my one is £6500, and I’m still happy with that, over two cheaper ones.

That’s MTB only. I wouldn’t be without a road bike.

I have 3 super bikes, but being as I bought them 2nd hand and swapped the spec over time, the total outlay is less than £3k (for all 3!!)

Buying a new big money bike is for poseurs and the weak willed.

That’s at least two bikes then

think budget is the issue tbh

I would prefer multiple bikes as that is what I have

Oddly my most expensive gets the least use [ FS] but if I could only have one it would be the one I keep

Hardtail [ geared and SS] gets much more use but that is mainly due to where I live

EDIT: good point scotsroutes Yes and the road bike would not be without that

so there you go one bike means having a CX bike – it can do everything but much much worse than a useful could 😉

That’s at least two bikes then

Aye, did say that’s just MTB. I know plenty of folk would have several cheaper MTBs, but I’m happy with the one. But yes, if I had £6.5k to spend altogether I’d have a £4k MTB and a £2.5k road bike I think.

I must have had 5 or 6 bikes at one time before, now I’m down to 1 MTB and 1 road bike. I wouldn’t go back to more, but my only agenda with bikes is to ride and have fun. 🙂

My one bike is perfect for Scotland local trails and big mountain rides.

For me, one bike that just feels perfect is all I need. Rather than 3 or 4 that are just great.

Everyone’s different though 😉

As said, budget is clearly the driver. I would have a trail bike if I had the money, so it’s not that I feel no need for any more bikes, just that I’d sooner have one better one than two cheaper ones for a given budget.

There’s a law that says you’re only allowed a total of 33 ratios* no matter how many bikes you have.

So if you have a bike with a compact and an 11 speed, then you’ve used up 22 ratios, and you’re left with 11 ratios. This is why so many people run a single ring on their second bikes.

Of course, if you are a singlespeeder, then you’ll immediately realise that you are allowed 33 bikes, although most SSers restrict themselves to 30 proper bikes, and a 3 speed for days when they are feeling old and frail or have trimmed their beards.
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*I may have made up this rule, but I’m trying to live up to it. 🙂

One ride will always be a compromise , rather hZve a selection
And does not have to cost mega money
My summer hack cost me £ 100 its a retro road bike and plenty fastenough

I’ve got a 29er HT and a 140mm full suss 26er. Best thing I’ve found about having multiple bikes is if one is “off the road” needing work/service, I can ride the other.

Buying a new big money bike is for poseurs and the weak willed.

and enthusiasts or those prepared to spent the cash. I was going to write more, but I’ll leave it at that. 🙂

I’m lucky enough to have 3 mountain bikes with excellent specs, they lack for nothing really… But I could spend that budget on a single bike with a phenomenal spec. It definitely wouldn’t be as good.

I guess it depends on your riding. For a lot of people, it’s all fairly similiar so one bike does it all, a brillant xc bike could be the perfect tool for all their riding. There’s no one bike that’ll do brilliantly at xc and dh racing no matter how much you spend on it though. Or jumping, or whatever else you might be into.

Loads of bikes FTW. Most of the riding I do is imaginary, but when I do get the energy to ride, I like the bike to fit the ideal.

Therefore I have retro road bike, dripping in 853 and Campo bits, a singlespeed Cannondale MTB for nipping to the pub, a decently upgraded Boardman Pro for everything and a couple of vintage Konas for, erm, fun?

I’m still confused by those saying a single bike is a compromise. It only *is* if you think that way. My 28lb 5 Spot may not be the fastest bike uphill, but I’m pretty strong and can keep up with most on xc race bikes on it.

Plus, its a real hoot down hill. The only compromise is in your head, just enjoy what bike you have and enjoy the ride.

Don’t be silly. Of course one bike is a compromise if you enjoy different types of cycling. My mum’s 1960s BSA shopper is compromised should she decide to hit Whistler. My stepdad’s folder is compromised if he fancies a spot of 4X.

My singlespeed is no good on The Devil’s Staircase (some singlespeed ratios will work but mine doesn’t).

Etc.

EDIT: the basket would fall off in the case of the Ladies’ Shopper. Other than that, it’d probably be fine. It’s a BSA.

It depends what sort of riding you do or want to do, and whether for example you feel the need for a singlespeed or something similar. Personally I’m happy enough to ride a geared bike off-road (I also ride other things which make singlespeeds seem easy), and whilst it might be fun to have a longer travel bike I doubt I’d want to ride the sort of terrain where I’d really notice the benefit over my XC full-sus (though I’m good enough to ride any trail center red route I’ve come across and also most black stuff on that). Hence I’m struggling to think of a situation where I’d really prefer to be on something different.

What differences do other people have between their bikes that make it worth having multiple ones for different things? Are we just talking XC/DH/jump here, or do people have multiple different “freeride” bikes?

Of course like njee I’m just talking mountain bike here – I also have multiple road bikes, and several other wheeled contraptions.

rickon – Member

I’m still confused by those saying a single bike is a compromise. It only *is* if you think that way. My 28lb 5 Spot may not be the fastest bike uphill, but I’m pretty strong and can keep up with most on xc race bikes on it.

That doesn’t make any sense. Take your 5 spot to fort william or give it a fair comparison with an xc race bike and then tell us how uncompromised it is.

But if he doesn’t go to Fort William or race XC it’s a moot point.

Multiple bikes – I have 4 at just over the £1k mark and I ride them all for different things regularly. If I had a better version of one of them there are loads of rides I wouldn’t want to do on it.

I used to have multiple bikes, until i got fit and discovered Singlespeed. I subsequently sold all the others (bar my Pitch, which i’ll probably be getting rid of soon).

Now i really enjoy batting my mates around trail centers on my Gaspipe Special On-One Singlespeed! One mate in particular rides a £7k Yeti SB66, and i take extra satisfaction from dropping him!