Originally Posted by
cango
So you saw the title. Forget this N+1 stuff
.
Whats the most versatile bike if you could have only one. What would it be?
Road bike?
Touring?
Cyclocross bike?
Gravel bike?
Hybrid?
General Mountain bike?
Cross country mountain bike?
Something else?
Tell me why.
My choice is my bike, a steel road/cyclocross/gravel/all-road/touring bike depending on what the maker was advertising it at any given iteration in its long life depending on what was popular or trending that year. Does that fit something else?
That is my 2016 Bianchi Volpe.
It meets all my needs for the riding I do: road riding, light load or credit card touring, rougher roads, towpaths, gravel roads. It has clearance for up to 38mm tires (with appropriate rims, which I have on wheelset 2), cantilever brakes for clearance and wheel swaps (and because I like them and always wanted them), rack, bottle, pump, and fender braze-ons and eyelets, and in my year, a triple front. Other than the ubiquitous Shimano proprietary relationships, it is largely standard with a 27.2 seatpost and 1 1/8 threadless steerer and 31.8 drop handlebars.
If I ever went custom, I would keep the Volpe and choose to have as many of its features duplicated. My only addition for a custom would be to specify head and seat stay lugs for their intrinsic beauty, and possibly a polished stainless or chromed fork. I would also consider a return to a square tapered BB for the Spécialités TA Carmina very customizable crankset (thanks to member Clyde 1820's Rivendell build thread.)
I like specialization in fishing rods, but rods and reels store more easily than bikes.