grayEZrider

Oh yeah. I think it is a side effect of N+1. I'm trying to fight it by buying less and drinking more.

gugie 

Parts? I've got too many frames!

This is less than half of them.

Spaghetti Legs 

rjhammett

I too have a lot of parts that I am going to have to deal with at some point.

Senior Ryder 00 

Been there, done that!

About 15 years ago, we became fulltime RVers. In preparation I sold off some better stuff (Santana tandem, Montagner road racer, Schwinn Prelude), put some bikes with special meaning into storage, then donated my parts stash and a couple of basic city bikes to the bicycle mechanics Vo-tech program at the local state prison. We each kept a decent mid-range MTB style bikes to take with us on our travels. I also, took a set of wheels with off road tires. I was still working as a teacher. A couple of years into this adventure, my wife decided she would rather have a "comfort bike". So, I converted her old bike to a SS commuter and the herd grows. After retirement, I put the SS into storage and decided that I would like a mini-velo because we were moving more frequently. Now, N+2, ! Six years ago we found a great deal on a small cottage one the Oregon Coast and establish a home base, but continued to travel during the winter and early spring. The second spring, I decided I wanted to ride faster and more seriously. So, I got a Ridley CX bike. Later that summer, a BF member had an Eisentraut in a box for sale that I couldn't resist. Now, N+4, , but I'm having a blast and getting in ~60 miles a week. For our 50th anniversary, we went to Europe and I acquired a 1964 Holdsworth frame set and a 1966 Eddie Soens club racer in good condition.

2 1/2 years ago we moved inland to Salem and I started volunteering at the local co-op doing refurbs and minor repairs, oh oops. In addition to my work at the co-op, last year I processed and sold six personal bikes, but I'm still about N+6 or 7. Plus I now have several totes of spare parts as I tend to buy quality rather than let them get misused by the scroungers.

My current solution to disposition is to live a long time, just kidding! In the meantime, I've cataloged the parts/bikes and instructed our son to keep the stuff he wants and donate the rest back to the co-op.

Cheers,

TiHabanero

"If you’ve got a lot of parts taking up space, you should think about getting a bare frame to put the parts on. Then they would be;
1) out of the way
2) stored in an orderly manner and
3) easily moveable, just wheel the frame to a new location

problem solved."

That is how I got into this mess in the first place. Got two n+1 last year, and have the parts to finish them. The thing is that they are finished bikes in their own right and don't need my parts except for an upgrade, but then I have the parts that came off the two bikes stuffed into my spare parts collection. Truly is a vicious cycle.

TiHabanero

"That Veloce FD at the bottom of the FD box? I’m almost sure I’ll never use it, but not 100% and it’s worth more to me than the $10 I could sell it for."

This nails the way my thought pattern goes. Exactly. Have these brakes, derailleurs, shift levers, hubs, etc. that sit at the bottom, middle, and top of the bins they are in and I think that there may be a use for them in the future, and to replace them costs more than what they are worth today.
The sad thing is that I have sold or given away parts that a few years later I have a need for and regret getting rid of them. Example: In the box, NOS Campy pedals and hubs. Right now have a bike that needs those pedals and another one that needs those hubs! Could just kick myself for letting them go. Don't even want to get into the irreplaceable stock handle bar for an 83 Miyata Ridge Runner. Kept the stem, but the bar is gone. Have the original frameset and all the original parts except that bar. What a knucklehead.

I suppose I just have to have the courage to commit to no more project bikes and no more parts, and then commit to clearing everything out. Just don't want to leave the kids a mess should I be taken out a decade or two early. Comes down to it, don't want to end up like a dear friend of mine that has been given a few months to live. Has a house that has been sitting empty for decades and is slowly being reclaimed by the earth, and it is filled with furniture and other things that are decades old, just like the house. I don't want to leave that kind of a cleanup mess for my kids or wife to deal with. Just is not right.

Maybe this is therapy of some kind?

blackcannon

Ehhh...Get rid of the stuff...too many hoarders in America. It's a REAL problem in our culture...I have this problem myself hence working finally letting go of my stuff in the new year, including bikes...will narrow my fleet down to my road warrior which I am currently building and an all around leisure/grocery-getter/errand/winter beater bike.

The good thing is that there is an awakening on this problem. Marie Kondo and her book & Netflix series have caused quite a stir as I have heard, read many articles since her release on Netflix. We are finally "woke" on this topic! I find it interesting what people have been attuned to in this era (tiny house movement, minimalism movement, food/health movement, etc etc). Crazy times but somewhat exciting times...

beicster 

+1 on all that. My wife and I are both afflicted. Me with bike stuff and her with crafting stuff. While I can honestly say she has it worse than me, we both have it. This morning she talked about a loom that is for sale in Portland, ME for a great price. Two of our kids live up there so she could paypal them the money and bring it home at some undefined point in the future. With Christmas just past and other one time bills recently being paid, we would be better off not spending it right now for something she won't even have for at least a year. This led to a longer conversation and we realized that while we are nowhere close to rich, we actually have the money to do what we need to do when we need to do it. I have a pile of parts and she has two rooms full of craft supplies (and then some) because we both grew up poor and had to budget every penny on necessities when we first got married. We stockpiled things in case. If I found a great deal on an XT rear derailleur, I kept the beat up but mostly functional STX it replaced "just in case". But, honestly, now if I need a derailleur or some other bike part, I can have it in my hands within a week. I am not in a position to just order up a custom or other expensive frame, but a new derailleur/wheel/stem, etc is easily within reach should the need arise.

The biggest thing for me, though, is that when it comes right down to it, owning so many bikes and bike parts has not made me any happier than when I got my first road bike so that I could keep the knobbies on my mountain bike full time. For my riding, one road bike and one mountain bike are enough. Especially when those bikes are great bikes that check all the boxes.

squirtdad

I am fighting the urge to stockpile things that are getting harder find like quality freewheels

I have started to organize my little parts and get rid of things like a bunch of misc spokes, various old lights (the quest for more lumens leaves debris) but some odd things like suntour derailers I am having a hard time getting rid of....

but overall am working on entire garage....ie lots of PVC pipe leftover from projects with the kid ......taking up room and will be easy to replace if I need in the future

fietsbob

Check out my Estate sale.. when it occurs... But not yet ...

Dave Mayer

Hello: my name is Dave.... I am a recovering bike parts hoarder.
Hello Dave!

Seriously: here is what cured my bike stuff hording addition.. become a bike mechanic at your local Co-op. A few weeks after I did this, I had lost any desire to hold onto any spare stuff, unless it was truly extraordinary. In fact, on a net basis I have shed a lot of stuff - donated back to the Co-op, or my fellow volunteers for their projects.

Something in my brain snapped, in that if you are constantly surrounded by piles of bike stuff, then you don't want to see the same at home.

Bike shops and area racers are donating their old inventory to us. Yesterday the following passed through my hands:

• A 10-speed era Mavic/Ultegra wheelset in great condition. Wouldn't fit an 11-speed cassette, so donated to us.
• Some weird Cambio Rino derailleurs;
• A Campy Record vintage hubset;
• 20 pounds of assorted stems;
• A minty 9-speed era XTR rear derailleur;
• Some new Deore shadow-style rear derailleurs;
• etc.

Yawn. I don't need it. And I certainly not in my house.

glassman83

Great option, Dave.
I've been with our local co-op for three years now post retirement (Rebicycle Lenawee on fb), and it's a saving grace. Yes, we get a lot of box store bikes, but we savored the recent Lemond, even the Fuji Roubaix. My wife say's it's my adult play date when the shop is open, I couldn't agree more. On occasion we take in a bike with a broken or recalled frame, ie, a Trek 1000 that had a lifetime warranty; worked with the owner and he had us pick out a replacement at the LBS that we sold to help with two of our monthly mortgage payments. Support your bike co-op & it will support you!

Mr Carl

I understand the struggle. I rebuild unwanted/donated bikes to give to those who have none and cannot afford anything. Even though these are usually low end China made bikes, it is amazing how many parts you can accumulate. I use totes, hang tires and stack frames. Sometimes, I find vintage parts I need for the older bikes. Good luck on your decision.

SamSpade1941 

I've been able to manage this problem by only keeping what I must have for builds in a Just in Time inventory scheme . Plus having grown up with hoarders ... I have a disdain for hording .

ruftytufty

Your goal of not leaving a mess for your kids is admirable - I think one of the less pleasant chores in life is going into the home of one's parents, after one or both have died, and having to dispose of all of their stuff. I think that often a lot of "good" stuff just gets thrown away, because there is so much to deal with, people have their own busy lives to deal with. There are also lots of online resources on how to declutter - probably none specific about bike stuff, but probably could help with the mental stuff, and how to decide what to keep vs. not.

Here's what I suggest: find a friend who is the opposite of a hoarder to come over and help you (ideally someone who understands bikes, but doesn't have to be). Having some moral support and help from someone who isn't attached to your stuff can make this job a lot easier and faster. There are professional "clutter-buster" people who do this, but may not be worth paying someone.

Some thoughts on specifics to keep or not:
- Identify which projects you are realistically going to work on or not. If it's been sitting there undone for 2 or 3 years, you're probably not going to do it anytime soon. Clean out anything related to it.
- Identify parts that you might need that are truly hard to find or super expensive (relative to what you could sell it for). Save only those and stuff you are going to need regularly or in the near future. Lots of old stuff can be found on ebay (and will continue to be so for years).

You will probably make some "mistakes", getting rid of stuff that you end up needing in a few years. But, your overall load in terms of boxes of stuff will be much lighter, and you'll feel better because of that - if you can give yourself a break and not beat yourself for a non-optimal decision.

One of my friends is an acknowledged hoarder, keeping everything that he "might use one day". He had a revelation one day - the reason they call a store a "store" is that they "store" stuff. So, if you can get something from a store when (and if!) you actually need it, then you don't need to store that stuff at home. In this context, a "store" includes ebay or anyplace you can buy stuff from. May be non-optimal financially, but you end up with a lot less stuff in your house.

The strategies of donating stuff to a local bike co-op, or even working at one, are great - you get to feel good about getting rid of stuff - more so than just selling them on ebay. That reminds me - I've got some old parts that I should get rid of, and a couple of worthy places to donate them to.

While on the subject of what happens after you die, and the kids come in - I hope your financial and other affairs are in order. Bike parts are small change compared to that (having been an executor for someone's estate where 1) she didn't tell me she had named me as executor, and 2) she didn't leave me passwords/etc. to her accounts). I was talking about this whole topic with some guys in my men's group - most people don't have their affairs in order. Also lots of good resources for handling that stuff available, but I won't hijack this thread further :-).

wrk101

RiddleOfSteel

Being "close to the flames" with two local shops that sell used parts has not helped in ways, though in other ways it lets one potentially burn through the apex of the passion and come out the other side with perhaps priorities reset as a result of letting things run their course. This is predicated, naturally, on a few things like funds, no one to say no, yet enough self-control to not go full bonkers, and of course, space. This is me certainly, and I've been actively selling parts through the slow winter. It can be hard parting with parts because of the "where else am I going to find this part again, in this condition, at this price?" And this assumes I want/will want this part in the future for a future build, even if I am unable to put it on a keeper bike for one or multiple reasons. So I/we must be honest with ourselves.

Example: In what setup do I think first gen STI shifters (I have 6400 8-speed units in great shape) are comfortable for a longer or any ride? Compact bars (potentially) or Cinelli 65 Criterium bars. What bar setup is the easiest to make comfortable and not look weird? Cinelli 65s. How many 65s do I have? Two. Are they taken (on other bikes of mine). Yes, and zealously so. Thus, the 6400 shifters, on account of wanting to get rid of extra parts, and not having a bike to really go on, can in my mind leave. They are on a bike and ready to go as we speak...

Live update: Wait, I'll put on some Dura-Ace 7700 shifters, spare other shiny matching parts, and sell the bike like that. Why? Becuase I have a matching 6400/8s hub + Matrix aero (all grey) wheels plus all the other 6400 stuff, sooooooo I'll get rid of other parts and keep a groupset that I'm still not wanting to break up in spite of not 'finding a bike to put it on.'

Ah, we see how this goes, right?

But seriously, the chance to make money (back) is a good motivator for me. And the selling of some pieces increases the mental 'momentum' to keep selling things and clearing space--that on top of the desire to in the first place.

Johno59

I have finally cured myself of this problem.
I saw a job lot of - 2 x 1940s Hercules , 1 x 1947 Rudge and a 1937 Sunbeam barn find. Sat for 50 damp years easy and looked it. The most stupid purchase ever - offa long undistinguished list of stupid purchases.
So there is no way I can remotely justify buying any bike part ever again in this lifetime coz I can't physically get in my shed coz it's blocked up with 4 old 3 speeds and cobwebs, dust, rotten leather, spiders and God knows other stuff. Think Tutankhamen curse as a cure.
Happy Days.