AdventureManCO 

I got this idea from another forum I frequent.

So, like probably some (if not all) of you, I've been through a lot of bikes. Heck, I think there's about 20 in the garage right now.

It has been really fun trying out different rides and getting a feel for each one and seeing what I like or don't like. I've really enjoyed the process.

So here is the question: if you could do it all over again, skip the testing, the trying on, the trying out, the sizing issues, the different ride qualities, etc. What would you end up with?

If you are like me, you like to tinker around with things, but for now let's disregard that and just skip to the idea of you having a functional, correctly fitting, bike that you would skip straight to if every single bike you've ever owned was lined up in front of you.

For me, its the PX-10, what a fantastic feeling and riding bicycle. It can be fast, it can be smooth, it can be nimble, it can be relaxing. I also have an Ironman frame sitting in the corner, though...

SurferRosa

Not sure I understand. Did I sell/rid one I wish I had kept? Not really.

I've pretty much ended up with the full 531 frames with character and good paint that fit me and sold all the rest. The only non-531c frame I kept is a Miyata 912.

88Tempo

For road use only it would probably be the Tempo. I'd keep the Letour for the ability to run larger tires and do light gravel stuff too.

ryansu

I wouldn't change a thing -even if I could skip straight to a mid 80s Japanese built touring bike I wouldn't. I made allot of stupid mistakes and learned at TON from them. Like when your at the end of your rope and the $%&^ing cotter pin still won't come out, walk away, don't reach for the hammer, never the hammer, walk away. I reached for the hammer. sigh. But I did finally learn to walk away and discovered that when I walked back in a calmer place the solution revealed itself to me like a 3 Stooges dope slap to the noggin.

Hell it took me 10 years to realize my late model aluminum carbon road bike was too small and to figure out a larger framed steel bike was so much more to my liking. I may be old but I am dumb. Enjoy the process. And when, after trial and error and learning you do find that bike that is just right it will be like manna from heaven. YMMV

SamSpade1941 

The only one I have sold that I wish I would have kept was the exceptionally clean Bianchi Portofino touring bike. It was beautiful in every respect and in almost perfect condition. Not a special bike in any respect , but I liked it . Everything else except for my Surly has been disposable mostly. I have two bikes right now that I would be happy to move on to other owners that just haven't found the right people yet. When they go I won't miss them but I will be able to say I owned them .

non-fixie 

I'll tell you when I'm done with the buying, testing, trying on and enjoying the different ride qualities.

noglider 

I might have spent the money on fewer, nicer bikes, but over time, I have refined what I have quite a bit, through horse trades.

texaspandj

The only thing I would have done differently is more Patience in waiting for the ones in very good condition. But otherwise, the same thing, bikes,learning curve, everything.

SamSpade1941 

This is what I’ve adopted . I only buy very very nice examples unless it’s a donor bike that I’m gonna cannibalize for parts.

randyjawa 

Sold all my bikes and vintage parts yesterday. I kept one bike...


and one to be built up this summer...

top506

I would accept the fact that no matter how nice/scarce/desirable a bike is if it's too big/small you should let it go.

Top

BFisher

Oh Yeah!

I'd have gotten the size right first. All else was very fun.

BFisher

Beautiful choices, both!

RobbieTunes

3 bikes, all with the best group I could afford at the time.

1988/89 Centurion Ironman
2014-18 Wraith Hustle
1999 Trek Y-Foil

I've not toured enough to justify one of those.
I've not raced enough to justify one of those.
I've not graveled enough to justify one of those.

canklecat

I don't have enough bikes to worry about mulligans. If I could keep only one it'd be my early '90s Univega Via Carisma. Good all around bike, especially when neck and shoulder pain make drop bar road bikes impractical.

The only bike in my apartment that I wouldn't buy is a borrowed recumbent. A friend loaned it to me last year after my shoulder and neck were injured when I was hit by a car. Tried it once. Hated it. Silly thing has been gathering dust for a year. If he doesn't want it back I might convert it to a trellis for a window garden.

Classtime 

If I could do it over again? I would research on some sort of bicycling forum how have 6 perfect C&V bikes and not to end up with all these handlebars, brake levers, hubs, stems, spokes, saddles, ...

Bandera

I've never sought out or bought an old bike.
All of my now C&V machines have gotten that way through attrition having been built new "back when" for a specific purpose and proven useful and/or versatile enough to remain in service while others are long gone. The only one of the sold-off that I'd look twice at now is a '74 Raleigh Pro MkIV, but I'd just convert one to fixed gear use if I ran across it in my size in good nick at my price.

-Bandera

crank_addict

No lightweight / race bicycles. Would be foolishly inhaling motorcycles and cars.

As of late my daily no mercy, 30-35 mile mixed road loop consist of rotating the fleet. What a blast. Having a mess of vintage lightweights, dialed in and ready to go is my thing. Really neat to experience various steel framed made of Reynolds 531, Vitus, Columbus, Tange, Falck, Phoenix and even a few gas-piped jobbies on tubular rubber.
(Also enjoying early Ti and carbon tubed ;")
I seriously would be bored with just one bike.

Spaghetti Legs 

I like having a bunch of bikes to pick from so I wouldn’t change my path to where I am now, bike-wise. I would however, re-do my tire buying choices and go with nicer tires much earlier in my bike riding career. Extra cash spent on tires is well worth it IMO.

merziac

Wouldn't change a thing, its a journey and it ain't over yet.

jackbombay

All over again? I'd have kept my first Hercules 3 speed a 3 speed. I spread the rear triangle and added a 7 speed Sachs hub, its still a cool bike, but it kind of lost its soul when I made the swap. It was originally a rental bike at a bike shop I worked at as a kid, when I headed off to college the owner told me I could pick out one of the rental 3 speeds, they were sweet bikes, all of them had Aluminum rims with Specialized Tricross tires, this was the mid 80's. I hauled all over the place on that bike, even got pulled over for "speeding", well, the cops were looking for someone that just robbed a store on a "blue 10 speed" and my bike was blue, and I was riding suspiciously fast, I did point out that I only had 3 speeds, not ten... and right then the cop's radio crackled, they had found the actual robber a couple blocks away...

I have a really nice Hercules I built up as a "resto-mod" 15 years ago that one will be my baby till I can't ride bikes anymore, but I do sometimes still look at my first 3 speed, now 7 speed and get a little sad... I'm going to blow the dust off it and take it for a ride tomorrow!

gomango

My Yeti SB5 plus.

Easily, the nicest mtb I have ever owned.

johnnyace 

Wouldn't change much, really, although I probably would have kept my nicely-appointed 1972 gold Gitane Tour de France. I think this is what became of it:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Gitane-Prof...d/143243056130

Hudson308 

There's an old Russian proverb that can be paraphrased "He is wise who can learn from another's mistakes".
I'm not that smart.

John E

Ah -- high-end bicycles, circa 1960. Three of my five road bikes fit that description.