Sold off all my bikes and going to just one
08-29-19, 03:46 PM
#1
Very Slow Rider
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Sold off all my bikes and going to just one
Repurposed an entry level CX frame to all purpose commuting, gravel, riding with kids. Sold off my other purpose-specific bikes. We will see how it goes 
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08-30-19, 02:38 AM
#2
multimodal commuter
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Good for you! How many did you sell? I could create a lot of space in my garage if I had that kind of fortitude.
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08-30-19, 08:13 AM
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nice wall mount! fwiw - a bungee around the wheel w/ the 2 hooks on the bottle cages will keep that front wheel straight
08-30-19, 09:52 AM
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That is pretty much what I did, but I keep my old bikes around for nostalgia (and not wanting to deal with Craig's list). A good CX/Gravel bike can cover a lot of conditions
(massive drop you got on that bar!)
(massive drop you got on that bar!)
08-30-19, 10:37 AM
#6
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1. Specialized Langster - track/everyday commuter (hardest one to see go)
2. Nishiki Century - Plain guage/sewer pipe indestructible bike used for trailer towing and messing around with my kids on weekend/eves
3. Schwinn Varsity - Wife/project bike. Was keeping it for nostalgia but it's not really that great of a bike, they've come a long way....
2. Nishiki Century - Plain guage/sewer pipe indestructible bike used for trailer towing and messing around with my kids on weekend/eves
3. Schwinn Varsity - Wife/project bike. Was keeping it for nostalgia but it's not really that great of a bike, they've come a long way....
08-30-19, 10:38 AM
#7
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Yep! It came wit a Velcro thingy... it's around here somewhere in my office... my old one hung straight but I think it's cocked because I have the shifter on the right side only, making it more heavy
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08-30-19, 10:39 AM
#8
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1. Specialized Langster - track/everyday commuter (hardest one to see go)
2. Nishiki Century - Plain guage/sewer pipe indestructible bike used for trailer towing and messing around with my kids on weekend/eves
3. Schwinn Varsity - Wife/project bike. Was keeping it for nostalgia but it's not really that great of a bike, they've come a long way....
Couple other nameless kids bikes/project bikes which never got off the ground
Last edited by davei1980; 08-30-19 at 11:02 AM.
08-30-19, 10:57 AM
#9
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I don't love the drops, they were a parts bin thing I had lying around. The only other set I have lying around are about 380mm (so, narrow) and clamp dia. is wrong for my stem (25.4 vs 31.8).
I will take the next opportunity to switch them out when I can find another set I like but I also want to get a set of Gevenalle 1x10 shifter levers and put a set of interrupter levers on there as well, which will mean new tape, etc. That will be the time to switch out the bars since I will have the entire cockpit dismantled.
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08-30-19, 11:13 AM
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So I noticed. I do think it's possible with the versatility of today's bikes; that said, I think that it's driven not by practicality but more by emotion, as does much of our decision-making.
Even as I am on here patting myself on the back for paring down to just one bike I am trolling craigslist for an old MTB frame and fork which I can build in to a decent cargo bike.... It's a disorder, not going to deny it....
Even as I am on here patting myself on the back for paring down to just one bike I am trolling craigslist for an old MTB frame and fork which I can build in to a decent cargo bike.... It's a disorder, not going to deny it....
08-30-19, 11:17 AM
#12
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Lots of firsts for my on this build:
- first time setting up canti brakes
- first time setting up a derailleur/shifter
- first time gluing sew ups (don't mean to cause a commotion - I know this is a controversial topic)
- first time setting up a bike with top side of top tube cable routing
- first time setting up canti brakes
- first time setting up a derailleur/shifter
- first time gluing sew ups (don't mean to cause a commotion - I know this is a controversial topic)
- first time setting up a bike with top side of top tube cable routing
08-30-19, 11:32 AM
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Nice work, @davei1980! (And bold move going to tubulars on your only ride!) 
If it weren't for sentimentality, I could probably pare my collection down to my two regular riders.
If it weren't for sentimentality, I could probably pare my collection down to my two regular riders.
08-30-19, 11:39 AM
#14
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That’s nice, very nice.
Letting go a bike is not always easy, but sometimes you know it’s the right thing to do. Often you can give a bike a new life, make someone else happy. Why not? E.g. Bought a bike from an elderly man who couldn’t ride his race bike anymore. He was somewhat emotional about having to let go his bike, his companion. But it was nice of him to not throw away his bike and give it to someone who cares. Makes me wonder how I will one day feel ...
’njoy your ride!
Letting go a bike is not always easy, but sometimes you know it’s the right thing to do. Often you can give a bike a new life, make someone else happy. Why not? E.g. Bought a bike from an elderly man who couldn’t ride his race bike anymore. He was somewhat emotional about having to let go his bike, his companion. But it was nice of him to not throw away his bike and give it to someone who cares. Makes me wonder how I will one day feel ...
’njoy your ride!
08-30-19, 12:37 PM
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08-30-19, 12:57 PM
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Good for you. Americans usually spend a lot of effort acquiring stuff and no effort divesting it. I’ve done some reductions (cross commuter and tadpole sold, FS traded in for hardtail) but I still have a road bike, MTB, tandem, and my Dad’s Paramount that is just never going to fit.
08-30-19, 02:05 PM
#17
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Nice work, @davei1980! (And bold move going to tubulars on your only ride!)
If it weren't for sentimentality, I could probably pare my collection down to my two regular riders.
If it weren't for sentimentality, I could probably pare my collection down to my two regular riders.
Super long story on the tubulars but it started out with this being a race bike and ended with me realizing I don't have the time to commit to racing but already got a great deal on the rims so I just went for it. The fanny pack you see has an extra tire and pump in there in case of roadside breakdowns! I know this is controversial for some people, for me it was good experience learning how to mount the tires and so far so fun riding on them!
08-30-19, 02:06 PM
#19
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That’s nice, very nice.
Letting go a bike is not always easy, but sometimes you know it’s the right thing to do. Often you can give a bike a new life, make someone else happy. Why not? E.g. Bought a bike from an elderly man who couldn’t ride his race bike anymore. He was somewhat emotional about having to let go his bike, his companion. But it was nice of him to not throw away his bike and give it to someone who cares. Makes me wonder how I will one day feel ...
’njoy your ride!
Letting go a bike is not always easy, but sometimes you know it’s the right thing to do. Often you can give a bike a new life, make someone else happy. Why not? E.g. Bought a bike from an elderly man who couldn’t ride his race bike anymore. He was somewhat emotional about having to let go his bike, his companion. But it was nice of him to not throw away his bike and give it to someone who cares. Makes me wonder how I will one day feel ...
’njoy your ride!
08-30-19, 02:10 PM
#20
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Good for you. Americans usually spend a lot of effort acquiring stuff and no effort divesting it. I’ve done some reductions (cross commuter and tadpole sold, FS traded in for hardtail) but I still have a road bike, MTB, tandem, and my Dad’s Paramount that is just never going to fit.
I think also I enjoy working on bikes so much that I almost subconsciously get bored when I get a bike just right and I start thinking about selling it and starting over with a new idea.
This was supposed to be a race bike, then a woods-gravel only bike. Then I was like "hell, I have a set of fenders, it goes faster than my S/S commuter, why not just commute on it as well?" that was the day I sold the Langster. Gave the guy a helluva deal at $180 and threw in my carbon fiber crankset for him!
08-30-19, 02:30 PM
#21
born again cyclist
however, as a 4-season bike commuter in chicago, i would never want to go back to just one bike.
having a dedicated commuter and a dedicated winter commuter with studded tires is simply too nice of a luxury for me to give up.
sure, i could swap tires or wheelsets, but it's much simpler to wake up on a december morning and decide if i need the studded tires or not that day, and then just roll on the appropriately equipped bike.
08-30-19, 03:10 PM
#22
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emotion does come into play for why i currently have 5 bikes (i certainly don't need all of them).
however, as a 4-season bike commuter in chicago, i would never want to go back to just one bike.
having a dedicated commuter and a dedicated winter commuter with studded tires is simply too nice of a luxury for me to give up.
sure, i could swap tires or wheelsets, but it's much simpler to wake up on a december morning and decide if i need the studded tires or not that day, and then just roll on the appropriately equipped bike.
however, as a 4-season bike commuter in chicago, i would never want to go back to just one bike.
having a dedicated commuter and a dedicated winter commuter with studded tires is simply too nice of a luxury for me to give up.
sure, i could swap tires or wheelsets, but it's much simpler to wake up on a december morning and decide if i need the studded tires or not that day, and then just roll on the appropriately equipped bike.
08-30-19, 05:20 PM
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Makes you wonder how we had all those adventures on our bikes when we only had 1 bike when we were kids, doesn't it?
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08-30-19, 05:24 PM
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Too late for an intervention I guess.