Korina

Is it a sign from the universe that I spotted six Surlys on Saturday? They're not common here, so six was a surprise. Two Disc Truckers (a local young couple), two Cross Checks (two young women riding from Seattle home to San Diego, desperate for a beer), a Karate Monkey (parked on the sidewalk), and another I couldn't ID (also parked on the sidewalk).

Nah, it's probably just coincidence.

RidingMatthew

that is impressive from my limited understanding of NYC and the limitations on space. thanks for the answer Tom!

robertorolfo

I'm not offended that you only asked Tom about what he does. No, really, I'm not...

Buuut, just FYI, some of us go through such machinations as subletting a 2BR apartment as a 1BR, just so that we can keep the second room for bike storage/workshop. But, nobody asked me, so...

RidingMatthew

Sorry about that @robertorolfo what do you do? 🥴

daoswald

I had a hybrid, sold it and bought a road bike. Put thousands of miles on the road bike, and then bought a hybrid to have as a second bike. Now I find myself riding even more than with just one.

Road: distance rides, fitness rides, exploring rides. Rides that go better with bike shoes and an aerodynamic position and efficient riding.

Hybrid: Commuting, riding with the kids to the park, shopping - for when I need a rack and prefer not to need bike shoes. Aerodynamics doesn't matter as much, nor does efficiency.

noglider 

@RidingMatthew, perhaps one important point is that New York is a huge city with a wide range of experiences. There are some zones with single-family houses, though fewer than most cities. Most apartments in Manhattan are small, but I grew up in one with three bedrooms. My wife and I live in a converted warehouse loft, much bigger than the average apartment. I think we have 1,400 square feet of interior space, which is the same as a small house. It has some compromises, just as every place does, but we are also very lucky.

RidingMatthew

I was not trying to smart Alec just figured I would ask Tom based on his posting about riding this bike today and a different tomorrow.

I know but also just have a picture in my mind based on tv shows or books I have read. I know exactly an accurate depiction of all of NYC.

1400 is a lot of square footage! Either way it is very different than my home in the suburbs in the Triad of North Carolina 😃

m.t

Wow, that's a lot of bikes

robertorolfo

As Tom said, everyone has a different situation, and different parts of the city have different characteristics. When I moved in with my GF, I decided to sublet my old apartment rather than simply give it up. I sublet it for the same amount as the rent (it's illegal to profit in these situations), but I told the tenant the one small "bedroom" would be for my 'stuff,' which I would occasionally have to come to take care of. That tiny bedroom now houses a few of my bikes, as well as my workstand and tools.

I keep the bike I am currently using in the apartment with my GF (she allows this), and on some occasions there are two there (like if it is going to rain and I bring in my rain bike for use the next morning). There is also a bike storage room in the basement of a building across the street from my current apartment with the GF, and I keep two bikes in there, plus the GF's bike.

There is a fair bit of logistics involved when I feel like switching bikes, but luckily my old apartment is just a few blocks away, and I've gotten pretty good at shuttling a second bike around the neighborhood (meaning riding one bike while holding the second bike alongside).

hch389

I'm going to be quite the hypocrite here, but I think n-1 is the optimal for some people and how I try (though rarely successful).

I've got a hybrid (bought when my road bike was stolen), a road bike (to replace my road bike that was stolen). I commuted to school on both, and commuted to work on gravel with the hybrid. Stopped using the road bike since Michigan roads suck.
Then, I got a hardtail, which could be good for snowy commutes but yet to try.
Finally, I got a gravel bike, to go on fast fast gravel rides with a group. I tried once on my hybrid and barely hung in there. Tried again on my gravel bike and hanging with the group was 25 beats/minute(heart rate) average easier! Now I want to commute on the gravel bike since I now experienced how much faster it is.

So... I want to commute with all of these bikes depending on weather and work location, but kind of wish I could get rid of them all except for the gravel bike and hardtail to simplify my apartment clutter.

N-1!! I've only sold 1 bike in my life, 1 stolen, and have 4 now. Selling is hard since there's so much emotional attachment.

golftdi

N + 1 also applies to guitars.
And amplifiers.
And pedals.

Just saying.

RubeRad

That is a good point, but I promise you, if you put your unused bikes on craigslist at a competitive price (compared to comparable bikes on CL) and sell it, after it's gone you will not miss it, or worry about whether you didn't get enough money for it. The way the human brain works is it stresses out about these kinds of things beforehand, and afterwards they forget the pain. (This is why women can have more than child)

If it helps, if you find yourself nostalgic about a bike you got rid of, comfort yourself thinking it's happier being ridden than sitting around being unloved. And if you STILL wish you had that bike back, you can probably buy the same bike again if you search hard enough, maybe 1 or 2 years different, or a different color.

robertorolfo

Plot twist: I received an email memo yesterday from "building management" informing us that some bikes had been recently stolen from the bike storage area. My GF was pretty alarmed, but I told her that we probably didn't have much to worry about. I'm familiar with a lot of the bikes that are in there, and my '86 Lotus Legend and her 1960's Schwinn Breeze aren't exactly the most expensive bikes there (even if you consider that you get both of them if you cut just one lock). Sure enough, our bikes were fine.

Not that this makes me happy or anything, as the thought of someone stealing other people's bikes still pisses me off. What's crazy is that this storage area is in the basement of a parking garage that has video cameras all over the place. I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but hopefully they will find the person responsible.

RidingMatthew

@robertorolfo that is pretty crazy. I hope that technology helps them identify the perpetrator! Glad yours are safe.

Gresp15C

I think if you're self sufficient for maintenance, and have space for a spare bike, it can come in handy when you have to wait for a part or find time to make a repair. It's also fun to ride a bike that's devoid of the typical commuting / shopping accessories, and can be stripped down to the bare essentials.

Darth Lefty 

My N is 4 right now (trike, MTB, BIL's roadie, Dad's Paramount) and should go to 3 starting in August when I put the trike up for sale






...Not counting tandem, wife's two bikes and scooter, kiddo's bike and scooter, toddlers' balance bikes, Big Wheel, Cozy Coupe, Bob twin jogger, Cougar twin trailer, or the "Little Tikes Perfect Fit" which is a bad stroller masquerading as an un-ride-able tricycle

KingOfTheHill

I have way too many according to my wife, and she may be right.

Three road bikes
One gravel bike (cheap one from the Performance going out of business sale)
One full suspension MTB
Two rigid single speed MTBs (I LOVE my SIR9 with carbon fork)
One hardtail MTB
Another hardtail MTB that was converted to around town duties with a rack and Wald baskets
One cheap hybrid my neighbor gave me

I do commute on the road bikes and gravel bike so they see plenty of use. My MTBs I’ve been neglecting for a few months but that will change real soon.

Dr.Lou

They say, “variety is the spice of life” and I tend to agree. At the moment I have 7.

Padgett

I have just purchased my second bike. I am in college and room in my apartment is not plentiful, but i couldn't pass up the opportunity. My first bike is a 1973 Schwinn Le Tour that I use as a daily commuter. However i just bought a 1985 Fat Chance Mountain bike. The price was too cheap to pass up. The Fat needs some serious work, and I didn't bring many specialty bike tools ill need like a crank arm remover etc. So there is my view on more than one bike, I have more than one but its dead weight for now.

Paul Ko

I think at least two bike needed...road cycle and MTB !!

BlueBike83

I have two (well two that I ride regularly, there’s one more)- one road bike and one gravel/cyclocross/ adventure (Brodie themselves appears to be unsure what kind of bike it is). The gravel bike I use for rainy days, disc brakes are nice for that. On dry days I prefer the road bike, faster and nicer I find. Having two bikes also has the advantage that I’m not bikeless when one is in need of repair.

wsgts

Happened to me yesterday!!

bedtime

I have one bike. I just gave away the other bike I had to a bike coop as a means of 'giving back'.

When one lives in an apartment there just isn't much room for stock-piling bikes.