seedsbelize2

Has anyone here managed to get back down to just two?
I’m pushing 72, and realized some time ago that the likelihood of my ever again needing the coupled bike for travel is slim to none (unless I decide to do Eroica Cuba). I have two more hanging frame sets and three riders, one of which I have officially given to the man who visits friends for a month annually. Still, it lives here. If I could get down to two—-one in reserve, I could also do away with these boxes and boxes of components; the tools would have to stay, of course.
The ‘how’ of which I speak is an an emotional one.

Murray Missile 

I'll be happy if I can get down to 20! Of course you have to stop buying them first but I'm doing better. I only bought 2 framesets last year, both very early in the year so they almost don't count LOL and only1 this year........

Dean51 

I'm pushing 73 and I've been holding steady at nine bikes for a few years now. I ride 'em all and, currently, have no desire to thin the herd. One of the best parts of having this many bikes is observing the reaction of others when they see the fleet. I often sense they are dying to ask why one person needs so many bikes, but don't.

OP, good luck getting down to two.

Dean

Kabuki12

I am 69 and ride the rotation of my bikes . Yesterday I actually did a coin toss to choose the bike! I have most of my bikes (about a dozen) at my tool grinding shop in Ventura and some of my customers think it is crazy to have so many. They are ready to ride and get ridden from time to time. I sold a bike last year and , although I hated to part with it , it just wasn't comfy enough because it was a bit small. I have another one that I may sell off this year but I'm in no hurry. It would take a VERY unique situation for me to buy any more . I have one that is very near completion that I will finish and ride but that's it . I think as we age , if no younger folks come into the C&V arena , the market will (is ) reflect this. I am seeing some incredible deals in my area , recently a 70's Motobecane Grand Jubile with Campagnolo derailleurs and SunTour bar ends for $150. It's been on CL for months!!!

Kilroy1988 

I'm 36 and currently have eight bicycles - including one frameset with almost no components, two complete bicycles in need of full restoration, and five that are ready to ride. My goal is to be down to three bicycles by the end of 2024. I have sold four in the last couple of months and have purchased two, so I'm heading in the right direction...

Importantly, I've had to change my perception about vintage cycling and what bicycles mean to me as collectable objects to begin making this happen. I've been an obsessive collector of things since childhood, preferring to have neatly arranged rows of classic action figures and ogle at price guides rather than play with my toys since I was about six or seven years old. I consider it a habit breaking exercise.

-Gregory

Kobe 

I have been down this road before. I will feel like I have too many bikes for some reason(storage, too much maintenance, lack of use of some) and will sell a few off. The smallest number of bikes I have had in the past 20 years is 2. The largest number is 6, where I am at now. So guess who's thinking of selling 2 or 3? Let the insanity continue.

Piff 

For better or worse, I find it very difficult to find vintage bikes that fit me well (long legs, short torso) in the type I desire (sport touring, nice tubing). I of course am willing to make exceptions using tall stems and compacts bars, like with my Raleigh that is 56cm square since it's such a nice frame. But this keeps the stable down to 2 no problem.

Also it helps that I only use my bikes for road riding and light dirt trails. I don't commute, I don't mountain bike, I don't gravel, I don't tour (yet), and I don't restore. Though I do really miss my 1988 Miyata MTB.

Final trick: move into a 500 square foot apartment. It's certainly "helpful" in reducing clutter. Want to house swap?

mpetry912 

I am slowly trimming the herd and have "gifted" two bikes to deserving vintagistas.

prices and the market are depressed right now but it's best if those bikes find deserving homes.

at least that's how I see it

/markp

Chombi1 

Just two?? You have to be kidding! How can any C&Ver feed his/her madness with just two C&V bikes??!
We don't play that!!......

Manny66 

When Im in the garage and start thinking that maybe I might have a bicycle collection/hoarding problem , I go hangout with some friends that have 40 or more bicycles and it tames whatever issue I might have with my "collecting" situation.

merziac

So many bikes, so little time, $$$$$$, energy, etc.

I have plenty I should start culling now, not happening and not sure what I will do, hopefully get them organized a bit to fully assess the pile and make some very preliminary moves.

The sheer chaos of it is part of the whole thing, I put a lot of work into winding it up, that momentum is a big part of it all, I could probably build 10 bikes from the ground up with stock on hand atmo and plan to do some in the next year along with several other projects big and small.

As a footnote my son has a good sense of what this is but will be instructed to do whatever he sees fit if it comes to that, he can give them away or dig in if he wants.

Chombi1 

I'm sure my younger brother's wife, secretly hates me now, because I convinced him to be a C&Ver about eight years ago.
His stable is now maintaining about 20+ bike count (Of mostly, C&V bikes), the last time I asked him, and he's just starting to consider putting the brakes on a bit to start controlling the "situation" at his house and garage.....
He told me he should be done acquiring C&V bikes, after he finds the perfect 80's Bianchi of his dreams.....but then, he said something similar before he bought a Colnago and a Guerciotti, not so long ago.....

seedsbelize2

Storage is my issue. I want to enclose a small portion of the shop and put an air conditioner in there. The fourth (the one I’m storing for yet another friend) of four is in the way.

seedsbelize2

I am tending to agree. Building up those three frame sets and moving them along would, in and of itself, reduce the component clutter.

RB1-luvr

I've let go of a few in the past three years. It's not easy. I'll probably sell another this year. The decision is getting harder.

merziac

Just tell her you guys are going to take up serious golf too.

delbiker1 

I went from 8 to 5 by giving 3 bikes to family/friend. The 5 I have left I am having difficulty deciding what's next. I really like riding all of them, and would certainly remember the ride they had, but actually miss them, not really. I know as long as I have a good ride that is operating as it should, and I can still ride it comfortably, I will be OK with that. The real drawback is the low money they would likely bring in. Getting $500 for a nice bike that you know you could not replace for anywhere close to that, and include the hassle of making the sale, and the transfer of the bike by whatever means are used, it is not a very attractive scenario.
At some point in time, sooner would be better than later, I will have to decide what goes, stick with it and get what I can for them. The bikes and the dollars are certainly factors, but the time, effort, and satisfaction, that is really hard to let go.

TiHabanero

I have thinned the herd a number of times, but it always grows back to 12. I sell the more modern stuff because they are easy sales. The vintage stuff I give away to someone that will actually put them to use. I had two Fuji Finest from the early 80's and gave them away, same with two Miyata 615 and one Fuji Touring Series V. All of them were stock and in very good condition and fully rehabbed. They went to younger people that needed transportation and I know they were put to good use. One of the many bikes I gave away about 4 years ago showed up in a local bike co-op. It was missing the wheels and that was it. Even the Cannondale velcro water bottle was still on it.

I am going to thin the herd again this fall, but this time it is permanent. So I say.

fender1

I am 56 and have 3 bikes. 2 road (1 light-ish road bike, 1 Rando bike (fenders/lights/rack) & 1 mountain bike converted for rail trail riding with my wife.
Just gave a Dawes Super Galaxy to my son's friend for him to take to college.
I have a blue PX10 frame to get rid of next.
Then, a Nuovo record mini-group I don't want or need and box of random parts to re-home.
After that ,most everything else (extra stuff for the bikes I have) should keep me set for a long time.

I always look for stuff and am always excited when I find something cool but rarely do the additional things I find seem to stick around anymore.

jPrichard10 

Yes, but only because I finally got a frame that fit me and everything else just doesn't feel right.

However, I'm actively trying to find more frames in that size, so my small stable probably won't stay that way.

This isn't counting the garage full of bikes I'm building that don't fit me though, right?

bikef.f354s

I feel like 3 is my current sweet spot. 1 fs MTB, 1 gravelish bike that can run 50mm tyres and a road bike for hills.

I know some folks use different wheels on a gravel bike for road, but its not going to help me ditch the complexity and weight of disc brakes.

Plus, since I don't want to weld on disc brakes to a vintage frame, the road bike is my only option for my vintage desires.