AdventureManCO 

I think the prices we've seen on vintage steel in the last year has made it extremely easy and tempting to 'pack 'em deep while they're cheap', but now I'm feeling the consequences of those actions. And yeah, there is no money making here. Tons of barriers. And really, experience has been a great teacher, so while I may lose $$, I'm gaining perspective. And if we are being honest, whats $50 here, $100 there? Really, nothing in the long run.

I'm more of a 'systems' guy than a 'goal setting' guy, so what I'm attempting to do is change the system so the habits change. But if I had to make a goal, it would be: forward progress, and bikes that I can actually ride. I have maybe 15-20% of the bikes I have ride now that are actually ridable - almost all need something that is keeping them from being functional. It's sad! In short - I'm living beyond my means, bicycle-speaking.



If I had to place a number (which is proving impossible so far), I would think 4-8 would be ideal. But then I start listing them out, and I fail at that right away. Then again, putting bikes I don't even have yet on the list is probably a recipe for disaster

First of all, great job - sounds like you've been doing a lot of work. Second, regarding your number... there is no judgement. Sounds like you've got some great plans, despite the challenge of living away from a co-op. That statement alone makes me feel gratitude at the fact that I have several within a 20mi distance.

I'm hoping to master the art of frivilous, vicarious indulgement. I'm at the point now where redundancy makes no sense. But even variety makes little sense, either. Like, my reason for wanting to keep the Trek 750 Multitrack is that it would make for an awesome backpacking/adventure bike, or if I ever wanted to take it across Indonesia or something. Like when am I ever going to do any of that? I still love that bike, tho.

AdventureManCO 

'Babe, look... I got rid of 20 bikes, so the 5 new ones I just got don't matter at all since I'm still way under where I was'

Slippery slope.

AdventureManCO 

I appreciate everyone's support so far - thank you! And I hope to give it back in spades to anyone else who could use some.

Here is the plan for this upcoming week:

stoneageyosh should be happy to know I finally re-cut the bike boxes to be correctly dimensioned for more efficient shipping costs, so the Super Course and PXN-10 will be getting packed up soon. I have 3 junker frames in the work truck that I will be dropping off, likely to the scrapper (and *gasp* one is a Huffy!). I'm going to put the Specialized FSR in the back of the truck tomorrow so I can take it to the co-op on Tuesday (they are closed Mon).

Not sure yet what I'm going to do w/ some of the frames I've got. I had a Schwinn Homegrown mtb built up, but used some of the parts for other builds. A Homegrown was my very first real 'adult' bike so I have an affinity to them, but this one, while awesome, is just slightly too big for me, and no sense in really having it around, but not sure what to do with it either. Maybe a wallhanger? That just sounds dumb. Anyway, I'll deal with that one later. There are some others that I should be able to get rid of more quickly, like the John Deere (lol), the Fuji Cambridge, and the Trek 930. Right now they are just taking up room, but dang...not scrap! Not the Trek!

I have a feeling that before this is all done, I'm gonna be losing the PX-10, the Trek 600, maybe the PXN-10 (blue). More to come.

AdventureManCO 

I am biased to serious garbage bikes, which makes things even harder, since they are all over the place, for free, all the time. But maybe this will work in my favor, because I am done acquiring anything Huffy related (more on that to come), so really, this should be my super power. All those nicer bikes I have? Pfff! Who wants those! Get rid of 'em!

It probably didn't help that I struggled for hours and hours this weekend on the stupid sti/brifter setup for my Ironman. That bike is completely ace, but the STIs are just garbage! I must have messed around with the front shifter for like 3 hours alone...it would never catch, never catch, never catch...just dragging along the large chainring, and then all of the sudden, boom! It would shift and throw the chain off the other side! And yes, I took that thing apart and used degreaser and brake cleaner and everything else to get it working. It made me want to saw the bike in half and throw every other bike I own in a fire. It was actually a great motivator to downsize.

AdventureManCO 

You are not alone!

AdventureManCO 

YES! That is what I have found as well. I have been inspired by Mad Honk , jdawginsc , DD and others in their generosity. I mean, if it were classic vintage Indian motorcycles, okay, or early rare American coins, sure, but this stuff? Pennies on the dollar compared to a lot of hobbies out there, and I'm finding it just isn't worth the bandwidth to try and eek out dollars.

RCMoeur 

Not including the 20+ bikes in the storage trailer that WILL go to nonprofits by the end of the calendar year, I have:

My core "first string" bikes, seen at Richard C. Moeur - Bike Stuff
The wife's & son's bikes
Then there are the "second string" bikes, which might make first team except the ones ahead of them on the depth chart I've owned so long they're like family. These include:
1. The Great Pumpkin, an astonishingly orange Specialized
2. Uglybike 2, a Nishiki Pueblo that is both homely and capable
3. A gorgeous green Kulana cruiser that I'm just waiting to go to just the right person. Soon. Maybe.

Plus there's a beat-up green bike at the co-op that is pleading to me "Fix me up! I have potential AND character!"

I did deal off the red white and blue Trek Multitrack from the second team roster when a friend needed a bike for a teen relative and forwarded the funds to a nonprofit. So there is modest attrition.

It's hard enough as I get to each of the stored bikes and rehabilitate them for reuse without feeling the pull of "maybe I should hang onto this one...". Sometimes it's easy to say goodbye, such as when the frame is the completely wrong size or the bike is perfect for the intended recipient. And sometimes it ain't.

Plus there's the related issue of hoarding curating collections of components. I know I probably don't need 4 sets of Suntour XCE cranks, but I like the design, and... (you get the idea).

albrt 

Yeah, the amount of time I spent on those two bikes I did manage to sell, it was totally not worth it. Added up to less than two hours of billing at my regular job.

RCMoeur 

It ain't really a way to make a decent living, but I value my bike-fixing time as recovery from the hours of cat-herding of paying clients. Plus it's more productive and orders of magnitude more satisfying than watching TV or typing away on Bi... um, well, we'll leave it at that.

merziac

And I will put some effort into it as well as have a heart to heart with my son to figure out better what to do and how to proceed.

For the time being I will continue to beat my head on the pile and see what comes of it, plenty there to work with so.....

RiddleOfSteel

Well well well, if it isn't a fellow traveler on the same road, @AdventureManCO ? I may technically have a spare hook or two in the garage, but let's say I am looking at a financial headwind far down the road and believe it would be better to make my profile small by jettisoning unneeded bicycles and components. To that end I have recently made great effort in putting all but one planned bike up for sale and most all of my accidental mini-empire of components up for grabs as well. The riding weather here in Oregon has absolutely suuuuuuucked, which has been its own death for me. Regardless, I look forward to better days, and I truly sense an eager market judging by the interest in the belly of winter here. This would be in heavy contrast to 2023, which was tough sledding, sales-wise.

Current count: 8 bikes, 0 frames, lots 'o parts
Goal: 3 bikes, 0 frames, only a few parts (3 pairs of replacement tires, bought used; an 11-28t 11-speed cassette; a B-17 saddle for sentimentality, and I think that's it)
Goal Pt. II: No purchasing of any bicycle components unless absolutely necessary to make a sale (like, how do I not have extra flat pedals for that one last bike to be put on the market?).

My three keeper bikes are 'frozen' as far as components go. I feel great about them, but am facing a multi-faceted 'squeeze' of sorts, primarily between Wanting to Work On Bikes, All Bikes Are Done, and Weather Blows Chunks For Riding Right Now. I have three truly wonderful bikes I am overly-blessed to own and just want to ride them!

The bikes I am selling all have brifters on them. It's 2024 and period-correct vintage is a hard sell made even harder with an XL-sized frame. Selling at cost-ish or a slight loss to get them out the door. I'll make up the money elsewhere, hopefully. Primary goal is to get bikes to people who will use them--I've done my part in getting them truly road-worthy.

Here's to hoping the reduction goes quickly for all of us!

Murray Missile 

I'm in the same situation, anything I sell now will be for considerably less than I have in it but I'm taking the mindset that I was never in to make a profit. I do it because I like working on them and get a lot of satisfaction out of bringing them back to life. I'll take that and the freed up shop space as wins. If I can recoup some of my investment better yet but whether or not I do it's time to let many of them go. Many of mine will probably get parted out either by me or the buyer due to the tall frames and that is too bad but one way or another they gotta go.

Trav1s

Newbie here yet this thread resonates with my situation. My day job has me pushing paper and bikes are a way to see tangible progress in my life. I have fixed and sold several but don't do it to make money either. I can also see how it can easily get out of hand and take over space quite easily.

As for my personal bikes, I have 4 keepers:
- '18 Cannondale Quick 1 - OTET ready but will likely be replaced with a 700c drop bar gravel or endurance bike after my daughter can ride it
- '98 Trek 730 Multitrek project - the Dadillac and future around town runner
- '94 Cannondale MTB mystery frame WIP - because I love the color and because I can and might end uo with 27.5s
- '94 Specialized S-Works M2 - weapon of choice for the local MTB trails but a bit big for me

Two currently for sale:
- Trek Precaliber 24 (daughter likes her Quick 24 better and was cheap)
- Trek 800 Sport Mixte (purchased cheap with intent to resell)

Two other projects:
- 90's 800 Sport 13" being built for my daughter's next bike
- 90's 820 Sport 15" (Kermit) that's another around town runner that needs work (likely the future home for the parts on the 13" when she outgrows it)

One frame, one fork, and a 5 gallon bucket of stuff to send to the co-op.

PhilFo 

I'm definitely going to participate here.
First, I'm a bike fiend. I love shiny, and I love rusty which can become shiny.
Second, I have a personality of addiction and a bit of obsession; I also come from an extended family of folks with addictive tendencies.
Finally, I'm a mental health therapist and approaching this head-on for myself will be a good thing.
Phil
​​​

Murray Missile 

Since my previous post about an hour ago I made a "cut" list. 1st round I came up with 18 definites and 4 in the " build and ride 1st" then decide category. There's also a short "should go" mental list I'm still wrestling with. I'm keeping most of my Reynolds 531 and Tange Champion No. 2 bikes though.

AdventureManCO 

I've got a couple that are in the 'build then ride and evaluate' category - mainly, the Gitane TdF and the Sears Ted Williams Sport Racer. I'm not attached to either one, but I've heard enough great things about the fantastic ride qualities of the TdF that I'd like to do it justice. And the Sears is just a bit of a pet project. You don't see them very often - its quirky, and beautiful, and sort of blue collar. I really dig it, and would like to see it built up. Those are the two that are on the 'project' hooks, the 'surplus' holding area, all things being ideal. I'm not there yet. This week will see more progress.

AdventureManCO 

This is a great plan! But I'd also first like to ask how you plan to make your selection of bikes - is it based on year, size, tubing, ride quality, rarity, favorites, etc? How do you see yourself getting down to the 3, or even that final 1?

There is really no rhyme or reason to the selection process in my own mind, other that if a bike rides amazing. But even then, like the PX-10, which is really dialed in and a fun, tactile ride, I'm considering letting it go.


I wonder if anyone has ever just put every single one up for sale, and just kept the last one standing. What a way that would be!

sd5782 

It is easier for me now as I got older, and realized that a sport bike with skinny tires is not really doable for me. Out went the Ironman. I spent some recent time fixing up an 84 Torpado that will be up for sale soon. I do have to admit that I won’t really use a full touring bike either. So, it is easier since I’m mostly just on sport tourers now with 32mm and up tires.

USAZorro

I'm at not too different a point from Adventureman. Several years ago I ceased chasing anything other than what I had worked out to be my focus. I've had a couple lapses since then and have a few projects still on my hands, but I'm committed to scaling back on the rate of expansion, and also to finding homes for some of the frames and bicycles that are sitting here which I do not consider to be "keepers" or "potential keepers".

I did an inventory this morning. Excluding the unicycle and tandem, there are 32 bicycles and 8 frames. Four of the frames and seven of the bicycles I have no intention of keeping - however, the frames that remain likely need to be built before I can move them along. I am fortunate to have sufficient space for what will eventually be 29 bicycles. I may decide to let some of those go at some point in the future, but one thing at a time.

Recent "successes" include finding homes for two of the frames which, while nice, just were outside of my parameters.

Murray Missile 

Forgot a couple so I'm up to 61. They're both keepers too.

CO_Hoya 

So, umm, what size fits you? I have a Circuit in parts in my shed that needs to move along.

jdawginsc 

😄 Haha!

CO_Hoya 

One man's acquisition is another's collection reduction. Just saying . . .

jdawginsc 

Exactly!

AdventureManCO 

You make a good point that helps me understand why I may really like the Trek 750 - it seems like such a great bike to grow with, including growing old with. It's got a semi sloping top tube, so its friendly to HSS (Human Shrinking Syndrome) as Mad Honk so eloquently puts it, it's got just massive tire clearance. Really a great bike.


Yep, things are changing. Sure would be nice to have a 'fast bike', but also, I probably don't need 10 fast bikes.

See, I think it depends on application and resources. Someone that displays museum-quality bicycles, they may easily have 30-50 or more, but it fits with what they are trying to do. I've got less than that, but almost every one is in some hodgepodge state. Less than ideal. I need to get below my means. How I admire the person who can make one bike work for them!

What has typically been your acquisition ethos? All I really needed in the past was a high enough quality, with a low enough pricepoint. Well, now there are so many 'low enough' pricepoints on some great bikes that I need to seriously adjust. I've already passed up several <$50 Peugeots, 80s Treks and Ironmans.