squirtdad

to have a spare to ride when things go south on the main ride

Got some new tubular tires.....Vittoria corsa control g+ and took a flyer and got 30 mm. put them on rims to stretch, and of course had to check to see if they would really fit on my bike like i measured them to. They fit yay! (ultegra 105 5800 brakes and 85 team miyata), put my current clincher back on and spin it......darn here a noise....check brake clearance ete and all clear....then i realize it is in the bearings...(seems early they only have a couple of thousand miles)

so no problem will ride the 84 miyata with durace 7400 until I get the new tires glued (and then will overall the other wheels at my leisure)

fietsbob

Because... I last bought a Bike Friday Season (IGH) Tikit..

Andy_K 

I n+1 because I always want to try different bikes but I don't ever want to get rid of the ones I have.

cyccommute 

Because my bikes do different things. Most of my bikes are commuter ready with racks and lights (although the lights are coming off as I get closer to retirement). I have a touring bike that I use for road touring. I don’t usually ride it for a lot of other riding, however. I have a cyclocross bike that is my main commuting bike...and has the most mileage of any bike I’ve ever owned...that gets use for a lot of general riding as well. I have 3+ mountain bikes (more on that later) that I use for various things from commuting to general riding to bike packing. The bikepacking bike is a Moots YBB that has a little bit of rear suspension which is enough to take off the edge but it’s not a long travel dual mountain bike. one of the “mountain bikes” is actually a cruiser that I use when I ride with my wife as it has similar gearing so that I don’t outrun her (as much).

All of these bikes have racks so that I can carry stuff to work or where I can carry stuff during winter rides.

I also have a go fast bike that really doesn’t get ridden all that much because it’s for going fast and not carrying anything. It’s not a good bike for winter...the widest tires it will take are 25mm slicks. I also wouldn’t want to put a rack on it since it is not designed for that.

The “+” mountain bikes are 2 dual suspension mountain bikes. Both are Specialized S-Work Epics...the best dual suspension system ever made in my opinion. One is at my home and I use it occasionally but it’s a bit like the fast road bike...no racks for carrying anything but me. The other is at my daughter’s house in Arizona. I have that one down there so that I can ride on roads and paths...the front and rear suspension are (or can be made) rigid...or for real mountain biking where the suspension shines. I could probably use the one at home for bikepacking but it would be very limited on what it could carry.

If push came to shove, I could probably get rid of the cyclocross, the go fast bike, maybe 3 of the 5 mountain bikes and be perfectly happy. But what’s the fun in that?

Lascauxcaveman 

Because I see something crazy cheap (or free) and I have no impulse control (in those cases).

iab

I have nothing better to do.

clubman 

I liked algebra and wanted to use it for the betterment of mankind.
So far, success!

stardognine

Cause I keep falling in love with different bikes? 🤔😁😎

SurferRosa

"More than five is hoarding!" he yelled repeatedly as he quickly ran away, flailing, and hid.

squirtdad

I will admit to being on the low end of my N number each fills a role

1) my nice bike ride it as much as possible... commutes, weekend "training" etc currently 85 Team miyata with 5800 105 gear....about to get new ultegra 6800, mavic reflex CD and vittoria corsa control G+ tubies

2) my bike ready for the so far theoretical eroica and heroica rides i will do and alternate fun ride and backup to number1. Currenlty 84 team miyata with 7400 ish durace (mix some 7200) and mavic 330 rims, sanshin hubs and challenge elite pro tubies

3) my quicke errand bike...leave it out and throw a leg over for quick runs to local stores, farmers markets, breweries etc. Currently 82 nishki I bought new, but now only original parts are frame, fork and seatpost set up as; an upright riding 1x8 fenders,rack, kickstand

I am getting closer to getting on a list for a custom (kid just graduated, his business is doing well (if anyone needs brand videos, or music videos pm me and I will give you his contact info.....all with ulterior motive of me getting a custom))

jeirvine 

I increasingly feel that it's to save a nice old neglected bike from a sad fate. When I die I won't be taking 12 bikes with me, but they will have been saved from the dump, and (due to some careful language in my will), will go to loving homes.

Classtime 

I Let n= the number of road bikes.
Let m= the number of mountain bikes.
Let t= the number of touring bikes.
Let s= the number of sport tourers.

Its complicated.

ramzilla

I've downsized to a much smaller place and, storage area is measured in inches now. I got 5 bikes in the garage. 2 bikes outside under covers leaning against the house. 2 bikes on the back porch. And, 5 bikes hanging from the rafters in the attic. So, 14 bikes total. Everything is for sale around here. (Except my wife's favorite bike). I usually advertise two or three bikes for sale at a time. I've never made a dime selling them. But, it's no problem. As long as it keeps me busy I'm happy. And, it's nice to give an old bike a new home. Have fun. Be good.

ddeand 

I’ve really tried to rein in my little collection and keep only those bikes I’ll regularly ride. To that end, I’ve settled on three bikes. I’ll always have a vintage road bike that will be turned over every year: last year it was a Pro Miyata (sold it); this year it’s a Centurion IronMan (Miami Vice) which will be sold; next year it will be a Serotta Club, which I may keep. My second bike us a more modern 2005 CX bike that I use for gravel and trails. The third bike is a 1963 Raleigh Sport 3-speed, my grocery-getter. I consider these bikes the “N” bikes. The “+1” in my garage is a bike that I don’t know how it will ride or if it will work for me, but it’s been a hoot putting it together. It’s a 1974 Raleigh International that came to me as a raw frame. It’s almost finished, so we’ll see how it fares against the Ironman. Now, I wonder if that old Lambert with the “death fork” for $30 is still available on craigslist . . . .

plonz 

Because I need a Tuesday bike.

veganbikes

I n+1 because I cannot remember how many I have so often so what's one more. Nobody complains if you eat an extra spinach leaf or two or drinks a couple extra glasses of water so what's wrong with bikes.

I would one day love to hone the collection down so it is exactly what I want with zero compromises made and all custom built bikes (aside from the Phil Wood bike). Having a lot of bikes is cool but it is tough to manage and store, Plus some of the bikes while awesome are not exactly what I want now and would love to upgrade to exactly what I want down to every last detail. Sure I love all the bikes but some have little bits that I wish were different but either don't want to change due to budget or can't change due to the limitations of the frame or something else.

USAZorro

Novice. The rationalizations available are exponentially beyond that meager list.

Cutting through the clutter. "Because I can". (what's a smidge of entitlement without an outlet?)

CV-6 

I buy bikes I drooled over in the younger days when I could not afford them.

cyccommute 

Well, there’s that too.

AdventureManCO 

I'm kind of having a 'flavor of the month' thing over here with trying to get good representatives from different cycling countries - so far, I've got a PX-10, a Super Course, and an Iron Man. I need to find a good Trek and still hunting down an Italian...

Wildwood 

I
want
to
ride
them
all
!!!



Besides, a man needs vices.

Andy_K 

cycleheimer

OCD

davester

I have different bikes for different things.

My Ron Cooper is my all-around bike that I use for most rides. Until about 10 years ago it was my only bike. It has a triple, is beautiful, was custom built for me, and rides like a dream. This is what I take for something like the Deathride.

My Cinelli SC is a beautiful Italian classic, a work of art really. It is mostly original so the gearing is not up to some of the brutally hilly rides I do. It is a more lively quick-handling ride and lighter than the Cooper. This is my go to bike for shorter, less hilly rides.

The Miyata 710 is my commuter bike. It has an almost identical setup to, and rides very much like the Cooper. I got it for free so I don't mind it getting a lot of daily wear and tear. It's not irreplaceable like the two above.

The Gary Fisher is a mountain bike. It sees rocky fire roads and single track.

I picked up the Raleigh International to build up as a touring bike. The first tour was supposed to be Tour d'Eroica (ride from San Francisco down to Cambria) this year. Covid has deep-sixed that ride so it has yet to hit the road in anger.

I also have a Nishiki Cresta that was going to be my touring bike until the Raleigh came along. I might go n-1 on that bike.

Unless something comes along that really strikes my fancy (say a pristine Alex Singer) or is a replacement for one of my existing bikes, I don't see n increasing in the near future. There just isn't room in my garage, which is already cluttered with vintage cars and woodworking equipment.

droppedandlost 

The gravel on this trail is slightly bigger than the gravel on that trail. Therefore I need a new bike that has clearance for the 2mm wider tires that I *need* for this trail.