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If you could only have 3 bikes

Old 03-14-20, 07:26 AM
  #1  
ups
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If you could only have 3 bikes

Like many people I don't have an unlimited budget or unlimited room. I think 3 bikes offers a good range.

1. I have a 2010 or 11 Novara Safari which is a steel mountain bike geometry touring bike. Serves as an all purpose on or off road. Slow but sturdy.

2. 80's steel Fuji. I built up with 105 wheels and derailleur. New Shimano bottom bracket and Sugino compact cranks. This is my roadish bike.

3. 80's steel Schwinn Traveler 27" fixed gear conversion.

So if you could only have 3, what would you pick?



Last edited by ups; 03-14-20 at 08:22 AM.
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Old 03-14-20, 07:47 AM
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The two that I have: Surly LHT and custom Engin road machine. Would add something for true bikepacking if I were doing any.
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Old 03-14-20, 07:51 AM
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How about just 1? I ride a 2012 Salsa Casseroll. Though I have other bikes, i pretty much ride my Salsa 99.9% of the time.
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Old 03-14-20, 08:22 AM
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A gravel/pavement bike, a rigid 29 Plus bikepacking bike for non paved surfaces including singletrack, a full suspension trail bike and a folding bike for travel... and a tandem hardtail mtb... That might be more than three.
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Old 03-14-20, 08:31 AM
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I ride two bikes almost all the time (well, one or the other ... ) but I couldn't give up my MTB ... not in shape for it yet, but i refuse to surrender.

My 2014 Workswell 066 Cervelo R5 clone is my "fast' bike. (If someone else rode it, it might actually be fast.) I built it from a frame, it has everything I want, it is tailored to me ... Way more bike than i can ride, which is fine with me.

My Fuji Sportif is my work/rain/groceries/light touring machine. Al frame and bars so I can load it up with gear, CF fork so it doesn't buzz me out, 11-32x50-34 gearing so I can haul medium loads up medium hills (in theory) mech discs so it stops in the rain but if a cable snaps I can get a new one at any bike shop or even a big-box store (hydro discs are Far superior ... until you tear loose a line on a tour. I can carry spare cables ... but a brake-bleeding kit? less likely.) I ride 28s but it will fit 32s.

But ... when I am fit enough to use it ... I need a full-suspension MTB because there is no way to ride a real trail with a rigid frame and 32s (and before I hear the howling .... I am old enough that I remember when an MTB was a balloon-tire cruiser .... I have ridden trails on steel rigid bikes with 1.6 tires .... so I know the limitations of those bikes. ( the worst were root-fields .... no way to blast through, no real choice but to travel at walking speed ....) )

Yes, I could limp along on the Fuji for some of the stuff .... and if i was a world-class trials rider i could ride any trail, pretty much. But here in the real world, and wanting to go more than 6 mph most of the time ....F/S lets me ride stuff that my technique and physique would not ... and at the end of the ride i am not so beat up I cannot lift the bike onto the rack for the drive home.

So ... fast road bike, endurance bike with load-carrying capacity, and F/S MTB.

Yes, a dedicated road- and an off-road tourer would be nice .... if I did tours or off-road tours which i don't any more. A tadpole trike would be awesome if there were safe places to ride it. Vintage steel and/or modern ti, just for the pleasure .... but the Big Three are as i have said.

I am tempted to post a pic of the Indyfab Custom, just because he did not ... I think that's a first.

Last edited by Maelochs; 03-14-20 at 08:34 AM.
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Old 03-14-20, 08:38 AM
  #6  
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I have no interest in modern day carbon bikes so that narrows the field considerably for my selections.

I own a 2004 Ti Merlin Cyrene, a keeper;
also a 1992 Bridgestone RB1, another keeper;
for my third I would go for a vintage Paramount or Bottechia or De Rosa or Colnago, something vintage along those lines.
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Old 03-14-20, 09:06 AM
  #7  
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If you could only have 3 bikes
Originally Posted by ups
Like many people I don't have an unlimited budget or unlimited room. I think 3 bikes offers a good range...
I have previously posted:
Originally Posted by alexaschwanden
"What Bikes would be what cars."

I was thinking, what bikes would be what cars and this is what I came up with.

Road bikes = sedans
Cross bikes = rally cars
Mountain bikes= off road vehicles
Touring bikes= semi trucks
Tri-bikes = F1 vehicles
Vintage bikes= old classics
Fat bikes= monster trucks
Folding bikes= smart car
Hybrids bikes= SUVs

Just good for thought.
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
I have previously posted my autocentric concept on a few threads:
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
...I'm very happy with my Specialized S-Works for dry weather riding, but my Cannondale Mountain bike was pretty heavy and cumbersomeas a Wet/Winter beater. So I recently bought a Specialized Diverge Elite aluminum bike as a wet weather beater, and it rides nearly as nicely as the S-Works, so I'm very happy with the Diverge.

Now, the Cannondale is reserved completely for miserable studded-tire riding,and now I'm happy about that, and my riding needs are completely met. I liken my three bikes to a Lamborghini, a Lexus, and a Humvee [see photos below]








Originally Posted by Maelochs
I ride two bikes almost all the time (well, one or the other ... ) but I couldn't give up my MTB ... not in shape for it yet, but i refuse to surrender....

So ... fast road bike, endurance bike with load-carrying capacity, and F/S MTB.

Last edited by Jim from Boston; 06-21-20 at 08:31 AM. Reason: added quote by Maelochs
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Old 03-14-20, 09:17 AM
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I've only ever had one. But I like to splurge on the one I have. So I use DuraAce chains and move them to the trainer after about 2,000 miles. I change my bar tape at least once a year, maybe more. Try different chainring sizes and cassettes (and them move those to the trainer). Offload other gear, lots of life left in them 105 SPD-SL pedals given to friends or guys at work just getting into cycling.

I seem to be on pace for a new bike about every two years or so, I guess that’s like having multiple bikes.

Fun hobby to be enjoyed in a variety of ways.
These threads always make me want a steel bike to fart around town on, and a kick ass MTB bike too.

Envy!
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Old 03-14-20, 09:57 AM
  #9  
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I've got my three:

A steel "adventure bike" or "semi-touring" road bike for commuting.

An old light, steel 12-speed road bike for fun weekend rides.

An old 21-speed MTB-based commuter for utility and snow & ice commuting.
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Old 03-14-20, 10:21 AM
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Road bike, MTB, commuter/city bike. I have all three, but the MTB is really used more like a gravel bike.
Not a bike, but I'd keep my trailer also.

Last edited by Reynolds; 03-14-20 at 10:26 AM.
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Old 03-14-20, 10:26 AM
  #11  
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I had to make this difficult decision a while back, while temporarily relocating across the country for a year.

The three winners were (1) my steel single speed (for any trips that require locking up, commuting, and pretty epic hill workouts); (2) the CF princess road bike (for road rides, and fast commuting), and (3) gravel bike (for foul weather, light snow/ice with studded tires, and dirt/gravel roads.)

The decision is somewhat regional. If I were in a place with legit winters, the gravel bike would be replaced with a proper winter bike (old MTB with aggressive studded tires). If I were in an environment with no winter and difficult access to unpaved roads, I'd be tempted to have two road bikes - one for speed, and one for distance!
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Old 03-14-20, 10:47 AM
  #12  
Jim from Boston
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If you could only have 3 bikes

I recently posted to this current thread:
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
...I'm very happy with my Specialized S-Worksfor dry weather riding, but my Cannondale Mountain bike was pretty heavy and cumbersomeas a Wet/Winter beater. So I recently bought a Specialized Diverge Elite aluminum bike as a wet weather beater, and it rides nearly as nicely as the S-Works, so I'm very happy with the Diverge.

Now, the Cannondale is reserved completely for miserable studded-tire riding,and now I'm happy about that, and my riding needs are completely met. I liken my three bikes to a Lamborghini, a Lexus, and a Humvee...[but actually]
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
FWIW, I also have a Giant Escape hybrid bike [stock photo] that I recently bought for rehabilitation, because I was having trouble with my neck and shoulders riding the drop bars.



That bike cost about $600, and IMO was a good value as an all-round bike, certainly more amenable to off-road [and gravel] riding than my expensive carbon fiber road bike, and sturdy for my urban commute on the mean streets of Boston.
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
The new hybrid is a Buick.

Last edited by Jim from Boston; 03-14-20 at 10:54 AM.
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Old 03-14-20, 10:50 AM
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1. trail hardtail
2. something really versatile with slicks, probably a hybrid or touring bike
3. Free space for something fun.. first thought is a tandem

Right now I've got a wrong-size old steel road racing bike in the #2 slot and it's not ideal
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Old 03-14-20, 10:57 AM
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If it were three (which is +1 from where I am now):

An endurance road bike. (I have a Cannondale Synapse which fits this category)
A flat-bar hybrid. (I have a Cannondale Quick for this category)
A mountain bike. (I don't have one).

Things I would change about my bikes:

My endurance road bike is just as I want it: outfitted with 105 drivetrain, and gearing down to 1:1 for canyon climbs. I use this for nightly rides in the 15-25 mile range, and weekend rides in the 30-75 mile range.

My hybrid isn't perfect but ok. It has front suspension, and I would prefer unsuspended. But aside from that it's perfect. I outfit it with a Tubus rack, and in the winter time SKS longboard fenders. It's my commuter / play-around bike.

For a mountain bike I would eventually like something that is relatively general purpose. I don't want a fatbike or a downhill bomber. Just something that handles mountain trails.

If I added a fourth bike it would be a touring bike. A fifth bike might be an electric. And a distant 6th would be a performance road bike. But all this is crazy talk; two is enough. Or three.... or....
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Old 03-14-20, 11:14 AM
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This is an enthusiast forum as we can see by the question to "limit" to 3 bikes. If this was the forum of our spouses, the question would be to limit to 1 bike :-)

I wouldn't have 3 bikes that are as similar s the ones in the OP. Depending on the area and type of riding I could see someone having a hybrid for commuting, an MTB, and a gravel bike. Or different MTB (FS, HT etc.). but they should be different enough to not have too much overlap.

i have a fatbike (off-road, MTB duties, snow), a hybrid (toughroad with 2.15" tires) for all my trail/gravel riding and a commuter hybrid with 1.75" tires. If I wasn't worried about theft, the commuter would be obsolete as the hybrid could do the same, even better. with unlimted resources, i could think of having an FS MTB, a jones bike (29+ rigid), but not something that is too similar to my current bikes (i.e. another fatbike, or hybrid).

with that said, 3 bikes doesn't seem to be a real limit unless you look for garage queens or have a lot of time.
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Old 03-14-20, 11:23 AM
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Originally Posted by HerrKaLeun
If this was the forum of our spouses...
Husband enthusiasts?
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Old 03-14-20, 12:27 PM
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modern steel frame gravel bike.
modern steel frame road bike.
80s steel frame road bike.

So I would get rid if my stem touring/commuter bike and use the gravel bike for loaded weekend trips. And I would get rid of my modern MTB since for how it's used, the gravel bike would work well enough.
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Old 03-14-20, 12:38 PM
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Originally Posted by HerrKaLeun
If this was the forum of our spouses .... :-) .
Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
Husband enthusiasts?
if you wife is a "husband enthusiast," you are a better spouse than I ....


assuming she is enthusiastic about her husband, I guess ...


okay, back to bikes ....
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Old 03-14-20, 12:42 PM
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Three?
Of the nine bikes I have, which three?
Probably keep my Baron Lowracer recumbent. Probably my 85 Peugeot PGN10. And probably my MTB bike. Each has a special purpose.
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Old 03-14-20, 03:27 PM
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If I could only have 3 bikes the first thing I'd do is scream, throw a tantrum, cry and pout. Then the work begins and I would convince the wife that the limit is too low and get her to approve 12. Then I'd keep all the bikes I have now! Perfect.
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Old 03-14-20, 08:32 PM
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STOP THIS MADNESS AT ONCE! ...before it give my wife Ideas!
A) Current working bike
B) Back up ride.
C) Bike currently being overhauled/refurbished.
D) Projects.
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Old 03-14-20, 08:52 PM
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Only 3 ?!?!
How about I "give" 3 to my wife, and I also have 3 ?
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Old 03-14-20, 09:31 PM
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I currently have 3 and want two more.
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Old 03-14-20, 09:39 PM
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3 is the perfect amount for me....but i dont mountain bike.
- Salsa Journeyman (both 700 and 650 wheelsets) for foul weather/winter commuting, gravel grinding, and anything really...versatile bike and the only one i own with disc brakes.
- Trek 520 for sunny day commutes, carrying heavy loads, touring/camping, and being super comfy
- Soma ES for going fast and having fun on pretty much any road
We have some nice new MTB trails here, so i might have to work something out there
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Old 03-14-20, 10:07 PM
  #25  
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I've downsized to 2 this year.
  1. Soma Fog Cutter = Commuter / Road / Gravel Bike
  2. Fuji Sundance (Rigid Mountain Bike) = Backup / Budget Bike for Stores and Road Trips
I have my eye out for a used full suspension and a folding bike, but not looking too hard. I also wouldn't mind certain vintage mountain bikes, if I ever find them in my size.

My fiance only wants one bike, despite me trying to buy her more, a Trek 970.



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