sced

"My only forever" is a custom Holdsworth that was a 1972 Xmas present (when a HS Junior) from my parents as compensation for the new Datsun 510 they 'd bought for my older sister. The bike didn't arrive from England until September 1973 because of a strike at Campagnolo. I had the frameset restored a few years ago. It was originally a 5-speed with a tubular wheelset. Original components shown in the photo are brakes & levers, bars & stem, rear derailleur, and seatpost. Since the photo was taken I reverted back to box-section tubulars and mounted an Arione style saddle. I still ride it a lot.

non-fixie 

I don't think I have mine yet ...

dedhed

The ones I'd probably never get rid of are the 1984 Gran Prix - first "real" bike I ever bought.
The 1968 Raleigh Sprite - Great shape, rides nice, S5 hub. Never fails to start a conversation when I ride it places.

Bogester 

I won’t say forever, but I’ll keep this one (71) for awhile.

Desert Ryder

The two I plan on keeping in the current stable of eight. Both have been with me for only a few short years but I have no plans on letting these two go anytime soon.

My The Bike Beat 1990 Revolution E-Stay by Ellison and my 1997 GT STS DH.

steelbikeguy

Gordon did pass the business along to Dave Huff, who built similar fillet brazed frames under the name "Christopher". I'm just assuming that not a lot of folks wanted "Huff" on the downtube.

I did have Dave repaint my Borthwick and do the minor modifications around the year 2007. I used to see him at the Hilly Hundred in Bloomington, Indiana. Not sure if he is still building or not.

Gordon was a retired mechanical engineer who enjoyed cycling. Framebuilding seems like a good merge of those interests, especially when combined with not really needing to make it profitable. In 1990, he had built 33 single frames and 37 tandems. Not sure what the final count was. If you suspect that you've found one of his frames, you can confirm it by the copper letter "B" on the headtube...



Steve in Peoria (but originally a native of Iowa)

VRJAKE 

Needs change over time, but this 2000 EBISU, bought new, component iteration 4.5, has proved to be a fabulous credit card tourer, thanks to custom rack work from Gugie. The only bike I've had since new. For me, the ride is sublime, and the measure whether a bike stays or goes.

Got a fabulous Toei randonneur bike back in 2010 or so, an awesome work of superior craft. Lovely, lovely bike. Figured it would replace the EBISU, yet riding them alternatively found the EBISU just went faster, longer, easier, so the Toei went to a new home. So this one may stick around forever.

seedsbelize2

Of the current fleet it would be the 79 Trek 930. I am also in my early seventies. This bike has been with me for 5 years. My first, of two early Treks. 24” Treks fit me like they were custom made for me.

bwilli88 

Possibly this 72 gugificazion Witcomb.

Others might be my Pro-Tour

or this Geoffery Butler

Sedgemop 

So, there was a business. Was there a shop that was open to the public?

steelbikeguy

I should have said "business".
I did visit him in Marshalltown a couple of times, and the work was done in his basement, if memory serves.
Nothing like the Jeffery Bock workshop tour that our friend John H. did the video about.
Gordon did make a little booklet as a marketing tool. Here's the first page...




Steve in Peoria

eljayski 

and each was built to my custom measurements. They're pretty new, since I'm relatively new to serious cycling, but since I'm an old guy, etc. I knew to buy exactly what I want. Don't foresee many upgrades. You can see them here: https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...g-my-ride.html

Thalia949

Zero - I'm not the type that thinks about keeping any of them forever.

I'm more of a rider than a collector. I value the experience of trying a different bike and riding it, then finding what's next. If that means I need to sell one to get one, then so be it.

I've got some great bikes, but if I need to move one to get something else, I am completely fine with that.

My Merckx Corsa Extra is my favorite. It got lost in transit on the way back from Eroica this year. I spent some time on the flight thinking about what I would replace it with in case it never showed up. Its back, so I didn't have to do anything, but I was oaky with moving on.

seagrade 

Further to previous.

davester

This is a no-brainer for me...

My Ron Cooper, which was custom built to my measurements in 1981. I hobbled into Bicycle Odyssey in Sausalito to be measured up for it on crutches, shortly after my previous bike (a Raleigh International) had been destroyed by being run over by a pickup truck. At the time I ordered this, I had been doing a bit of racing and a lot of touring. Also, I couldn't at the time imagine having more than one bike since I was moving often and living in relatively cramped housing. So, I specified that it have a road racing geometry but wide clearances so that I could stuff wide tires and fenders in there for touring. It's gone through quite a few gearing and tire changes over the years, from 52/42 13/23 racing gears and sewups to the current 52/42/30 13/32 700x32C touring setup.


Then there's my Cinelli, that was given to me by the original owner, the uncle of a good friend of mine. An interesting note on this one is that the friend and uncle rode the Davis Double Century in 1979, with the uncle astride the Cinelli. Funnily enough, so did I on my Raleigh International. We finished less than 1/2 hour apart, though I didn't meet either of them until about 35 years later.


Every forever bike needs to have a story.

RCMoeur 

Here are my "first string" bicycles, listing the year I either bought it or placed it in service, the approximate total mileage since January 1989 when I started keeping good records, and its colloquial name:

Raleigh Professional Mk IV, 1982, 8,600 miles (plus thousands of pre-1989 miles) - "Racer"
Rans Nimbus recumbent, 1983, 10,500 miles (plus thousands of pre-1989 miles)
Schwinn cruiser, 1993, 10,200 miles - "Chrome Cruiser"
Ross Mt. Cruiser, 1995, 21,000 miles - "Commutocruiser"
Santana Vision tandem, 1995, 4,300 miles - "Bi-Focal"
Bike Friday New World Tourist folding, 2001, 3,600 miles
Univega fixie, 2004 (was my touring bike 1982-1983), 1,300 miles (plus pre-1989 miles) - "SSFH"
Nashbar Flashback cruiser, 2010, 9,600 miles - "Alumicruiser"
(another) Nashbar Flashback cruiser, 2017, 440 miles - "Alumispeedy"
Haro Extreme EX 0 dual-suspension mountain bike, 2022, 32 miles - "Boingy Green"

Brief bios of the above bikes can be seen on my website.

I'm not planning on getting rid of any of these bikes for the foreseeable future. None of them are "superbikes" or the latest & greatest, but they all have their strengths, and the ones I've owned for over 20 years (e.g. the majority of them) are like members of the family. Only extreme hardship, catastrophic failure, or some other extraordinary event would have such an action on the table.

An then I have my "second string" bikes which are very capable bikes in their own right and would probably be first-stringers if it wasn't for the bond I have with the "starters". I'm in no hurry to see them go, but I understand that day will likely come at the appropriate time.

Specialized Rock Hopper - "The Great Pumpkin"
Kulana cruiser
Trek 750 Multitrack

I try to ride all my bikes at least once each month, with some like the Alumicruiser getting slightly-preferential treatment as my current "alpha bike". In the searing summer some bikes might not get miles, while in the nicer months some may get multiple rides. Needless to say, the 60+ lb chrome cruiser isn't my century bike, and the racer isn't my grocery-getter. The one bike looking at zero projected miles is the tandem, as I don't currently have any stoker candidates - my wife's knees are bad and my son's just not interested, and there's just no one else. But I'll be danged if I'm getting rid of that bike.

Like some of us out there, I'm not getting any younger, and I anticipate in 15-20 years I may not be wanting or able to ride some of my treasured conveyances. I anticipate that if my mobility is limited I may end up converging on the Bike Friday, as it's the easiest to step over, and using my Ridekick e-trailer to help me cruise along. But until then I'll try to ride all of them as much as I can.

Edit: Here's a chart over time of the miles on these bikes since 1989, generated by one of the two Excel sheets I use to track rides & mileage.

jeirvine 

Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky.
But I'm also like @seedsbelize2 in that my '78 Trek 930 is the one I'd keep if I had to keep just one.

beech333

1973 Fuji Special Road Racer: I bought it at a garage sale as a kid.
1975 Fuji Professional: My lovely wife bought this for me about a decade ago, as my first high end bike.
Rivendell Saluki: my favorite bike for long rides, or hauling anything. I so rarely see them for sale, so I would never let this one go, because I could not replace it.

Pompiere

I have three bikes that would be the last ones to go if I had to thin the herd. First is my Miyata 310, which I bought new while stationed in Alameda, California in 1984. I bought it to replace my Fuji Royale that had been stolen. I have ridden the Miyata in three centuries, one when it was still new, and two that were more recent. I have made some adjustments to accommodate my aging body, like a taller stem and B17 saddle, but the rest of the bike is as it was purchased. My daughter gave me a bottle of nail polish to touch up the nicks and scratches.

1984 Miyata 310

Next is my Fuji S12-S LTD. I bought it out of the back room of a local shop in 2019 because I wanted a project for the winter. It had a rough rattlecan paintjob and craft store decals, but most of the original parts were present. With the Covid lockdowns, I had plenty of time to work on it and I am pleased with how it turned out.


1981 Fuji S12-S LTD

Fuji S12-S LTD before

The third bike is more modern. After having the Miyata as my only road bike for 27 years, I decided to reward myself with a new one. After much research, I settled on a Jamis Quest. It fit differently than my Miyata, but after riding the Jamis exclusively for a couple weeks, the Miyata just felt wrong when I went back to it. I ended up using the Jamis as the fit basis for all my bikes. The only thing I have changed in 12 years is to add a B17 saddle. It is the bike I can just hop on and ride all day without giving a thought to how I will feel at the end.


2011 Jamis Quest

MooneyBloke

Precisely two. I think of both my Peter Mooneys as "til death do us part" bikes. I suppose that if I reach a state of decrepitude where I can no longer put them to good use, it will be time for them to find a different pair of legs.

nlerner

I can't imagine any of my bikes as "forever" keepers; I do have a few "at least until next year" bikes.

rccardr 

That’s the spirit!

tjfastback66

Forever Bikes? Yeah I got a few nothing high end...

1978 Raleigh Super Course
1981 Univega Specialissima
1983 Raleigh Prestige Grand Sport
1983 Raleigh Competition
1987 Schwinn High Sierra

montclairbobbyb 

I have a huge family and have been able to keep (in the family,.at least) several of my "forever bikes" by gifting them to family members (WITH the stipulation that they can never give them away). These include Specialized StumpJumper, Sequioa,.and Fuji Touring Series V). And I get to retain the Expedition, plus his and hers custom painted StumpJumpers, and my three Niner steel 29er MTBs... FOREVER!

mhespenheide 

At this point, just one. An '87 Bianchi Campione d'Italia with some slight gugifications that let it run 700c 32mm tires. It was my first good bike, bought new. I can't imagine a situation that would have me sell it.