Schweinhund

While most hoarders are collectors, not all collectors are hoarders.
A collector is neat, organized and focused.
I'm a hoarder. There is no rhyme or reason to what I keep around here, 20+ oddball MTB wheels (Inc. a set of 27" heavier duty Rigida wheels, with an Atom drum brake, pulled from a tandem. Complete with Motobecane axle nuts) frames I'm never going to do anything with but hang on the wall, bins full of unorganized parts. Oddball schwinn parts The only way I would not be embarrassed is if it was another hoarder looking at my mess.
Only reason I'm showing it is to motivate me to clean it up today.

Is this you as well? Face it, you're a hoarder too!

jdawginsc 

As soon as you organize some items into some bins, you transition back to "well-stocked bike restorer."

fender1

I am fortunate to have a bike co-op close by. As things start to pile up, I just give it away. Keeps things under control.

gearbasher

I was a hoarder. Then, I sold everything off. I only have 6 bikes (all are ridden) and consumables (i.e. chains, chainrings, tires, tubes etc.). I'm proud of myself.

Schweinhund

We used to have a co-op, but it didn't last. Closest one is Oakland and that's a bit of a drive for me.

Dylansbob 

I had cleaned out almost everything (down to 3 bikes, couple of buckets of parts) about 7yrs ago after hurting myself pretty bad not resting after a crash and being unable to ride. It took a couple years to ride again and I didn't really start buying until the great COVID boom. 28 bikes later, I have a small bedroom filled that looks like OP's stash. Just a path between spilled buckets of parts, wheels that didn't stay propped up, a couple frames....

cudak888 

It gets worse. One could be a collector who flips to support the hobby, but the flipper bikes and parts result in a mess that makes them look like they're a hoarder - even though they'd otherwise be an organized collector

-Kurt

Kabuki12

At least PART of that OP picture looks familiar to me . I have been organizing my bins just a bit because for some reason this year I have been involved in a few builds from frame up. I got tired of sorting through random parts bins to get to what I know I have.....somewhere. The quest continues

Schweinhund

That's the sad sad story of how I started hoarding in a nutshell. Are we hoarders like the Borg? You will be assimilated?

cudak888 

I'll be assimilated by all the crap I have around me. It's only worse as I have most of the "indoor" bikes in the living room right now as I'm redoing the walls in the Florida room they're stored in. The house is a mess and the workshop even worse.

-Kurt

wrk101

OK, I’m a hoarder but I am also a seller. I’m just “behind” on selling.

it’s not just bikes. You’ve got to see my vintage hifi and LP collection. I continue to prune it, but much like bikes, if you learn how to find stuff, you can find a lot faster than you can sell. I do routinely cut the pile in half and donate.

joesch

If you know where everything is and can find the necessary bit when needed then your organized well enough for your needs. Its nice to have a tracking can be paper or digital, like a spreadsheet of your stuff. If you have more than your riding preferences and maintenance needs than perhaps trim down and not be a "hoarder". Its hard to reverse the N+1 in the current buyers market.

Schweinhund

lol, I am into old speakers. To this day, my Made in 1979 Celestion Ditton 100's are my favorite next to a pair of Totem Dreamcatchers I dug out of the garbage one day...

Schweinhund

I'm as bad or worse. This isn't my collection, it's a few bikes and PART of my parts hoard
Getting motivated to do something about it.

OEM Take off's from bikes

Two schwinn cruisers nesting

Tandem rear wheel

what's to say?

same here

Never bothered to look up the year Trek calypso, original but rough

Some idiot. the hole is 3/8ths. blade spoke wheel mavic hub


Huffy wheels, like gold.

Two more schwinns, a letour and a varsity one's a '72 and the nother is a '72 or '74, I don't remember which.

embankmentlb

I decided to somewhat organize my stash of bike parts on this rainy day. I have about 6 rideable 80s road bikes. They are on a simi-regular rotation.
My biggest mental struggle seems to be consumable items especially freewheels and chains. I love the idea of my Italian bikes running Regina freewheels and appreciate chains. Regina items are growing hard to find as well as being $$$.
Today I noticed that I have hoarded back a half dozen Sunrace freewheels and kmc chains.
I am kind of embarrassed and concerned.
My irrational fear of not finding suitable Italian freewheels and chains apparently has gotten to me. It makes little sense. The cheap Asian replacements sit in a drawer and the expensive Italian parts are being used up.
Very irrational on some level.

Kobe 

The problem with too many parts lying around is I want to build something out of them. Which leads to getting more parts from donors. Which leads to building something....

nlerner

Maybe the real question is whether you’re an organized hoarder or a disorganized hoarder.

rumrunn6

barefoot in the bike basement. love it. I've done it, but learned my lesson. now I wear footwear to protect me from the miscellaneous shards of who-knows-what

rumrunn6

I just pulled a N+1 & I expect to get rid of the bike it is replacing, but it's not exactly bike selling season ...

bark_eater 

Discovering the local scrapyard tipped the balance.

panzerwagon 

Yes

icemilkcoffee 

Oh sure! Everyone started out organized.... till they run out of bins and drawers and rooms.

Schweinhund

A guy asked me why I was giving something or another away.....

awac

Can I hoard Seven of Nine please?

awac

And don’t forget you need to hoard the tools to work on your hoard, and industrial size jars of lubricants are always much better value, oh yes I get a brand of peanut butter because (apart from super tasty) the glass jar is a perfect fit for whatever I might want to store in it, I have a lot of glass jars…..I need more.