sdimattia

My daily bike is a (formerly white, now red) 42cm Wabi Classic. I dropped it off to get powdercoated a week and a half ago. A combination of incompatible work schedules and an annual rush for motorists to get their rims repainted for spring time means I can't pick it up until Monday or Tuesday. My backup / winter bike is a disc equipped All City Nature Boy. It takes fenders and wide tires but, I hate the disc brakes (not interested in a debate about it, it's just how I feel).


I ride the Wabi rain or shine, as long as there isn't snow or ice on the ground. I don't ride the Nature Boy in rain because the stopping power of disc brakes has yet to persuade me to overlook the ungodly noises they make when wet. That being said, I love the Wabi(#1) so much that I'm considering buying another(#2). I'd build #2 up, check it over, and then re-box it until it's needed as I don't have space on the rack. Why? Because I want my backup bike to be as enjoyable to ride in all non-icy/snow conditions and I don't get that with the Nature Boy. The NB is great as a winter grinder but if I had a second Wabi(#2) for the times I didn't have #1, I'd chose #2 over the Nature Boy in a heartbeat.


My mother (who is not a cyclist) thinks I'm insane and that it's a waste of money. As fellow cyclists, is having a ready to build replica of the bike you love a waste of money and space? I'm thinking ahead for when #1 finally fails, whether from use, or from getting into more car accidents, etc. I probably won't ever be in the situation of not having #1 for two weeks again but who knows . . .

jaxgtr

N+1....nuff said. I have 6 bikes in my garage, if I found one to be that enjoyable, I would have no issues having a second copy.

sdimattia

jaxgtr N+1 indeed . . . Think I will go ahead and buy the second bike. My mother still thinks I'm crazy but hey, I'll be on one of my three bikes and happy.

Cyclist0108

Momma is always right.

Get the brakes fixed on the other one.

veganbikes

I am all for n+1 but having two of the exact same bikes is a bit silly. Having multiple bikes that are different enough is handy. I mean certainly a lot of bikes share some common parts because they are good parts but I try not to make all my bikes the exact same. Variety is the spice of life and give me plenty of spice. That being said you could have a backup laying about but I would probably instead have some nicer parts for the current bike and plenty of spare wear items so you can get it up and running. I would still have another bike or two or three or four or many more but if you have one main bike that you love get parts to keep it running and save the other parts for winter or when you have an issue and replace it.

shelbyfv

If you are living with your mom and/or she is paying for the bike, you should do what she thinks best.

sdimattia

Nothing broken with the disc brakes, I just hate the noise they make when wet. Great for snow, less so for my ears (and everybody within a 2 block radius).

I have drops on my current daily, I might go with risers for #2. I do have some spare parts but they are more to fix the bikes I built my parents than anything else. Ironically, my mother's Cannondale takes a 28.2mm seatpost and 31.8 handlebars while my dad's vintage Scwhinn is a 27.2mm seatpost, and 1" threaded stem. Meanwhile, my bike takes a 27.2mm seatpost (I think) but 26mm handlebars.

I ended up getting just the frameset. As I already have a second set of wheels for #1, I should also be able to scrounge enough working parts off #1 and out of the bin when frame #2 is needed. But I do understand what you're saying about variety.

sdimattia

Mom is definitely not paying for any bike related parts if it isn't her bike. Although, after she said "you're crazy" she did follow with "hey, at least it's not drugs." I'll take that as a half approval then?

tomato coupe

It would be like eating the same thing for dinner every night. Ugh.

veganbikes

Yeah that wouldn't be so fun though I have made some dishes that I wish I could keep eating for long periods of time but eventually I would have to get tired of it.

Koyote

If you're old enough to buy your own bike, you're old enough to stop caring what your mother thinks of such decisions.

Troul 

I would ask your mom if she has a fav pair of shoes that she'd buy another of if she could, if she has not already practiced that experience.
I'd buy a 3rd & make it the winter/all season.

the slots on a rotor tend to be a factor for the wet disturbance. try swapping the rotors to a different cut design that promotes water dissipation while going to a resin pad material.

jaxgtr

That does not count for ice cream does it? I have a couple of scoops of the same flavor ice cream every night, unless my freezer was robbed. Publix Mint Moose Track. I have become addicted to it and my wife has threatened to have an intervention at some point.

sdimattia

Not quite a matter of caring or not caring. But these are the kinds of conversations we have a dinner and coming from a family that loves some lighthearted debating/bickering, I was looking for input from fellow cycle enthusiasts and why they would not own more than one bike, let alone a very similar back up one. What can I say, law school was an option at one point . . .

tomato coupe

If Publix Mint Moose Tracks is the only thing you have for dinner every night then, yes, it counts. If you eat it every night after dinner, then it's more like having the same wheelset on two different bikes.

Troul 

tell her "I'll scream, you'll scream, we'll all scream if you dare touch my gd ice cream!"

Koyote

About five years ago, I bought a really comfortable pair of shoes. Immediately bought a second pair, and shortly afterwards the company went out of business. My feet still appreciate that decision.

Not sure I'd do it with a bike, but I don't think it's a crazy idea.

Camilo

How can you use a bike as a back up if it's boxed up?

sdimattia

I've been buying / wearing Adidas Sambas for the last 10 years. I keep an old pair for painting / construction and go through my daily pair every 2-3 years. Apparently, more than one of the same thing is a theme for me . . .

I'll build it up when I need it. I don't currently have enough room on the rack to store it but I have the space to keep a big box in my bedroom. It's a single speed so it'll only take ~20 minutes to build up. No need to worry about indexing gears and whatnot.

jaxgtr

fair enough....although, to be honest, I am someone that can eat the same thing over and over and it not bother me. I do all the cooking for my wife and I, no kids at home anymore, and her limit of eating the same thing is 2, maybe 3 days if it is really good to her, so that limits the amounts of whatever I am cooking, which comes in handy if the kids come over looking for a free meal.

DeadGrandpa

You have determined by experience that you prefer one of your bikes over the other. You have not determined that the dozens (+) of other similar bikes are inferior. Expand your horizons, look outside your tiny sample of two bikes. Maybe you have found your ultimate bike; maybe you haven't I. Maybe you'll find a better #2 bike.

Troul 

Just put Di2 on the second cycle. You'll have absolutely no use for it, but it'll be worthlessly different!

jaxgtr

I've done this before. I had a pair of running shoes that were so perfect that I bought 3 pairs and when time to replace, boom, no issues with finding them or having to locate something new. It was awesome. I liken that to the way some women only have one brand\model of bra for their daily wearer and buy 5 or 6 of them at a time. I had a girlfriend once that I thought was going to have a nervous breakdown after they changed or discontinued a specific model of bra she had been wearing for 10 years or something like that. At that age, I had no idea how that garments are so desired and really have a hard time trying something else to some people.

sdimattia

I'm planning on eventually buying a Trek Domane if/when I eventually decide to go geared. As far as single speeds go, I know there's a bunch of different ones from the various QBP names but they're not as light as the Wabi and I have some toe over lap issues. I don't necessarily want a true track-geo bike as I can't/don't ride fixed. I also like to go for 40+ mile rides which I can't imagine are very fun on an aggressive, incredibly stiff frame. For me, Wabi offered a bike that is a perfect fit for me and comes in a lightweight, higher quality steel than you typical 4130 chromoly. It's fun to ride and the fact that it fits perfectly is part of why I love it so much and is why I'm willing to spend money on a second frame. Even if I could guarantee that the one would last forever, I still wouldn't mind having a back up, one with drops and one with risers. For me, the Wabi Classic is my ultimate bike so I feel comfortable buying a second. I just don't get that same joy from the Nature Boy, it's a very functional and practical bike but that's about it.

Cyclist0108

Sounds like SRAM. Fix them by making them (and their rotors) Shimano.

Edit: Looked it up. Tektro. Same fix. Get some hydraulic Shimano brakes and you will fall in love with the bike.