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When's too many bikes enough ?

I think I have problem, by bike stable keeps growing and I don't know what's/when's enough .

Any help/advice from fellow sufferers.

regards

Dave

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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61 comments

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mooleur | 10 years ago
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We just had to move house because of this fact. No longer could we keep the stallions in the living room.

Nice garage now currently housing a merger of both mine and my partners two TT bikes, three winter bikes, mountain bike and three race bikes.

The only obvious way forward here is to make sure all the odd numbers are even and increase the numbers going forward.

I don't own a mountain bike OR a cross bike which is pretty ridiculous.

Also planning a little renovation project for a vintage frame too ^_^

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notfastenough replied to gnarlyrider | 10 years ago
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gnarlyrider wrote:

You guys aren’t trying.

I have at least 14. Carbon road bike, Ribble track bike, Orange mtb, On-One Pompino fixed, no name aly cross bike, 2 x tandems, 1 x penny farthing hand made by me, Raleigh 653 turbo trainer bike, Kona Lava Dome mtb (1990), Ancient 531 fixed commuter, 2 x unicycles – 1 handmade, Mongoose bmx.
Plus 3 or 4 frames that I’ve held on just in case.

My 11 year old has five (Fondriest Mega plus, GT BMX, Kona Muni Mula mtb, Raleigh fixed, hand made 3 wheel recumbent), 13 year old has three a no name aly road bike, 3 speed commuter, and a Bottechia mtb. Just to join the party my wife also has three, two hybrids bikes and a dutch ish style commuter.

Family total of 25 - a few duplicates due for pruning but mostly each having its own purpose.

That is a serious number - you'd need what, at least a double garage to keep them all? Also loving that the whole family has 'the bug'.

"I'm just off down to the shops love, I'll take the unicycle..."

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Bob's Bikes | 10 years ago
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The time to stop buying/building bikes is when no matter how well your storage racks/methods are. You struggle to get in and out of the garage, shed and house.

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mooleur replied to jmaccelari | 10 years ago
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jmaccelari wrote:

Yep. A woman in the house soon sorts that problem out...

DOES IT!?

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notfastenough replied to mooleur | 10 years ago
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mooleur wrote:
jmaccelari wrote:

Yep. A woman in the house soon sorts that problem out...

DOES IT!?

Well obviously, you're one of the exceptional minority - tell your husband he's a jammy sod! 'Normal' women aren't so keen on chain oil and bikes all over the place...

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mooleur replied to notfastenough | 10 years ago
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[quote=notfastenough
Well obviously, you're one of the exceptional minority - tell your husband he's a jammy sod! 'Normal' women aren't so keen on chain oil and bikes all over the place...[/quote]

I dunno, most of my cycling contacts are female so to me I don't see a minority.

But I think it's usually a difference of interests, rather than gender, but because obviously things like xboxes and oily shite is more popular with boys that's why. Like...most boys would be peeved if their wives came back with a grands worth of shoes  3 it's swings and roundabouts innit.

Speaking of chain oil, DEAR LORD I've just moved out of a rental property and could not for the live of me get that shit out of the cream carpet.....panicking about waving that deposit goodbye!

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Super Domestique | 10 years ago
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It is always n+1.

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paslemeilleur | 10 years ago
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Maybe swimming against the current here: had 5, now down to 3. Amazing how attached you can become to a collection of metal, rubber and plastic but seems alright to keep it simple. Preferably same wheel size and groupset too.

Alas, no way I could have Campagnolo on the 'any weather, leave anywhere' bike.... !!

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Yorkshie Whippet | 10 years ago
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When you get rid of the kitchen table to fit a fourth bike in kitchen. It wouldn't go in garage as the old dining table is in there holding up the boxes of "spares bits" and a few wheels. The understairs cupboard already has two bikes and several wheels along with all the essential just bought spares (tyres, tubes etc).

It's getting cramped in the kitchen wi four bikes and a couple of wheels, but yet the womenfolk still manage to get in before shaking their heads.  29

Hmm maybe it is time I sold something...... Old sofa looking for a good home. Need the space for bike stuff  1

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archie gordon | 10 years ago
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I have four bikes summer winter mountain and an old Raliegh medale i have owned for 31 years just can,t part with it . still use it every week

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Nick T | 10 years ago
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For me, too many bikes is never enough.

For my wife, enough bikes is always too many.

In starting to think that perhaps one wife is too many.

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notfastenough replied to mooleur | 10 years ago
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mooleur wrote:

Speaking of chain oil, DEAR LORD I've just moved out of a rental property and could not for the live of me get that shit out of the cream carpet.....panicking about waving that deposit goodbye!

I got a bit on our oak dining table and nearly waved my life goodbye!

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bfslxo replied to gnarlyrider | 10 years ago
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gnarlyrider wrote:

, Kona Lava Dome mtb (1990), .

Lava Dome, damn my first proper mountain bike that lead me into 20 happy years of mtb'in & riding Kona for 14 of those years - i had a yellowy gold color, god i miss that bike, miss mtbin too as now just a roadie.
thanks for the memory jolt, away to google image now & feel depressed!  105

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mooleur replied to notfastenough | 10 years ago
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notfastenough wrote:
mooleur wrote:

Speaking of chain oil, DEAR LORD I've just moved out of a rental property and could not for the live of me get that shit out of the cream carpet.....panicking about waving that deposit goodbye!

I got a bit on our oak dining table and nearly waved my life goodbye!

Ooops! I managed to soak the dye in to ours from fluorescent pink post-its... I'm basically a walking divorce textbook.

Good news, had a friendly text from ex landlord stating that the cheque is on it's way - happy days! (she must have checked it out without the lights turned on...)

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rojre | 10 years ago
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I admire people who run a "do it all bike" and stick to just that . A good mid range tourer will do that. If one feels compelled to own another its got to be a road bike for weekend day rides or a mountain bike for the mountain bike thing . It does seem most of us want more, and theres always something new coming along. Its lack of space and money plus will power that keeps us in check.

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OldRidgeback | 10 years ago
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I'm down to just three bikes, a GT BMX, an SE BMX/cruiser and an MTB. Elder son has a road BMX and a race BMX and younger son has an MTB and a race BMX while my wife her her old MTB and we have a spare MTB for visitors. We definitely need a roadbike each at least to add to the fleet. I like the sound of that classic 73 Italian roadbike.

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pauldmorgan | 10 years ago
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I think I may have a problem. I did get down to three about six months ago, now up to five with two more in the pipeline... There is a fair amount of subterfuge and creative accounting involved. I need to find new hiding places.

Best carbon bike
Commuter hack (Dolan track frame with the brilliant Sturmey two-speed kick hub)
Aluminium winter bike currently on the turbo with TT bars for fun
Old School mountain bike I never ride (but can't bear to lose) - must take it out for a spin
Folding bike

Miss my steel crosser

Titanium do-it-all on order and vintage steel in my dreams.

Perfectly reasonable, no?

"Is that a new bike?"
"What, this old thing?"

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matthewn5 | 10 years ago
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Three, a carbon 'best bike', an aluminium 'everyday and winter' bike, and my original 40 year old last year Raleigh Record. Oh, and the carbon step-through women's bike I built my other half as compensation  3

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rojre | 10 years ago
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Iv had notions or a recurring thought that I could stash my least used bike which is a MTB that I keep for really bad winter weather in a cupboard at work. (How silly is that) . This would free up space ! But iv learnt from personal experience that one half bad accident , "no matter how many bikes in the stable" , renders one only capable of looking at the them. I don't want to put a downer on bike collecting , spend, spend, spend if you want but realistically we are all only a hairs breath away from that . As without doubt a sizeable percentage of us know .

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monty dog | 10 years ago
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Current total is 7 - had 9 at one point but haven't got enough hooks in my garage. I've also got about 8 pairs of wheels and rims tucked away. My fleet currently comprises:

Fast road bike
Fixed gear road bike
CX race bike and with skinny tyres serves for training duties
CX travel bike - based on Ritchey Breakaway CX
1983 Gios Aerodynamic for retro events
Ritchey P29er singlespeed rigid MTB
Custom titanium semi-fat, rigid MTB

I have just found enough space to also squeeze-in 17ft of carbon fibre racing kayak!

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Ross K | 10 years ago
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I think the limit of n+1 is more about space than money. Unfortunately I have lots of space so I have

531 restored steel wet weather bike
Alu wet weather bike
Alu dry bike
Rigid fork MTB ice bike pemanently fitted with ice tyres
Hardtail MTB

The next +1 is a Ti frame for the dry bike.

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Ross K replied to archie gordon | 10 years ago
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archie gordon wrote:

I have four bikes summer winter mountain and an old Raliegh medale i have owned for 31 years just can,t part with it . still use it every week

Me and you both. My from new 1985 531 bike is still in regular winter use. I prefer it to the Alu winter bike and find that the friction shifters are far less of a drawback than some might think.

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Kadenz | 10 years ago
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Simples. The formula for 'too many bikes' is N+2, where N is the number you currently have.

But only if (a) your partner - if you have one - is also a cyclist; and (b) you keep separate back accounts.

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Kadenz | 10 years ago
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Simples. The formula for 'too many bikes' is N+2, where N is the number you currently have.

But only if (a) your partner - if you have one - is also a cyclist; and (b) you keep separate back accounts.

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thetallbird | 10 years ago
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Well, I am 6 or 7 bikes into a bit of an issue on the home front....it all started with an aluminium LeMonde, kinda racy, once i'd upgraded everything bar the decals, but it somehow wasnt 'old enough', so i found myself a 1982 Eddy Mercx, the prettiest bike on the planet, but it was, and i knew it at the time, but couldnt help myself, too small for me. So, i got myself a beautiful opalescent orange, 1978 Koga Myate with original Dura Ace, to replace the Eddy....

That should have been the end of that, but, a man who shall remain nameless, invited me to go to Paris...oooh i thought, Paris, what shall I ride?
He appeared with a carbon Focus Cayo. 'Try this for size', he said, nonchalantly. Great i said, i havent got a carbon frame.

Then the same man, appeared with a beaten up but somehow majestic dutch vintage VandeVeire road bike that had a Campagnola drive train, and i thought oooohhhh, Campy, I havent got any Campy. This is now my abslolute favourite go to ride.
Then, one day, the same bloke appears and says, 'fancy riding to to Waterloo (the one on the other side of the pond) on a fixie?'. I havent got a fixie I said...And true enough, i didnt have a fixie...for about 30 minutes...

Finally, no, not finally, but for now - just last week i went to 'Bespoked' and there it was a 'Faggin'...a frame out of the same factory that built all of Mercx's frames (regardless of what it said on the label)...and i thought...mmm i havent actually got a new bike. I'd better start saving.

For some girls it handbags and clothes. For me its bikes and underwear. You can never have too many sets of nice underwear and you can never, never have too many pretty bikes.

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Miles253 | 10 years ago
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Out of interest, what jobs do you guys work? I need me some of that if I want 5 bikes! Also tips for keeping partners happy?

Currently I have just the one main bike, Alu, had three but am travelling so needed to raise funds. Two planned when I returned.

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mooleur replied to Miles253 | 10 years ago
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Miles253 wrote:

Out of interest, what jobs do you guys work? I need me some of that if I want 5 bikes! Also tips for keeping partners happy?

Currently I have just the one main bike, Alu, had three but am travelling so needed to raise funds. Two planned when I returned.

I'm a sysadmin for Gov't IT....it's pretty humble to be fair! One of my bikes I had to buy for half price after being loaned it from my old company, one was a hand me down from the BF, one's being bought by hire purchase, ones a team bike that I've to give back (cries!).

Not sure how the other half manages to buy so many though, he's far too good with money! >.<

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arfa replied to Miles253 | 10 years ago
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Miles253 wrote:

Out of interest, what jobs do you guys work? I need me some of that if I want 5 bikes! Also tips for keeping partners happy?

Currently I have just the one main bike, Alu, had three but am travelling so needed to raise funds. Two planned when I returned.

The commuter bike is always good for the n+1, pays for itself you see  3
in all seriousness, if it's not getting used, there are lots of good charities that will take old unloved bikes and refurbish them and find them a good home for their after life.

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Dizzy | 10 years ago
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Too many bikes? Is such a thing even possible?

I think when you have to consider, forcing eldest child to leave home, building an extension or even moving house, there may be a slight issue.  103
But heck - Kids needs to stand on their own 2 feet sooner or later, and I never liked my old neighbours anyway  103  103

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charliepalooza replied to matthewn5 | 10 years ago
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Ah a Raleigh Record. I loved mine and spent many long summer days getting lost on it.

Sadly my Mum and Dad's gardener 'borrowed' it to get to their place due to his phobia of buses. He left their employ a week later with a bad back which made it 'impossible to walk let alone do any manual labour' and that was the last I saw of the Record.

Ironically, I saw the thieving b****** a couple of months later running for a bus!

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