Three IS Enough? Surely...

meagain

Having at least twice cleared the garage, once I get pedalling again I just don't seem to be able to stop acquiring bikes! One month ago, I was sure ONE was sufficient - now there's three of the things again...







The Rocky Expert (c. 1992) is really very nice. Mainly period Suntour XC Pro - and although currently wearing old LX shifters and brake levers I do have the Suntour thumbies and levers to put back. And a pair of contemporary RockShocks with canti-brake mount. Might even be worth a few quid!

Shou;d possibly be in MTB, but I use 'em on tarmac and towpaths etc.

Feel a need for a "classic" full susser...

redddraggon

I think the optimum number is "x + 1", where "x" is the number of bikes you currently own.

...you can never have too many.

whyamihere

I've just slimmed down from four bikes to a mere two...

I feel dirty.

TheGreatGatsby

I have just the one - don't like to be bobbed down with possesions and this way all my attention gets focussed on one thing...


...getting a new bike to replace this one!

Gats

jpembroke

You appear to have 3 MTBs. Therefore you definitely need a road bike.......and a 'cross bike.......and a fixed.

Just to balance things up.

meagain

"Therefore you definitely need a road bike.......and a 'cross bike.......and a fixed."

TWO are definitely road bikes as I ride them on the road! They are not however racing bikes, which term IMO is not synonomous with road bikes - although I realise that to many "road" equals "race"!
I think drops are silly other than for actual racing. And 26" wheels are better than 700s. The bonded Ti Dyna is as close as I'd ever need to a crosser. And I've had at least a dozen fixeds.
No, a full susser is all I'm short of....and I'm working on that!
Though I might sell the Rocky and get a slick tyred carbon XTC.

redddraggon

meagain wrote:

I think drops are silly other than for actual racing.

Good one. Drops are better than flat bars for nearly all occasions.

Flat bars = 1 position

Drops = 3+ Positions.

Flat bars are for going short distances slowly.

And to add.... Knobblies are a waste of time even on MTBs for the road.

meagain

"Flat bars = 1 position "

Genuine question: how'd you figure that? With bar ends, at least three!

But yes, I only go slowly!

redddraggon

meagain wrote:

"Flat bars = 1 position "

Genuine question: how'd you figure that? With bar ends, at least three!

But yes, I only go slowly!

Bar ends are not standard. They are an addition, just as though you could add aero bars to drops..

I wouldn't want to do any serious climbing and then descending without drops.

meagain

Ah, perhaps I don't do serious - not without an engine - and I've never seen drop bars on a m'cycle!

geoff_ss

meagain wrote:

Ah, perhaps I don't do serious - not without an engine - and I've never seen drop bars on a m'cycle!

I have, if you count clip-ons or so-called Ace bars which perform the same function as drop bars. Both types were very popular on the cafe racers of my youth and clip-ons were very common on Manx Nortons and Goldies etc for 'real' racing.

As for comfort, I've done 400k audaxes on drops with no problems at all as well as very arduous tours. My problem is that I can no longer cope with a low riding position so I use straight bars on an audax-style bike with bar-ends for climbing out the saddle or for variety.

Red Dragon: My straight bars closely simulate riding on the tops which is the position I always rode long climbs with occasional changes to the lever hoods (bar-ends now). Drop bars give me huge problems when descending as I find it difficult to use the brakes effectively without going on the bottom and that's very uncomfortable.

Between us my wife and I have 1 tandem, 2 tricycles, 2 mountain bikes, 2 hybrids, my 'new bike not yet built or ridden, 2 Mercian tourers, a hub gear 'shopping bike' plus a few odds and ends that could build other bikes including an immaculate 1949 Mercian frame . Not all are immediately ridable. We haven't sold a bike for years. For what they'd fetch it's hardly worth the trouble.

That's nearly as many as the most motorcycles I owned at one time Then there's all the model aeroplanes.

Geoff

meagain

I knew someone would make this point, but I don'y really equate clip-ons with drops - the controls remain in the same plane as the 'bars. And I did and do concede drops for "real racing"!

bagpusscp

I think I had better keep quite. :roll:Only 3 :?:

lateralus

I think the trick is not to have a garage.

I only have one, but with the wife's and kids' bikes as well, the shed is totally full, so that's it!

meagain

Luckily....the garage is mainly occupied by the PTWs (plus 1930s tandem and a '54 Raleigh Roadster), so the bikes are in the conservatory - probably only fit another 4 or so in....

Herself draws the line at the house (usually).

on the road

meagain wrote:

Having at least twice cleared the garage, once I get pedalling again I just don't seem to be able to stop acquiring bikes! One month ago, I was sure ONE was sufficient - now there's three of the things again...

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p56/wasnti/mtb3.jpg

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p56/wasnti/dry2.jpg

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p56/wasnti/all3.jpg

The Rocky Expert (c. 1992) is really very nice. Mainly period Suntour XC Pro - and although currently wearing old LX shifters and brake levers I do have the Suntour thumbies and levers to put back. And a pair of contemporary RockShocks with canti-brake mount. Might even be worth a few quid!

Shou;d possibly be in MTB, but I use 'em on tarmac and towpaths etc.

Feel a need for a "classic" full susser...

Why do I get the feeling this post is a wind-up?

meagain

"a wind-up?"

Why? In what way? Pointless, self-indulgent, boring .... whatever you judge.

But a "wind up"? Certainly wasn't meant as such.

Bunnyman 5.5

redddraggon wrote:

I think the optimum number is "x + 1", where "x" is the number of bikes you currently own.

...you can never have too many.

Hehehehehe 8) ....totally agree! :idea:

robbarker

I have 3 bikes at present which is the fewest for a while - and they're all very different (carbon fibre road bike, 853 steel audax machine with rack and 'guards and a full susser mountain bike). I'd like to add a fixie and a recumbent trike and, perhaps, a triathlon race machine with properly set-up aero bars - it's a faff switching between a decent road position and a tribar position IME as so many parameters need to change to get it just right.

I like the look of that Rockhopper btw - very retro cool. Can't say I'd be seen dead on either of the others though ;-)

meagain

"Can't say I'd be seen dead on either of the others though "

A few years ago, nor would I. BUT they are cheap, comfortable to ride and - most important bit - I never see another!

All 3 (and a fair few spares) stand me at 500 quid - near enough right money for 3 well made and well specc'd bikes I reckon.

feel

two bicycles in the garage, three in the shed and one in the garden, but only three are mine. Would definitely like another but can't justify it
Mmmh... maybe if i sold one of the motorbikes :idea:

and drops also essential for into a headwind.

robbarker

There was a definite smiley there! :-)

il_principe

3 is the magic number for me:
1 Carbon best bike
1 Alu winter trainer
1 Alu singlespeed/fixie.
Thank god I don't MTB!

Gotte

Are you mad? Do you realise how dangerous a thing that is to say? First you whisper it, then you say it out loud, next thing a non-cyclist hears you, then my wife hears them, and next thing, my garage is empty.
Be careful what you say, my friend. A butterfly's wings and all that...

popette

bagpusscp wrote:

I think I had better keep quite. :roll:Only 3 :?:

Bagpuss, how many bikes do you have?
I saw something in either cycling plus or on the forum asking readers to give info about their bike sheds. Did you see it? Isn't your shed really amazingly and guarded by an Alsation? (or did I dream it up?)

meagain

Popette, don't ask him, please DON'T ask him - he'll be gone so long counting 'em we'll never hear from him again! I know, I have SEEN the garage (showroom a better description...) and lived.

And he'll claim "no more, honest"....

richk

I reckon I can manage with 2... one road, one 'general purpose' (commute etc). Sure it would be nice to have multiple road bikes (summer, winter) or a full suss off road but I can live without that and means the one of each is of a higher quality.

Similarly, I manage with one car (general purpose) but...

geoff_ss

popette wrote:

bagpusscp wrote:

I think I had better keep quite. :roll:Only 3 :?:

Bagpuss, how many bikes do you have?
I saw something in either cycling plus or on the forum asking readers to give info about their bike sheds. Did you see it? Isn't your shed really amazingly and guarded by an Alsation? (or did I dream it up?)

If Bagpuss is who I think he is (and if he has an Alsation it probably is ) I think he has quite a few. He's been pestering my wife to ask me what old bits and pieces I have tucked away in various drawers and cupboards and I have a bit. Quite a few bikes/trikes too but most are in need of TLC (and expenditure )

Geoff

drewfromrisca

In my heyday when I were a lad living back home with the folks I had, An Orange P3 for the mountains, a Kona Stab full susser for coming down them, a Identiti Dr Jekyll slalom/jump bike for the trails, a Scott road bike, a Kona bmx dirt bike and an old Univega. Then I moved to London and now I have the one...my dear friend the Specialized Tarmac Expert. I'm doing my best to convine my g'friend to let me get a time trial bike at this very moment in time. I was back at the track in Newport Velodrome on the weekend, got bit by the bug and almost bought a second hand Fuji track bike!