Do I need a second bike?

jeannot18

Just took the RR for a bottom bracket replacement and now I don't have a bike for the next couple of days at least and realised that a second bike would be most welcome. When did you guy bought a second bike? I am thinking of a full sus one, obviously the other half is saying no . I wanted to wait longer until my skills were up to scratch but now with the hardtail out of action I am getting the click on buy-it now button itch.
After 14 months of happiness, is it too early?
JC

waby1234

Depends - if you can afford one, want one, and would ride one, why not?

Adotparker

I have 2, Hard tail, and full suss........ albeit the Hard-tail I mostly use for blasting to work....... but handy for when I've stripped down my other for maintenance... The trails I ride would be pretty harsh for a Hard-tail, so if i didn't use it for work, I'd more than likely have just one!!

The Rookie

N+1 principle, N is the number of bikes you have now, N+1 is the number you need, which must never exceed D-1 where D is the number that results in a divorce!

I don't have an FS to go with my HT but I do have a retro and a commuter and a pub hack.

YeehaaMcgee

jeannot18 wrote:

Just took the RR for a bottom bracket replacement and now I don't have a bike for the next couple of days at least

Erm. How come?
Whip out the old BB, screw in the new one, job's a good un.

Main reason for having two bikes is to have bikes for different rides. A DH bike and an XC machine, for example.

jeannot18

Thanks guys for the input. The main hurdle now is to convince my wife that I need a second bike, strange how they think that you need 2 or 3 set of bed lining for example but only 1 bike
I am looking at the Giant Trance X4 right now. I will probably post another thread to ask a few questions about it.
JC

jeannot18

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

jeannot18 wrote:

Just took the RR for a bottom bracket replacement and now I don't have a bike for the next couple of days at least

Erm. How come?
Whip out the old BB, screw in the new one, job's a good un.

Bike is still under the 2 years warranty. A bit pissed off at Decathlon today as I turned up with the bike they told me that the mechanic was off sick (I had an appointment setup), I told them that they could have called me to let me know as it is a 34 miles each way journey. Anyway there is too much play in the crank for me to use the bike. So I left the bike with them and hopefully should be done tomorrow or worse after tomorrow.
JC

arthur_scrimshaw

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

jeannot18 wrote:

Just took the RR for a bottom bracket replacement and now I don't have a bike for the next couple of days at least

Erm. How come?
Whip out the old BB, screw in the new one, job's a good un.

Main reason for having two bikes is to have bikes for different rides. A DH bike and an XC machine, for example.

or a road bike? - how are you getting on with yours?

YeehaaMcgee

Ssssssssh. Don't mention the ... the... the "other" bike.
It's great for getting to work, much faster, and even though I was sceptical beforehand, I understand now what people mean when they say it's good for your fitness since you push yourself much harder on them.

The Rookie

I agree, on a known road route you can push harder for longer without having to keep anything in rserve like you do on an MTB for those extra effort moments, pushing harder for longer makes you fitter without a doubt.

YeehaaMcgee

There's also the strange thing of "why pootle at 15 mph, when I can cruise at 17. Hmm, if I push a bit, I can cruise at 18. No, wait, 20".
Hard to explain. Maybe it's because I'm competitive.
I do often see leisurely cyclists pootling about, and sometimes wish I could just do that, so I arrive at work without being a bit of a sweaty mess. But I can't.

njee20

Me neither, it's odd isn't it!?

I don't really do enough mountain biking to justify having 2, only do one ride a week at most usually. I'd still have 2 if I had the cash burning a hole though, and I have 2 road bikes. I must say if my MTB is out of order for whatever reason, I just ride the road for a bit.

felix.london

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

Ssssssssh. Don't mention the ... the... the "other" bike.
It's great for getting to work, much faster, and even though I was sceptical beforehand, I understand now what people mean when they say it's good for your fitness since you push yourself much harder on them.

Hahaha! I've got a dirty secret too...I tried skiing last winter...and quite enjoyed it! Guess it's the same kinda thing, it's nothing like the buzz I get from snowboarding but I can see the appeal a bit more now I've tried it and can definitely see it's uses i.e. when there's f.all snow

felix.london

To the OP;
While I'm the biggest advocate of the old N+1 theory. Getting a second bike for the sole reason of the odd few times your other bike will be in the shop seems like a strange reason to get one to me. I presume you'll end up doing most or all work yourself so except for any big frame cracking, fork bending issues - it shouldn't really be off the trail for any length of time at all

And if you're gonna get a similar but better type of bike chances are bike #1 wont get any use at all so you might as well sell it to fund an even better replacement

If you have access to some other type of riding - whether it be road, DH, park, DJ, BMX, skate park or just street etc then I'd def go for it

As a mate says to me, "so you've basically got a bike that goes up, a bike that goes down and a bike for 'round town?" - pretty much covers it I think

YeehaaMcgee

felix.london wrote:

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

Ssssssssh. Don't mention the ... the... the "other" bike.
It's great for getting to work, much faster, and even though I was sceptical beforehand, I understand now what people mean when they say it's good for your fitness since you push yourself much harder on them.

Hahaha! I've got a dirty secret too...I tried skiing last winter...and quite enjoyed it! Guess it's the same kinda thing, it's nothing like the buzz I get from snowboarding but I can see the appeal a bit more now I've tried it and can definitely see it's uses i.e. when there's f.all snow

Oooh, dunno, I tried skiing years ago, and it just didn't click at all.

YeehaaMcgee

jeannot18 wrote:

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

jeannot18 wrote:

Just took the RR for a bottom bracket replacement and now I don't have a bike for the next couple of days at least

Erm. How come?
Whip out the old BB, screw in the new one, job's a good un.

Bike is still under the 2 years warranty. A bit pissed off at Decathlon today as I turned up with the bike they told me that the mechanic was off sick (I had an appointment setup), I told them that they could have called me to let me know as it is a 34 miles each way journey. Anyway there is too much play in the crank for me to use the bike. So I left the bike with them and hopefully should be done tomorrow or worse after tomorrow.
JC

2 years seems to be prety good for a bottom bracket, I am stunned that it's covered under warranty.
But seriously, have a look at parktools, changing a BB is a very simple job, you just need the right tools - which are only a few quid.

The Rookie

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

There's also the strange thing of "why pootle at 15 mph, when I can cruise at 17. Hmm, if I push a bit, I can cruise at 18. No, wait, 20".
Hard to explain. Maybe it's because I'm competitive.

Nor that you'll know the PB for your route and check occasionally each trip to see if it's worth pushing that bit harder to set a better one either of course........

MountainMonster

So wait, you want to buy a second bike because your bike is in the shop a few days during the week every now and then? Do you not work or something?

arthur_scrimshaw

The Beginner wrote:

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

There's also the strange thing of "why pootle at 15 mph, when I can cruise at 17. Hmm, if I push a bit, I can cruise at 18. No, wait, 20".
Hard to explain. Maybe it's because I'm competitive.

Nor that you'll know the PB for your route and check occasionally each trip to see if it's worth pushing that bit harder to set a better one either of course........

or worse is the 'strava effect' when you upload your route and find someone has created a segment on part of it, and you're xx/xxx position. Although you try to resist, the next time you're on that route that little voice in your head says 'mtfu you can beat that' when you get to the segment start :twisted:

YeehaaMcgee

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

The Beginner wrote:

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

There's also the strange thing of "why pootle at 15 mph, when I can cruise at 17. Hmm, if I push a bit, I can cruise at 18. No, wait, 20".
Hard to explain. Maybe it's because I'm competitive.

Nor that you'll know the PB for your route and check occasionally each trip to see if it's worth pushing that bit harder to set a better one either of course........

or worse is the 'strava effect' when you upload your route and find someone has created a segment on part of it, and you're xx/xxx position. Although you try to resist, the next time you're on that route that little voice in your head says 'mtfu you can beat that' when you get to the segment start :twisted:

You reckon someone has strava'd my ride to work and back?
Riiight. Well, I checked all the neighbours, and everyone else in the village, and surprise surprise, they don't work where I do. And nobody in the small company lives where I do

jeannot18

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

2 years seems to be prety good for a bottom bracket, I am stunned that it's covered under warranty.
But seriously, have a look at parktools, changing a BB is a very simple job, you just need the right tools - which are only a few quid.

Yes Decathlon is good for that [so far I have had a cassette, 2 back derailleur -upgraded to x9 because the warehouse sent the wrong one, back brake [complete from lever to housing and cable, and pads] and now the bottom bracket and crank set), only that they called me this morning and said that the bottom bracket and crank set should take 5 to 7 days to arrive, so a bit annoyed with that, but never mind at least I am getting a new one. I have had a look and yes it looks easy enough, and eventually I would like to be able to do everything myself, not just for saving the money but I really enjoy working on the bike, plus having the satisfaction to see it working perfectly.
JC

jeannot18

MountainMonster wrote:

So wait, you want to buy a second bike because your bike is in the shop a few days during the week every now and then? Do you not work or something?

Yes I do work, only 4 days a week though at the week end, so I have my week free and I can still go out on Sunday morning if I sleep only a few hours. And I don't have that much money but I don't smoke, go to the pub etc. So MTBing is my only vice, and 2 bikes is not that bad, is it? Some of the guys I go riding with have like 5/6 bikes, maybe not identical but still that's a lot of bikes and money.
JC

JayKay3000

I contemplated getting a second bike for ages.

I worked out that I own about 5 pairs of shoes that are all for different occasions and activities. I could get by with one pair if I had to. I could climb mountains in smart black leather shoes (if I had to) and I could use a hammer to crack a nut (If I was stupid). See. Point? Making

Different bikes suit different riding conditions. I would say that a competent mtb rider needs at least 2 because ultimatly most people will start on a hardtail mtb and as you close to 30years old you will start to notice that you can't pound those rocks like you used to when you were young so you get a full suss because you can tackle the tough stuff with more confidence and less smash to your body. By the time you get the full suss you should be proficient with hardtail riding so will be a better ride overall on the full suss. It may only be a years difference. You won't forget you other bike (well, you might for a bit), but you will learn to use the right bike for the riding. Why bother taking the full suss on a meandering XC route over hills and light technical terrain when the hardtail will be lighter for the climbs and as capable.

You might like to commute to work so you might have a third bike for the road. I have a hybrid for commuting in grey. It looks quite boring and that's fine for me as there is less chance of it getting stolen.

I own a hybrid road bike and a hardtail mtb. I can afford the full suss right now, but I don't believe I'm competent enough to get the most out of full suss. My back is inclined to disagree on black graded trails though. I love getting out on the bike, like I love to climb mountains and walk hills, singletrack is awesome and so are jumps. Technical rocky terrain is cool, but it's hard on the hardtail, but I just have to take it slower because the ht is inclined to ping you from rock to rock.

felix.london

#1 - my (4yr old) son opens nuts with a hammer so there's nothing wrong with that

#2 - I like the shoe analogy but the OP didn't ask "should I get a *such-and-such* bike?" just "should I get a 2nd bike?" - so obviously no thought has gone into what type of riding he wants to be doing just the fact of having a 2nd bike appeals (nothing wrong with that btw)

#3 - I'm fast approaching 38 :shock: and have no problems riding my hardtail 'round the Alps. Rocks get pounded fine - your arms and legs should be taking the sting out but that's no different on full susser

#4 - if you get a lightweight 120mm travel XC full susser - why would you ever ride the hardtail anywhere ever again?

#5 - if you're getting any kind of back pain, maybe your setup is wrong?

#6 - You don't think you're competent enough to make the most out of a full suss? What does that even mean? - it's no different from a hardtail (except the obvious). There's no different, magical technique for riding an full suss XC bike as opposed to a hardtail XC bike - if anything (as you pointed out previously) it's easier :?

JayKay3000

I've had back pain for years. Docs say I just have to be careful. There are so many factors though like what I was doing during the week and the way I rode this harder terrain. I suspect I was more tense as I was going beyond my skill limits. A different hardtail with more travel or different position may make this terrain easier and as I get used to riding. I only have time to ride once a week so learning is slow.

The OP was quite vague. I decided to generalise.

Not being competent to ride a full suss? Yeah, what I actually meant is that I think it's good for people to learn the basic skills on a hardtail because you feel what's going on. It helps you become a better rider in the long run. Moving to a full suss will make the same trails a bit easier, but it's not magically going to turn a rubbish rider into a great one.

Sharpe2002

The Beginner wrote:

N+1 principle, N is the number of bikes you have now, N+1 is the number you need, which must never exceed D-1 where D is the number that results in a divorce!

brilliant! this brightened up my morning

adamgraves2009

I have 3 bikes. 2 full sus and a road bike. I get use out of all 3 on a regular basis. My orange 5 is a all mountain set up my spesh big hit is set up for free ride and dh and the road bike is for me to commute to work. If you are thinking of progressing your skills to something more technical like am, fr, or dh you will need a bike set up specifically for the type of riding. It's well worth havin a spare rig to fall back on too. Although my obsession with cycling has so far cost me 3 long term girlfriends 2 teeth and 4 broken bones well worth it though.