Do it all bike

[mill4six]

My do it all is a 3x9 steel road frame with MTB rear mech and cassette. It's cheap as chips and I fix it myself. Commuting takes its toll so keeping it sweet for weekend blasts and holiday touring is a chore sometimes.
I have tried a Sonder Camino Ti gravel bike which is pretty comfy and loses very little to a road bike on tarmac. It would be so easy to be seduced into demoting my old bike to commuting only and have one of these for everything else.
Except that I tow a trailer with the dog on our tours and it's a bit of a faff, which brings me on to the Omnium mini max cargo which I'm tempted to build up from a frameset. I just don't know if I'm overthinking things. Put up with the trailer? Stick with the old faithful, upgrade to gravel or cargo?

[Nearholmer]

You might find the “one bicycle” thread which is running currently to be of relevance, because it’s a sort of generalized version of your particular question to self.

BTW, reading what you said, one thing popped out at me: road frame.

If, as I suspect, that implies quite a tight limit on tyre size, that might in turn become a limit on the versatility of the machine.

[pwa]

My do it all is a 3x9 steel road frame with MTB rear mech and cassette. It's cheap as chips and I fix it myself. Commuting takes its toll so keeping it sweet for weekend blasts and holiday touring is a chore sometimes.
I have tried a Sonder Camino Ti gravel bike which is pretty comfy and loses very little to a road bike on tarmac. It would be so easy to be seduced into demoting my old bike to commuting only and have one of these for everything else.
Except that I tow a trailer with the dog on our tours and it's a bit of a faff, which brings me on to the Omnium mini max cargo which I'm tempted to build up from a frameset. I just don't know if I'm overthinking things. Put up with the trailer? Stick with the old faithful, upgrade to gravel or cargo?

It is a good idea to have at least two bikes if you commute on a bike. That way, you can maintain your commuter as you want it for commuting, and have your other bike ready for the activity you want it for. Less time altering things when you get home tired after work.

Your description of a 3x9 road bike with MTB gear parts is almost the mix I used for doing long distance Audax rides when I was into that. Except that the frames I used were a bit higher at the front to reduce strain on long rides, and had room for full length mudguards. I suspect the bike you want for fast rides would be a gravel bike, with faster road tyres for some of your activities. In the old days I would spend a few minutes changing tyre types on the same wheels, but I am not sure how practical or messy that would be now that so many tyres are tubeless and full of gunk.

[Carlton green]

My do it all is a 3x9 steel road frame with MTB rear mech and cassette. It's cheap as chips and I fix it myself. Commuting takes its toll so keeping it sweet for weekend blasts and holiday touring is a chore sometimes.
I have tried a Sonder Camino Ti gravel bike which is pretty comfy and loses very little to a road bike on tarmac. It would be so easy to be seduced into demoting my old bike to commuting only and have one of these for everything else.
Except that I tow a trailer with the dog on our tours and it's a bit of a faff, which brings me on to the Omnium mini max cargo which I'm tempted to build up from a frameset. I just don't know if I'm overthinking things. Put up with the trailer? Stick with the old faithful, upgrade to gravel or cargo?

Stick with the old faithful cheap as chips and a trailer, keep things as simple as is practical and accept a bit of a loss in potential efficiency - in practise the loss is likely to be inconsequential. Having only one bike can work, I’ve got by like that, but when you’re dependent on one bike to get you about it’s wise to get at least another bike to keep you still mobile. Stuff does unexpectedly break, punctures happen, wheels need truing, stuff wears out, some maintenance jobs take a long time, and sometimes - particularly if they’re attractive - bikes get stolen leaving you without transport (so if you can then have a spare bike).

At one time I commuted, and did everything else too, on a five speed bike; I like the simplicity of them (single chainwheel, etc.) and as a cheap back-up such simple bikes can (imho) be ideal. My current daily ride is a three speed mixte which I’ve set up quite well for a wide range of stuff; a journey on it might take an inconsequentially small amount longer, but it’s got minimal appeal to thieves, it cost a relatively trivial amount, and it is totally reliable. For those that commute it - or similar - would make a great second bike.