Cycling UK Forum

I have about 5 bikes in the garage - all good in different ways.

Has anybody gone down to one bike? what was that bike and what was it like using just that one bike.

If I were to have one bike my CX bike does most things ok. But it's my least loved bike.

Cheers James

I have only one bike: a Genesis Longitude. It’s all I need. Transport, touring, shopping or off-road, it does them all. I don’t do, and have never done sport, so no need for one of them.
The only reason for me to have a second bike would be if my Longitude had a major mechanical, or was stolen or damaged.
I’ve never had more than two bikes and that was always only briefly, until I’d sold the older bike.
Every winter, I think about getting a spare frame to use ‘Ice Spikers’, but this winter we’ve had about two days of ice, so I walked, and it’ll be forgotten about until next winter.

Well that brings a new dimension to the term "Wheel Sucker".

Does the vacuum cleaner double as a backrest?

I posted this back in 2010 about the Dawes Sardar and I still use it regularly:

viewtopic.php?t=41427

horizon wrote:I posted this back in 2010 about the Dawes Sardar and I still use it regularly:

viewtopic.php?t=41427

Great thread

Cheers James

How can you have 'about 5 bikes' ??

I have several frames and wheelsets which are hung up.

A couple of bikes which I view as family bikes - MTB bikes etc.

So I have 2 carbon, an alloy CX bike and a couple of steel bikes.

Cheers James

Only ever had one bike. An old Raleigh MTB converted to a sort of touring bike.
I use it for short tours, shopping and daily riding.
I've never really understood the need for another but then I don't race nor am I image conscious.

Jamesh wrote:I have about 5 bikes in the garage - all good in different ways.

Has anybody gone down to one bike? what was that bike and what was it like using just that one bike.

If I were to have one bike my CX bike does most things ok. But it's my least loved bike.

Cheers James

A CX bike of the right kind (all the extra non-CX bits on it too) can certainly be the one & only bike. When I ceased racing and decided to be a tourist, I sold all the racey stuff and bought a Specialized Tricross. Although it was sold as a CX bike it had all the fittings for front & rear racks, mudguards and so forth.

With slicks on, no racks or guards and a downturned stem it approached race bike configuration. Not quite as fast as a race bike but rather more comfortable with fatter slicks and a shorter stem.

At the other extreme (guards, racks, upturned shorter stem and studded tyres) it's a winter bike, tourer and shopping bike.

The trick is to have parts to swap in/out that transform the function. Three sets of wheels (fast, everyday and winter). Two stems. Racks and guards on/off.





********
Nevertheless there are six bikes in the shed: two Tricross (one was the ladywife's); two Trek Domane (summer & winter versions); one MTB; the ladywife's e-bike. This is just "convenience" (aka consumerism).

This winter I've been out with the ladywife, me on the fully-clad Tricross and her on the e-bike. As I suffer horribly up the hills trying to stay on her wheel, I think of the joy come summer when I can get out the Domane weighing 5 kilos less, with fast tyres on.





Once upon a time, a long time ago, this was my only bike:



Cugel

Nice very much my set up with the two sets of wheels.

I need to find a way to set up a rack on my CX bike as it dosen't have rack mounts but it does have a brake bridge which is redundant as I've changed from canti to v brakes!

Cheers James

I've been down to one bike a couple of times, a nice Cannondale Hybrid and later a traditional tourer, neither stayed solo for more than a couple of years. It can be done, but I always felt there were compromises, whether real or imagined is irrelevant, if you have an itch you have to scratch it. Then there's different bikes for different purposes, which will depend on your usage, I travel by public transport and a folder makes that easier, though it wouldn't suit some other rides... IMO it's not about how many bikes, it's about having the right bikes, in my case that's three*, for others it might be one or twenty. If you're using bikes for transport without easily available alternatives, it is reassuring to just have a spare, plus sometimes a change for the sake of it is worthwhile.
Dan Joyce covered it well in Cycle a while ago, worth a read, his conclusion:

In short: one bike can do everything, if it’s good enough at the things you care about most. On the other hand, if you’ve got the funds and space and don’t want to compromise, having more bikes is more fun.

https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/can-y ... everything

* I haven't counted my work bike, as that's all it's used for and if it wasn't I wouldn't have it (Is that enough self justification )

Shoogle wrote:I have only one bike: a Genesis Longitude. It’s all I need. Transport, touring, shopping or off-road, it does them all. I don’t do, and have never done sport, so no need for one of them.
The only reason for me to have a second bike would be if my Longitude had a major mechanical, or was stolen or damaged.
I’ve never had more than two bikes and that was always only briefly, until I’d sold the older bike.
Every winter, I think about getting a spare frame to use ‘Ice Spikers’, but this winter we’ve had about two days of ice, so I walked, and it’ll be forgotten about until next winter.

The Longitude is indeed a fine bike,I've owned one for 4 years .
But what rack do you have fitted to yours?

It's a Tubus Logo (29er) at the back and a Tubus Tara (Big Apple) at the front.

I use my tourer as a "One for all" bike (at least for me as a non-competitive cyclist)

EXCEPT it doesn't fold to go in the car on hols etc., sometimes it takes up too much room and I don't want the hassle of racks etc. - hence the folder. Which would be a one-for-all bike except I enjoy riding the tourer so much. But then I find the tourer difficult on local trains and can't quite fit it under tables in central Birmingham cafes!

So I guess I'm 2-4-all until I can't manage the tourer any more!