If you could only have one bike .....

[dellzeqq]

Brompton or Colnago?

I'd keep the Colnago. There's no sensation remotely like it. It's like flying, but lower and without the aeroplane. Every scent, every rustle in the leaves, every streetlight is sharpened, made more present than at any other time. I'd miss the sociability and convenience of the Brompton, but I'd get over taking the bus.

 

[billy1561]

Probably my cube road bike, but it's like choosing which of your children you like most. Impossible.

 

[Davidc]

........ There's no sensation remotely like it. It's like flying, but lower and without the aeroplane. Every scent, every rustle in the leaves, every streetlight is sharpened, made more present than at any other time.........

Surely that's a description of riding a bike, any bike, not just one particular make or model?

 

[Mo1959]

Interesting all the votes for the Dawes. My secondhand Dawes Discovery was bought for a tenth of the price of my good bike but I really enjoy riding it. Feels solid and reliable and comfortable on the roads around here. Although I would miss the good bike if we happen to ever get a lovely long, dry and warm summer I doubt I would use it much in our wet, mucky winters so if only the one could be kept it would probably be the Dawes too.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Public transport? Pahhh! It is fitted with a special propulsion mechanism which is operated by the rider turning the pedal cranks.

It does occasionally hitch a lift on a train though . Never a bus!

so's mine but its a long way up the hill home from the mainline train station after a day in the lakes or peaks

 

[Crackle]

Mtn bike, any mtn bike. Road tyres for the road, knobblies for off-road, lock out on the forks and you can commute, trail ride, tour, shop, dawdle, etc,,,

My current rigid mtn bike was my only bike and has been used in all of those guises. Likewise, the kids bikes are both mtn bikes for exactly those reasons. Sure it won't do some things as well as others but it will do them, so if it had to be one, it would be a mtn bike.

 

[dellzeqq]

Surely that's a description of riding a bike, any bike, not just one particular make or model?

there are degrees of flyingsomeness. I used to have a Dawes Discovery (passed on to a fellow CCer), and yes, that feeling of sureness, knowing where the wheels were, was wonderful. I've ridden other road bikes. All I can tell you is that there was something mystical, inexplicable about my now dead C40, and the C50 is the only thing that ran it close.

And, no, to be honest, I wouldn't put the Brompton in any kind of flying category. As for the Kirk....

 

[VamP]

Jeez I'm trying to work out which bikes to add to my fleet, not which ones to get rid of...

 

[avalon]

I think a more sensible question would have been if you could only have four, or even three bikes? I mean, what kind of cyclist could get by with only one bike (excluding financial reasons of course)?

 

[dellzeqq]

Jeez I'm trying to work out which bikes to add to my fleet, not which ones to get rid of...

it's a fun exercise with the added benefit of asking you to ruminate on the virtues of cycling. Nobody's going to take your precious away......

 

[VamP]

it's a fun exercise with the added benefit of asking you to ruminate on the virtues of cycling. Nobody's going to take your precious away......

That's what Hitler said in Munich, and see what happened thereafter...

Honestly, I am struggling to think of which of the five I could let go, never mind getting rid of four. I'd actually like to add two more.

If I try really really hard, I would have to say I'd keep the Kinesis - just because of it's utter awesomeness. But then I'd quickly have to get four more to cover my other urgent vacancies. And then a couple more for fun.

Nah this one bike does it all thing will never catch on.

 

[User16625]

As someone else said, one aint enough. I like going off and on road and a bike that can do both wont do either as well as a bike thats dedicated to just one of them. For a road bike I would choose the lightest and most aerodynamic. For a mountain bike I dont care about speed as much or even high end parts as my skills wouldnt be enough to make good use. Just need something that can handle the rough stuff.

 

[Arjimlad]

I think a more sensible question would have been if you could only have four, or even three bikes? I mean, what kind of cyclist could get by with only one bike (excluding financial reasons of course)?

Yup - the thought of parting with my Defy and just riding about on my indonesian scaffold pole hybrid bike is too much.

My daughter is 2 and loves riding on Daddy's bike so much though. I would not want to put the child seat on the Defy !

 

[Herbie]

My "does everything" bike:

Stick some panniers on and it is good for touring (and the front fork CAN take a rack, as I have put it to the test!), take the rack and mudguards off - and put skinny tyres on - and it is not a bad road bike. And it can do some light off roading too.

Lovely bike that

 

[Herbie]

Made up at being made redundant, every cloud has a silver lining and all that

Yes i was made up to get made redundant...hated the job and got one that i like a week later...and a new bike...jobs a good un