OK, first world problem time.
I've got too many bikes. I didn't count them and usually when someone asks me how many I have I only think of road bikes and not e.g., my fat bike, my errand bike (a Soma Double Cross with fenders, rack, flat pedals, etc, that I ride into town on errands) my recumbents, etc.
Counting those (which I've not done), I'm pretty sure the first digit would be a "2".
Out of space.
But worse. Like anyone who has accumulated things over a long period of time, whenever I bought a new bike I usually (though not always) sold a bike that was the least favorite in the fleet. Do that long enough and you end up with a collection that you really love.
And that's where I'm at. Every bike I have is one that has survived the winnowing process numerous times. I love 'em all.
But...
For better or worse, I can't stand to see something sit around unused. Despite the fact that I've ridden 10K+ miles per year for a long time there are bikes that are getting 1-2 rides a year. This bugs me.
Even worse, no matter which bike I choose to ride on a given day there are more than a dozen bikes that I really love that I'm not going to ride that day.
A first world problem to be sure.
So, time to part company and sell some of the kids.
First to go was my Bachetta CA 2.0. In truth, I never really loved this but it filled a need. I rode it when I hurt my back or just to do something different. But I bought the Cruzbike late last year and prefer riding that so off it goes.
Next up, the "Rando Kirk". I own two Kirks that were custom made for me and this one wasn't. I really loved it though. Big tires, fenders, rack, front bag, very nice ride. The thing is though, I'm not really into that style of bike (low trail, front bag, etc). I bought it thinking I would use it on brevets and I did use it on a few shorter ones (300K or less) but whenever I had a 600K longer brevet to do, another bike got the call. Gone.
Next up, the Calfee Tetra Pro. I've got two other Calfee's (a Bamboo and a Tetra Adventure) and this one just wasn't getting ridden. I've got a ton of miles on it over the years, rode across Iowa on it 4 times (RAGBRAI plus riding out to the start), etc., and always loved the way it rode. But it wasn't custom made for me, several other bikes occupy the same "space" in terms of ride quality, functionality, etc. Gone.
Next up, the Specialized Roubaix disc. I generally used this one on brevets in the mountains where I wanted the security of disc brakes. It's light, fast, comfortable. However, it's an "off the rack", as opposed to custom, bike and I recently took delivery of a custom bike that incorporates the best features of three of my bikes, including this one, so it's surplus. Sold.
The next one to sell was my Calfee Adventure. I really liked the flexibility that this bike offered with its ability to run 650b or 700C wheels, disc brakes and easy gearing. It was a great riding bike but a bit on the heavy side and its main differentiator (ability to use different wheelsets) was subsumed by the new bike so it became surplus.
And my final Calfee is on the block and will likely sell. This is a Bamboo Pro and I really loved this one. The ride was "typical Calfee" which I characterize as "all day comfort" and I spent a lot of time on the details of the bike getting it just right: leather bar tape that matches the Brooks saddle perfectly; brass rivets on the saddle and the pièce de la rèsistance: wooden bottle cages! I never did long rides on it, this was more about a relaxed right to a restaurant to have lunch but it always brings back memories of nice rides on sunny days. Going to miss it but, like all the others, it wasn't getting ridden.
And next was my Mapei Colnago. This is IMHO one of the top 5 most beautiful production bikes ever made with its classic paint job and its hydro formed titanium tubes - especially that top tube! I looked for one in my size for years before I found this one and it's in beautiful shape. Although it doesn't have them on in the pictures, I ran it with Ambrosio Nemesis tubular wheels - just like Johan Museeuw at Roubaix! Well, just like it except for the rider. The bike was surprisingly comfortable for a race bike and handled just like a race bike should: scalpel precise and every watt put into the pedals moved you down the road. Lovely bike.
And one that hurts a bit. I bought this filet brazed Columbus Max Landshark from the person who had it built. He bought the tubeset for it while on a trip to Italy and took it to John Slawta to have it built. I've always loved riding it, the details of the frame and yes, the paint job. But, in keeping with my heuristic of "if it wasn't custom for me and isn't getting ridden" it's expendable. I've owned it for 16 years and it's hard to let it go.
And a couple of "while I'm at it" sales. Marcia is no longer able to ride an upright bike and is "all recumbent, all the time" so these have been hanging in the shed for 10 years. Pretty much gave them away but the new owners will hopefully enjoy them for years to come.
Although it's hard to believe, still a couple more to go. We've got Marcia's custom made S&S coupled Kish Ti bike to sell and I've got a Serotta Coeur d'Acier fixed gear that I'm thinking of selling (on the fence about that one). The heuristic I'm using is that I'm keeping the ones that were custom made for me, plus a few more that fill a particular niche e.g., the Cruzbike and the fixed gear is definitely a niche.
And one that's tough to let go. I did LEL and a number of other long brevets on this one. I love the ride, it's light, carries everything I need for a 1200K and is just fun to ride. But, as I said above, it wasn't custom made for me. I commissioned a custom bike that encapsulates the best features of this one plus two of the other ones above (the Calfee and the disc Roubaix) so all three of them were effectively surplus. Hate to see this one go. Here's a shot of it kitted out for LEL, 22 lbs as shown including all the gear I used on the ride.
Hoping to get under 10.
