Categories: EtiquetteLe GraveurMusings from the V-BunkerNostalgiaThe Bikes

On Rule #12: The Bike #1 Paradox

This helps make a bike special.

[rule number=12/]

The only parents who proclaim to have a favorite child are the ones who have only one; all the other ones pretend they don’t have a favorite because they are each “different and special in their own way”. It’s complete bollocks, that, and we all know every parent does in fact have a favorite, but we like the lie more than we like the truth, so we all play along.

Rule #12 poses a similar conundrum, one in which we tell ourselves the same lie: we love all our bikes equally. Which we don’t, of course; we all have a favorite. A friend recently asked me how one goes about the business of judging which bike is your favorite and even as I told the usual lie, I was performing the calculus as to which actually is my favorite.

Sentimentally, I’d have to say my favorite is my first love, my Bianchi EV2 which currently hangs in disrepair in the back corner of the basement, waiting to be restored to period-correct glory. Either that or my steel Bianchi TSX with simplex downtube shifters and sexy silver Campa hubs and bits. Or my Cervelo R3 which was my first carbon steed and who loyally carried me over two Cobbled Classics Keepers Tours and currently faithfully serves as my Nine Bike. Or my Veloforma CCX which was my first custom-painted bike, gloriously flying the colors of the Velominati with a V-Lion headtube badge. Or my Veloforma Strada iR which is my go-to featherweight road steed on summer rides. Apparently I’m sentimental about any bike I’ve ever suffered on, so measure turns out not to be a helpful one.

From a utility standpoint, one might suggest the #1 would be the one you ride most often, but no bike should go unridden, and we should endeavor to ride them equally. That has that one sorted as a useless measure as well. The next obvious measure would be the one we take out on special rides, irrespective of the weather or road conditions. Or perhaps it is simply the one we spent the most money on, the one that helps us observe Rule #25, but cost seems like a silly reason to prefer one bike over another.

My Bike #1 is the one that makes me feel most free, that returns me most dearly to the reasons why I started riding a bike in the first place: my Graveur. It carries me through the backcountry forest roads in Washington State, on rides that almost always start and end accompanied by my other loyal steed, our pitbull-greyhound mutt. You can’t feel more free on a bike than that.

I’ll say it again: the road is where my heart lies, but the gravel is where I find my soul. VLVV.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

universo says:

Sep 26 2015 at 12:03 pm

I can abide by it, seeing how's my n+ is the only one I'ma gonna need.

At least until something changes my mind.
gilvelo says:

Sep 26 2015 at 1:05 pm

Once again well said a Frank. As parents we constantly say we gave no "favorite" but our kids know better. They know dam well who the "favorite" is. With that said I agree with you my "first" Pinarello Treviso with Athena Campy is my favorite. Reminds me why I entered our world of cycling. Now, my Love is my Merckx EMX-7 full super Record. Dosen't get any better!!!
Haldy says:

Sep 26 2015 at 1:49 pm

@frank

@Haldy

…and of course we anthropomorphize them shamelessly.

Rightly so..
wilburrox says:

Sep 26 2015 at 3:25 pm

My favorite bike is my daughter's road race bike. Go figure. About damn near the bike I'd have built for myself. Funny how that happened hey? She's had much success on this bike. 2(n+1) is much fun.
Uncle V says:

Sep 26 2015 at 8:40 pm

For a hammerfest my Parlee Z5i ,for just a solo rip through the countryside I sure love my new 40th anniversary Marinoni ,I could honestly just look at it for hours ,a modern classic without a hint of carbon on the build. Strangely the Stainless Pegoretti gets the least use of them all .
dyalander says:

Sep 27 2015 at 1:10 am

In the true spirit of n+1 my favourite is my next bike - currently that's most likely a cargo that can handle the school run - but it's not the bike itself, I love the process of deciding what I want next and even the waiting for the right opportunity. Perhaps when I finally get a custom road frame that will settle it, but if not, I have no qualms living my life looking forward to my next bike.
gilly says:

Sep 27 2015 at 1:40 am

I have reached the dizzy heights of s-1 with only two bikes. Any more than that and the shares in Mr & Mrs Gilly will hit free fall. Carbon Kuota with SRAM Red for all tarmac activity and a Felt hard tail for everything else. Guess who wears the strides in my house?
Teocalli says:

Sep 27 2015 at 2:05 am

@Uncle V

For a hammerfest my Parlee Z5i ,for just a solo rip through the countryside I sure love my new 40th anniversary Marinoni ,I could honestly just look at it for hours ,a modern classic without a hint of carbon on the build. Strangely the Stainless Pegoretti gets the least use of them all .

Methinks some photos need posting.
Oli says:

Sep 27 2015 at 2:52 am

I couldn't love a bike more. The frame was custom built by a good friend, and paid for by a shadowy syndicate of my best friends. It was an amazing surprise to hear I'd be getting it, and the love with which it's imbued only enhances the superb geometry and build quality. It's filet-brazed from Columbus Pego-Ritchie steel tubing, and built for an ex-puncheur who is sadly now far north of 100kg. I can ride it no-hands on gravel, it descends superbly, and it's the stiffest bike of any material I've ever owned. It doesn't matter what ride I'm facing this is the bike that I want to choose first.
Ron says:

Sep 27 2015 at 3:49 am

Very nice, Frank! My time for long rides is limited these days, so any riding is awesome riding for me. Still able to commute to work daily, so been experimenting with road wheels on my cross bike, 28s on my road bikes, clipless on my platform-pedal SS, etc. Keeps things interesting, keeps every ride joyous. Been having the most fun on the lowly SS commuter.

Still, I know which bike is my favorite, and all the other bikes must know as well. For me though, it's all about constantly tweaking the stable so that you really want to ride one bike over the other. A longer stem, a new saddle, different tires, etc. Then you don't have to choose based on love, you can go with needing to do some R&D ridin'...

Oli - goddamn, my man! You surely know how to kit-out a nice frameset. Lovely bike! And I don't even like bikes for tall lads!