No Graveur needed here.
Rule #12 is a luxury of passion; the #1 for good weather and epic rides or races, the Nine Bike for bad weather, the Graveur (which is neither a cross bike nor a road bike), a ‘Cross bike, a mountain bike, a townie, a track bike, a time trial bike. Add in steel, carbon, titanium – a bike for each material and a material for each bike. The only logical conclusion is that we all need – need – a bare minimum of somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 bikes. Columbo couldn’t poke a hole in that case.
On the other hand, there is something to be said for just riding your bike wherever you happen to point it, in whatever weather you happen to be riding in, on whatever kind of road you happen to have at your disposal.
We should collect as many bikes as we can love, but we should also remember that bikes were meant to be ridden, not pampered. Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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@Chris
The V-CX bike is as fast on the road as my road bike and the 49 on the front gives me exactly the same ratios that I use on the road - just misses a few steps. CX is only for P-R obviously. It is an astonishing piece of kit.
@pistard
Yes... an Italian fellow in Indianapolis put this together. He is a vintage Italian specialist. I can look for that fork. Fun isn't it?
@Chris
That's about where I'm at. My N = 3 for the most part, and I manage to cover most niches okay.
#1 is the plastic fantastic Bianchi Vertigo, the pure go-fast bike
#3 is a rather nice aluminum hardtail for going well off the path
and in between we have this:
which given my absurdly large stock of old parts can be whatever I want it to be from week to week. Given some 42c knobblies and it'll run cross pretty well, 25c tubulars and it'll run road just fine, 38mm and fenders and a rack and it'll get me to work or across the state. It'll even take downtube shifters if I feel like doing that.
@the Engine
That says more about how fast you ride your road bike than it does about versatility or gear ratios.
@brett
Oh my goodness.. yes this is a 92.. I must look up #41. A little far down on the list ... #5 and #9 are very much my concern... as my friends are wont to point out as well. Very often. And shut up legs. I will check out 41!
@frank
We should collect as many bikes as we can love, but we should also remember that bikes were meant to be ridden, not pampered. Vive la Vie Velominatus.
that place where the VMH just shakes her head. Steel, frank forgot aluminum, carbon, and ti. Bases covered. Road, CX, MTB, SS. Bases covered. Actively looking for N+1.
@frank
Road bikes only at Keepers Tour! I thought that was an established rule.
The latest folly. Steel. Chain (Izumi super toughness) matching text on the downtube (both are gold, an homage to Fausto Coppi's hour record machine). In addition to satiating Rule #12 interests, I've also noticed that track riders tend to be a little bigger than the road rider. Which means I've okayed a certain laxness in my diet. For power, you know...
@RedRanger
An unspoken one, that might need to be spoken...
@Lynn Pauly
I think you are addressing @pistard there, but that bike is a beauty!
@Steampunk
Nice!!
Is there a velodrome in Terana now?