Pre-Rules
[rule number=12/]
That is a very reasonable opening salvo for the Rule about bike ownership. Three is good and certainly a minimum, and we are talking road bikes here, if there was any doubt. They naturally become ordered: the #1 is ichi-ban, top dog, go-to bike for every and all rides. #2 was the old #1, it sits on the bench, always ready. By the time you get to bike #3, there is a good chance old #3 doesn’t get ridden too often, except commuting, but is that any reason not to keep #3 updated, upgraded and ready for action…just in case?
My #3 is my thirty year old steel bike. It was my #1 for many great years and great kilometers. It stayed behind on the mainland, stabled in an unheated space at my parents, waiting for me to visit them and her. And you better have a bike when visiting your parents. Sometimes the #3 has to do this kind of work. But now the Bella is back with the rest of the crew and needs to be reborn hard.
I already upgraded the steel bike whenever I could. It would not be acceptable to show up for the strade bianche granfondo on this machine despite its age. The carbone ergo levers and the 8 speed Jan Ullrich vento wheels would most likely be met with moustache twisting disapproval. I don’t want a classic steel bike with six speeds and downtube shifters, FFS. I want mine with lots of modern gears, fast wheels, better handlebars and a nice new paint job.
Besides Rule #12’s unwritten clause stating your partner needs to be on a slightly more awesome bike than your own, the upgrade-downward cascade effect cannot be left unmentioned. Upgrading your or your partner’s #1 bike’s components can mean a shower of quality components now cascade down the line. When I upgrade my wife’s Campagnolo Chorus 11 speed to Record 11, one, she will be a full gruppo above me, flying overhead in the clouds. That frees up the slightly beaten up Chorus 11 gruppo for my slightly beaten up #3. My wife is happy, I am happy, bikes are happy, the equation balances out.
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View Comments
@Gianni
Jeez, buddy. You're amongst a Community of cycling enthusiasts. We love bikes and riding them. I dare say nobody here is behind on child support or their mortgage or committing white collar crimes to buy the steeds they love and use. Plus, this isn't throwing away money on a drug habit or gambling or a monster truck we don't need. We're acquiring beautiful machines that are a built-in diet and which improve our overall health, both physical and mental.
For me personally, I picked up most of my bikes when I was getting by on a meager grad student stipend. I lived very frugally and put money into bikes I wanted and rode like crazy. I also needed a lifetime sport at that point, after burning out on my previous sporting pursuits. I can't even begin to quantify what cycling, and this Community, have meant to me. I sure as hell don't know what I'd do with my free time and free mental space if it wasn't riding, talking, and loving bicycles. I ride avidly and daily, both for fun and fitness and to get around. Additionally, I haven't owned a car since I got hooked on the sport in the early aughts. I might have a whole bunch of bikes, but they still add up to only a modest automobile. And I don't buy petrol. And I don't pay for insurance. And I'm not sitting in a car in traffic, I'm pedaling. Many people probably spend $5 a day on fancy drinks, maybe 8-$10 on lunch, etc. Add that up and I'd rather avoid those and buy a kick ass bike to ride. Life is about choices and I choose to be a Follower. I have a neighbor who has two Mercedes in his driveway and rides a department store bike. Makes no sense to me, but hey, he puts his money towards what he values. I'm not fabulously wealthy, but I'm happy to spend my disposable income on something very important to me.
Anyway, maybe you just meant that in jest. But, the Rule is kinda in jest and you're talking to serious cycling enthusiasts. I'm completely modest and frugal in the rest of my life, but when it comes to bicycles, I take pride and joy in Looking Fantastic and riding awesome machines.
@Buck Rogers
I'd be happy if it was the last and only road bike I own. But that doesn't stop me from looking at all the other great bikes out there. I've had it for a very long time in bike-years (16), we've been down many roads together.
Your new build is indeed a dream bike, post as many photos as you want.
@universo
Those are stunning!
@Ron
THIS x100. i haven't owned a car or truck for 17+ years. that this is still not practical for every cyclist nowadays is evident, but things are improving all the time. not suffering the costs of ownership has afforded me and my family a much higher standard of living, and a GREAT education for my children. i haven't even owned many bikes during this time, but anybody with a basic grasp of arithmetic and the inclination can quickly compute how many Pegorettis and Nags one can purchase for the cost of a new sedan.
@Ron
Now there is a smart man with a sound long term plan! All of you single lads and lasses out there take note, very good advice right here!
@E-Digs
He is so cool!
And absolutely brilliant news that you'll be doing the 230 K as well!!! We'll definitely have to link up at the start so I can watch you ride off down the road away from me!
I still need to get ahold of the Pave' Boys for my logistics but we need to talk when the RVV gets closer this spring!
@Buck Rogers
Speaking of polygamy: I bought my current #1 not from my regular bike shop. Now I have to be super careful in what I buy for it, who I talk to about it, where I take it for maintenance, etc. I've never cheated on my wife or previous girl friends, but man it can be a lot of work.
@Buck Rogers
I'll take it one step further...in grad school I lived with my parents, as they were nearby my university. I generally don't give a hoot what others think of me, so moving in with my parents in my later 20s was something I just kind of laughed at. Saved rent = more bikes! Plus, I was old enough to realize, "You know, I might never see my parents this often again." Win and win.
I purchased both my Tommasini and Casati on my grad student stipend money. Thank YOU New York State taxpayers. Buck...if you were down with the Black Knights on the river a few years back, you are part of the reason I could afford them! How about that?
@Cary
A few things, Cary. Yep, not owning a car has put what I've spent on bikes in perspective. Even though I've spent quite a bit, still not like buying, maintaining, and insuring a car. And yep, I don't think you MUST have a slew of nice bikes, but I don't think anyone should feel guilty for owning, loving, and riding pretty bicycles.
I completely understand car free isn't for everyone. I count my blessings daily that I can bike to work on a MUP and live in a city where cycling is pretty accessible and not horribly dangerous (though not great). I know this isn't an option for all. With that said, I do very much wish more series type A roadies would get on a bike when it's not training ride day. If you are okay riding hundreds of kilometers all over the place, surely you can make commuting to the store or work a reality. THIS is somewhere I think roadies can evolve as U.S. cities get more dense. I know a few dudes who only ride to race/train and drive everywhere else. I'm not preachy, but hell, if you can keep one more chugging engine off the roads, why not? I'm also extremely lucky with where we bought our house. I can walk my son to school when he's old enough. After that school, I can bike him to the next one. A neighbor rides his daughter in daily in a trailer. How cool!
As a little aside, I live around the corner from a major top notch university. They bill themselves as green and have a world-renown environmental school. On a daily basis I see undergrads living in a shared house emerge one by one and drive solo to campus, which you can throw a rock and hit. NOT KIDDING. I think to myself, "So this is the next generation? The ones I entrust the environment to? The ones at a green university and a top flight one?" It's depressing.
@Ron
for much of my '20s, i had convinced myself that i was cycling as some kind of crusade to conserve environmental resources, limit pollution, etc. somewhere around 30-32 years of age, i realized that i was bullshitting myself. i cycle: a) because it's fun, b) because i'm cheap, c) because i appreciate the aesthetics and elegant superiority of bike transportation. that's pretty much it. in so many other aspects of life, i'm a wasteful lout like everybody else. the world moves so fast, especially now, i just can't make my life work without wasteful modern conveniences like take out food and bottled water. if not owning a car for nearly two decades helps the world, so much the better, but i'm mostly too busy trying to help me and mine to pay too much attention to that.