Your partner's better be better. photo: Eroica Cicli
Rule #12. Someone was working overtime to come up with this beauty. One should always be dreaming about the next bike unless the next bike means divorce, restraining orders and/or living in a van down by the river. Velominati need and enjoy having some limits set as were are prone to excess in all things.
S-1. I learned an important lesson the first time I was brought down to Frank’s basement bicycle stable. There, at least four badass bikes were hanging on the wall and he was quick to point out that two of them were his partners. And her #1 was better than his #1; you have to make sure she has a better bike than you.
That was all that needed to be said. The deep wisdom of it was obvious and obviously passed down through the ages. Unless you are a professional (you are not), you are paying for your bikes (you are) and if your finances are shared with a partner, pay attention. The best way of not getting to s-1 is to make sure your partner’s #1 is nicer than yours. All upgrades to your own bike barely merit discussion as long as said upgrades don’t improve it past you know what.
So your partner is not a cyclist? That does complicate things. Whatever they love the most, upgrade it beyond reason. She loves to read and her book group is her favorite thing? Make believe you actually want to join it (?!), to scare her, then don’t. That is like an upgrade, in that you are not ruining the thing she most enjoys.
I’ve been trying this for a long time. I tried unsuccessfully to gift my fiancée a new racing bike instead of an engagement ring. While that bombed badly, I did learn. After I finally bought out the clone, my wife ended up with the LBS owner’s Merlin and you best believe shop owners tend to have the best bike in the shop. Before I finally upgraded to a carbon bike I made sure my wife was already upgraded to something better. And just yesterday, as she was putting her front carbon tubular wheel (yes, slightly lighter than mine) in the back of the truck, I saw her kiss it. Yes, brothers and sisters, these things do pay off.
If you want n+1, start planning for partner’s n+1. It’s going to cost, but it is going to be fun, and it’s better than s-1.
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@Owen
That's what ya call a luxury car in my opinion. It'd be what I drive. Paid for, starts every time and if a kid drops a bike across the paint ? No biggie. Cheers
I like the fact that the Mrs has no real idea about cycling apart from bikes have 2 x wheels, handlebars & a saddle..
Her bike does the job for the limited family cycling outings & my n+1 is just mouth watering consisting of all the precious metals, compounds ones two wheeled beauts should be made of!
P.s her wardrobe/shoe collection is obscene & is the trade off, oh & I treat her like a princess too.. :D
@Uncle V
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I upgraded the lawnmower to one my VMW can start and she loves it. Only topped by some years ago coming home with a car full of wood to build a set of compost bins. Her colleagues did't quite get it when she told them at work "My husband is so romantic, he came home yesterday with a car full of wood to build me some custom compost bins". They couldn't believe she meant it. Current set are built out of reclaimed pallets.
Gianni you have a great point though, maybe my custom steel frame is hidden in an Acer upgrade, a rare Apple tree or another Rose (or two).
Between the 4 of us, Wife, 2 tin lids, we have 9 steeds.
As others have said, Wife gets the blacked out black on black turbo diesel SUV. I got the shit box Commodore but my N is the pick of the bunch.
Rule # 25 applies when my bike on top of my car, certainly not when atop my wifes.
My #1's #1 (which is her only one unless you count my old Bridgestone MB-2 that we can share if I swap stems) isn't better than my #1, but it's her #1 and the #1 she wanted and she loves it. That's what matter most.
@wilburrox
Who needs kids dropping bikes on it when a grown-ass man can do it? Luckily for me she's not quite tall enough to see over the roof :)
@Chipomarc
That's a good point. And Ricardo (?) Ricco would be there too if his girlfriend had done a better job of storing his transfused, CERA laced blood in a refrigerator instead of a dresser drawer.
@PeakInTwoYears
Well played. You can't go wrong putting her on a beautiful bike like that. If you are contending with multiple bike categories, you do have to pick your battles.
@PeakInTwoYears
That lady needs a V-Kit. Her bars already match it.
@BacklashJack
It depends entirely on her psychology; if she values quantity over quality, perhaps. But if you're only using it as a technicality to get more totally rad machines, she will see through it like Gianni's VMH saw through the engagement ring ploy.