I try to keep it simple, bikes come and bikes go with me. I just love building up and upgrading nice platforms to work with. but have my favorite keepers that I have a tough time parting with.
1991 Gary Fisher Gemini Tandem (steel) purchased new
1995 Gary Fisher Grateful Dead Edition HooKoo e koo (modified) (steel) I have never ridden this bike yet
1990 Specialized Epic carbon 105 I have never ridden this bike yet
1994 Univega alpina 5.1 (modified) (steel)
1997 Bontrager Privateer (modified)(steel) I have never ridden this bike yet (purchased new)
1989 Miyata Skyrunner (modified) ( bonded alloy)
1995 Mongoose IBOC Comp (bonded alloy) purchased new
1990 Mongoose Amplifier (full sus. alloy) (custom built) purchased new
2011 GT Tachyon (alloy) (custom built) purchased new
1994 Cannondale r600 (alloy)
1987 Specialized Stumpjumper (steel) (modified) (boxed original components) I have never ridden this bike yet
1989 Giant Cadex Carbon 105
numerous others waiting to be built for sale. These years of bikes are my cup of choice, the 2011 Tachyon is an awesome build and probably
my least favorite and as late my most used. I am now 64yrs old and know I need to slim the herd. never been so glad to be at a point in my life
where I will never ever need to purchase a new bike nor care to, prices are off the charts and not many taylored to suit my style or will ever come close to the coolness and style of what I have already. New bikes are a tough chew for me when back in my day you would obtain a pretty top notch ride in the $600 to $1000 range.
However, I can and do appreciate how advanced many types of bicycles have become and the extreme level of off roading has become, totally amazed at the balls these bicyclists have diving down canyon walls etc..etc. but it all comes at a high price. My Mongoose amp cost a grand for the frame and fork alone and my gemini tandem listed for $2500 in 1990, these were my most expensive purchases back then, and well worth it, tons of fun!
There are two kinds of people in the world, "Those who help themselves to people, and those who help people!"
(12-22-2024, 07:31 PM)Flowrider Wrote: @Painkiller ... 12...that's an impressive list! But what's as impressive is the itemised details you have of each bike!
Curious - why have you not ridden the Bontrager Privateer and the Specialized Stumpjumper?
I bought the privateer new in box many years ago just because I got a good deal on it. I paid $500 and it stayed in the box for a few more years after that. In short I just never needed to ride it but I did need to have examples of the type of work I do on vintage or older bicycles to keep them going and hence the name "Privateer" and such a gorgeous frame I used this bicycle as an example of a true self funded cross country race bike. It originally was a 24spd Shimano StxRc equipped bike that in all was great groupo for not a ton of money listed @ around $1000. So I wanted to build a true "retro-Mod" and this was the perfect bike that I happened to have at the time to build into a higher end self funded race bike and took it from 24spd to 21speed using all nos Shimano DeoreXt with my favorite top mount thumbies. By the time I had finally built it up I was no longer hitting the woods on bikes at all and it just ended up being a floor model for demonstration purposes. The tires have never even touched a street. The years slipped away on me and got to old to bother riding it and start to put wear and tear on all the perfect vintage New old stock parts I used on the build. Someday it will probably be parted out to recoup the $$ it took to build it unless someone sees it and just has to buy it. Thats how it went with my main ride that I sold this year not listed my 1993 Specialized Rockhopper Comp that sold for $700 and he begged for it, it was that nice.
I just retired from my normal 9 to 5 job and am ramping up back into bicycles and starting what I call Build a bike workshop and Bicycle Boutique where the customer has the option of building up or repairing their own bicycle if they so choose and they trade the labor bill for learning how to work on, maintain bicycles and a platform for me to sell high quality refurbished bicycles most of which are built and the customer is the first person to ride it so they remain in pristine condition til sold. A place where the old becomes the new, new! Like that Stumpjumper the brookes saddle has not even been creamed or clamped for fit and the orange tires would show pavement marks on the tires if I were to ride it. It was the perfect bike to retro mod into a pub/Cafe' crawler. Again a floor model example of how to repurpose and old steelie with a whimsical approach to beauty and function.
There are two kinds of people in the world, "Those who help themselves to people, and those who help people!"
23 Masi Giramondo 700c bought new to replace my wrecked Schwinn LeTour I was using for touring and camping.
13 Lynskey Silver Peloton Shimano 105 with Ultegra rear derail, Enve 2.0 fork; I bought that one new.
87 Giant Rincon Shimano XT purchased new.
87 Dawes Touring found in a dumpster, in nice condition except no wheels, no seat post, or derailleurs, I plan to work on it this summer.
85 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe Suntour Mountech, bought used for $50, it got wrecked by a hit and run, still have it though.
84 Fuji Club came with Suntour ARX but it shifted like crap, so switched to Suntour Superb Tech, bought that one used for $40 in excellent condition.
84 Trek 660 bought new to replace a wrecked bike as a frame and fork, then put on Suntour Superbe group set, it has 160,000 miles on it!
83 Schwinn Voyageur Shimano Deore Deerhead, found that one in a dumpster about 10 years ago covered in some sort of grey black goo, it took 4 or 5 cleanings to get that goo off, underneath all of that was incredibly mint conditioned paint! It has that weird what Schwinn called a champaign color but it's what I call a mossy green and not goldish beige like champaign would be more towards. That bike is a tad tall for me, so it will get sold this summer and the money used to get stuff for the Dawes.
77 Raleigh Competition GS purchased new, replaced the original Campy GS derailleurs with Nuovo Record, and the brakes with Campy, in almost new condition after all those years.
I had up until 5 years ago 4 more bikes, all of them were Miyata's from the highest level going down one level at a time. A Miyata collector where I live bought all of them. I also have a bike that was my wife's that she no longer rides so that one will go to my granddaughter whose finished growing, and I have a low end boys Giant that is waiting for my youngest grandchild to out grow, then get sold after that, and he'll move into the Giant Rincon.
Eventually most of my bikes will get sold, the only ones I'll keep is the Masi, Lynskey, and the Raleigh.
Wag more, bark less
Oh! High numbers here, but it can be justified
If you have the space for your bicycles and lots of years of memories ... why not keep them all?!
My answer is not very exciting - I have only two bicycles, both are listed in my profile signature. Due to constantly moving from one country to another over the past few years, I have not managed to accumulate a 'garage full of bicycles'. Both of my current rides were transported 2000km when I moved countries and settled back home 4.5+ years ago. One is a carbon road bike with nostalgic value as being my first proper road bike. The second one is a 29er mountain bike that's been used for daily commuting as well.
Both bikes are stored indoors - in the living room and a closet. I've been thinking about swapping my 29er with a gravel bike & buying a vintage road bike for commuting. Upgrading from two to three bikes, but then I have to find a parking space in the backyard
Plus, my partner already has three bikes of her own ...
(12-20-2024, 08:24 AM)Painkiller Wrote: I try to keep it simple, bikes come and bikes go with me. I just love building up and upgrading nice platforms to work with. but have my favorite keepers that I have a tough time parting with.
1991 Gary Fisher Gemini Tandem (steel) purchased new
1995 Gary Fisher Grateful Dead Edition HooKoo e koo (modified) (steel) I have never ridden this bike yet
1990 Specialized Epic carbon 105 I have never ridden this bike yet
1994 Univega alpina 5.1 (modified) (steel)
1997 Bontrager Privateer (modified)(steel) I have never ridden this bike yet (purchased new)
1989 Miyata Skyrunner (modified) ( bonded alloy)
1995 Mongoose IBOC Comp (bonded alloy) purchased new
1990 Mongoose Amplifier (full sus. alloy) (custom built) purchased new
2011 GT Tachyon (alloy) (custom built) purchased new
1994 Cannondale r600 (alloy)
1987 Specialized Stumpjumper (steel) (modified) (boxed original components) I have never ridden this bike yet
1989 Giant Cadex Carbon 105
@Painkiller You should add URL links to threads/posts for reference
eg. Stumpjumper ->
https://forums.bikeride.com/thread-8582.html
Merida Scultura 5000 (2015)
Merida Big Nine 400 (2019)
I currently have 7 bikes:
1980-ish Bernard Carré in Super Vitus 971 built up with period components
1990s Roberts custom frame in Columbus EL-OS built up with period (mostly) Shimano 105 & Ultegra
2010s Ribble CF frame with Shimano grab-bag groupset.
2022 Genesis Croix de Fer steel gravel/adventure bike
2004 Brompton 6-speed
1990 Brompton Mk2 3-speed (still awaiting restoration)
early Charge Plug steel single-speed 'rat bike'
Luckily, I have no room for more bikes...
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