How Many Bikes Can You Have Before You're Considered A Hoarder?

Just picked up yet another Craig's list deal on a second recumbent bike, bringing my personal total up to 4 bikes--5 if you count the tandem--6 if you count the mountain bike I've loaned my son and am probably never going to see again. Dh has 3 bikes and our garage is starting to look like a bike shop. Each of the bikes has some special quality that the others don't have and is absolutely indispensable. None of them (except the tandem) was very expensive. A couple of them--including the new recumbent were older bikes that had essentially never been ridden and cost a fraction of what a new bike with similar components would cost. So I guess I'm asking for validation of this apparently compulsive behavior...:D

I think you've come to the right place for validation! My DH just bought his third bike. A Surly disc trucker. I have two, a Dolce Elite for summer rides and a Jamis Aurora for commuting and the other nine months of the year up in the PNW, ha. So we have five now.

You've found some great bargains though. That makes it easier to justify!

We are doing Chilly Hilly Sunday. I was hoping the weather would be nice enough for the lighter Dolce...alas, it looks like it will be the heavier Jamis with the fenders and wider tires.

Yeah, I knew I wouldn't be alone here, was just feeling a little guilty. I have to go to another forum for absolution regarding my art/sewing supply habit....
Have fun doing Chilly Hilly. I've only done it once and Dh and I have both decided we don't like dealing with the Ferry. We'll manage to find chills and hills over here.

I seriously know someone who has over 50 bikes. He collects them and restores them and rides them. After I learned that about him I no longer felt guilty about our 6.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by thekarens

I seriously know someone who has over 50 bikes. He collects them and restores them and rides them. After I learned that about him I no longer felt guilty about our 6.

---

See, that's what's missing; The actual knowledge to restore these things. That would feel like something productive. Still feel guilty...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lauraelmore1033

Yeah, I knew I wouldn't be alone here, was just feeling a little guilty. I have to go to another forum for absolution regarding my art/sewing supply habit....
Have fun doing Chilly Hilly. I've only done it once and Dh and I have both decided we don't like dealing with the Ferry. We'll manage to find chills and hills over here.

---

The ferry ride is the best part, LOL. Cyclists pretty much take over a whole ferry boat, and that feeling of being with your own "tribe"!

You'd have to really have a big house/garage for 50 bikes, whew.

Hahahahaaaa!!!! Sorry. Preachin' to a choir of enablers!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zoom-zoom

Hahahahaaaa!!!! Sorry. Preachin' to a choir of enablers!

---

:D:D:D:cool:

First of all the correct number of bikes is n + 1.

For example I currently own 4 bikes and have a 5th on order. I will sell one of the other bikes when the 5th comes in but begrudgingly. My house spouse has 7 bikes. We don't have any tandems. So that's 11 bikes between the 2 of us and I could justify more for sure. You don't need to worry about hoarding, yet.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wahine

First of all the correct number of bikes is n + 1.

For example I currently own 4 bikes and have a 5th on order. I will sell one of the other bikes when the 5th comes in but begrudgingly. My house spouse has 7 bikes. We don't have any tandems. So that's 11 bikes between the 2 of us and I could justify more for sure. You don't need to worry about hoarding, yet.

---

That is so reassuring!

At one time we had 9 bikes hanging in the "bike house." Two went to DS #1.
We are now down to 4, 2 each. I want to get a dedicated commuter, now that I am working 5 miles from home. Because I have a 10+% climb up to my house on the way home, I've scoped one "off the rack" Trek that has the gears I need, but the smallest size may be too big for me. I've looked at Sweet Pea, but not sure if I want to spend 3k for this kind of bike. It will be perfectly fine to ride my Guru with the Arkel Trail rider or my pannier, but I am still working out if I can bring my bike in and leave it locked to the stairwell, which is in an area that is only for employees, out of sight.

Yeah, n+1 is always a good answer. I'm a bit more pragmatic. If you ride them, no problem. I'll even grant an allowance for bicycles with sentimental value. For example, I still have my Baby Jogger because it saved my sanity. Ten years ago. I think I'm ready to give it up to a good home now, but for some reason I just couldn't bear to part with it even after it was no longer useful. If storage is an issue AND the bikes are unused, then it's time to think about giving a few to good homes. Or if finances are tight. Otherwise, go with the n+1 rule and stimulate the economy a bit. ;)

Personally, I like the idea of just having one or two bikes that cover all the bases, but that can be hard depending on how many different types of riding one does. It does make things a lot simpler as opposed to having a bunch of different bikes. That said, if you can afford them, have room to store them and ride them, I can't really call it a problem. After all, I can think of a lot worse things to collect than bikes! :)

How about the "you're hoarding" number is one more than you can afford and/or put to good use? Says the woman who probably qualifies as a hoarder to some.

I'll confess that between the 2 of us we have 11(*) with one on order and feel good about it. When we downsized, we gave away 4 to the local bike advocacy group because they fell into the hoarder category. So at one point we did have more. We pruned to what we use regularly.

(*) Each of us has/will have...a primary workhorse 3 1/2 season commuter, a winter snow-tired commuter because we live in snow country, a backup fair weather commuter (OK, that may be excess, but it sees about 300 miles/year), a nice S&S coupled traveler, a go-fast (OK, again, probably excess), and a cheap bike on the trainer (OK, that again may be excess but I don't worry about damage). I am a hoarder, aren't I? (oops)

My own perfect number is the point where the number of bikes I can (and actually will) use for different purposes meets the number of bikes I am capable of maintaining. Too many bikes means too many parts to keep track of.

I have three at the moment, a do everything commuter, a road bike and a mtb with a front shock. I would like a dedicated winter bike, but I've tweaked the commuter just right and prefer using it for everything. The only hassle is the segue between seasons and judging when to switch tires, so I end up riding for longer on studs just in case. So my perfect set-up would be two identical commuter bikes, one for winter and one for summer :-) A full suspension would be great fun too, but that would mean I'd never use the other mtb.

I'm sure I'd love having one of those transport bikes as well, but then, I do have a trailer and the attachment thingy permanently on my commuter so it's not very hard to go shopping as it is.

eta: which reminds me - I finally cannibalized the parts off my old and beloved Trek "loaner bike" and threw the frame away, because nobody was ever going to use it. I shall have to edit it out of my signature.