What is your "dream" bike?

[radacrider]

I'm quite happy with the bikes I have now.

+1, especially my freshly built, MB-1.

[tulip]

A dreamy Luna Eclipse with carbon forks and seat stays, Ultegra...oh wait, that IS my bike!

[Crankin]

I have given up. Even my custom Guru doesn't feel right. DH keeps saying that I expect too much, but I still may have to switch the bars at the least, and the gearing and pedals maybe. I know these are small things (components), but for what I paid, it sucks. I love the plush feel of the titanium, but I always feel like I am working too hard on this bike. On the other hand, I love my Kuota, even though it's probably not really right for me.

[rubysoho]

Maybe it is because I haven't sat on a top-of-the-line but I absolutely adore my Ruby. I spent over a month riding my Tricross and enjoying it but yesterday I finally took the Ruby out for a spin and it was heaven. I like both bikes but the Ruby is still my favorite.

[pll]

More than a dream bike, I need riding time...

Reading about crankin's experiences with a custom build reminds me of my fear of going custom: not being entirely satisfied with the outcome. That, plus the higher expense, will keep me away from a custom bike for many years, even though I'd love to get a bike with SS couplers to take it with me on trips.

[Antaresia]

This isn't necessarily a top-of-the line bike worth tens of thousands, but what you think of when you think of the single best bike for your needs and wants.

As a car-free urban commuter this a question I'm currently fighting myself over. I can afford a nice-looking new single speed, but the flashier it is the bigger the target for theft. I REALLY want a nice colourful bike, like the kinds in this gallery. But what I NEED is a crappy 90's frame covered in stickers with boring rims and grungy bar tape. It's so painful.

I already have two perfect bikes, there is no ONE perfect bike if you like different types of riding. So, I have beater-haul-stuff-mixte, and daily-commute-work-horse-cycle-cross. Now I want an around-the-city-single-speed.

My perfect bike = steel frame, slick tires, free wheel, fenders, rack, rim breaks.
Everything else can be mix & match.

[Catrin]

I am blessed because I already have my dream bike My full custom Gunnar fits me like a dream, is far lighter than my LHT was, and rides like a dream.I am really looking forward to my second season on her!

[Jo-n-NY]

I am another that has my dream bike. As a huge fan of Specialized bikes when getting my Ruby I would have liked to get the S-works since my husband, son and best friend all own them, but I wasn't a fan of an all black bike which is what the offered at the time. I absolutely loved the ruby red which they made in 07 so I got the Pro. I truely love this bike also do not get me wrong. I put 10,000+ miles on her and I still have not parted with her.

Then when we went to 2012 Specialized launch last July in Monterey CA and test rode the Amira S-works for 2012 I couldn't believe how sweet the ride was.

Well, when my husband surprised me with the bike in December I was overwelmed with emotion. I only put a couple of hundred miles on it since I mainly ride the trainer in the winter, but when we went out yesterday and road some nice hills on our lovely north shore, I just told him how I can't believe how much I really love this bike.

So, yes, I own my dream bike. The fit, the sharp color, and the sweet ride.

[hirakukibou]

I have my dream bike: My Red Luna. She is my "baby" with her Ultegra double and wheels I built with red Chris King hubs.

[moderncyclista]

+1, my bike is my dream bike - life is good...

Yeah. I second and third and fourth that comment!

I've thought of the term "dream bike" before. I like Rivendells for their looks. But, yeah. And....

Sure, there are better component groups....but I don't race.

Sure, there are hand-carved lugs and fancy paint jobs....but I want something I can park anywhere.

Sure, there are other options ... but I feel lucky and blessed to have modern and vintage bikes that get me through everything quite nicely.

[Becky]

My dream bike changes with whatever type of riding I'm doing at the moment, and as my riding preferences and skills evolve. I'm very lucky to have a stable of nice road and mountain bikes, as well as a pretty kick-@zz commuter. None are particularly high-end, but I built most of them from the frame up, and they have my favorite components as well as lots of sweat equity. Even the "stock" ones have been tweaked to my preferences.

If money were to rain from the sky, I'd like to add a steel or Ti "road sport" bike for multi-day supported tours, all-day rides, etc. to the stable. Something like a Gunnar Sport or a Singular Osprey. I'd also like to swap my full-suspension frame with 26" wheels for a short-travel full-suspension frame with 29" wheels. The Salsa Spearfish seems like an ideal candidate. Finally, I'd buy a steel disc-compatible cyclocross frame as a replace frame for my current commuter, and build up some sweet disc-compatible wheels to match.

[Owlie]

More than a dream bike, I need riding time...

Reading about crankin's experiences with a custom build reminds me of my fear of going custom: not being entirely satisfied with the outcome. That, plus the higher expense, will keep me away from a custom bike for many years, even though I'd love to get a bike with SS couplers to take it with me on trips.

True. I'm a fitting nightmare (super-short torso, long femurs) , and frequently not-so-in-love with the color palettes available for women's bikes, so custom sometimes seems like the best bet in the long term. But I'm terrified of not being satisfied with the results because I don't know precisely what I want.
Not that it matters right now, 'cuz I'm broke.

[nscrbug]

More than a dream bike, I need riding time...

Reading about crankin's experiences with a custom build reminds me of my fear of going custom: not being entirely satisfied with the outcome. That, plus the higher expense, will keep me away from a custom bike for many years, even though I'd love to get a bike with SS couplers to take it with me on trips.

I totally get this. I took a HUGE leap of faith, by going custom with my latest bike. Which is something I thought I would NEVER do in a million years because I too, am (as Owlie so eloquently put it) a "fitting nightmare". For the past 4 years that I've been cycling seriously, I've had a myriad of fit issues and it was always suggested to me by many of the women of this forum to go custom. I expressed the very same fears of not being completely satisfied with the outcome...and even now, as a custom Seven owner, still have those fears tucked away in my head. I only have a little over 120 miles on my Seven...it's still too soon to tell if it "feels" totally and completely right to me. I'm still getting some hand pain/numbness, but with it still being winter here, I can't rule out that it's from the cold. I'll have to wait and see how my hands feel once the temps warm up a bit, to know for sure.

But yeah, I completely understand the reluctance to go custom, if you happen to be an extreme case like some of us. Been there...done that. Keeping my fingers crossed that I made the right decision.

Linda

[moderncyclista]

More than a dream bike, I need riding time...

Reading about crankin's experiences with a custom build reminds me of my fear of going custom: not being entirely satisfied with the outcome. That, plus the higher expense, will keep me away from a custom bike for many years, even though I'd love to get a bike with SS couplers to take it with me on trips.

Not to play devils advocate, but Surly makes a version of the Long Haul Trucker with SS couplers called the Trucker Deluxe! No joke, I ride my LHT the most out of all my bikes. I just rode home in 40 mph winds and I didn't feel like I was going to get pushed over at all. Stable, sure-footed and rugged. Not a speed-demon, but hey no bike is perfect. Surly comes darned close though. (I feel like I deserve a free-bike from Surly because of how much I talk them up. LMAO. )

[Sky King]

Not to play devils advocate, but Surly makes a version of the Long Haul Trucker with SS couplers called the Trucker Deluxe! No joke, I ride my LHT the most out of all my bikes. I just rode home in 40 mph winds and I didn't feel like I was going to get pushed over at all. Stable, sure-footed and rugged. Not a speed-demon, but hey no bike is perfect. Surly comes darned close though. (I feel like I deserve a free-bike from Surly because of how much I talk them up. LMAO. )

The LHT deluxe is a nice one at a great price.
Of course having just attending NAHBS I was experiencing the "bright shiny object" syndrome - now I am pining for about 20 different bikes