How many bikes do you own?

[Selkie]

Get ready then - I personally own 10, with DH owning another 10 (or maybe 11). I like Zen's philosophy, but a couple more and I have two Tuesday bikes that can't possibly be ridden on Wednesday . I was recently asked what my favorite bike was, and my reply was that it was whichever one I was riding at the time.

And there is no permission on either side at our house - they just show up (although we are STARTING to institute the one in one out rule...).

Many of you have seen this from me before, but the optimal number of bikes is n+1.

SheFly

Whew, someone who has more bikes than I! And to boot, she's one of my favorite TE'ers!!! All of my bikes have their purpose and since I'm an endurance rider, all of them see ample pavement time.

I planned to get rid of my beater bike (aluminum frame Dolce comp) when I got the Isis earlier this year. Alas, every time it rains or the pavement is wet, I cannot bring myself to ride one of my other (steel or ti) bikes and muck it up. So the Dolce remains, despite a decided lack of adequate storage space (no garage---all of my bikes, except the one permanently mounted on the trainer, are propped against the walls of my "woman cave" (den). DH finally had enough of being told to be careful not to knock them over and ordered me some bike racks!

[Geonz]

I sometimes forget how many bicycles I have... five in the starting rotation...
I have my Xtracycle on the Giant Nutra that gets 5-6K a year that Does Most Stuff.
I have my Trek 7500FX for the light fast rides -- my "Sunday go to Century" bike.
I have the 1968 Schwinn Racer that I got from E-bay because my brother told me it's the best bike to have and we grew up on that year and model... it needs brakes, though, 'cause the rear wheel is pre-WWII.
I have a Dahon folder to ride to Enterprise when I rent a car, 'cause i don't own one. It is also excellent for Ambiguous Tours and Weird Weather, since it has 1.25" tires that handle sleet or stones or just about anything.
I have a Gazelle Impala because that grad student sold it for a sweet price when he went back to Holland and you cannot get a Dutch commuting bike in these parts. It's the one I put studded tyres on in the winter and it goesthrough almost anything.
I also have the 1960 ladies' Schwinn Racer that really isn't mine but I ride it sometimes and it's in my garage 'cause its owner bought it intending to try to ride and it didn't work out.
I also have a Schwinn Spitfire that I bought from the guy who had to sell some of the hundreds of bicycles in his basement. It's at my friend's house.
I think that is all. I also have a few otehr bikes in the garage (since there's no car to take up the room) from the bike coop whenthey run short on room.
With a fleet of bicycles, if one breaks I have spares (since I don't have a car, this can be important). It also means when somebody's got a friend from Europe in town for a few weeks, I can loan... even if it's a family ... most of my bikes cost less than $800 and I have purchased one every few years, costing considerably less than what I used to pay in a year for car insurance. (This year I sprang for GPS instead of a bike... it should arrive SOON...

[Pedal Wench]

All of my bikes have their purpose and since I'm an endurance rider, all of them see ample pavement time.

That's my excuse too! The Ti one for a rough but flat brevet, the carbon compact for a hilly one, the carbon triple for a mountainous long ride or touring (supported - like Ride the Rockies), another pretty Ti one when I need to feel pretty, the steel ones for short fun rides, the aluminum permanently on the trainer, another carbon one at DBF's house, a mtb... it adds up!

[GLC1968]

I figure that no matter how many bikes I have, it's always 1 less than 'too many'.

I've personally have 3 at the moment and my husband is holding steady at 4. We do have somewhat of an 'one in, one out' rule as long as we have the same number each. Or, at least, that's my take on it since I have one less than him.

I'm hard to fit though, so buying bikes for me is a long process and I tend to form lasting bonds with my bikes. My H is joe average in terms of size, so he buys bikes off-the-rack continuously. Seriously. It's a constant flow. If he kept every bike he'd bought in the past 5 years we'd have upwards of 25+ bikes in our garage (no joke)!

[sgtiger]

I'm happy with what I have in the stable at the moment, but there are times that I covet a lighter, zippier bike.

Tourer - Rodrieguez Adventure
Errand/Putzing around the neighborhood - Masi Soulville Mixte
MommyWagon 2.0 - Xtracycle w/ Trek 820 step-through

[TsPoet]

3+
Bacchetta Giro - commuter bike
Bacchetta Corsa - fast/weekend/fun ride bike
Greenspeed X3 - trike. errand bike. I love the trike, but it's so slow I can't bring myself to ride more than ~10 miles on it, if even that.
+ Velomobile on order - this will become my commuter. I may have to sell the Giro, or not.

[JWo]

2 right now. A mountain bike - Specialized Stumpjumper and my love, a road bike - Specialized Ruby Pro. My husband has 3 and is always looking to add to the collection. Soon the bikes will overtake the car space in the garage. You girls definitely make me feel better about having these bikes in the garage.

[withm]

Enough so that my bikes are worth more than my car.

Oh yeah well so the engine's blown and the car is worth squat but even if it was still running the bikes would win.