Bikes - and their addiction.

[flip18436572]

So, I started out to get a road bike a few years ago at age 43, because I wanted to add something different to my fitness workouts, rather than just use a gym. So, I bought a $500.00 61 cm road bike from the best LBS of the 5 that I checked out in the Omaha area, which is an hour drive for me.

Now, I own a road bike for me to do some long rides and to get a good workout. And, I bought a comfort bike to ride with the wife on flat trails and around town with her. Then, I bought I mountain bike to ride in the crappy weather and some small trails down near the river where I live.

But, of course then I had to buy a comfort bike for the wife, once she saw how addicted I was to riding. So, now I have purchased a hybrid bike for my youngest daughter, who is a senior in high school and trying to now find a 48 cm road bike for my oldest (short) daughter.

That would be 6 bikes purchased is less than three years, and I am thinking about a cyclocross bike to see if I would like the abuse of cyclocross in the fall.

So, what do you have?????

[kirkman]

Lets see. I have a mountain bike, road bike, cross bike, cruiser bike, and a Tad pole recumbent bike. (three wheeled recumbent, two wheels in the front) . The recumbent is the one I ride all the time now. My wife and daughter have mountain bikes. OH and there is the trail-a-bike for the older grand kid,and the two seat trailer for the youngest grand kids.

[flip18436572]

I have never tried a bent, but I thought I would probably buy what you own if I did it. I thought about a "bent" tandem, but not sure the wife would like it.

We will see how she does at RAGBRAI this year on her own. I hope it is a great time for the entire family.

[Fenlason]

hmm short answer or long..

My wife and I have over 20 bicycles between us. 3 tandems.. 2 road.. I mountain. Single bikes.. road.. mountain... 29er mountain, cycle cross.. trials.. road fixie... unicycle...

I have ridden a lot of bents.. single and tandem.. 2 and 3 wheeled. A tandem recumbent trike is on our list.. as is more.

[Fenlason]

I remember being young [maybe 8 ] and really wanting a bike. I remember often laying in bed, praying and praying for a bike. Finally on my 10th birthday I got my first bike.. never looking back. Short of my time in the service and disability..from that.. I have ridden. I like bikes enough.. that I took a job at a bike shop. I have been doing that for the last 28 years.

That first bike I rode and rode... and I liked to go fast. racing friends..on bikes.. racing friends on their mini bikes.. and even small motorcycles. Racing point to point on the road... out in the dirt.. and ovals we set up in parking lots.

A few bikes later.. in high school. I bought my first used car.. paying $100.. and my first used [real] race bike $paying $250. I then became a sanctioned racer.

The service and a some time after.. I did get back into biking.. and took my bike shop job. Any time traveling.. we had to go into any bike shop we passed. On my days off.. I would visit our neighboring "competing" shops.
If someone was having a problem with a repair.. I would help out.

Once at the shop.. the collection really started. There were so many I am not sure I could recall them all and the order. I started with a touring bike, basically because of the lower gears, so I could rehab my knees. [back then the only really easy way to get the low gears was with a tourer] Once rehabbed and getting stronger, I looked at racing again.

So more bikes followed.. road race bikes, a time trail bike.. a fixie.

Then mountain bikes came out. I must say at first I did not get it. I was so deep into my skinny tires.. I was not sure. It was my then boss, that got the first one. Not to long after I followed. Then a large number of mountain bikes followed. They were evolving considerably, and there was much to try.

Somewhere in there.. we got exposed to tandems. We have purchased 5 and still own 3. Our older road tandem became our sloppier weather bike, when we got our newest. 8 or so years ago we also had a custom off road tandem made.

Some of my numbers now.. are bikes I just did not sell. I have let some go.. but I do get attached. One.. as an example... hmm in the late 80's I bought a Serrota T-Max mountain bike. It was pre-suspension, but a sweet expensive bike. It sold for just under 2 grand back then. Today I could probably only get $100 or 2 out of it. I would hang it on my wall for that. But it does get used. It makes a perfect ice race bike. We stud up our tires and race on a hockey rink.

In addition to riding the rink. we ride on frozen snowmobile trails. When the conditions are good, it is some of the best riding I have done in my life. We have multiple sets of studded tires. A couple of pairs for trail riding.. depending on conditions. A set for road use... and of course our rink tires.

hmm we also purchase our vehicles based on hauling our bikes. I do not like to haul them outside the vehicle, on a rack. We even once owned a large 15 passenger van to haul our bikes. When gas got expensive, and traded it for a mini van. I can't fit as many bikes in it, but in general it works.

[flip18436572]

WOW!!!!

So, what you are saying is that this is really addictive. Great. I have too many damn hobbies and things I like to do.

[Fenlason]

WOW!!!!

So, what you are saying is that this is really addictive. Great. I have too many damn hobbies and things I like to do.

It can be..

and it looks like you have good potential..

[flip18436572]

Yes, I do. I just finished a side job of refinishing some hard wood floors and was thinking about a tri bike. I know it should go to my oldest daughter and college and a bike for her.

[mk10108]

Formerly addicted to motorcycles now I'm addicted to riding a bike.

Road is 2003 TREK 1000 and modified Mountain bike with a Xtracycle.

[flip18436572]

I am still addicted to motorcycles. But, I have thnned the heard from 5 to just 2 and those are just street bikes.

[Fenlason]

one motorcycle here also. Honda GL1800

[mikeschn]

Yep, It's an addiction...

I've bought two bikes a year for the past several years... I've bought a couple for Chell too. And my youngest daughter too...

We've sold a few in the meantime, but we still have way more bikes than bike riders...

For example, in my stable I have:

Specialized Crosstrail
Cannondale F5
Sirrus Sport
Schwinn Tourist

And I'm looking to get another bike yet this year... I'm thinking about a custom from Pride... Working on them now, trying to get a design nailed down... http://www.pridecyclesusa.com/

Mike...

[flip18436572]

Well, to add to our new addition, now everyone in our family has a bicycle. My oldest daughter now has a Jamis Coda for her RAGBRAI trip this summer.

[Fenlason]

Well, to add to our new addition, now everyone in our family has a bicycle. My oldest daughter now has a Jamis Coda for her RAGBRAI trip this summer.

on the bike and the ride...

[flip18436572]

We are going to try an easter picnic dinner on the Wabash Trace trail tomorrow.