AdventureManCO 

Thinking about a final number is tough, but let's face it, we can only ride one at a time (most of the time) and if we only had 1 bike, we'd be okay and, very likely, appreciate it far more than we do all the various bikes we have now.

I'm still thinking about how good the ride on that 1000 was. Laughingly good. If I had one of those in my size, I'd be set (plus the Huffy for shock value). I'd be okay w/ those two.

Branching out a little further, I've gotten interested in the older rigid mtb/atb types. I've got the Trek 970, which was the only year that came w/ a threadless stem. I just found the Cimarron. If I ever found a Bontrager Race Lite, I'd probably snag it. But apart from that, I'm good - just sizing issues now.

Apart from that, is the crossover territory, sort of where the adventure/cross bikes live. That is sort of what I look at the MTBs for. Going to www.bikepacking.com is a bit dangerous. Not that I bikepack, but its a fun mental exercise to this about 1 quiver killer 'adventure bike', and I'm loving the idea of repurposing an older rigid MTB. Lots of people have done it, and do just fine. This is all to say nothing of the road bike.

With the Miyata, its easy to count it in the 'road bike' category despite it touring demeanor simply because it rides better than the other road bikes. The canti studs are just icing on the cake. Someone had a comment in one of the Miyata threads that these bikes accomplish a somewhat hard feat, of being both rigid but compliant, at the same time. The Midget embodies that. It is rigid...in a way that makes it feel and accelerate really quick, yet compliant enough to be smooth and easy to ride. There are a few other bikes I'd like to at least try riding to see what they are like (Schwinn Circuit, Voyageur SP, Team Miyata, etc), but I'm kinda thinking if I had a stable of:

1. Old school mtb actually in my size (Cimarron/lugged Trek)
2. Fast road bike (Team Miyata, Schwinn Circuit, Y-foil, etc)
3. Collector road bike (Gloria, Legnano, Pinzani, Galmozzi, etc...something cool and Italian...just, because)...maybe two, just because it might be fun to have something English or French
4. A 'favorite riding do everything bike' (Miyata 1000 DEFINITELY qualifies here)
5. A 'tinker' bike (my Trek 990 commuter definitely lives in this category)
6. The 'Goof off' bike, which is definitely the Huffy

That is 6 of very different bikes that could eliminate a TON of redundancy. First world problems here. But even with all that sprawl above, it is still less than 1/2 of what currently have. I'm going to work towards it.

Kobe 

I sold my Kabuki twice to get down to the 4 bikes that I fell will get enough attention to keep. I originally listed it for $300 with the Nexus 7 speed conversion. The first buyer asked if he could but the wheels and drive train for $250. SOLD


So I put all of the original parts back on and sold it for $100, to a more size appropriate buyer. More work than what I wanted to do, but at least I made 2 bicyclists happy.



So I should be done with this thread......for now.

AdventureManCO 

We're here when you need us again

jdawginsc 

In a “blind leading the blind way...”

Classtime 

Wouldn’t you know it!
I lowered my Cannondale to the price of the Superbe Pro bits and wasn’t going any lower. I rode it Tuesday and had a blast. And it is a very fast and pretty bike. Hmmmmm…my daughter is moving back to town. She will no longer need her two bikes hanging in my garage to ride when she visits. The two bikes I’m trying to sell are really really nice and I searched long and hard to find them and then drove a long way for each of them. I’ve got them dialed in perfectly and they are gorgeous! When my daughter takes her two bikes to her new home, isn’t that n-2? And then won’t there be two pair of hooks to hang the two bikes that I’m trying to sell?
So, before I could delete my adds for these two bikes I got a response from a buyer and he just paid my asking price for the Cannondale. He has multiple vintage Cannondales and I’m pretty sure he will take care of mine and keep it intact. One more to go? Or is this already n-3 and I’ve gone to far? Hmmmmm…..


Coral 86 SR800

AdventureManCO 

Great job! That would be a hard one to let go of. I'm proud of you for staying so strong!

IdahoBrett 

Ok. My name is IdahoBrett and I’ve got a problem. I found myself totally immersed in my newfound bicycle passion. Which led to a rapid acquisition of bikes and bike parts.

I have too many bikes and too many bike projects. I’m not wealthy. With other life responsibilities looming I must reduce the size and stop the flow of money to bicycles.

I accept that I will not break even on my bikes. I know I will lose quite bigly. But the mad fever must end.

I took my first step and listed 6 bikes on my local craigslist this morning. As of this posting I’ve got one nibble and one scammer.

Strawbunyan

that is an absolutely gorgeous bike. I am glad it found a good home.

AdventureManCO 

It takes a lot to admit that - good job

I think I should probably list about half my fleet and just see what sells.

mhespenheide 

I sold a frameset through Facebook marketplace this week. I'd like to move at least one or two more framesets, but one might end up getting donated to a local coop. And sell two more bikes. But at least it's a start.

jdawginsc 

Great job! A start is a start!

RiddleOfSteel

Update:

Things are slow! But I've been moving a few parts over the last week, hoping for more as the spring weather stabilizes into summer warmth and more people get into the mood to bike and buy bikes/components.

This fleet reduction effort has taken a different turn lately, in that the motivation goes from doing so for financial reasons (not employed) to more of a 'practice what I preach' sort of thing as I'm now a little more than a month into working at a local bike shop. It's been a ton of learning all across the board, and while I'm not getting paid millions, I am extremely thankful for it for a number of reasons. One of the perks, like it is for many companies, is employee discounts. I've been feeling, increasingly as of late, that I've explored most all of what I (reasonably, financially) want to with steel, and there are opportunities to parlay that wealth of knowledge--fitment, ride quality, tire clearance and wheel choice as they relate to tuning the ride and handling, etc--to the new bike world. I've had modern tech in some form (disc, internal cable routing, 11-speed, electronic shifting, carbon frames) but never all at once. And now I have the opportunity and am putting more things on the market. I've had good times with them, especially as their restorer and caretaker/steward, and now someone else can enjoy them.

Rather than go straight to a race bike...I mean, I considered a few models before disqualifying them based on poor stack/reach numbers that would require the modern equivalent of a Technomic stem to get my fit right...I looked around and have settled on a still-plenty-fast yet all-rounder in the Trek Domane, now in its fourth generation. Official clearance for 38mm tires harkens to sport touring and touring models with similar clearance, just now the "12-speed drivetrain" in 2x6 form is replaced by a "12-speed groupset" with a 12-cog cassette and two chain rings up front. I'll trade any springiness found in the frame, fork, rims, spokes, and tires to just the spokes and tires as the rest of the system will be carbon. I've had the chance to test ride the SL (think 501) and SLR (think 531) variants, albeit with different wheels, and am impressed with the stealth speed gathered by a good carbon frame. Obviously, with me, out-of-saddle character is important and the carbon does well. None have the verve of an aluminum Trek Emonda ALR, but they also don't have the kick-in-the-pants ride quality of one.

At any rate, we do get some vintage coming through the shop, and I love helping people with them and really people in general get their bikes happy and back on the road. I'll always have one steel bike, and I have ideas for which one I'd keep and how it'd be built up, but I'm looking forward to engaging with this newest generation and seeing how it stacks up. It'd be my first truly new bike ever, and someone needs to start the process to get these bikes to C&V status, you know? For now, it means selling a number of bikes and parts--ones I do quite like! It's ok to let go, though.

jdawginsc 

Good on you @RiddleOfSteel

Working in a bike shop was a dream retirement job for me at some point. I was thinking of buying an ice cream truck/van and doing a mobile service, but not yet in the cards (nor do I think I am good enough as a mechanic).

As for the transition to different bikes, if it makes you happy, that’s key!

Are you able to sell parts locally, or online platforms?

bikemig 

I moved 3 bikes so far this year and have a few more that are in the pipeline. I like getting rid of bikes because it forces me to organize and think about what I need/want to keep. When I first got into bike riding, I figured I needed 3 bikes: a lock up bike, a road bike, and a touring bike. 3 bikes still sounds about right though I'd swap the touring bike out for a gravel bike that can double as a touring bike and add in a folding bike to get to 4. It may be tough for me to get rid of my French bikes, though, . IMO, there is just something so right about an old French bike . . .

RiddleOfSteel

I thought through several mobile options as well as the how I'd intro the business to the community. Had a few small jobs before getting hired. I am confident in much of my ability, while also aware that there is much I don't know how to do, let alone figuring out what things I'd like to have in inventory vs. sourcing from an account (like QBP).

My parts and bike sales are local, 100% via Craigslist. Thankfully that has worked out well for me, even if I now live outside of Portland instead of in Seattle proper.

I'd like to give a modern carbon performance bike a fair shake. I had test ridden a carbon Trek Emonda and while its setup wasn't ideal, it reminded me why I like the ability to put larger tires on fast bikes, and why poor wheel, tire, and pressure setups on any bike, steel included, are the most unpleasant to ride. I was relaying the try-the-carbon-out to someone and they said asked why don't I get a custom steel bike made as my "forever bike," which I thought was weird. Internally, I answered, well, I've had plenty of steel "forever bikes" and they've been great, I've climbed to the top of the production (and someone-else's-custom) steel mountain and enjoyed the view, but time for another mountain. And if we have carbon bikes from the late-'80s still kicking, well, I can keep mine for that long and enjoy it until I can't ride any more. If long term experience with today's carbon is disappointing, then I know where to go.

IdahoBrett 

I am reporting a N-1 event. The one bike out of six that I listed that I thought nobody would buy, is with its new owner. The 74 Schwinn Continental. I lost a little. Not a surprise. But the excitement on the face of the tall fella after a quick test ride was worth it.

Kobe 

That's part of he fun in it too IdahoBrett. Finding a buyer that you think is going to enjoy a bike as much as you did is a good feeling. I don't mind losing a few bucks if someone appreciates their new ride.

Trav1s

Does selling a bike for a friend count as an N +1 event? Does trying out a bike without committing to purchase also count as an N +1 event?

If so, I'm going in the wrong direction...

I cleaned up the 1996 Trek 800 for a friend and it's looking for a new home. It's really a nice bike!





This 2004 Trek 2300 is here for a test ride. It's stupid light and my size... oh the temptation. My friend that picked it up took it out and said it's a really nice ride. Clearly he is taller than me...

jdawginsc 

Only if YOU feel it does...

AdventureManCO 

I like the pink. That's a clean bike.

The Trek looks like an extremely nice bike. I'm not a CF guy, so it wouldn't interest me, but it is nice. Would probably sell quickly.

RCMoeur 

During deepest darkest lockdown, I built up an all-black aluminum-frame coaster brake singlespeed with black rims, spokes, fenders, bars, rack, and basket - even black reflective on the rear fender. I put it up on FB marketplace* for (well, a lot more than it could fetch these days), and within hours had a response from someone who said "This is exactly what I have been looking for for years, even prior to no bikes being available!" When she picked it up, she was so excited - I felt great for her, and gave my contact info in case anything wasn't working well. Never heard back, so I hope she has had many happy miles.

At the co-op, we had a bright red 24" wheel early-70s Schwinn Varsity sitting in the for-sale section for what seemed like forever. We took it to swaps and markets, and it got many looks but no sale. Then one day it wasn't there anymore. A few weeks ago, I was working my shift and I saw the bike again with its current owner - a petite woman who loved the bike so much that she had an image of it tattooed on her leg. Now that's appreciation...

* I left most social media in early 2021, so I don't use that venue anymore.

Trav1s

My friend got it new in 1996 after graduating from college and has taken care of it. I gave it a good detail and polished the rims before pics. It's definitely sharp.

I found the 2300 and the same friend picked it up. He thought it would be a solid clean up and flip opportunity then he rode it. It's a 51 alloy frame with CF seat stays, seatpost, and fork. I'm not a CF guy either but this has me thinking.about making a deal with him. I'm not a fan of the 700x25 tires and think it has room for 700x28c...

Trav1s

I couldn’t resist this one. Probably for my daughter or one of her friends. XS with 26” wheels. 😌

AdventureManCO 

Doesn't need to count if it won't be your bike

RCMoeur 

Good score. Hope it's well-appreciated by the right person.

Those are great bikes for the Recycle Your Bicycle program for foster kids when we can get them donated, in that they're small enough for someone just coming off a 20" bike but can be used through a wide range of growth. We never have near enough 24" wheel bikes to satisfy demand, so these help fill the gap.