By Stan Purdum
What’s the ideal number of bikes a bicycle geek should own?
The answer to that used to be represented in this formula: N+1, with N equaling the number of bikes that the rider already has.
In other words, no matter how many bikes you already had in your garage, there was always a reason to buy another one. That reason could be new and improved features now available that aren’t easily added to any bike in your existing fleet, but it could also be the perceived need for a steed better suited for a different type of cycling — like a mountain bike for off-road experiences or a gravel bike for unpaved roads or a touring bike capable of carrying all your stuff on a multi-day adventure — all in addition to the road bike you already own. Or it could be that one is obsessive or simply wealthy.
But in recent years, we’ve learned that almost any bike with sufficient space to run wider tires can be used in almost any type of cycling. As Jan Heine, of the Rene Herse company, which makes bicycle tires and components, wrote in a recent blog post, “We now know that wide tires don’t roll any slower — even on smooth pavement — provided they have supple casings. Thanks to the bikepacking revolution, we can carry gear on any bike, by strapping bags to the frame itself. Suddenly the idea of having one bike for everything no longer feels like we’re limiting ourselves.”
There are, of course, other advantages to having one all-purpose bike. Consider these:
- You no longer have to leave your cars parked outside of your garage in cold and snowy weather (fewer bikes = more available space in garage).
- When you find a gadget that you like for your bike, you no longer have to purchase several additional ones so that you can outfit all your bikes with it.
- You can supply your local charity bike shop with some inventory they can refurbish and pass on to their clientele.
- You now have enough extra cash to take your spouse on a great vacation.
- You have new motivation to keep your bike maintenance up to date (no second bike to ride when the first one needs a fix).
- You have justification to spend more to get the really great bike you want.
- You can tackle mixed-surface routes (thanks to wider tires).
- You can avoid a divorce (the N+1 formula can also be written as S-1, where S equals the number of bikes you’d have to own to result in a divorce from your spouse; so, assuming you wish to stay married, you keep the number of bikes in your fleet to one less than the S number).
There are a few worthy exceptions to the one-bike practice:
- You have a less expensive bike for riding in inclement weather, thus protecting your other bike from the ravages of road slop.
- You have a bike set up to tow your grandchild around on a tag-along bike.
- You have a “beater” bike for errands, where if it is stolen, it’s no great loss.
- You are a collector.
Are there other advantages to having just one bike? Are there other worthy exceptions? Let us know in the comments section below.
Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.
I suppose your list of one-bike advantages works for today’s bikes, especially when you pay north of $5,000 for a new bike. Then, of course, there are a plethora of road/gravel bikes over $10,000. There are many of us who started riding with wool shorts and real chamois pads. We had bikes for every weather condition, especially here in the Northeast. As we have aged, it is tougher to part with some of the really good bikes. I still have my 40+ year old custom Peter Mooney hanging in my shop. Now that I have “aged” into a Specialized Creo e-bike, my wonderful custom Serotta has been delegated to my indoor trainer. I have friends who have “aged out” of cycling completely and still have 10-20 bikes. This still proves the old adage, “He who dies with the most toys (bikes) wins.
nine is ok
The proper number is N+1 = D-1.
I have two road bikes because when one is at the shop, you still have a bike you can ride while the other one is being repaired, etc. Assuming you practice one style of biking, say road, the optimum number of bikes is 2. You need your expensive main bike and the backup bike.
The more you “get into” the sport, the more you “need” other bikes. I know this letter is call “road bike rider” but if you do other disciplines with any enthusiasm, you realize you need dedicated bikes. And as long as you ride them, there is nothing wasteful. For example, I have:
1. Around town bike (a modern incarnation of an English 3 speed, ridden only with street clothes and typically under 5 miles, but this is one of my more ridden bikes on a per day basis
2. Road bike for group rides etc which is the most ridden on a per mile basis.
3. Full suspension MTB for single track trails.
4. Gravel bike that is used for cyclocross racing and bikepacking (but soon will be split between a dedicated bikepacking bike with pinion/gates and cyclocross)
5. Ritchey Breakway for traveling.
You must always have a “back up” bike.
I used to build bikes and, when I got to 42 bikes, my wife threatened to use the N-1 rule. I have reduced the number to 25 but still have not reached the N-1 number. – 15 are currently for sale, so I am trying….
if you collect bikes. n+1 still applies.
I have at least one bike from each decade since the fifties.
I used to rent a big house with an empty garage, and I got up to eleven bikes. Every one had its uses. But when I had to move and downsize I had seven. I gave away four of them, but added a small e-folder after I moved, because it is hilly and windy where I live (and I am in my 80’s.). I have been using my ‘acoustical’ folder as the e-bike battery died after 12,000kms, and I am unsure if/how to replace it. But I have a new gravel bike and also kept one of my retro 1980 road bikes (with 95% Suntour Superbe parts).. It stays unused in the basement locker, but the other three are in my small apartment! So I can’t easily accommodate an N+1.. Before I moved I used a single-speed as an everyday bike in the city. I do miss it.
Thanks for all the comments. They made for enjoyable reading!
2 road bikes, maybe with slightly different tires & accessories – even credit card touring is different than around town & climbing rides – and e-bike for hauling groceries up the hill. Or perhaps just for taking rides on tired days…
I do a few tours a year, with camping gear. Is there really one bike that can carry camping gear, and also be a spirited road bike? My Gunnar Fastlane is my road bike, my Suryy Long Haul Trucker my camping gear carrier. They’re pretty different builds… So, can one bike really do it all?
I’m 73 years old, so I have my first bike I bought new in 1977; then I got into racing and bought a lighter weight bike, then I had to have a backup bike, still have both of those bikes as well; then I decided to buy a titanium bike in 2013 and then a touring bike in 2023. But I also have 3 other bikes I found in dumpsters. That’s a total of 8 bikes. I kept them in case my grandkids want one, but none of them or my children are interested in them, so I’ll cut the herd down to 3 bikes, my first one I ever bought and my last 2 that I bought.
I have a total of 10 bicycles in my home. All are there for specific purposes.
One bike in my home gym, on my trainer (NEO). Front wheel stand and rear in the trainer.
One bike in case a friend comes without their bicycle and wants to ride a bit with me.
One folding bike in case I travel, to bring on the airplane.
One Madone 5.3 ’cause I had it for years and ya never know….
One belt driven Priority Apollo 11, when riding with the slower cyclists and because belt drive is cool, as are some of the other components on this steed.
One belt driven Priority “L Train” for around town, as a beater bike, got it used and in new condition, so I don’t worry about it being stolen, and because belt drive is cool
One Specialized Creo SL carbon (2019) because it can carry anything, is always fitted with Pathfinder 38×700’s and fenders, and whatever I carry I can always adjust it to either feel like my Madone, unladen, or to feel like I’m 50 years younger, or to ride with the younger, speedier group, etc.
And two bikes that belong to my wife.
As for marriage and bicycles. Let’s say that I had to convince my wife that when I was bedding my new brakes and rotors it took some explaining.