***It’s the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. I’m not formally blogging and this is not a post. This is just us hanging around and talking.***
The Great Lob On High has richly blessed me. In addition to being fortunate in all the usual ways (loving family, free country, streaming TV, all that stuff) I’ve got a lot of bikes–more than I ever could have dreamed of owning in the days before I became a semi-professional bike blogger. I ride them all, too, though of course some get more use than others.
But worldly possessions can be a burden, too; just ask your local Buddhist monk. More bikes means more choices, but it also means more over which to fuss. Then there’s the matter of space. I’ve got more of that than lots of city dwellers, but housing all these bikes can be a challenge, and sometimes I feel like an alcoholic hiding booze in the toilet tank. A large permanent collection also means when Classic Cycle sends me a new (or not-so-new) bike to play with I’ve got to figure out a way to get a 13th egg into the carton.
So with the year winding down I find myself contemplating the idea of owning fewer bicycles. To be sure, I could never get it down to just one; that’s something I learned the hard way. There’s a difference between running lean and depriving yourself, and I’m interested in the former, not the latter. At first I asked myself, “Which bikes would I be willing get rid of?,” but I realized this was the wrong way to ask the question, since if there was a compelling reason to get rid of any of them I would have done it by now.
So then I asked myself, “Which bikes would I absolutely have to keep?,” which is almost the same thing, but different enough that I could actually begin to answer it. So here are the absolute keepers:
Milwaukee
I could never do without at least one proper road bike. For all the gravel bikes and “alt” bikes and whatever else the kids are into these days, I say the most versatile bike is still a road bike. Unpaved trails can be far away, or if they’re close they can be too muddy or snowy to ride depending on the weather and the time of year. But there’s always a road, and usually it’s right out your front door, which means whether you’re looking to ride for an hour or 10 hours all you have to do is step outside and go. And of course a road bike with clearance for fattish tires will also take you onto trails and do most of what today’s “gravel” bikes do. I’ll always have a traditional road bike, and it stands to reason that if I’m going to have one traditional road bike it should be one with medium- or long-reach brakes.
The Milwaukee rides like a race bike but is versatile enough to handle varied terrain, it’s classic yet modern, and it looks great since its makeover–though I liked the way it looked before too:
It’s got sort of a “vintage” feel at the moment with the downtube shifters, but if I wanted it to feel more modern again that’s just a simple matter of putting on some integrated shifters. I don’t think any modern road or gravel bike has anything on it. It’s a keeper, no question.
Homer
These days I probably split my cycling time 50/50 between clipless pedals and flat pedals, and the Homer is probably the most versatile and satisfying of all my flat pedal bikes. With the drop bars it’s basically a road bike, but with the fenders and racks and other accoutrements it’s always ready for commuting duty and errand-running, and of course it’s got the clearance and tire volume to handle light off-roading. Also, its extremely comfortable, it can be configured in innumerable ways, it’s compatible with most of the contents of my spare parts bin, and while these things are obviously subjective I think it’s a beautiful frame. It’s not going anywhere ever.
Platypus
The Platypus is the ideal counterpart to the Homer. In a way the Homer doesn’t need a counterpart since it’s so versatile, though the Platypus is similarly versatile. No, it’s not as suited to the sporty road end of the spectrum, but it’ll do dirt trails more readily than the Homer, and with the basket and bags and swept bars it’s ready for 50-mile rides or family trips to the park or both with no modifications. Arguably everyone should have at least one bike with a basket and a step-through frame, and if you’re going to have one it might as well also be a high-performance model that’s up for all but the most “aggressive” riding on any surface. Whatever else happens, the Platypus stays.
Jones
Rivendell versatility but much more capable at the off-road end of the spectrum, it’s up for any sort of mountain biking I’m liable to do at this point in my life, yet it’s also enjoyable to ride on smooth trails and even pavement. Also, while I may be partial to classic parts and standards, I also enjoy my forays into the world of disc brakes and tubeless tires and clutch derailleurs from time to time, and it’s comforting to know I’ve got at least one bike whose limitations I’ll never find. I have a lot of respect for Jeff Jones, and it’s an honor to have one of his bikes.