What bike? Not a poll.

[AntLockyer]

I don't want this to be a shall I buy a Cervelo or a Ridley. I have severe bicycle lust most times I switch a computer on or when I'm out on a ride and see others.

I have several bikes that I really like but in my mind they all fill a small need. i.e. my IRO is a fixed gear which is pretty comfortable to ride but living in the hills like I do it rarely gets grabbed on the weekend. My CAAD9 is good for sprinting out of corners and pretending I'm Cipo etc.

So the thread I was thinking about starting whilst doing the washing up was what should I go for next. I wanted something for smoking about on long summer days, riding down to the coast and sitting on the beach before riding back. Carrying me out into the countryside to sleep under the stars, you get the picture.

then I read this

i am strongly of the opinion that a racing bike is the best type of bicycle for all types of road riding and our geometry reflects this.

jerk

Am I going about this the wrong way? do I just need one geared road bike? Would something like a Pegoretti work as my Crit bike and my... well just my bike?

[Blue Jays]

Your specifications would indicate slightly more relaxed geometry than a hardcore racing bike if comfort is a premium. I tend towards racebikes.
A nice addition for this role is the ability to attach proper fenders plus lights front & rear should one be out after nightfall. Enjoy.

[rphetteplace]

I'd ring Hamco I think he's in the recipe for what ails you :)

[Ken Robb]

go to the Rivendell Bicycle Works site and read all the interesting essays on bikes and riding and see if they help you evaluate your wants/needs.

[bfarver]

Custom steel would do the trick. :biggrin:

[Pete Mckeon]

Give one of the below a call and discuss with them. They will satisfy the lust and also provide an EXCELLENT ride.

Curt Goodrich
Hampsten Cycles
Kirk Frameworks
K Bedford Cycles


Pick whichever one meets your lust!!!!!

[Blue Jays]

Among many others who would build you a spectacular frameset...

[oldguy00]

Easy. Colnago C50. Get one, you'll love IMHO.

[bigbill]

What about an audax type bike from Ribble? A Veloce equipped model with fenders runs about 600GBP. Not a dream bike but very efficient for running about.

[SteveP]

forget the idea that one bike can do it all...
but figure out what needs you must fill first...
and then see what happens...

[jimp1234]

+1 on Hamco. I think his bro's strada bianca is a great all-around, takes a lickin keeps on tickin, throw in the travel bag, ride in the rain go anywhere kinda bike. Michael Barry's rain bike that I mentioned in the "fenders" thread is another interesting idea.


http://www.bikeradar.com/gallery/art...ti-16577?img=1

[justinf]

Cycles Tournesol, need I say more?

[riceburner]

How about a Vicious Cycles Casual Agent. Here is the "official description":

Our fully loaded touring model is ready for your daily commute or extended tour on paved or dirt roads. Whether you ride with fenders, panniers, or both, Casual Agent will meet any challenge the roads have to offer. Ride it on any road, in all weather and through life.

http://www.viciouscycles.com/frames-casualagent.php3

[AntLockyer]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I had thought it would be a more philosophical debate about the merits of bicycle 'genres'. It is interesting to see people what people are suggesting.

I guess the things that prevent a 1 bike for everything methodology are a lack of mudguards/fenders (although I have raceblades and if it's wet my trips to the country or beach are less likely to happen) and perhaps some sort of luggage carrying device, which at a push I could get everything in my ridiculous sized PAC bag.

All food for though.

[Shawn G]

For me, I think that one bike can do it all, but it depends on what your riding needs are. IMO, unless all you do is race, or train to race, that bike isn't a bike like the CAAD9. I had a CAAD8 for a couple of years and LOVED that bike. I have never raced, but that bike was great for hard group rides, etc. I never felt like that bike left anything in the bag, it was a professional's tool, to use a golf analogy it was the forged blade of bikes. But when I went out to ride a century, or a multi-day ride like RAGBRAI, or just ride for riding's sake, it wasn't the bike I wished I had. I wished I had a bike that was more comfortable for long days in the saddle and I was willing to give up some of the CAAD's sharp handling and ability to maximze power to the pedals to get it.
Bike #2 was to be "the" bike for me, and it's damn close. It's what I would call a Grandfondo bike if I were to order another like it. It's Ti instead of aluminium, still a bike above my capabilities when it comes to pushing myself to the limit on fast rides, but w/ slightly longer chainstays, slightly lower BB, longer headtube and less aggressive steering to improve comfort on longer rides. Not designed to carry anything heavier than an extra tube or two and no fenders. For the riding I was doing back in the States it is perfect and I thought it was to be my "one and only" bike.
Fast-forward 3 years and now I'm living in Belgium. It is wet here all the time, even on sunny days the roads are still usually wet from the previous day's rain, morning fog, whetever. A bike with fenders has become a priority for me here. Additionally, my riding here is less focused on riding fast. I want to use the bike as a way to explore the area and enjoy the landscape and scenery while maintaining my fitness. I wish I had the capability to carry a picnic lunch or a change of clothes and some shoes for walking around when I get to where I'm going. Could I use bike #2 for this? Sure. I could get some clip on fenders and carry my stuff in a backpack, but it would be less than optimum. So, bike #3, a Co-Motion Nor'Wester is in the works. Designed for long reach brakes, it'll be outfitted with fenders, a Carradice bag or two and maybe even some lights. A randonneur bike, if you will. Still plenty capable of going fast when necessary, but with additional versatility when req'd.
So, short answer long, yes you can have just one bike to do all things, but for me that bike would not be a "race" bike, it would be a "rando" bike. Capable of fenders, bags and lights, but with all of that stripped off plenty capable of hanging with the fast crowd in anything but a "real" race. For a race you would need a race bike, like your CAAD. For everything else I would look long and hard at a bike like the Strada Bianca, IF Club Racer, etc. (in Steve's defense when designing bike #2 he gently pushed me towards a Strada Bianca for its additional versatility, but no, I wanted a Grandfondo bike and a Grandfondo bike is what I got - hindsight is 20/20).


Shawn G

[AntLockyer]

Thanks Shawn, to be fair most of what I do is racing or training to race, I only ride to work to get the miles in my legs in a time efficient way. that maybe because of the bike I have. I did a sportive once, it hurt after 60 miles and I wanted to go home. I wonder if a different bike would have made a difference or if it was jsut a lack of fitness (I'd been cycling for 4 months and the CAAD is my first road bike).

The idea of a rando bike is a nice one. The versatile nature is attractive. Being able to do mega miles in comfort, put a rack on if need be, lights, guards etc.

I was looking at some British frame builders and seeing what was around in this space here. Then of course I started looking at the more boutique places.

So it's no 1 bike for all but maybe 4 bikes

Race
Rando
Track
road fixed

hmmmm

[Shawn G]

DBRK recommended to me to take a look at Mercian as a possible "local" builder of the type of frame I was speaking of. I highly value his opinion. In my case a NOS Nor'Wester came up on e-Bay and I got a good deal on it, so there you go.

Shawn G

[AntLockyer]

Oh yes, good call.

[happycampyer]

This topic comes up once in a while in slightly different forms. You might find some of these previous discussions interesting (if you haven't read them already):

In Praise of the All-Around Road Bike

The Cost of Versatility?

A Pro's Training Bike

There are undoubtedly others. One bike, 4 bikes, n+1 bikes? Reason may pull you in one direction, but your bike lust will likely pull you in another... For "smoking about on long summer days, riding down to the coast and sitting on the beach before riding back. Carrying me out into the countryside to sleep under the stars," an all-rounder or dedicated rando bike would seem to make a lot of sense.

[AntLockyer]

I'd seen the first thread but not the other two, thanks. It was a bit of a hard subject to search for.