***It’s the week between Christmas and New 12 months’s Day. I’m not formally running a blog and this isn’t a publish. That is simply us hanging round and speaking.***
The Nice Lob On Excessive has richly blessed me. Along with being lucky in all the standard methods (loving household, free nation, streaming TV, all that stuff) I’ve received a whole lot of bikes–greater than I ever might have dreamed of proudly owning within the days earlier than I turned a semi-professional bike blogger. I journey all of them, too, although in fact some get extra use than others.
However worldly possessions generally is a burden, too; simply ask your native Buddhist monk. Extra bikes means extra decisions, but it surely additionally means extra over which to fuss. Then there’s the matter of house. I’ve received extra of that than a lot of metropolis dwellers, however housing all these bikes generally is a problem, and typically I really feel like an alcoholic hiding booze in the bathroom tank. A big everlasting assortment additionally means when Basic Cycle sends me a new (or not-so-new) bike to play with I’ve received to determine a method to get a thirteenth egg into the carton.
So with the yr winding down I discover myself considering the concept of proudly owning fewer bicycles. To make sure, I might by no means get it all the way down to only one; that’s one thing I realized the arduous approach. There’s a distinction between working lean and depriving your self, and I’m within the former, not the latter. At first I requested myself, “Which bikes would I be prepared eliminate?,” however I spotted this was the incorrect method to ask the query, since if there was a compelling purpose to eliminate any of them I might have accomplished it by now.
So then I requested myself, “Which bikes would I completely should hold?,” which is sort of the identical factor, however totally different sufficient that I might truly start to reply it. So listed here are absolutely the keepers:
Milwaukee
I might by no means do with out at the least one correct street bike. For all of the gravel bikes and “alt” bikes and no matter else the youngsters are into nowadays, I say essentially the most versatile bike remains to be a street bike. Unpaved trails will be far-off, or in the event that they’re shut they are often too muddy or snowy to journey relying on the climate and the time of yr. However there’s at all times a street, and often it’s proper out your entrance door, which suggests whether or not you’re trying to journey for an hour or 10 hours all you need to do is step outdoors and go. And naturally a street bike with clearance for fattish tires can even take you onto trails and do most of what as we speak’s “gravel” bikes do. I’ll at all times have a conventional street bike, and it stands to purpose that if I’m going to have one conventional street bike it must be one with medium- or long-reach brakes.
The Milwaukee rides like a race bike however is flexible sufficient to deal with diverse terrain, it’s traditional but trendy, and it seems nice since its makeover–although I preferred the way in which it regarded earlier than too:
It’s received form of a “classic” really feel for the time being with the downtube shifters, but when I needed it to really feel extra trendy once more that’s only a easy matter of placing on some built-in shifters. I don’t suppose any trendy street or gravel bike has something on it. It’s a keeper, no query.
Homer
Today I most likely break up my biking time 50/50 between clipless pedals and flat pedals, and the Homer might be essentially the most versatile and satisfying of all my flat pedal bikes. With the drop bars it’s mainly a street bike, however with the fenders and racks and different accoutrements it’s at all times prepared for commuting responsibility and errand-running, and naturally it’s received the clearance and tire quantity to deal with mild off-roading. Additionally, its extraordinarily comfy, it may be configured in innumerable methods, it’s appropriate with many of the contents of my spare elements bin, and whereas these items are clearly subjective I feel it’s a stupendous body. It’s not going anyplace ever.
Platypus
The Platypus is the best counterpart to the Homer. In a approach the Homer doesn’t want a counterpart because it’s so versatile, although the Platypus is equally versatile. No, it’s not as suited to the sporty street finish of the spectrum, but it surely’ll do filth trails extra readily than the Homer, and with the basket and baggage and swept bars it’s prepared for 50-mile rides or household journeys to the park or each with no modifications. Arguably everybody ought to have at the least one bike with a basket and a step-through body, and if you happen to’re going to have one it would as nicely even be a high-performance mannequin that’s up for all however essentially the most “aggressive” driving on any floor. No matter else occurs, the Platypus stays.
Jones
Rivendell versatility however way more succesful on the off-road finish of the spectrum, it’s up for any form of mountain biking I’m liable to do at this level in my life, but it’s additionally pleasurable to journey on easy trails and even pavement. Additionally, whereas I could also be a fan of traditional elements and requirements, I additionally take pleasure in my forays into the world of disc brakes and tubeless tires and clutch derailleurs sometimes, and it’s comforting to know I’ve received at the least one bike whose limitations I’ll by no means discover. I’ve a whole lot of respect for Jeff Jones, and it’s an honor to have one in all his bikes.
