minimal bike corral - more clearly written
=two bikes=
one road bike style for the beautiful summer riding
one mountain bike style for the cruddy riding conditions in the winter
depending on your individual circumstances, you could tweak this setup.
for example, if you do not ride in the winter, you may not need to get another bike, you may opt for a second summer bike like a cruiser or a beater, or you may just have glorious one-bike life. these conditions would also extend to if you did not have really snowy, icy, cruddy winter conditions...say if winter consists mainly of rain and not snow.
*you could have one bike life with a touring style bike or a cyclocross style bike
*let's say you were a racer, well you might want a race bike and a training bike, but...i think you might be happier with just a race bike. you might go with a race bike and an indoor trainer.
*let's say mountain biking, maybe you get a beater mountain bike with slicks, and a dedicated park bike.
of course, you could always expand and have five or six bikes.
for me, riding in minnesota, during the winter and pretty much commuting mainly. i would go with a fat bike, or a 29er rigid that takes wider tires and a fixed gear bike for summer.
but that is not my reality.
i have a fat bike
i have a beater - a 26er that weighs 38lbs, cost $25, and has studded tires...and is the bike i ride the most
i have a raleigh grand sports - and when all is said and done, maybe that is everything i need, i'd put gears on this one, but it converts quickly to fixed as well.
i could sell the cinelli
i could sell the rockhopper evo pro
i could sell the kabuki
i could sell the fixed gear
have a good chunk of money in my pocket
that money could be spent solving actual problems that i have:
*not being able to see well at night with my current lights
*cold hands when temps are between -10F and 10F
*carrying capacity