N + 1

Any cyclist that considers themselves an enthusiast knows the N + 1 calculation:

N = the number of currently owned bicycles

+ 1 = the number you need to have a happy fulfilled life.

So far this year I am N - 1 as I sold my Masi Gran Criterium. While this was not the first road bike I had purchased, it was the first I did research on and ensured I got the correct size and feel I was looking for. I won my first race on that bike (appropriately a Criterium), did my first BRAN (Bike Ride Across Nebraska) on that bike, joined my first cycling club on that bike, and generally got deeper into cycling overall on that bike.

My 2011 Masi Gran Criterium

So the obvious question is why in the hell did you get rid of that bike? Well I am fortunate enough to have an amazing wife, and a great job. My amazing wife understands my addiction for bikes, and my amazing job saw my potential and I earned a good promotion. Those two together enabled me to build a really fantastic road bike. I spent easily over two days worth of hours working on what I wanted with my favorite bike shop person Jonathan Neve. We ended up with a gorgeous Smartwall Allez with Zip 404's and Force 22. 

Smartweld Allez

Amazing Wife

So after buying the Allez, the poor Masi collected dust. For a brief period I converted it to single speed to see if that would get me back on it, but alas the draw of the Allez was just too strong. So in the summer of this year I sold the Masi to a student at UNMC who was going to use it for commuting (heres hoping hes strong with that 53X39 crank and 11-25 cassette!).

The thing is, while I sometimes miss how classy and gorgeous that Masi was, I am very happy it is actually getting ridden now. That bike deserved to be enjoyed, and when I put the road shoes on and headed to the garage it was never even a hesitation for me to grab the Allez. That bike is just that good.

So I went from five bikes to four.

Masi Gran Criterium
Allez Smartweld
Blue Norcross SP
Salsa Mukluk
Trek 69er

And now its time to go down to two overall.

Woah woah woah Tyler, should you not be replacing the Masi and then buying another bike on top of that? 

To appease "N + 1" yes I should, however as I get more mature in my riding I start to learn more of what I want to do. 

Take a look at this screenshot from my bike mileage, and then look at it again with the knowledge that my Mukluk was purchased right around the same time as my Allez. Now realize that the next newest bike (Blue) was purchased 3 years ago, and the 69er was purchased 5 years ago. 

• I have put almost the same amount of miles on my 34 pound fat bike as I have my Allez which I have owned for roughly the same amount of time.
• I have put more miles on the fat bike than  my Blue Norcross and Trek 69er combined, and i have owned those for much longer

I think you see where I am going with this.

Bye bye Blue Norcross

Bye Bye Trek 69er

So the cross bike and mountain bike are currently up for sale. If you know anyone interested, here are the links:

Cross Bike

Mountain Bike

Am I sad about getting rid of these two bikes? Yes and no. Yes as I have had some amazing experiences on both. No because like my Masi the cross bike is starting to collect dust, and the 69er is quickly going to follow suit. 

People that have never ridden a fat bike for much time will have a hard time understanding the appeal - I get that. How could a lumbering heavy bike made for snow be any fun for someone interested in going fast and challenging themselves? The thing is fat bikes truly are the "any road" bike. You can do anything with these bikes, and with the ever expanding tire and wheel selection that is only getting better by the month.

Masi Gran Criterium

Allez Smartweld
Blue Norcross SP
Salsa Mukluk
Trek 69er

Wait a minute, did you accidentally get strike-through happy? You crossed off your Mukluk in that list!

Mukluk - a great friend

So I have the Allez for road racing, crit racing, club rides, and looking at whenever I want to stare at a fantastic bike. What did I use the cross and MTB for? 

Cyclocross racing - tried it and just could not get excited about it. It seemed like a lot of time and effort for a very short race (especially in the CAT 4 and CAT 5 races). So I don't need a cross bike.

Mountain bike racing - I have fallen in love, especially with the longer event format. Our local series (Psycowpath) has a marathon class which is 4 hours and as many laps as you can get in. I really love this, and could see myself getting into other events eventually that you have to travel a bit for (Dakota 5-O comes to mind). My 69er does okay at this, but anyone that knows me knows that I have been looking to get something else all year.

Gravel racing/riding - Lots of love for gravel events, and just plain getting out and riding some rural farm roads. The cross bike was initially purchased just for this, but once I got a taste for gravel on the fat bike I had a hard time jumping back on the cross bike. The fat bike is so damn comfortable on gravel, you don't have to worry about picking a line - you will get traction, and when the road gets really rough (cough Odins revenge) it really shines. The problem is my fat bike is heavy with one of the heaviest wheel and tire combos (each tire weighs 1600 grams) you can get.

Oh - I also commute on the fat bike...they are excellent at that.

So what the hell am I thinking when I say I am going to get rid of the Mukluk? Well to replace it with a really fast fat bike of course :).

Photo credit: Rob Evans

I have been giving a lot of though to what I could do for a fast fat bike. There still was a question in my mind about how fast a fat bike could really be. So after our normal SMNDFBR (Saturday Morning No Drop Fat Bike Ride) I asked the good folks at Cycle Works if I could ride the Trek Farley 9.6 around a bit. 

**BOOM**

Photo credit: Rob Evans

I've demoed enough bikes in the last two years to know a connection within minutes of hoping on a bike. This thing pedaled like my 69er, I kid you not. If this bike weighs more than 24 pounds I would be incredibly surprised. 

• Fit me like a glove
• Light
• Stiff
• Versatile (read the link on the bike, it can do whatever wheelsize you want)
• Bluto ready (150X15 front hub)
• Smile inducing
• Bontragers excellent TLR tubeless system that has been very good to me on the 69er

So I need to sell my cross bike and mountain bike first, then the trusty Mukluk goes up for sale after. 

I will be down to two bikes, so this year I would be N - 3. The wrong way according to cycling lore, but man do I feel good about it.

Tyler