This isn’t my analogy, but I loved it the first time I heard it, and its originator gave me unlimited license to use it. He and I are of a mind. We had been talking about all the bikes on sale at the moment, and a comment another friend had made to me, “You can’t have enough gravel bikes!” which he said in jest, but with that tinge of truth, the underlying urge for N+1.
If you are not familiar with the oft quoted N+1 theory of bicycle ownership, it is this: The correct number of bikes to possess at any one time is N+1 where N equals the number of bikes you own currently. It’s a variation on the theme of “if some is good, more must be better.”
And I will readily confess it’s a tenet I lived by for a long time, in more ways than one.
I’m wiser now (stop laughing). Over time I came to see that N+1 was limited by a corresponding equation, something like S = N+1/sf, or the strength of your romantic partnership is equal to the number of bikes you want divided by the square footage of the home you share. ALSO, I decided to invest in really great bikes, instead of always new bikes. Both are ways to invest in relationships.
The friend who said you can’t have enough gravel bikes had just bought his third. My reply to his quip was that you could have enough, that one was the correct number, as long as it was the best one you could have. I have a perfect one, and don’t need another.
That brings me to N+1 toasters.
The toaster oven at my house gets a lot of action. With two teenage boys, there is a lot of toasting going on, bagels, toaster waffles, reheated pizza, French fries, English muffins, etc., etc. The toaster is a really important part of our lives. And we have one.
The idea of a counter full of toasters is ludicrous. You shop a little. Maybe you do some research, if you’re one of those people, and then you buy a toaster that should be your toaster for a decade (don’t get me started on the planned obsolescence of modern appliances).
This is how we should buy bikes, too, I think.
Here’s one more analogy. If you owned a business, and you wanted to expand, you might consider bringing in a partner, someone to shoulder half the load, someone you get along with, someone who sees the world and the business the same way you do. You wouldn’t just sign partners willy-nilly. You’d try to find the absolute best fit you could.
A bike is like a toaster. A bike is like a business partner. A bike deserves to be better than just N+1.
For me, N+1=3 for about the past 10 years or so. Just don’t seem to need more than that, and in general I hate having stuff I rarely use.
I’m gradually coming to the conclusion that I should thin the herd. But I can’t part with any of them…yet.
With advent of tubeless tires and electronic shifting, there is a practical limit to the number of bikes you can own that are ready to ride on a whim. Gotta clean out the dried sealant and charge the shifter before a ride.
My N+1 stands at five currently. I am thinning the herd somewhat in that my MTB is at my LBS for consignment sale (too little time to get to the trails and ride…). I really think that my N+1 can become three, but it will not be less than that.