Yesterday on the Paceline, we discussed the bikes we’ve put the most miles on. You have one, too, obviously. Maybe yours was a matter of necessity, like you were young, and it’s what you could afford, and you just happened to ride it to the moon and back. Or maybe you got lucky and found the perfect bike (like finding a life partner), and subsequently you didn’t feel the need to get anything new after that.
Mine is a custom Seven Axiom SL. A straightforward road bike, straight 1-1/8″ steerer, 25mm tires, rim brakes. Ultegra build. Mavic Ksyrium Pro Exalith wheels. These are just specs though. The magic of this bike is in the tubeset, the handling, and the perfection of its fit. It was the third bike I bought as a member of the “bike industry,” and a bike I still ride all the time.
I will likely never own another road bike.
Your most ridden bike ever might be a mountain bike, which would be interesting, because the technology of mountain bikes has evolved so rapidly over the last two decades. If you’ve held onto a trail bike for more than five years, you’re likely behind the technology curve, not that there’s anything wrong with that.
In fact, sometimes the bike you’ve turned to the most often only really makes sense to you. Asked to explain, maybe you can’t. It just speaks to you. It just feels good and familiar. You feel capable on it in a way you don’t, even on a newer bike with a snazzier spec. There’s a je ne sais quoi, an x-factor, a secret sauce that suits your taste buds like no other.
So there it is. What bike have you pedaled more than any other, in your whole life, and what is so freaking great about it?
I can not be sure but I believe the bike I have logged the most hours on is one I have not ridden in a long time. 1989 Wicked Fat Chance. 89-96 it was my only bike—mtb, commuter, road bike all in one and I rode it almost every day. I have several bikes today and they are all excellent but my riding time (more like 2-4 days per week now) is spread across them and no longer includes commuting so I can not imagine the hours logged are piling up the way they did on my Fat Chance.
The bike that I feel like I pedaled the most on was a custom Hunter singlespeed that I had in the early 00’s. It was light, snappy, and just about perfect. The fit was spot on, it climbed like a rocket, and descended as well as any hardtail of that era. Trying to free a stuck seatpost ended its life unfortunately. I’m not sure if I actually rode it the most miles in my life, but it was the bike I liked best and rode the most in the time of my life when I was piling on the most miles.
I would guess it was my namesake bike. A 1999 Lemond Zurich, in blue. Campagnolo Chorus Record mix, Mavic Ksyrium wheels, Flite saddle. Raced it to many 2nd and 3rd place medals, rode countless miles of elevation in Salt Lake and areas nearby. I replaced it with a Tete De Course which was the finest bike I have ever ridden yet sadly was stolen from my garage. If I had kept it I guess that would be my most ridden whip. My Ritchey Logic which is my main non vintage bike has been with me since 2016 yet age, cancer and other life thingees keep the yearly miles to much less than the salad days bikes.