De clutter.. sell the lot.. make life more simple

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I'm in the same boat, have been for some time. There is no right or wrong answer, personally when I'm done I hope to get down to a handful of bikes rather than a garage full. The hardest decision for me is of course which to part with. Some have sentimental meaning, some are rare, some desirable and dare I say, some modern.

I'd ride more if it wasn't so hard to get to a bike.

I'd sell more if I could decide which to sell.

It's a tough one, but I hope whatever you decide, it makes sense to you, and you have no regrets.

At the end of the day, if you do regret selling, you can always chase down something to replace it with.

No pain, no gain.

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If your fed up then start the clear out but start with all the crap working back to all the best stuff ! Clear some space and clear your head and you may find halfway through you start to feel better about it all and and up keeping some nice gear

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Can definitely relate to this. I have "stuff issues" in other areas - not just bikes. Lots of hobbies! For me it's not collecting that's the issue, it's also a case of not being able to resist a bargain, and the urge to rescue good stuff that is going to get scrapped... this makes it harder to get rid of stuff in a way - quite a lot of what I have is undervalued IMO (some is financially worthless) so getting shot often means taking it to the dump. That doesn't mean that it's either useless, or easy to replace... personally I find it easier to get rid of something if the end result is cash in my pocket!

Retro MTBs are a case in point. My purple and orange Clockwork is pretty rare, and a lovely bike. For one reason or another it's also the bike I ride the least. Given the effort in selling it, and the difficulty in replacing it, it's just not worth selling! I know I would regret it... it's not really worth any more than a day's work, and it's probably a day's work to sell it!

We're planning a house move though so I have been actively decluttering in order to make the house look nicer. I've been selling some stuff, throwing some away, and putting more into storage. I have to say that it feels great to have more space and less stuff. I'm hoping that at the end of the process I'll be able to get rid of much of what I put into storage - if I don't miss it, I probably don't need it.

Part of the trouble for me is that in clearing stuff (i.e. listing for sale) I start looking at other ads and next thing you know I have bought more than I've sold. eBay, forums, etc are often places I visit to help me have a clear out - but end up buying more crap from!

One thing that can be helpful is "downgrading". In bikes, hi-fi, all sorts of geeky "stuff" pursuits it's often the quest for better that drives acquisition. I recently downgraded my Hi-Fi to something small and basic. It's fine, and in accepting its imperfections I am actively resisting the urge to upgrade.

Similarly buying a Kona hahanna recently (and not an Orange P7 as I was tempted to do) was a good thing because it's more than good enough for my purposes as a practical knockabout MTB - so has kind of knocked my upgrade instincts on the head. Once you start looking for better there's no end to it...

I have had to get rid of a couple of bikes to make room for the kids bikes. I have also found the less bikes I have the more likely I am to have one in working condition! I have 2 road bikes and 1 mtb plus a couple of frames/ sets of wheels etc. I'd like to get down to 2 bikes.

Thanks for the feedback.
Firstly its difficult to know what or if to sell. Have culled it right back from 20-30 bikes I once had. As for favourite bike it would be the Aluminium O or Prestige, couldn't pick. The Formula in some respects is my least favourite surprisingly, however if I sell it, its unlikely I would be able to get another one. I think the de clutter will be put on ice for now, have invested so much time collecting, and perhaps by Mountain Mayhem my love for the retro scene will be rekindled.