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Following on from the 'Hoarders Remorse' thread I thought that, it might be cathartic to share my experiences with you all. Recognition, justification and coping strategies may be included at some point. I think blame, anger or grief have been skipped though.
So let the story begin.
It was October 2008, I already had a modest collection of bikes from a 'modern' 2006 Orange P7 through to my tried and trusted GT Bravado; one careful owner since 1997. I also had a 1997 Zaskar built up for touring/commuting duties and a 2005 DMR Trailstar built up under the delusion that I could be a dirt jumper...
Anyway, I'd been fixing bikes for friends and acquaintances on a casual basis for several years so it wasn't unusual to get a call every now and then from someone who had decided it was about time somebody looked at that creaky headset/slipping freehub/broken frame.
My old school mate turned up one day with an old Marin Muirwoods. Totally original and virtually untouched. He'd arranged to bring it to me for a service so he could start riding again to shed some timber. On the drive over he'd decided to join a gym instead.
"You can have it if you want..."
Never one to refuse a homeless bike I of course gratefully accepted.
I was curious to find out more about this lowly rejected Marin, which inevitably prompted a Google search which of course led me to find Retrobike.
I was immediately hooked, spending the next few days scouring through the site, reliving memories and fawning over images of XT thumbshifters.
Not long after the purchases began, unsurprisingly the first thing I bought was a pair of the aforementioned XT thumbshifters, following by a bit of DX and some other shiny things.
I also dug out my stash of assorted old parts and quickly began 'upgrading' the Alivio components on the Muirwoods.
More frames soon followed as I realised that my mildly obsessive tendencies wouldn't allow my to put 1991/2 XT parts on a frame designed for 1994 Alivio.
The thin end of the wedge, the slippery slope, the road to ruin... etc.
So on the cusp of six years later I can look back at how things have changed.
I now have a lot of bikes, and a lot of parts accumulated. Many of my bikes are 'complete' and most have been ridden. There are several more frames and part finished bikes too.
My obsession with period correctness is a bit of a liability, which means some bikes will never be truly finished, but I am very patient and don't mind waiting too much.
The other major change was the decision to formalise my bike repair work into starting a proper business. That was over three years ago now, and after moving from my kitchen, to my Dad's garage and then more recently into a nice big light industrial unit, I guess it's all going pretty well.
The plus side in terms of my bike collection/hoarding problem is that I now have the incredible luxury of storage and display space. My loft is clear of bikes and my old storage facility is also nearly empty.
And so, what is the lesson to be gleaned from this...?
Starting up your own bike repair business is the perfect cover for obsessional bike collecting?
I don't know.
Here are a few pictures...
Big storeroom
Main space
Workshop area
So let the story begin.
It was October 2008, I already had a modest collection of bikes from a 'modern' 2006 Orange P7 through to my tried and trusted GT Bravado; one careful owner since 1997. I also had a 1997 Zaskar built up for touring/commuting duties and a 2005 DMR Trailstar built up under the delusion that I could be a dirt jumper...
Anyway, I'd been fixing bikes for friends and acquaintances on a casual basis for several years so it wasn't unusual to get a call every now and then from someone who had decided it was about time somebody looked at that creaky headset/slipping freehub/broken frame.
My old school mate turned up one day with an old Marin Muirwoods. Totally original and virtually untouched. He'd arranged to bring it to me for a service so he could start riding again to shed some timber. On the drive over he'd decided to join a gym instead.
"You can have it if you want..."
Never one to refuse a homeless bike I of course gratefully accepted.
I was curious to find out more about this lowly rejected Marin, which inevitably prompted a Google search which of course led me to find Retrobike.
I was immediately hooked, spending the next few days scouring through the site, reliving memories and fawning over images of XT thumbshifters.
Not long after the purchases began, unsurprisingly the first thing I bought was a pair of the aforementioned XT thumbshifters, following by a bit of DX and some other shiny things.
I also dug out my stash of assorted old parts and quickly began 'upgrading' the Alivio components on the Muirwoods.
More frames soon followed as I realised that my mildly obsessive tendencies wouldn't allow my to put 1991/2 XT parts on a frame designed for 1994 Alivio.
The thin end of the wedge, the slippery slope, the road to ruin... etc.
So on the cusp of six years later I can look back at how things have changed.
I now have a lot of bikes, and a lot of parts accumulated. Many of my bikes are 'complete' and most have been ridden. There are several more frames and part finished bikes too.
My obsession with period correctness is a bit of a liability, which means some bikes will never be truly finished, but I am very patient and don't mind waiting too much.
The other major change was the decision to formalise my bike repair work into starting a proper business. That was over three years ago now, and after moving from my kitchen, to my Dad's garage and then more recently into a nice big light industrial unit, I guess it's all going pretty well.
The plus side in terms of my bike collection/hoarding problem is that I now have the incredible luxury of storage and display space. My loft is clear of bikes and my old storage facility is also nearly empty.
And so, what is the lesson to be gleaned from this...?
Starting up your own bike repair business is the perfect cover for obsessional bike collecting?
I don't know.
Here are a few pictures...
Big storeroom
Main space
Workshop area
