I’ve cut down on bikes, that’s a bit like saying “I used to smoke 50 a day, but through sheer willpower, I’m down to 48“.

Update: January 2025

Quiet year. Which for me means we haven’t had to build a Batcave under the ShedofDreams(tm) or had difficult conversations with the bank. I’ve sold nothing mostly because neither has the entire bike industry.

Massive stock surpluses begat both bargains and bankruptcy.  It’s been a tough year for manufacturers and retailers. Normally I’m in the vanguard to take up any slack, but it was to the classifieds I headed because how many trail bikes can one rider need has taken the form of an existential question.

Anyway justification for bike buying left the station long ago. let’s just get it over with.

What came into the shed

A not very pre-loved Yeti SB140 LR from 2019. The oldest bike I now own and the one ridden the most. A budget build started well, but ended with a rabid case of upgrade-itus ending in buying a new fork that was exactly the same as the item it arrived with. Sometimes me genius cannot be easily explained.

I had a go here – but really I just wanted one every since my Friend Adam bought his. It’s had a hard life before it came to me, but Matt returned the mechanicals to almost new while I risked my marriage invisiframing it. Well Carol did while I offered useful and motivational advice.

It’s been fab. I’ve ridden it loads. Hence my previous favourite trail bike being reduced mostly to a shed queen.

What stayed

Ibis RipMo v2

2nd hand from a lovely Irish fella in 2023. The frame arrived from over the water cosmetically tatty but mechanically excellent. Stripped it, cleaned it, taped it, handed the whole thing off to Matt for the difficult bits.

I still absolutely love it. But maybe not as much as I did – last year it was the best thing ever and I  Wrote some stuff here about why. Now, It’s taken second fiddle to the Yeti especially once we’d returned from our third trip to Molini where it proved way more adequate than me on trails previous ridden on my Giga. But it’s been on the shed wall pretty much since.

Nukeproof Digger

Hmm didn’t use it much. Enjoyed it when I did. The whole riding on my own from home thing got pretty old in Covid. Going to try and do a bit more this year I said in 2024. This comment remains valid for 2025.

Here’s what I made up at the time about buying it: https://www.pickled-hedgehog.com/dig-it/

Cotic BFEMax

Still here. 1400km+ in. The “GrimWagon” repels rain, mud and – probably – borders. Because I’m an idiot I stuck the biggest fork allowed up front and happily ploughed through and over mostly anything less than three feet in height.

It’s wearing the “Double Fugly’s’ mudguard combo right now, and I expect it’ll be thrashed through the whole winter without a break. Then I’ll put it away because these knees and hard trails are not compatible with a single sprung end.

The only love it’s had lavished on its permanently filthy frame is a new chain, replacement of some very second hand gear cable and a swap to the original Fox 36 that came with the Yet.

Orbea Vibe

Still got it. Still fab. Al’s car replacement service and occasional Pub insertion/retrieval vehicle.

Now tubeless otherwise just charged up, ridden and placed back in the shed with a smile. Not had one ride that’d have been better in a car.

https://www.pickled-hedgehog.com/ebagum/  makes up reasons why I bought it. Most of them – against the tradition of such nonsense.- have come true.

I (still) don’t want an MTB version tho! Having ridden one in Spain tho, they are pretty much the devil on my shoulder.

Nukeproof Giga

Aside from a trip to Madeira where other bikes in the Shed might have been more fun, it’s spent most of the year on the wall. It’s still a damn fine trail bike, but I have better ones. It’ll never get sold tho as when there are trails appropriate for it’s burliness, I know it’ll be ready to go.

More travelled than Alan Wicker (look it up young people). 180 at the front and only 10 less at the back. Writing cheques (yep you’ll be googling those as well) I clearly cannot cash. But wait, is it just a weighty trail bike with a few more tricks up its sleeve?

After three years I’d say not. Just been fantastic. Now with a few suspension (well 2 so really that’s ‘all of them‘ https://www.pickled-hedgehog.com/stuck-in-the-middle-with-you/ )  and around a 1800km ridden. Saved my arse multiple times on the Basque and 2 x Molini trips. That wasn’t the surprise. The surprise was how brilliant it was as a trail bike. 37lbs of hard to categorise fun. Since I got the RipMo and Yeti  back tho, not ridden it as much. But it’s time will come again.

Bearings are shit tho. Match the paint 🙂 Don’t care, love this thing.

What’s gone.

Nothing. 2nd hand market is shit. And there’s nothing I (really) want.  All the bikes are now 3+ years old. That must be the first time that’s happened in approximately ever.

Jessie’s Solaris

Ridden twice by Jess and once by me. But when she has time to ride again, we’ll be back out together. I’m refusing to buy her an eBike as she’s always whinging about riding uphill:) It may be repurposed as my flat barred gravel bike for a 3 day trip on the new Marches way trail in 2025.

Aid also has a Spesh Fuse – ridden once. He liked it. It’s not going anywhere when he wants to ride again.

What else is left the shed?

Revolving door policy in full effect. But there are some enduring old stagers hanging about.

This is my brothers old road bike. He smashed it into the back of a lorry, so felt handing over any catastrophic fame failure to me was a fine idea. It’s “covered” 1500 ish Zwift miles. As have I, sadly.

I’ve sort of written off the Trailstar as Glynn borrowed it 5 years ago and I’ll never ask for it back. Oh my old Boardman CX went to a mates lad. No idea if he’s ridden it, but I certainly wasn’t going to.

I did consider leaving previous years below. But honestly having reviewed that content, not even I can pass it off as anything much short of a mental illness 🙂

Roll on 2025. I have the ‘perfect bike shed‘. Don’t expect any changes next year*

*this is not a commitment. Or even a promise. Maybe an ambition? Even that feels a bit strong.