I’ve been off the bike for nearly 3 years (apart from about 4 months in 2015), due to back problems and other health issues.

I still follow mountain biking, as I love it more than any other sport or hobby, but I am starting to get pretty down about not being able to ride after so long.

I’m hoping to get back to riding at some point (doubt it will be this year) and am collecting some bits for a build, just to keep my hand in.

Anyone else not been able to ride for a long time?

Me. I’d been off for about 3 years or perhaps a bit longer. Got an ebike last October so am able to get out again although other health problems have meant I’ve only been out on it once this year so far. Fingers crossed I’m back riding soon.

Sorry to hear that. I had a bad year in 2015 due to back problems and couldn’t ride much at all. Things improved last year and are even better this year.

Hope you get back on track and on the bike soon.

Yep, 15 months now and definitely won’t be back riding any time soon. In fact my deterioration is accelerating which is making me more grumpy than usual. 😐

Not in comparison to you OP. 6 rides in the last 12 months and 3 of those where mostly road. Didn’t ride for 6 months after breaking my knee. Have been avoiding surgery but thats very mich on the cards now, probably means little riding for 2 years and/or maybe a switch to road as vibration will not be good 🙁

My big worry is my skiing days may be over, that would be a grade A depressing outcome. I am having the surgery so I can try and get back to that. I will not be good at handling the mental side of having to stop completely, ditto mtb.

Jeez, lots of sympathy for everyone above, I had a crash in June 2009 and couldn’t sit on a bike again until Easter 2010 and maybe a year of painful slow riding getting progressively less slow and painful over that year.

It sucked arse, and whilst I can’t have a 100% recovery because of the injury my pace came back fairly quickly.

Was! I was out for close to 5 year due to a chocolate ankle, just turned 40! Ok in November 8) been hard graft and very challenging but worth it to get back on the bike something I thought would never happen again at one point

Over a year now. Saw second hernia consultant in six months just yesterday, hoping for something more concrete than a prod, ‘cough’ and ‘go home and rest’. Well they certainly prodded hard and now it feels like it did it when was first injured. ‘Am sure it’s not a hernia, it’s much more difficult and complex I’m afraid, I think it’s a musculo-skeletal problem’.

So a scan in two weeks, but a month from now to follow-up. Meanwhile instructed not to ride, lift or do anything that hurts. That’s do mostly nothing. Bought a bike last year to celebrate my approaching fiftieth/getting through twenty years of post-arthritis rehab. Bike just sits there looking pretty. Have been forced off a bike by disease for a number of years before but this stupid injury is really grinding me down. Sympathy for all afflicted. Pain is a bitch. Yet not riding is all of them bitchez 😡 Am taking up walking again, so onwards and upwards 🙂

A combination of borked knee (official medical terminology) and two frozen shoulders over the last 5 or 6 years has seriously curtailed my riding..
I still get out on the common occasionally and can manage errands and suchlike on the bike, but it’s been 1 step forward 2 steps back with an overall deterioration.

I’ve reached tipping point now and have embarked on a self styled rehabilitation.
This involves focussing all my efforts on off-bike strength building twinned with starting riding all over again from scratch to avoid further complications.
I’m at peace with it now but it’s been a harrowing journey with some crushing low points.
I finally felt strong enough last Autumn to start training for an endurance race, but a week or two in and I’d knackered my shoulder again..
The most I’m hoping for now is to aim to be relatively pain free and strong enough to ride regularly.
Gym work and swimming are soul destroying but it’s the only option

Crikey! Makes me realize how lucky I am. The longest I have been off the bike is three weeks ….and that was after a major op. That drove me crazy so can’t (or don’t want to) imagine not being able to ride for the length of time some people here have posted. All I can say is I wish you all a speedy recovery and good luck.

totally different reason here, so after reading the above, guiltily admit its through lack of bike mojo these days. live in lincoln so nowt on my doorstep, coupled with the fact my old biking mates all went down the route of road/cyclo/tri/beasting each other type riding.

few years off, then one ride last year when a few workmates got together and did the 2 cannock routes which i really enjoyed but i found was my limit these days. said we’d do it regularly after that but we havent so far…..

And there was me feeling bad for being off the bike a month and likely a few more months for rehab,you guys throwing some perspective on it

I snapped a ligament in my right ring finger a month ago and haven’t been able to ride since and I’m grumpy enough never mind as long as some of you. X ray showed no broken bones but the better in ten days suggestion from the nurse is certainly not coming true, getting worse and worse, will have to get it looked at again I think. Trails are super dry too 🙁

I have suffered fairly significant back problems on and off since 2008, and I will go months without getting to ride. Thank goodness I have not had it as bad as some of you have described, above, though.

I had a serious bout with back and nerve pain last summer that is still rearing its head periodically (including this whole last week), but I try to get on the bike as quickly as I can when it starts to ease up.

Trails are super dry too

I know! Have been exploring local drydleways (SWIDT!?) on foot, trails which previously (seemingly) were always boggy/impassable. Walking the dog this last month I’ve discovered many miles of previously unexplored trails/link-ups, it’s torture. ***Gnashing teeth***

What I’ve been doing is making mental notes, better still am writing/sketching them down for future reference when body is back in business for biking 🙂

Had a couple of years out about ten years ago with a back issue that required surgery which closely followed a borked knee. Whilst not riding bothered me, the lack of income bothered me much more.
I sort of feel like I’m riding on borrowed time at the moment with a shoulder that hasn’t healed after a big impact six months ago, another herniated disk that I try and ignore plus some worrying pain/noise from my left hip.
I could well be joining the ‘on a break’ riders again soon. My sympathies to all.

A week so far due to a sprained wrist, finding that hard to cope with tbh. How you cope with 4 years i can’t & don’t want to be in the position of having to know.

my brother used to do mountain riding but because of back pain his physiotherapist bforbid him not to continue riding mountain totally and normal riding for too long time. Hope your case is not that bad.

Haven’t ridden other than going to the local shops and the odd gravel route around where I live after after breaking my collar bone, that was only 7 months ago. I’m looking at the trails while out walking the dogs they are so enticing. I know 7 months isn’t that long compared to some of you on this post and you have my sympathy because after only 7 months I’m chomping at the bit to get back on.
Good luck to everyone, I hope you are able to get out in the not too distant future.

^ I should also say that I’m the turbo trainer too.

one ride in 2yrs due to learning to walk again
steroids ruined cardio
can’t run to improve cardio
can’t ride due to nerve damage making things go dead instantly
vicious circle as steroids needed to maintain weight/muscle mass/pain relief and not have to use all the other meds with far worse side effects.

A comparatively short spell – 6 weeks so far due to a virus – in relation to the nightmare scenarios above. I am fully aware my return will trigger El Niño, destroying the dusty trails everywhere.

9 weeks so far with broken wrist. Back to work tomorrow but still not sure when I will feel confident enough to mountain bike. Hope to be able to get back to the bike commute end of May .
Longest I have ever been off sports.
All the best to everyone recovering

9 months off in 2015 due to broken wrist. 2016 mostly on an e-bike. Strong start to 2017 weening myself off electricity and my back has let go again when I was up to a reasonable fitness level.

Out for a month so far with likely another off. Am feeling pretty down about it today as pain is back at pretty much max level but realise from reading this thread I should be thankful it is an injury with a fairly quick resolution and hit the stretching harder.

Feeling sorry for myself ‘cos I haven’t ridden since Wednesday. This thread is a reality check.

Healing vibes to all of you, hope you can get back on the bike before too long.

I have suffered with the dreaded Jeremy kyles/roids for as long as I can remember.

Finally plucked up the courage to see the doc about it last year.

Well after 2 operations (banding firstly which shouldn’t have been done on them in the first place as they were too advanced. Then stapling for the second op). Neither of which have made ablind bit of difference. Was basically told nothing more can be done due to bleeding if cut.

Am looking at a motorcycle for transport as I have been stuck indoors for so long now due to above and depression.

Am very lucky compared to some I have to say but Jeremy kyles really are the work of the Antichrist 🙁

I haven’t ridden my bike any distance for just over a year I would guess.

I was off for a long while – broke my ankle in September ’15 then had to wait until May ’16 for surgery. From there I was off for months in recovery, slowly building up strength and stability… before tearing a muscle in my back in November or December last year!

I have just started getting out again recently, but only sporadically at the moment – and nothing too ambitious as yet! TNF at Grizedale is still a bit much for me!!!

Hopefully the next few weeks should see things improve now though. It is horrible being out of commission for so long though – we couldn’t do much as a family either as I just couldn’t walk more than a few hundred meters. We just had to struggle on really, but lost a good 18 months.

Pinched nerve in my hamstring, so physio has told me to avoid strenuous exercise in the meantime. That’s been close to six months now and thinking of just going out anyway and suffering for it afterwards.

6 months with a cracked knee cap so nothing compared to some of the posters above.

Ironically (or perhaps not!), I’m far more active on STW when off the bike than when I’m riding frequently. I’m certainly more active in the classifieds.

Good luck to all of you!

I’ve been riding irregularly for about a year with Carpal Tunnel and other hand problems and feeling decidedly sorry for myself, but my problems are nothing compared to some of you here. Perspective is an interesting thing.

Hope everyone gets much better and out on the bike soon.