Well, after that hospital visit, I’m now barely mobile and it looks like it will be maybe 3 months before even looking at the bike without wincing and probably 6 months before being able to point one down anything remotely challenging.

How do you cope? Just seems so long away. 😕

Rachel

Think back 6 months. Seems like yesterday to me.

I was off for the first 3 months of this year after a crash hurt my thumb.

It passes surprisingly quickly, tbh. I started running after a bit to get out in the woods/hills but not sure that’s an option for you?

Biggest advice: don’t look at bike parts. I seem to spend a lot more when I’m not riding – I built a new bike up whilst waiting to ride again.

Blink. 6 months gone. I wish it would slow down.

get depressed and eat because I’m depressed, get more depressed and eat more blow up like a balloon and have really low self esteem. Works for me 😉 the eating bit is fun.

Plus it may have dried out by then!

Wwaswas – it’s just a case of building up slowly but getting out of the sofa is a huge challenge today! 🙂

Have been thinking of dismantling bikes, selling and then restarting…

Rachel

Start a new religion.
Open University course.
Video games – 6 months? Pah….. 😀
Buy a guitar and an amp.
Online chess/Scrabble.
Start a new business.

Good luck, hope all ok….. 🙂

I’ve had 2 years off due to injury.

First few months were the hardest until I remembered all the other things I used to love doing but rarely did as a result of riding so much.

Big picture. 3-6 months is the price of this particular ticket, and one I’ll bet you’re perfectly prepared to pay when weighed against god knows how long continuing as you were.

Have been thinking of dismantling bikes, selling and then restarting…

no, you have to buy more bikes not just replacements 😉

if you like what you have then stick with it. If you’ve been hankerign for a change then spend the time researchign and hunting down good prices.

Biggest advice: don’t look at bike parts. I seem to spend a lot more when I’m not riding – I built a new bike up whilst waiting to ride again.

Good advice this. It’s how I went from not having a road bike to having read all of the internet about road bikes and then having a road bike in 3 months.

Are you able to take up a new hobby or something else to take your mind off the lack of riding?

Well, after that hospital visit, I’m now barely mobile and it looks like it will be maybe 3 months before even looking at the bike without wincing and probably 6 months before being able to point one down anything remotely challenging.

How do you cope? Just seems so long away.

Computer games and books?

Have you got something you’ve always wanted to study but never have? Ancient Greek? The ins and outs of classical Russian literature? How to knit? Woodworking? Pottery? Photography?

The key is to set yourself goals and achieve them to keep yourself occupied.

Get into other things.

I can understand some people only being into cycling, it can make perfect sense.

Just not in this country.

I’m guessing this is er..undercarriage..related?

My thoughts would be to do something entirely different for 6 months. Completely, totally unrelated to biking, rather than doing that wistful thing. Swimming as a stopgap/therapy/exercise fix? Photography?
Something creative? Arty? Knitting seems to big in our house at the moment for some reason…

Bikes will be better in 6 months, trails will have improved too, but neither are going anywhere.

Heal fast anyway!

What they said. Use the time to do something else. Raising a child and studying did it for me. I’ve not even seen my bikes for nearly 2 months (not through choice), yet my life does not feel empty.

Read some bike books, make some plans for 6 months time. Indulge yourself in something you wouldn’t normally have the time for. Main thing is to do stuff.

A spiral fracture right ankle and broken wrist saw me off the bike for longer than 6 months.

The fact the injury was caused by my 2 wheeled companion might have had something to do with it….

(mental note to self: don’t session 30ft gaps on an all-mountain bike)

6 months 24/7 on stw, sorted.

Do other stuff.

Any other hobbies or pastimes that you “would have liked to have done, but never had the time”??

Or read stuff about your interests, take a different view, read techie stuff about bikes/riding etc. incl DVDs.

Study.

Thanks guys 🙂 <3

Rachel

Oh yes, you could buy a new hat too 😉

Find TJ on the missing big hitters on he internet. Start an argument. Kick yourself for overshooting and wasting nine months instead of six.

Forgot to say hope the rehab period goes quickly and smoothly.

Having once been off the bike for 7 months, I realise looking back, that the time passed very quickly.
Gardening,
dancing,
walking,
visiting friends,
cooking,
baking,
shopping,
watching old films, any films really,
reading books,
visiting places of interest, maybe national trust properties (although I think you’re too young for that).

Good luck with the healing process.
Looking forward to riding some trails with you when the time comes.

Actually, I think I have TJ on my Facebook friends list…

Rachel

Do you have any interest in photography? If so take your camera and head out to decent ride spots and try and grab some action shots. Your knowledge of riding will give you an edge as you will be able to predict good spots to stand and catch some action in your shots.

Once you have got proficient go to a trail center on a busy day and post your resultant shots of the ‘hotshots’ on your website charging them per image and see if you can earn enough money for a new bike 🙂

If you are short of ‘customers’ arrange a STW day out 😉

Few people seem to have good shots of themselves in action. I know I don’t 🙁

As it happens, bentandbroken…

I bought a new camera for that very purpose (Fuji x100)

Rachel 🙂

Post-op and off work currently.
Today I have clocked up 3 documentaries, 2 films and on about my 20th you tube bike vid. Just popped here because I’m on the look for some parts.

Last (no, second to last) long spell off my bike everything got stripped and then the pile of parts re-allocated to build stuff up a bit differently. Thought I had the perfect bikes built up for the events and rides I had planned for when I got back riding, then 6 months later I crashed and tore all the soft connecting stuff in a shoulder and never got to do the events, bit more re-speccing followed.

🙂

Can I get a free image of me looking ‘rad*’? 😉

* Actually you would also need good photoshop talent for that 🙁

i am hopfully on the last month or so of a 11 month stint off the bike. my advice would be…
same a most of the sensible options from previous posts, and…
strip and rebuild bikes so there are no last second “oops should have fixed that” on the first ride back out.
try and stay as fit as possible, i have put nearly a stone and a half on since last year AND i do an active job.
oh and new bike related rsearch is… sometimes depressing, wanting to go and test bikes and not being able sucks

out of interest… with all the people on here that are post op/broken does any one on STW actually ride the bikes they own?!? 😆

Biggest advice: don’t look at bike parts. I seem to spend a lot more when I’m not riding – I built a new bike up whilst waiting to ride again.

+ 1

3 months sitting on the sofa with a pinned and plated shattered shoulder saw me buy and build a bike completely unsuitable for me.

I’m with the other comments – its seems a long time while its happening, but when its done it seems like nothing.

Best wishes for your recovery.

I had 5 years off the bike following a visit to a hospital and am still not able to do much more than the odd hour or two…. that was not a nice experience especially as they werent sure I would be able to ride again.

Oh! Another idea for when you get a little bit more mobile is Geocaching

I have found some great new routes to ride while out Geocaching and am in the process of sketching them out (with notes on type, surface, inclines etc) on a private google map. As the map data grows, circular routes start ‘making themselves’ 🙂

I had a stay in hospital, followed by a spell in a rehab ward before coming home in a wheelchair, it’s been just over two years since I got home and I’m finding it nice to start to do any decent exercise again. I’m jogging three times a week and cycling once, not ideal but its the best I can do, although any real mountain biking seems unlikely as my balance is ruined.

If there is any form of excercise that you can do, then try it. More importantly, don’t worry.

I’m liking these ideas – they are helping me get the silly recumbent idea out of my head.

Rachel

Recumbent?

That’s worse than a road bike.

Are you able to do any sort of activity? Is walking any distance an option?

Walking is a challenge still but will improve over the next couple of weeks.

Crikey – I’ve always been recumbent-curious.

Rachel