I’ve really lost my love for mountain biking I think, my rides last year amounted to 50 miles about 6 rides in total.
I bought a new bike last year did 6 rides enjoyed them. My last ride was November, got caked in mud, cleaned and waxed it and it’s sat in my bedroom ever since.
It’s currently sunny and I was planning on going out in it, but I really can’t be bothered, and am thinking Motorbike instead.
Feels like a complete waste of a £2000 bike.
I’m normally quite lacking in motivation in winter anyway.
Should I just patiently wait to see if the buzz comes back if it ever does or try again in spring when it’s a bit warmer and more appealing?

Break through the faff and ride the bike!

I feel the same from time to time but it always worth it in the end.

Sometimes it’s an effort to make yourself go out. Once you do however you are unlikely to regret it. How many times have you been on the mountain bike and thought “this is rubbish, wish I never bothered”?

Never gone and thought this is rubbish, but I have thought this is hard bloody work.
I think my main factor is, I have get home and start cleaning the bike which is a chore in winter. It has be clean as it lives in back room or bedroom.

Get a throwaway plastic mat/ couple of garden growbag trays to put the bike on in the spare room so it doesn’t have to be sparkling before you stick it in there.

How many times have you been on the mountain bike and thought “this is rubbish, wish I never bothered”?

Including turning round halfway through riding at CyB and riding back to the car on the road,most of them lately. 😕

Get a throwaway plastic mat/ couple of garden growbag trays to put the bike on in the spare room so it doesn’t have to be sparkling before you stick it in there.

This! Just wipe the thick of it off with some kitchen towel and put the thing away until the next time. It’ll only get manky again anyway.

You don’t have to ride if you don’t want to, you know.

Sounds like your other toys are getting your attention more and you are beating yourself up about not riding the bike, which is making you feel more negative towards it.

Next time you feel like getting out, just chuck some warm clothes on and do it. And make sure as others have said that you can get away with a hose down/lube chain and clean up seals/put it away. Cleaning isn’t fun particularly when it’s cold and you’re wet.

And don’t worry about the money you’ve spent on it, it’s spent now, the bike can sit there until you are ready to ride it, it’s not going to rust in the spare room.

Your last ride was in November? That’s not all that long ago really, considering the usual Christmas commitments, winter bug down time and filthy weather. Ride when you want to and for as short a distance as you feel like – do what you enjoy and don’t measure yourself against what you think everyone else is doing. Don’t beat yourself up – in reality few people are out there every weekend slaying trails and shredding gnar or whatever. I do think you need to find a way to be able to leave your bike less than perfectly clean though – that would put anyone off going for a ride.

What the rest have said is good – just get out and turn the pedals, doesn’t have to be a big ride at all, or even a proper dressed up ‘proper’ ride.

Sometimes just taking the bike to the shops, jumping off kerbs etc is enough to get my mojo back

Yeah do it. Get a motorbike. That’s exactly what I did in my 20s. It’s all the same thing IMO. One bike is the same as another, with or without an engine it’s still not a car. I still have a motorbike after I restarted cycling. No sense in trying to push yourself to do something you don’t want to.

Or just go and do something you do want to do.

I mountain biked for years and due to a change of circumstance it was just not the same. So I did a couple of years doing Ironman triathlon for a change. It was great, now I fancy doing some more mountain biking again.

Just do what you enjoy !!!

a) bike cleaning doesn’t have to be difficult if you get a system going

b) you could store it in a bag in the house. Leave bag in hallway for the duration of the ride then pop it back in and take it to the spare room or wherever. Just leave the bag unzipped so it dries out. You can then clean it later if needed or just keep riding it dirty.

I’m feeling a little ‘meh’ about it too at the moment. Time, weather, conditions – they all add up.

What I would say is the advice above about cleaning is all good. Another option, if you have a car, is to keep a Dirt Worker (or whatever they’re called now) in it and hose the bike down in the street.

When I used to live in a flat and rode a cheap rigid mud-guarded singlespeed all winter. I was nightriding in the Chilterns so it was hilly and cloggy, but it was great training, something a little different, getting me outside and – other than lubing the chain – pretty much maintenance-free. The bike only got a clean when I had to drive somewhere and could hose it, or on the balcony at the weekend (which was rare!)

The other option is to let it go. Wait until March/April when things are a little drier, and go for a spin and see how you get on. Unless you’re racing, what’s the rush?

You live in Darwen don’t you? If you fancy a change you can come out running with us up at Dashers.

just go and have some fun. doens’t need to be on the bike, or even off road. is it your only bike? just ride it somewhere.

Motivation comes and goes.

Just had an internal debate myself. It’s lovely out, but I know the trails will be muddy and I ride them all the time so meh.. What I really want to do is head further afield and explore, so I think I’ll just hit the gym this lunchtime and do a longer ride tomorrow.

Just had an internal debate myself. It’s lovely out, but I know the trails will be muddy and I ride them all the time so meh.. What I really want to do is head further afield and explore, so I think I’ll just hit the gym this lunchtime and do a longer ride tomorrow.

Cool story bro.

😉

It has be clean as it lives in back room or bedroom.

Mine lives in my living room or bedroom. I just put it on a plastic sheet and let the central heating dry it. 2mins to knock off and hoover up the dried in muck a day or two later. Easy.

bazzer – Member
Or just go and do something you do want to do.

This, despite what some might think, it’s a hobby, something fun to do – it’s not a lifestyle and for us anyway, not a job, if you don’t fancy it, don’t force yourself.

If you’re forcing yourself to get out, then it’s going to feel like a chore, you’ll start making deals with yourself in your head “Oh, I’ll take the easy route, stop for a coffee, pottle back” which is just saying, I don’t want to go, I’ll do less than I can.

Do something you want to do instead, if it’s still sat there come spring, let it go, you can always get another one, get past this idea you have to join a tribe and stick with it forever.

My way of dealing with this is to agree to meet up with someone to go for a spin – then I have to go out of the house

Inertia.

You have to re-wire your brain/routine so it becomes addictive again.

I do lots of miles, just to keep going. When I have a break like over the last few days – the first ride is always a pain but then you do another and so on and it becomes easy again.

Happened to a mate of mine who admitted one ride early last year that he had not been enjoying riding for a while. For one reason or another he didn’t really get out much for the rest of the year but seems keener now so maybe you just need a bit of time away?

I had this with road cycling, used to really like it then after the 2015 ToB came through and I rode there with my mates to see it and had a really nice relaxed ride I just thought, CBA’d with this any more and promptly sold the road bike.

I haven’t missed it one bit

Maybe what you need is another bike.

Might sound odd, but I know what you mean about having a clean bike and everything being big minging outside.
Sometimes when it’s like that I really don’t feel like going out and getter soaked, and muddy. But, the commuter with full guards on the back roads.
Still feel like I’ve been out, stretched the legs, got some air.
Not mountain biking but cycling, and it’s all good.

Some good points, I do have two bikes luckily. I have a hardtail which I shove in downstairs big, don’t mind this getting muddy as its tiled and only ever gets used if bathrooms in use upstairs.
I’m not really motivated for any activity in winter apart from my Tuesday night cricket nets, I become low in mood after new year till the clocks go forward and days get longer.

Maybe I’m best waiting till clocks go forward and getting out.

Looking to start fishing again this year so will be using the bike ride to the local fishery.

I ride my motorbike less for pleasure in winter also, only use it to commute.

You don’t have to ride muddy trails you know. Canal paths, old railway lines etc, offer a less muddier experience, & despite what some say, your knob won’t shrink. Factor in a cafe stop & it’s almost becoming tempting………

I’ve just built a bird aeris up, hardly ridden it.

Sold my cx bike, bought an xc hardtail.

Because I haven’t ridden in ages I know my first few rides will be horrendous, but they’ll get better, and I can’t blame the bike. Lacking confidence after such a long lay off and conditions locally will be gloop, but once I get some fitness back and regain some confidence I reckon I’ll be well up for giving the aeris a thrash down some of the gnarlier stuff.

For now though I’ll be pootling(ish) the xc bike about.

thanks for posting – i read this morning and it was just the incentive i needed to go out for a 2 hr 25 mile explore on the Arkose.

After a 150 miles of commuting and bike packing last week plus a bit of a hangover i really couldn’t be bothered but after reading the OP i thought MTFU you have; a pass; your health and a garage full of bikes and associated faff – get on with it.

now sitting at home with huge mug of tea and cheese and tomatoes on toast feeling very smug.

get out there OP you wont regret it.

Go to BPW and do an uplift day, ride whatever you feel happy doing, nothing wrong with blues all morning. You’ll giggle and smile, fitness won’t be an issue. Have lunch and a rest then do it again in the afternoon. On the way home think how much fun it was and how much more it would be if you were fitter/had some mtb time in your legs/arms/brain. Get home and book another day in 4-6weeks time, use that to motivate you to get back out. If you can’t (crap weather, family commitments etc), email BPW and put the date back. If you don’t want to get out and dread another BPW day, then cancel the day, sell the mtb and move on!

Today would be a perfect day to get out on the bike here: sunny, not too cold, no wind… Just a shame I don’t actually have a bike!!! 😕

I have 2 motorbikes too but this time of year all they get used for is commuting to work, it’s no fun riding in winter. Whereas getting dirty on a mountain bike is great fun.
Get out there and get covered in mud, there’s nothing worse than a wasted weekend doing nothing.

My Mrs never wants to go on the bikes in winter I’m usually out on my own but come spring/summer I’m home from work and she’s ready with the bikes out telling me to hurry up and change !!
Leave it till spring have a ride or 2 and see if that ‘spark’ re-ignites if not sell the bike