So
I have changed my name to gumby trail klutz.
I have been what you would I suppose call an old school xc mtber for bloody ages now.
my skill level has gone from bad to worse.
I dont get ro ride off road very often and it would seem that the large intervals between
off road excursions haven’t done me any favours at all.
The majority of my time spent on the bike is commuting on a mixture of road and fire trail.
has this happened to anyyone else. Does the mojo come back?

Never been fast or, particularly, skillful but just enjoy being on a bike. Currently in a similar position with “getting out” on the MTB (damn that road bike and/or weather) but after a couple of rides, in a week, the mojo certainly does return. Don’t worry, enjoy. 🙂

I’m neither fast nor particularly skillful and like you I don’t get enough time to mountain bike as much as I’d like but to be honest I just loves bikes and riding them.

My take on it is as long as I’m out riding some sort of bike and enjoying it doesn’t matter how fast or good I am . And all bikes are good so just ejoy whatever riding you get the chance to do.

I am sure your mojo will return. My only advice it don’t try and force it to come back. Whenever I have tried this I just end up getting frustrated which makes things worse.
Try to just enjoy being out on the bike and before you know it you will find that your mojo has caught up with you.

One of the things I love about mountain biking is that having fun is more important than being “good”.

If you’re enjoying it, carry on!

Have never derived any enjoyment from simply being on a bike. It’s all about fun for me, so I avoid roads and fireroads and dull pedally rides

My advice would be to try and tackle an obstacle or difficult section of trail that you would otherwise avoid. Session it over and over again and try not to be afraid. Other people have ridden it and not died in the process.

Once you’ve mastered it, it becomes a confidence ticket. Get another and another and another and another

When you know you can do stuff it becomes a driving force to get out there and do some more. You’ll forget about pedalling and seat height and handlebar width and rain etc it just doesn’t matter.

Good luck

Hey thanks you lot.
This week I have been trying my damndest to not comfort
Brake on a couple of sketchy corners on the brief off road section of my commuter route.

Being good isn’t really important at all, some of the happiest mountain bikers I know are rubbish, and some of the best riders I know are so focused on competition and going faster that they barely remember to have fun.

(I had a blast messing up a race at the weekend, a mate of mine had a miserable time because he made a mistake that cost him a couple of places and that ruined his weekend.)

If you’re happy with your skill level, then that’s all that counts. If you’re not, then improve it. Simples!

Having fun and getting on with it is what matters IMO. Without that, ability and confidence wont develop.

Cycling covers a wide range of things. Some like the technical challenge, some like the physical challenge, some like the view, or the solitude etc.

If you have a desire to ride down that rocky cliff or technical trail centre route, then you’ll need to develop the skills to enable you to do it. Whether that’s through a formal course or just lots of practice is up to you. But there is nothing wrong with just riding stuff you are comfortable with either.