Do many people here hit the trails on there own? I know it’s not the safest thing to do but I’m struggling to find people to ride with.

a fair bit yeah, not uncommon AFAIK

I wouldn’t be concerned from a safety point of view. I do ride on my own. Try to make sure someone knows where I am and what time back.

I do it all the time, sometimes I prefer just riding at my own pace and riding whatever bits I fancy at the time. Sometimes ride with a couple of mates who are just getting into it which is fun as well.

All the time, find it is great and allows me to get lost on my own thoughts at my own pace, rode a lot last summer on my own in the early hours (after midnight) around Afan, as no one else was around to ride. Don’t get me wrong I do ride with a group most weeks, but at times it’s nice to just get out on your own.

Yup, most of my riding

yea quite often as I work shifts. I also ride the local jump spots and down hill venues on my own when riding buddies are working.

Me too. No mates, you see

all the time, 5 hours yesterday without a mobile -sometimes at night too.

I’m super hard though! (and dont have many friends) 😆

Me too. Billy no mates. Always ride alone.

What a response! Cheers guys I’m not the only one with no friends then 😆

99.9% of the time, prefer it

Yeah I do this a fair bit, take the descents a bit easier though

About half the time. I love it – time to unwind. Don’t worry about safety, just:

1. let someone know roughly where you are going when you expect to be back
2. Carry mobile and some cash, repair kit, food etc – be self sufficient
3. Don’t get ambitious
4. Ride gently and enjoy nature

Lots of riding on my own, in local woods and sometimes in real hills

I’d be nervous in an area where there were no people. But thats hard to imagine in the uk, well most of England

I know some one who had to crawl to the road in the dark after a climbing accident. So I try to avoid situations that would end up like that. But telling people where you are etc. are enough of a safety net for me

Most of the time yeah. Group rides are good but I wouldn’t like that to be the majority of my riding.
I only think about the safety aspect if I was doing something obviously remote, which is silly really. Could do with some improvement there in telling the family were I’m going.

Most of the time im on my own, tho mrs vader always knows where I am. Plus with the medical issues I have (and after that chap up north was found and no one knew who he was, including him.) I wear one of these….IceID

I live in Surrey Hills and as such am never more than a kilometre or two from a road. I ride on my own a lot (as I’m slow and grumpy 🙂 ), I do tend to keep within my limits on trails especially midweek and only go for the more challenging stuff when in company or when I know there will be other riders along in good time. I’ve had a few decent crashes in the woods when riding alone and thought afterwards a broken collar bone or a concussion wouldn’t have been smart ! If I where riding more exposed terrain I’d make sure someone knew where I was but if it wasn’t super technical I’d have no worries about riding it alone assuming weather was decent, had spares, food and water …

Yep, ride alone vast majority of the time…when it’s just me I find it’s far easier to fit rides in around work and family commitments. Only aspect I miss is not being a part of a group for the trips away.

make sure your sufficient and carry a mobile. obviously take extra precautions if going somewhere new or remote.

Used to ride on my own a lot in the lakes, occasionally in remote ish bits and in winter snow etc. CBA any more though for some reason. I would generally tell someone where I woukd be and when I’d be back (sometimes forgot though).

I mostly ride on my own, mostly because if I didn’t I’d not ride that much.

Being out in the hills, apparently away from it all, can have its own compensations. I don’t shun company mind. I was out for knocking 5 hours with a mate on Friday.

Don’t usually take a phone with me neither.

We managed before mobile phones didn’t we, we survived?

If your riding trail centres then dont worry about it, I do it loads of times.

And if your using strava you might even shun your mates for a solo ride, or is that just me 😈

Love riding and running on my own, especially on faster stuff without a helmet! Heightens all the senses. Most if my bike mates are rodies so max groups 2-3. Much better tha way. Quick decisions, nice small group, bit of fun and banter.

Jambalaya, I have you down as a real trail snake. I bet you are just being modest! So is you XC route over St M? If o which way do you climb back up? I tend to go the other way. Straight down to Chilworth (cheeky f’path and needs a couple of dabs) then blackheath towards w’fold etc.

99% ride on my own, but do like riding with ppl (anyone round Leeds? 😉 )

but i do find i hold myself back a little on my own, feel safer giving 100% with other ppl. Because if it goes wrong i dont want to be left in the wood to rot 😳

I find I usually ride better by myself. When I ride with others I sometimes have this weird thing where I feel under pressure to not cock up and look like a knob.

99% of the time, but I’m a knob so i can’t blame em!

Almost always on my own – just too much hassle organising things around shifts and I’d rather go out when I feel like it and the weather is decent and at my own pace.

Never crosses my mind to let anyone know where I’m going as I usually don’t know myself 😕

I always ride alone, gives you time to think. As for safety, I do take a mobile and use viewranger’s buddy beacon to let Mrs Andrewy know where I am. She worries more about road rides really rather than me launching myself unconscious into a bush, which is probably fair enough.

Loads. But then I do live right by Glentress and am busy person so can’t plan rides much.

I do some group rides if I know the people and it won’t be a phaffarama gabberfest with 15 mechanicals a ride, call me intolerant. Chatting is for in the cafe later IMHO, not for 20 mins at the start and finish of each trail.

Of course, I don’t usually go for the 10 foot drops on my own.

Yep, always have done in the South and South West. Have done remote rides in other parts of the UK as well. Broke my collarbone, you just have to deal with it.

Nobody knows where I go. Dark side accident last Summer resulted in hospital stay, didn’t have any ID either.

Thing is, there’s places I want to go, things I want to see. Life’s too short to hang around for other people.

Almost always on my own – just too much hassle organising things around shifts and I’d rather go out when I feel like it and the weather is decent and at my own pace.

Never crosses my mind to let anyone know where I’m going as I usually don’t know myself

+1

I’ve been riding offroad since 1993ish and I’ve only had to call for help once (broken ankle) 😉 just get to know your limitations and ride within them.

So Years ago I used to ride with a group-it was great, munchies stops, photo opportunities,laughing a lot. Well it was mainly me falling off and being laughed at a lot.
These last few years I have been riding solo more and more.
I moved to a different part of the country and now I’m not just strange but a stranger in a strange land.
Found my self pining for group rides tho……….

Except I dont miss the hanging around waiting for whoever to turn up or waiting around for whoever to fix that flat or reattach that component……..
Hang on, I like riding solo, I drive to and take part in events on my own. It’s great. I do talk to myself a lot tho.
I think if you’ve got a couple of buddies you ride with then you are lucky.
If you ride on your own you’re lucky too.
I dont ride in the dark on my own. My imagination is way too overactive.
That Ridley Scott has got a lot to answer for.

Thing is, there’s places I want to go, things I want to see. Life’s too short to hang around for other people.

+1

Crashed in the snow earlier this year when seat post snapped. Ripped my lycras to the extent that very glad there were no coppers around. Even happier that I was on my own, that was embarrassing enough! The most surreal experience I have had on a Mtb. Bought some baggies after that!

We managed before mobile phones didn’t we, we survived?

Yes! I just turn mine off – preserves battery and I get some peace! But seeing as mobiles exist they are damn useful for getting out of scrapes and letting loved-ones know you are safe, just a bit late.

Never crosses my mind to let anyone know where I’m going as I usually don’t know myself

Yes! With such a large selection of little trails here, I go whither I wish. That’s why I just give a rough idea of area (and where the car is). It’s better than nowt.

The viewranger things sound useful.

Used to, but recent changes mean I haven’t for a while. I can navigate and I like to set my own speed, and maybe stop to look at something interesting. Commonsense cuts in to slow me down if the route becomes difficult or challenging, to avoid damaging me or the bike or both.

And I can enjoy the right company, especially if they have an extensive route knowledge and an interesting character.

I prefer riding on my own. I prefer doing most things on my own, TBH. I tell my missus roughly where I’m going and when I’m likely to be back, but she sometimes worries. Viewranger might be interesting – or will Google Latitude do similar for free?

99% alone.
I work shifts and regularly commute off road at 2am.
I usually pick my route at the last minute, depending on the weather and how tired I am, so nobody knows where I am.
It’s not uncommon to ride a trail and see no other fresh tyre tracks or footprints for a few days midweek.
It does make me think that if I crashed on a Monday morning, I could be there until the following weekend.

Me too, most of the times.I always carry a mobile and someone knows more or less where I am going, especially if it isn’t a local ride.