No excuses just DO IT! Find a way and make time.

Been on pretty much constant epic fail for the last few years.

Wife went insane, we were splitting up (she was off with some other guys), she got pregnant we got back together. Lost the wee boy at 10 days old, she wound up arrested and then sectioned. Moved house whilst all this was going down. She came back. I started getting depressed. Moved house again. Got more depressed. Broke mentally. Split up again. Found she is pregnant again, but this time not getting back together. So guess it is another call to the solicitors to sort things out in a slightly different way to I planned… really wasn't expecting to find that there would be a child in a few months (she didn't mention it until she was 5 months gone give or take, moved 140 miles away and I was starting to sort out my life).

Oh aye, throw in since splitting this time, meet someone truely wonderful and now on the brink of loosing that too as she doesn't know if she can cope with the ex having my baby. Working hard to keep that together since it is one of the very few things that makes life seem worth living just now.

So nope, not been out on the bike in an age.

Becoming a dad twice in 18 months pretty much stopped my riding for a while. Youngest is now 2 and starting to get back into it slowly. Luckily my commute gives me around 4,000 miles a year and I can extend the rides to take in some trails if I wish. I rather suspect the halcyon days of riding every day (sometimes twice a day) are well and truly over.

There's more to life than riding bikes, but if you can get out once in a while it helps everything along I guess

family life with young kids. an apparent lack of time. just moved house. needs decorating. running, swimming and 5-a-side football taking my energies.

about 2 rides in the last year. re-occuring back injuries, new baby four months ago and 3yr old wanting much attention…

Not ridden since January due to new addition to the family. Like Yetidave I have a 4month and a (nearly) 3yr old. For all those folk who say "just make the time" etc I invite you to come round for a day and you'll see why you're talking plumbs.
It could be another couple of months before I can start night riding again and even then we're talking 7:45pm starts after bed/bath routines. The last daytime ride I did was last September.

bleddy kids 🙁

edit: commute totals about 750miles a year + more for sneaky lunchtime rides

Diagnosed with a brain tumour in June 2009. Had surgery, but tumour recurred by December 2009. Had second lot of surgery in January followed by radiotherapyi in March & April.

Riding about twice a month in the company of a mate, easy local stuff as the meds have taken a toll on my body & fitness. Now got space at home to get turbo trainer set up on a semi permanent basis so hope to get some daily exercise soon – probably on return from 2 weeks holiday in the sun soon.

ive ridden twice since december 27th…

had a conservatory built and re-decorated the whole house and a baby was born

i think im excused 😉

Robs – wow!!

Missingfrontallobe – keep up the good work!!

fit and injury free, but left my seatpost in my frame after a muddy ride in march and would not budge even after visit to a machine shop. frame destined for skip. scrimping for a new frame ever since but promised holiday with gf pinched funds. found out i was safe from redundancy today so hopefully the end of bikelessness is in sight

There are 2 ways to fix this.

1. Pouring parafin down the gap between the frame and seatpost then using a Vise or stilsens on seatpost to remove.

2. Cut of top of seatpost. Use a hacksaw blade from the inside of seatpost out towards the frame at oppositre sides of the seatpost and then use a vice and vise grips to pull each side free.

both better than binning yout frame.

Got a 19" Cove Hanjob frame that will soon be homeless or going via classifieds/ebay if interested and it might help get you mobile again.

Kids during the week means no time apart form the occasional night ride then I manage to get out every couple of weeks.
Week in Morzine in August should blow the cobwebs away though.

Respect to RobS, think what I've got would be easier to deal with than what that man has been through.

Some of these replies sound like they should be on mumsnet though lol!!! 😆

The winter snow really knocked my riding on the head. Moving to a house with no real garden didn't help, and nor did an abundance of long but very dull moorland rides on my doorstep.

Moving to a house that can be reached via the Black route at Glentress has really put the lead back in my pencil. God it's hurt though. A near 6 month lay-off has given me a bit of a mountain to overcome…and that's without the real mountain to overcome in the back garden!

Funny though, I love uphill stuff, and coming back to hardcore riding again makes me want my old hardtail back instead of my admittedly fun full susser.

I haven't been for an interesting off road ride since getting up the duff. Given I am 37 weeks now that is a lot of time not riding. BOO

Alright I use my hybrid bike everyday for running around on , but havent rode since April off road ,reason I am a fat ba**ard with no motivation plus its been 40 degrees here lately .its looking a bit grim for my day trip to the uk for a ride at the end of the month and it aint easy riding that will be doing. Ill have to pay for it but the descents will be worth it !

Nonhodgkins lymphoma radiotherapy three year old sixteen month old have not ridden for two weeks managed a couple of laps st mayhem. Most of you mtfu or admit that riding is not that important to you .
Robs and missing frontal lobe excepted.

I was riding 200ish miles a week from Jan to March – haven't ridden since March now though. Stupid knee injury.

well after 6 weeks no riding no running and getting swelling down/good mobility physio say 99% sure torn cartilage in knee so off to see a surgeon and not for first time – think i might be riding easy road now

Not been out since a week last Saturday following a fall on Medusas Drop at Dalby. Grade 4 AC joint dislocation. Operation today but will be a while before I am mountain biking again. Managing to ride 1 handed on the turbo but not exactly fun

Hope you fare better than me, my shoulder dislocation kept me off the bike for months and even now 18 months later is still bloody sore when moved. Though I think me putting it back in myself then riding the remaining 8 miles or so of MBR trail probably exacerbated things a little…

loddrick
Sounds bad news. Did you have an op or wait for it to mend?

well all the best to those recovering mentally and/or physically.

Once again it's made me feel like a moaning git!

Acouple of weeks for me since we got back from Morzine. Got an ear infection that's messing with my balance.

Been out once on 4.5 years. Two young kids, MrsG's Post natal depression and a long commute mean trail time has been non-existent.

I see my SC Superlight chained to the wall of the garage every single morning. It used to upset me, now I can't see it's pimpyness because of all the dust 🙁

sorry to hear that freddyg – take it down, wash it and stroke it.

It might then inspire you to at least ride it round the garden, which in turn might mean you end up riding at some point??

I haven't been for an interesting off road ride since getting up the duff

Mrs Grips was too stressed and tired and worked weekends before being preggy, then she was too ill to ride early preggie, and too tired to ride late preggie. We had ONE decent ride (her best ever I reckon) when she was about 5mo, then that was it until about two weeks ago (baby Grips is now 15mo) due to anaemia and exhaustion…