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circa 1%, I usually pop out straight after work in the summer and then typically on the weekends go somewhere further afield.
100 percent
Let me consult Strava 🙂
Last time I was home I did 17 from home (Saltburn) and 12 in other places, that was including a week in the Lakes though.
From Saltburn is mainly into Errington woods or a jaunt up the Cleveland way to Guisborough forest/moors.
Would be interested to know where you live/ride to add a bit of variety to my more local options!
I live on the other side of Preston and mostly ride to Longridge Fell, around the fire roads and rocky trails till I am bored, then head home. It's mostly wet and muddy in places, I am not sure it's worth traveling far to get to. It's alright on an old 26er hardtail though.
To be honest the road riding is better around here than MTB as there aren't that many bridleways locally.
Road 99.5%
MTB 20-40% - usually a 20 minute drive
We asked this question in the OpenMTB / Cycling UK riding survey last year actually. While 2/3rds of people already ride from home, we think that could increase if rights-of-way legislation was relaxed.
[url= https://www.cyclinguk.org/press-release/2017-02-15/first-road-cycling-report-gives-unique-insight-uk-scene ]
Link to press release, full report download link within[/url]
Yup.
Big park on doorstep, PBW about 5 mins away, lovely little trail centre type thing just up the road.
Take bikes on holiday but not driven anywhere just to ride in a couple of years, apart from Hit the North.
95% from home, two minutes of that to porridge pots and tunnel hill so all good!
60/70% Ballaugh Glen IOM
More and more I ride from home now, even though my local stuff isn't amazing, I just can't face driving an hour when I could be out and door and back home within 2 hours and have completed a nice local loop. I’ll travel if there’s a group out for a good ride, but if riding solo I’ll just ride from my door.
Couldn't you leave the mobi washer in your car outside your flat and ride from home and then wash it outside your flat next to your car?
I used to but one of the neighbours complained about the mud being left in the car park. Wasn't even lumps of mud, just feint streaks where I'd tried washing it away afterwards!!
90% from home in Ballaugh, Isle of Man and 100% from home in Platsa, Messinia.
[quote=milky1980 ]
I used to but one of the neighbours complained about the mud being left in the car park. Wasn't even lumps of mud, just feint streaks where I'd tried washing it away afterwards!!
and you cared?
95% + Edinburgh
Used to be 100% for years, this year it's dropped to around 90% as I'm trying different stuff.
Calderfornia.
50/50 for me, -edge of the Peak but I do find as I get older I drive more so I can use my dwindling energy to ride interesting stuff.
...Calderfornia...
Like it. Calderfornication.
Pretty much 100% from home, rarely ride away (apart from the Alps holidays and stuff like that). South Herefordshire so edge of the FOD.
99% here - basically everything except on holidays.
South Leeds
pipiom - Member
60/70% Ballaugh Glen IOM
pipiom and I only live half a mile apart, the difference is that he’s sociable and goes on lots of social rides that start in different places, whereas I’m almost always out on my own, so I might as well just ride from home. I’m old, slow, miserable and unsociable, it goes without saying. 🙄
99.987% from home , just East of the Cairngorms.
I ride from Molgrip's home.
Probably 25% from home, Winchester.Mostly within a 45 minute drive the rest of the time.
Local singletrack and south downs are perfectly good, so I think this says more about seeking out what I enjoy the most, rather than being forced to travel.
I've been in this house 15 years and still finding new and different trails within 10 km of home. Just a matter of heading in different directions.
Oh, I have. I do have a slight disadvantage there that one side is occupied by the sea...
In the interests of neighbourly harmony, yes. That and the management company have a habit of charging people for cleaning operations for stuff like it, one of the good things about the development actually!
100% - North Hampshire, I have the Basingstoke Canal at the end of my road and Aldershot Ranges about a mile away.
0% from home
25% from a start location within 10 mins drive .
25 % from a start location within 30mins drive ..
The rest ..weekend rides are anywhere between an hour to 2.5 hours away ..
The local rides within 10 mins I could start from my front door but would involve riding on tarmac and I hate with a passion riding on the road .
I'm based in North West Northumberland within the National Park and on the outskirts of one Europe's largest forests & man made lakes Kielder ( Water )..we also have the largest protected area of Dark Skies in the country ..great for night riding 😀
[quote="Chvck"]Oh, I have. I do have a slight disadvantage there that one side is occupied by the sea...Yeah, i have the same issue. The seaside is (almost) visible from upstairs. There is even some halfway decent riding right on the coast.
100% start from home
Unesco Geo Park starts 7 minutes ride away
That's excluding those where I go to another country for a week or long weekend MTBing (Austria, Slovenia, Cairngorms, etc.)
I can't remember I went for a MTB ride from home last. Not enough spare time. I'm NW Cumbria.
In fact a fat bike could make sense the Solway is only about 3-4 mile away.
Usually. I don't own a car. Occasional weekends away in a hire vehicle, occasional day trips with others
I dislike driving to ride, I won't drive for longer than the ride without a very good reason. I often turn down group rides because it involves driving
10 min drive to the start point? Ride FFS it will take you no longer by the time you have faffed about with the car
TJ..What bit about ..dont like riding on the road did you not understand ?
That 10 minute drive would probably take 30 mins by road ( on the bike )..and there is much better riding within the forest to spend that 30 mins on than wasting it on tarmac ..but thanks for your concern 8)
Probably 50% for me.
Short hardtail rides from home with limited kit, limited time and usually on my own on one of my favourite local routes.
Longer full suss rides with pals that live further away via car up on the moors, in to the dales or off to a trail centre when time allows.
Used to be 95% via car until recently when I've been getting out more.
I live in Skipton, North Yorks, Gateway to the Dales. 😀
Great back road riding from home but no decent MTB. My rule of thumb is that if I drive, the ride has to be substantially longer than the combined drive there and back and bike wash time.
hodgynd - Member
Add to the 10 mins drive the faff about parking, getting your bike on the car etc and I bet you don't even save 5 mins.
sorry dude - its wasteful and lazy IMO. I would never drive 10 mins to ride no matter what.
Like I give a shit about your opinion ..get on with your own riding mate and leave me to mine ..for what it's worth ..I never put my bike on the roof it slides into the back of my car ..usually the night before ..its called forward planning .
Once again ..and you seem to have real trouble grasping this ..I drive to the start of my local ride(s) as the alternative is a 30 minute [b]road[/b] ride which I avoid as much as I possibly can
..ok ?
99.9% ride from home here. Last year I did two events that involved driving to the start. It's a big part of why I live where I do.
Calderdale, 95% from home. Trips to lakes and Scotland once or twice a year, plus the odd outing to antur stiniog, gisburn etc make up the 5%
hodgynd
If you don't give a shit about my opinion why are you being so defensive?> - and a 10 min drive does not take 30 mmins to ride unless you are either a really slow rider or speed furiously all the time inyour car.- and the extra faff about will take a chunk of time. Parking both ends, changing, cleaning the car etc
methinks the hodgynd doth protest too much
Maybe 20% from home (Woking), along the canal to Tunnel Hill, the ranges, or over to Swinley.
More often, drive to Swinley or Surrey Hills.
Occasionally, further afield, especially South Wales (Trail centres and "natural" stuff).
Yeah whatever ..go waste someone else's time dullard .. 😆
Hit a nerve did I? 🙂
73.37 % from home
and a 10 min drive does not take 30 mmins to ride unless you are either a really slow rider or speed furiously all the time inyour car
That's horseshit. I live 1 minute drive from the M40, 9 mins on the motorway and I'm 10 miles from home at the next junction. Would take substantially longer than 30 mins to get to the same place by bike.
To answer the OP's question
About 20% rides from home on local trails
About 30% - short drive to better local(ish) trails
About 50% - longer drive to Swinley or FoD
Not at all ..just can't be arsed to explain things any further to someone who obviously has no grasp of the type of terrain that is on my doorstep and why I would choose to maximise the time I have to the fullest .
Sorry that you can't afford a car to get you to more exciting riding ..sounds pretty boring being stuck close to home all the time ..never mind son . 😀
That's my last response ..you aren't worth any more of my time
Taking the train count??
Get a grip TJ, we all have different ways of getting our riding in, who are you to decide that yours is the righteous way?.
the extra faff about will take a chunk of time. Parking both ends, changing, cleaning the car etc
TBF mate parking takes no time and I usually drive to and from in my bike kit with a old sheet on the seat. Oh, and a 10 min drive could certainly be a 30 min ride round here on a MTB.
Probably about 80% from home.
It was the main reason for buying a gravel/cx bike as other than two downhill sections on my local 22 mile loop it's completely non technical.
Rarely use the my mtbs nowadays, but when I do I nearly always drive to the start of the interesting bit.
Given the driving and unpacking takes and hr in total, in winter id rather spend that time riding.
Its an opinion no more or less valid than any other opinion. Driving for ten minutes to ride will not save any significant time, ( this is the reality once you add in all the faff of driving ie parking both ends, getting the bike in the car, changing shoes etc) adds to pollution and costs money. I feel quite sorry for someone who feels they have to do this.
and for what it is worth I could go out and buy a nice car withg spare chash tomorrow. Its just I have better things to do with my life than sit in cars - like riding bikes.
95% from home, these days.
Wakefield (east).
I occasionally drive ten minutes to ride. There is a road climb to the local woods and it’s a road descent back. Most of the time I ride it, but it’s nice now and then to cut out 8-10 miles of road riding and spend more time on dirt.
In fact, that’s what I’m going to do tomorrow just to annoy tj and his high horse...
TJ - ye're talkin' pish.
I occasionally drive ten minutes to ride. There is a road climb to the local woods and it’s a road descent back. Most of the time I ride it, but it’s nice now and then to cut out 8-10 miles of road riding and spend more time on dirt.
+1, maybe more than 10, but under 15. It's mostly up a big hill - takes me 45-50 minutes to ride there, there's a reasonable sized hill on the way home too!
Probably 95% from home in Kent. 5 mins to get off road then another 5-10 mins to some great woodsy singletrack.
Very good road riding from home too. 10 mins to get out of town and then as far as you want on pretty quiet country roads through the North Downs.
The rest would be odd visits to trail centres etc on day trips or breaks away.
Don't you have an ebike for a 1 mile commute TJ?....
50% from home. Weekend home is three miles from Dalby.
i cycle about 6 miles to the trails the time saving if i drive is negligible when compared to the faff of putting the bike in and out of the car etc- I have to leave at pretty much the same time if meeting mates and it means I miss a good descent on the way home as I come home a different way
I never drive to the local trails unless i am going with my kids
Probably +90% from home - did decide partially to live where we are (in Surrey Hills) for the riding. It’s espically good for those beautiful day WFH moments that make work/life balance so much better.
This is not directed at anyone in particular...but for those who don't have the ability to understand why I personally drive 10mins to start a local ride.
I live in one of the remotest parts of the country in a valley with steep sided hills on either side ..and while I could leave the house and within a few minutes be on very quiet singletrack roads ..the key word here is roads ..I absolutely hate with a passion riding on the road.
A 10 minute car drive cuts out a journey which would take 30mins on my bike and gets me to the edge of a forest which covers 250sq.miles in total and has limitless amounts of off road riding ..this is why I have a mountain bike .
Those of you banging on about "time saving " really are missing the point..I don't care how long it takes to pack or unpack the car my riding isn't governed by that factor ..it takes as long as it takes and on a solo ride its on my terms.
I should also point out that as I'm self employed time is something that I have chosen over money ..its worth a whole lot more ..and my riding isn't governed by having to rush around to be somewhere else...
Hope that clears things up for you clockwatchers.. 8) 😀
Doesn't tjagain live in a flat in the middle of Edinburgh?
It probably does only take 15-20 minutes to cover the same distance as you can drive in 10 once you've driven yourself through the city. Add in all the faff of getting the bike in/out and so on it's only going to make it worse.
I know the times i've lived in cities it's really not worth the hassle of driving for less than 8-10 miles (depending on how fit you are of course). Especially if you have to find parking when you get home.
Where i am now, i can be on the motorway in under 10 minutes, including getting the bike on/in the car. So driving is quicker if i'm travelling more than a handful of miles. I also have a drive. So it's convenient on the way home too.
To be honest, i wish more people realised how stupid driving around a city at little more than walking pace actually is.......
i often drive <10 minutes to ride too, but thats usually when the dog is coming along as it avoids the road bits. also good to have somewhere to shove the bikes if we go in the pub afterwards, maybe grab a dry jumper... takes zero time to park and grab the bike out the van!
I mainly ride my cx bike from the door & maybe once or twice in midsummer I'll ride the mtb from home.
Occasionally I'll drive 10 mile to enjoy a 100% off road ride on my mtb.
I do pick my times though - early mornings - no traffic.
Hobnobs anyone?
Just the choccie ones..ta
100% from home for my whole life. I have never put my bike in a car and taken it anywhere.
As a teenager I would even ride 7 miles to get to a BMX track (on a BMX)
95% from home. South Edinburgh, so the Pentlands are only 20mins ride away.
How does the innocuous question 'do you ride from home?' degenerate into such chaos?
And some wonder why others don't bother posting in the forum 🙄
TJ, think you need to chill out & go for a ride mate. Time spent arguing petty opinions on an internet forum is time you could spend out on the trails, them ones from your doorstep 😉
All my solo rides are from home except if I'm combining it with something else (I assume I can include riding from my parents' house!). The fact that there's a lot of nice biking halfway to the inlaws means a mid point meet ti swap kids can be combined with a nice day out.
I'll sometimes drive for local club rides (8 miles away) but it takes so long to put the bike in the car, get changed into something dry at the end etc. that I will ride nowadays.
I do like to get some variety in, and quite often I spend more time driving to and from a place than riding (actual moving time - not time out on the bike). This is fine as I enjoy driving too and if I'm not driving I'll be getting shit chat from one of my riding buddies so it's all good.
Off road. 99.9% from home. Well roughly. Road? Maybe drive for 30 mins to an hour every couple of months or so.
Location, FoD
Smugly able to spout on about not polluting too much for leisure purposes. Might be less self righteous if I lived somewhere crap.
99% from the door; near Pontypool, South Wales. Other 1% is velodrome or very occasional TC like FoD.
Ooh, about 4.62% from the door - got some flat woods practically on the doorstep, but they're only for singlespeed with the dog. Everywhere else 15mins+ drive away.
How does the innocuous question 'do you ride from home?' degenerate into such chaos?
And some wonder why others don't bother posting in the forum
This has actually been a pretty 'low chaos' thread tbh, and for a change has pretty much stuck to the question posed by the OP... As this is mainly a road/cx/gravel forum, the high level of rides from home is quite predictable, add in the morally righteous who consider putting a bike in a car akin to racism, becomes even higher.
I'd imagine if you asked on an [i]actual[/i] mountain biking forum, the percentages would be a whole lot lower. 8)
As a teenager I would even ride 7 miles to get to a BMX track (on a BMX)
That reminded me, we once rode our BMXs from Sheffield to Chesterfield (down a dual carriageway! silly kids...) to go to the skatepark. That was after riding 5/6 miles from home into the town centre and spending half the day riding. Wish I was that fit now!
Now I live next to Wharncliffe woods, so almost always straight from home, unless I go to Sherwoodpines or to a race.
0% Aston Hill is my nearest riding spot (15 miles) there might be stuff a bit closer but still a drive away and just flat xc stuff
About 90% from the door as I have a great range of riding available, and I tend to ride alone. I'll generally drive short distances if I'm meeting mate's to ride as we'll tend to meet for breakfast etc and I just find it nicer to do it that way. I also have a few trips to trail centre's or the lake's etc. I do generally ride for fun rather than moral supremacy.
almost 0.
I definatly have ridden to work - then ridden after work.
It would have been >50% in the previous house.
Road riding there's loads from the door but MTB is difficult.
10 minute drive doesn't equate to 15 minute cycle here. we're 'trapped' by the motorway to some extent and many of the roads you can cycle on I wouldn't. It involves a long and convoluted route which might take 40 mins on a MTB.
Its a shame as my commute is 14 km east and pretty nice. My OHs commute is 5 km (nice achievable distance) but not at all safe by bike.
and a 10 min drive does not take 30 mmins to ride unless you are either a really slow rider or speed furiously all the time inyour car.- and the extra faff about will take a chunk of time. Parking both ends, changing, cleaning the car etc
You are indeed talking pish, I'm afraid TJ. It's perfectly possible to do a 10 minute drive to save a 30 minute ride.
I used to live in one town and ride just outside another, when I was in college. I always rode, because I didn't have a car. It took me about 40 minutes. It's 10 miles, and includes hills. But at the time it was NSL nearly all the way so you could easily drive it in less than 15. Parking took seconds as you could swing into an FC car park off the main road. As for the other things - getting changed, cleaning the car - none of that is necessary. Nowadays with baggies I drive in my riding kit and if I've got muddy (which I haven't always ) I just whip the outer baggies off and drive home in the liners. With an estate car you can just pop the bike in the back, it takes seconds.
Blimey, had to trawl through to find the "chaos" - a bit of bickering easy to ignore on page 3..
oh it's spilt over here now! 😆