[Closed] Fallen out of love with mtbing...anyone else affected?

nope. 2 wheels, human powered and all good

Happened to me - a while back. Like you, I was only really interested in road biking. After a while, the knobblies beckoned and I've been mixing it up a lot more since. In fact, I've hardly done any road riding at all this year.

I reckon it's a phase that will pass when we have the lighter nights and warmer/drier days. That means less faff too.

Nah, and after today at Cannock, no way!

i still enjoy mtb, but over winter i tend to run more than mtb or use the cx more.

but as the clock go forward tonight i will be able to get a quick blast in on the mtb afterwooek with the additional light in the evenig so no doubt i will be getting out on the mtb more until later in the year

Yep gone road for a year or so now. Just easier for me with work kids etc any time traveling to an MTB area is used on the road Bike do its an extra hour each way of driving becomes two hours more riding. I just love riding my bike any bike what's not to love!!!

I'll be back mind 😀

I know what you mean about all the faffage in the winter. Today, however was the best day on a bike that I've had in years. Rode around 20 miles with a good group of mates that I haven't ridden with in a couple of years. The banter, the bikes, the beers and none of the muddy filthy bikes and clothes at the end. Good times.

Its probably just a phase. To help get it out your system go do some of the classic Sportive rides and perhaps a LeJog on the road bike. Dont ditch your MTB's keep at least one (assuming you have more than one) and make it a hardtail.
I now dont stress too much if the bike doesnt get cleaned before every ride like I used to just a wipe of the fork stanchions and lube of the forks and chain and de-clag of the jockey wheels and cabbles once its all dried.
Main thing is ride to enjoy it, it shouldnt be a chore,your off road mojo will return in due course.

I have a new bike ,so I am immune to your affection 😀

Never get cheesed with mtb. I do get cheesed off about rides not being long enough becausevof travel etc.

With young kids I mostly night ride after work so bunk off half hour early and ride til 9 then pub and drive home (alco free). When I get home everyone else is asleep so have time to eash me and bike.

Prep for next week is done at the weekemd so no.1 son can 'help' with his tools.

Cant remember last time the road bike went out...

I had a few months off over the winter ...now back keener than ever .....but I also mix it up with some road riding

I'm road biking rather than MTB at the moment and riding more than ever. Looking forward to hitting my local loop with road legs though!

Sometimes I feel like riding my mtb....sometimes I don't
Sometimes I feel like riding my roadbike....sometimes I don't
Sometimes I feel like riding my bmx....sometimes I don't
Sometimes I feel like not riding at all....so sometimes I don't.
It all good.

getting the bike in the car, the journey, the pre-ride faff

That's the problem sometimes. Being able to ride from your doorstep is the important bit. CX, rigid MTB, road bike, whatever makes local stuff fun is all good.

I bought a road bike 2 years ago.
MTBs are now a novelty distraction for me in dry weather.
I've even taken to the turbo trainer over winter.

I love the intensity and commitment of road biking.

If you're getting in a car to ride your bike somewhere then you aren't trying hard enough.

I'm not affected by you falling out of love with mountainbiking at all. Does your family see more of you now?

We did a lot of road riding over the winter as most of our local trails were knackered with fallen trees. The road riding has been great. The mountain epic season is upon us and the weather is good, Glen Tilt the morn, bring it on.

Buy a cross bike

Get a fully rigid hardtail, geared or ss, clown or baby wheeled, & go explore some local trails. Like we used to do way back. Google maps et al, is your friend for spotting local routes. Try & stitch something together for an hours ride, even if your skirting the golf course or blasting up the canal path. Just a ride that doesn't involve the faff of loading up the car etc. Go back to basics.

I've had a winter of CBA but as soon as the clocks going forward came in sight, I recovered my enthusiasm.

I know what you mean about the faffing though, when you finish the ride and you're tired and just want to go home and not have to deal with bike racks and hoses and peeling off wet/muddy clothes.

I ride road far more than MTB these days but it;s still all good. I go mountain biking when I want, not just a reflex action as it used to be.
Mix it up, enjoy the improved fitness you get from road bike, and more free time and cash (less maintenance).
In time you'll miss the sheer fun of mtb and and go back to it and find a new balance
It's all bikes, all good 🙂

I broke my cocycx and compressed my spine 5 years ago and haven't touched a bike in that time. Prior to that I worked in a bike shop, breathed, ate and lived MTB.

I have a road bike, but get a grip it is not MTB.

A break is as good as a change. I was on STW 10+ years ago and partied with Chips at the chedder challenge.

How many rodies party hard lol

I pass a road gang and can't see a smile amongst them.....

Riding should not be for health wealth or lifestyle. It makes you smile. I can go 50 on the road bike but 5 on the MTB and poop.

As long as I smile. Having not been able to sit on a saddle for soooo long, just enjoy yourself.

No. It's all good, it's all cycling and getting out into the outdoors and having a good time. I think your problem is [i] involving getting the bike in the car, the journey, the pre-ride faff [/i] This doesn't have to be what mountain biking or off-road riding is at all. Road biking is definitely brilliant, but that gets samey and then you have a dry dusty day and go for the MTB. It's all the same to me, it's all riding bikes and enjoyment. do what feels good - it's not a job! more options the better. went off tramping mountains in my boots [i]on my feet[/i] with [i]my legs[/i] today with my mates and had a wonderful time and lots of laughs. mix it up.

I'm going through the same thing at the moment! seriously considering swapping my Zesty for a road bike.
Living in Peterborough means you need to travel to get any decent riding in and with 2 young kids getting away for the day is not the easiest. There is some 1/2 decent stuff locally but it gets dull after a while yet the road riding is pretty damn good around here, we have roads and more roads 🙂

yup, mainly got fed up of travelling and the expense/time involved to get to mtb worthy places..mainly ride road/cross bike now and love it...always riding on my own door step, stuff that would be a bit tedious and slow to get to on mtb is ace on the cross bike

chrisdw - Member
Buy a cross bike

+1

Try getting involved in a group that goes out regularly in the evening (or when it is convenient for you). You LBS should have some details of any groups/clubs.

I have been meeting up with a group that go night riding during the winter, which at least has got me out once during the week on top of weekends. Admittedly you need some lights, but you don't have to spend a fortune. When work has got too busy for me to fit this in, I have been going for local solo rides after dark - better to get out for a brief stint rather than not at all.

I agree with the above posts re: trying to find somewhere locally. Have a look at local rides on websites and ask the LBS - even riding canal paths is better than being stuck in traffic etc.

I feel pretty much the same as the OP at the moment. I'm finding it hard to justify all the faff and a 40 mile round trip to ride my nearest 10 mile loop!

I thought I was getting a bit bored of it but try riding somewhere new, it helps a lot. I did some "proper" mountain biking this week and it reminded me how much fun it is instead of riding trail centres or jumps all the time. Its now got me planning the next mountain to ride up 🙂

I'm just getting back into mountain biking - a couple of years ago, I just seemed to fall out of love with it. Can't really put my finger on why; part of me thinks that it was when I tried to go from two bikes (DH/play bike and hardtail) to one bike and ended up with something that I ahtd with a passion. It did neither well and I went on an epic ride in the peaks and it was awful.....I'd been riding less, so was not really fit enough, on a bike that didn't ride very nicely, a big crash later and I just sort of gave up.

Saying that, its not the first time that I have sacked it off and then got back into it. I've been riding since the mid 90's, but then in 2000 or so I got bored and ended up riding BMX and skateboarding (both badly), then one summer decided to buy a bike again and got hooked.

I can't wait to get my SX finished (hopefully this month). The nice weather at the moment is maing it even worse! I love riding in early spring - the trails are starting to dry but it's not too hot.

Sometime a break can make you realise why you loved it so much in the first place.

Where do you live in the UK that you can't ride from your door?

I was the same till this week actually....

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/its-good-to-take-some-time-out

Where do you live in the UK that you can't ride from your door?

I can't mtb from my door either so also have the PITA of packing the car and driving for about an hour. That's the main reason I bought a road bike.

Where do you live in the UK that you can't ride from your door?

I can ride my mtb from my door but living in the East Midlands it's really boring and being on a road bike is more fun.

I can't mtb from my door either

Really? No urban XC?

Bit of imagination and a whole new world opens up to you. Sure you may not have ribbons of buff singletrack on the door step (I don't) but think outside of the box. If you are more city based there's still steps and street furniture.

Oh and back to the OP, I started running this winter with a bit of road mixed in. Really appreciated being out on the MTB today.

Coyote - Member
?> I can't mtb from my door either
Really? No urban XC?

Bit of imagination and a whole new world opens up to you. Sure you may not have ribbons of buff singletrack on the door step (I don't) but think outside of the box. If you are more city based there's still steps and street furniture.

MTB = Mountain Biking. That at least suggests getting your wheels dirty on occasion.

i have been unable to ride my bike with any vim and vigour, for nearly 18 months.
but i keep trying and have even succumbed to having to use a electric assist bike.
but one thing is certain, i would rather die trying to ride, than to sit and rot away at home doing nothing.

ride while you can mate................cos one day, you wont be able to. 😀

Being able to ride straight out of the front door to great trails is number 1, I dont think Id be a mountain biker if I couldnt do this. I have given climbing which was another passion in my life, because I couldnt make it fit into my life, due to moving to a climbing unfriendly area.

I'm a bit meh about it these days.
I stopped years ago then came back to it, but am less impressed now with the whole techy emphasis, the tons of travel which have led to heavier and heavier bikes which get pushed up things, the uniform of baggies and a massive Camelbak stuffed with crap. I don't get the way it is pushed as an extreme sport, dude, when it's about mucking about in the woods.

What brought it home was a day when I was out on my cross bike and joined a group of mountain bikers for a bit; they spent 10 minutes pushing up a hill, then sat about for 15 minutes eating gels, then rode downhill, and sat about for 5 minutes, then rode on the flat to another climb, then sat at the top of that for 15 minutes and so on.

I worked out that they had been out for 4 hours from the carpark where they met and done about 10 miles, whereas I'd been out for 3 hours and done 30 odd, ridden from home.

All very personal and not representative of most mountain bikers I'm sure, but it's just not what I want to do when I ride a bike.

druidh +1
Coyote - Urban xc? Really? Would I have to start wearing jeans halfway down my arse whilst doing it?
For me one of the best bits about mountain biking is about getting away from the urban environment.

I can't imagine ever giving up mountain biking for road biking.

I'm fortunate enough to have a number of decent trails from my front door, with a small bit of road to get there. These trails vary in speed and difficulty depending on the weather and I get to ride in the daylight and preferably at night-time too.

This combination of variables, plus the feeling of getting away from it all means I'll never solely take to a road bike, where I don't feel safe riding after dark, and where you're rarely alone, on the south east's crowded roads.

I fell in love with mountain biking in 1989 and became so obsessed that my family got sick of it. Then three years ago I started to feel jaded, for me it was also the mud, the wear and tear, the car journey, the filthy kit, the late night wash with a hose in the freezing cold, the pub scene, the blokes with big bellies, the faffing around waiting for ill-prepared riders.... need I go on?

Then I discovered the thrill and the purity of road riding. I am ebaying my Rebas this week and am even thinking I might ebay the Global.

Road bikes outnumber mtbs in my household now...

Sorry, probably didn't explain myself.

I need to ride at least 20mins before I hit countryside. Longer before I hit anything decent. But it's just part of the ride.

No reason to be arsey onion boy.

Would I have to start wearing jeans halfway down my arse whilst doing it?

No, you can still wear as much lycra as you like. 🙂

Scotchegg. that sounds harsh and good luck. Five years and no riding. For me I hate road riding but I guess if i couldn't ride from the door i would think about it. I have been on bikes my whole life and MTB for 20+ years. Still love it now as much as ever and ride most days. Mix it up with XC and downhill, different bikes and different friends and track building keeps it interesting. My children are also now giving up the fight and starting to ride, even if for the most part they don't ride with me. Don't worry about it and just do what you want.

I been in the same spot.

tired of cleaning the bike, wet conditions, maintenance. bla bla.

started up roadbiking, no wet woods, no maintenance (nearly)

done it for a year, and now i just only pick the really good days, for mtb, sunny, dry, and it works ! i got my mtbmojo back 😀

coyote - riding in the city can be cool (e.g. Danny MacAskill) It ain't mountain biking though 🙂

i never fall out of love with cycling. some times i ride my road bike more; some times i run cross tyres & enjoy that. some times i just commute. sometimes i lycra up & othertimes i just tide to the pub in jeans.

the worst thing you can do is try and force it.

Don't worry about it.

For many years riding mountain-bikes was my obsession, but when I went to university I just gave up. I stopped riding bikes completely for the best part of a decade. There were other, more interesting and accessible things to expend my energy on. To give an idea of time-scale: when I stopped riding v-brakes were still pretty fancy, and I didn't have any suspension on my bike at all. I got back into it a few years ago, and I haven't looked back since. Now I don't have enough time for riding.

Go and do something else for a bit. If you decide to come back to mountain-bikes chances are it'll be more fun than ever.

It ain't mountain biking though

I'm guessing a fair few "MTBers" have never ridden on a mountain either.

Love off-road, like urban stuff. It's all good. 😎

thomthumb - Member

I never fall out of love with cycling. some times I ride my road bike more; some times I run cross tyres & enjoy that. some times I just commute. sometimes I Lycra up & other times I just ride to the pub in jeans.

the worst thing you can do is try and force it.

Sums it up for me 🙂

Been riding a bike with some form of passion since 1977. Tyres, bars & pedals change but the basic idea is 2 wheels and my own personal choice.

lovely ^^ 🙂