I feel your pain brother 🙂
I felt like that about 5 years ago, ish! I had just bought a new Scott full susser too. I just could not motivate myself. I had discovered rock climbing you see. This was all that I thought about, and all my motivation went into it.
4 years went by and I never touched my Scott, which had only seen about 10 rides. However one day I thought, i wouldnt mind a bike ride today. That was it. In the 4 or 5 years I had been away new trails were around and it had turned into a totally different sport. As soon as I got back on the bike it felt right, and now I cant get enough of it!
I was so glad I didnt sell my scott for climbing gear like I had considered so many times.
The trouble now, is trying to fit in 2 sports and a new young family!
Dont sell the bike, just give it some time! A soul is a bike that will last, and in 3 years time when you pull it out of the shed, it will still be a quality ride. You will be glad you didnt sell it!
Just enjoy what you want to do, everything comes back around and has its place.
We can no longer afford to ride with our mates, add to this a couple of bad experiences with accidents and not being able to work and the love has gone for us too. We're gonna sell the bikes and we love our photography so have another hobby, riding was our lives but things change and it's no big deal really I do miss our mates though but hey 🙂
I think this thread sums up stw well- some say reasonable comments offering support, some take the pi55 and others just think they could get a good deal on his kit!!
Oh and if you pack in dont come creeping back...youll be dead to us 😉
dropoff - Member
We can no longer afford to ride with our mates...
It's not necessary to ride in groups.
1981miked - Member
Not a bad idea epic, like a golf and polo mix?
Rode the St Andrews course when I were a lad. Loads of fun spoilt by nasty men waving clubs and using rude language.
I used to be into DJing. For years and years I spent nearly all the money I earned on records and going out, and I thought about nearly nothing except dance music (though I did also manage to buy a Giant XTC). Then one morning about five years ago I woke up and realised that I didn't care about it any more. I put my decks on Gumtree and they were gone within a week. I kept my records for another year and then sold them all to Vinyl Exchange in one go. Everyone I knew told me I was mad and talked to me like I'd just banged my head and forgotten who I was, but it all made perfect sense.
If you're not feeling something then why force yourself? You might not miss it at all. It sounds like you've already found other things that float your boat. But on the other hand you have come on here to ask if it's ok to stop.....
Don't think it's that a big deal personally. If you don't want to do it any more, then you don't want to do it anymore! I was wondering about my biking life myself lately. If I wasn't in to any more, I'd sell it all and do something else. Like said above, it's just a bike.
just be glad and thankfull that you have got other interests to keep doing mate.
i am in a situation where i cant ride properly, and i would give anything to be able to do so.keep on keeping on mate, and good luck with your choices........
Same here.
If I was you I would be grateful you are able to ride and make the most of it. If you were unable to ride for some reason, you would soon appreciate just how damn good it is.
If weren't into it any more, why'd you appreciate it? If he does't want to ride anymore, then so be it. He sounds like he gets much more of a thrill and enjoys the ice hockey more.
I'm just saying, its nice to have the option.
I thought the same thing once, I sold my bike and pretty much regretted it the next day.
I bought another one within a week.
Being a Head Greenkeeper, trust me when i say do not give up biking for golf!, If you saw the excitement of folk in bad clothes (worse than lycra) getting excited to get "out there" on a Saturday morning then just go straight on the Valium or reach for the gun 😆
buy a OS map of where you live, ride and walk from your door, find trails and enjoy exploring, your bikes a hardtail, its made for this, forget folk with loads of money, its what i did, i just ride with tramps nowadays on local trails 😉 😆
Oh and i think Golf sucks... but its bad times for a career change 😉
no matter how low/bad i feel, and that had been pretty bad the last 14 months, i will never give up cycling.
be it by electric assist bike or just pootling on the flat.
bikes are part of me and my make up.
just get out and ride............. 8)
Electric assistance, theres a thought!
Why cant you ride Ton if you don't mind me asking?
I've waxed and waned over the years, I've sometimes not ridden for many months and not ridden properly for longer.
I've always been a mountain biker though - could never sell my bike(s)...
Exactly Ton,
If the guy bought a bike on a whim, and then realised it wasnt for him, then selling it and getting back the cash is num 1 prority.
If its been a big part of his life, then it need serious thought!
Mountain biking made me the person that I am, thats why I never sold my stuff when I got bored of it. Very glad now!
I've just bought a new bike, I can't ride and don't know when I will be able to.
Thats how dedicated I am.
flow, the electrics to my heart are all mixed up.
slowly getting it sorted tho. fingers are well and truly crossed.
why can't you ride mate?
Hope you sort it out soon mate, my fingers are crossed for you.
I have been ill for the past 6 months, doctors say possibly CFS, though I'm not to sure (neither are they TBH).
Whatever it is it sucks, hard.
The thought of riding my bike again is one of the things that keeps me positive.
whats CFS?
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Ah, OK cheers
Hope all goes OK for you flow.
Just for Coastkid
OP, what's the reason you feel unhappy about this? Is it because you are leaving something you thought you loved behind, because you feel you are letting go of something (a part of your personality) or is there some odd guilt you feel? Obviously there are many other reasons.
When I climbed a lot (rock not hills) I hardly rode my mtb, I currently hardly climb at all and ride regularly again. I can't really say I mountain board or skate any more, but equally I don't think I'll never do either again. Occasionally I kayak. I always feel like I'm neglecting something, but have learnt to just follow what I'm currently into. Night riding is tickling my fancy 😀
6 days a week is plenty of pressure, don't add more to your life. Let yourself off the hook, keep the bike and come back to it in Spring/Summer. BTW, what do you do 6 days a week?
It doesn't matter if you do or do not cycle, as long as you are happy. But keep your bike; bikes are patient.
Just for Coastkid
😆
Only time i have been diverted away from biking is by dirty young Nympho girl friends 
If thats the reason OP then ya jammy git 😀
Now 40 and ageing a bit thats all behind me 😉
Keep on trucking...
flow - hang in there and think of bushwacked who's turned a corner. Your turn will come. 🙂
keep the bike and the love may return. you cant go to the gym if you aint a memeber, you cant ride with no bike 🙂
flow - hang in there and think of bushwacked who's turned a corner. Your turn will come.
Hope all goes OK for you flow.
Thanks 😉
Youll get over it, we all go through periods of low motivation. I know I do, (although more with windsurfing than biking as it can be a fickle pita) but every year I take a bit of time off the bike at some point because of tiredness or overdoing it or just meh...
But whatever happens - don't sell your bike - one day you will want to ride and it won't be there and a new one will cost 4x what you sold the old one for...
I must say I'm struggling to imagine anywhere in the UK that has no decent riding within a two-hour radius.
East Midlands. Yes there are loads of bridleways but all those I've ridden around Northamptonshire are boring. I'd rather ride on the road at a good pace, or spend a couple of hours in a skatepark. Woburn's not that far away though I guess but there's still no real elevation.
coastkid - Member
...Only time i have been diverted away from biking is by dirty young Nympho girl friends...
Any idea where I can find some of these? They don't seem to hang around out in the mountains. In view of my age, their mothers would be fine... 🙂
If you need the money sell the bike, if not keep it. Simple as that really. If the bike is not in the way and you are not low on cash I would keep the bike and assess the situation in the summer. This time of year is not a good time for making decisions on many things. It kind of makes you negative to a lot things not just cycling.
A soul is a bike you could chuck in the shed and get out in two years time and get a good price for it and it will still be as good as anything out there. Its hardly the most expensive bike too. So its not too hard to feel guilty about not riding it when the RRP of said bike could feed a family in Africa for a couple of years!
Personally I build my bikes as cheap as I can and don't go over board with the latest stuff. I find it easier when I loose motivation to leave the bike chucked in the shed for ages then until I get some motivation back. My only bike is in bits at the moment while I have the frame painted. I wont miss it if I don't get out for a few months in this shitty weather.
epicyclo,the mothers are usually even worse..or is that better?
I'm in a similar situation but from the other side.
I spent ten yrs doing medieval re-enactments and spent a fairly substantial lump of cash on armour, weapons, clothes, tent, kit etc and now i haven't done it for nearly three yrs. Due to a split with my former fiancee and some falling out with a few of her friends in the group (who i thought were my friends too) i just don't feel it anymore.
Lots of people have asked me to go back, had several offers to join other groups etc but for whatever reason i just can't find the love for it i had, which is strange because it was a large and enjoyable part of my life for so long.
Now i'm coming round to the idea of flogging the lot and having a couple of bike holidays with the cash!
Thanks for all your input guys... And for the record I'm not a wringer GW. Away and post your unhelpful, rude and disruptive posts elsewhere. It is people like you who drive myself and others away from this otherwise excellent forum and sport.
I think I will definitely hang onto the bike now, reading some of your posts made me realise it is a relatively common thing to fall in and out of love with biking. I appreciate how luck I am astral being in a position to ride.. Unlike some who for whatever reason can not. Thanks to Ton in particular, your post seemed to swing the balance and got me thinking how lucky we are to be able to ride.
Anyway disaster averted, I'm not selling, I'll just take a sabbatical and maybe purchase some slicks and just potter about for a bit.
Thanks again folks,
Have a great weekend and happy pedalling.
People change, hobbies come and go, there are no rules, just do what you want. There's a lot of naval gazing on here, like GW and others have said, it's only a bike. If you sell it and regret it, there are these things called "bike shops" where you can buy a new one, with a monetary transaction. Some of them even let you buy online, so you don't need to leave your chair.
Leave the bike alone for a bit. There's no point if you don't enjoy it. Don't sell it though! The love may return 🙂
I know how you feel ...not with mountian biking but with rock climbing.
I use to go rock climbing 2 to 3 times a week but I've just fell out of love. I lost the strength and fitness required and just lost ability. Climbing lower grades and working my way back to where I was just seemed like too much hard work.
With mountain biking I feel fit, fast and good. That helps a lot, (It helps that I can ride stright out of my door tbh, although I could also walk to a crag!)
I've thought about selling up and moving on but I still have ambitions to climb big stuff in the alps and beyond.
So I've moved into ski mountaineering and this winter (i.e. now) I'm going indoors to train and start rebuilding my strength. I've not done it yet though ....night riding is whey too much fun!
All I can suggest is try riding in the evenings locally or short afternoon blasts. Make it social and the love will soon come back.
So where do you live OP?
We're all on the edge of our seats here!
Thanks for all your input guys... And for the record I'm not a wringer GW. Away and post your unhelpful, rude and disruptive posts elsewhere. It is people like you who drive myself and others away from this otherwise excellent forum and sport.I think I will definitely hang onto the bike now, reading some of your posts made me realise it is a relatively common thing to fall in and out of love with biking. I appreciate how luck I am astral being in a position to ride.. Unlike some who for whatever reason can not. Thanks to Ton in particular, your post seemed to swing the balance and got me thinking how lucky we are to be able to ride.
Anyway disaster averted, I'm not selling, I'll just take a sabbatical and maybe purchase some slicks and just potter about for a bit.
Thanks again folks,
Have a great weekend and happy pedalling.
Good decision 😉
If all your riding is a 2 hour drive away I'm amazed you'd stuck at it so long.
Hang on to the bike as it won't cost you anything to keep it and you never know when you might go out. Sometimes a break away from it will make you realise what you've been missing.
[i]If all your riding is a 2 hour drive away I'm amazed you'd stuck at it so long[/i]
But we are all curious to where you live, with need to drive for 2 hours to ride?
There seems little point in selling it if you don't need the money.
I'm sure it'll make a good door stop or towel rack in your shed whilst it's not being used and even if you wait a few years it might only take one sunny morning to inspire you drag it out again.
Maybe he lives 2 hours from everywhere?
You can't live anywhere worse for MTB than me.
I am willing to bet £100
A bit late into the debate here but I have a couple of thoughts to share:
1. How well do you know yourself, your motivation, etc?
Personally, I know that I'm quite obsessive about getting better at the things I do. In the past this has got me to a stage where I've given things up in frustration because either I can't put ever-increasing amounts of time and money into whatever that be or just because I'm not progressing through lack of ability.
Time has mellowed me a bit though and I've occasionally dipped my toe back into some of the things I'd previously abandoned. I don't take them as seriously as I did but I can still enjoy them, though not obsessively.
Maybe you're at that stage with your bike.
Just another spin on the Eagles theme I guess.
2. If you've still got a desire to ride but can't find the motivation, how about throwing yourself into it completely for a short while? A weekend or a week away with mates doing nothing but riding and having a laugh.
