There is a certain pleasure in finding a farm/bridleway gate that's hung well and opens and closes with fingertip ease, as opposed to dragging a knackered/rusty/rotten/baler twine tangle through the mud without it all falling apart. Any other things that improve a ride just that little bit?
Having the local dog owners keep their dogs on normal leads and not extendable is a good one, or friendly fisherman who move their poles from across the track when they see you approaching.
A tailwind
Appropriate lubrication? No? Just me then.
Seeing, from the top of one hill, rain falling somewhere else.
My MNPR mates, although some of them aren't that little 😉
Dog owners picking up their doggie doo's....
My last 2 rides on my fattie.....I've been sprayed, as it flings off my tyres....and when I got home I had two different turds on the front tyre.....bastsrds!!
^ as above - I pick up my dogs turds or if i'm out in the woods i flick them way off the trail/path with a stick, what i don't want is folk to bag them up then drop the sealed bag beside the path/trail….WTF goes through such a feeble mind to consider that it is acceptable to bag a turd and hermitically seal it inside a non biodegradable bag and leave it beside the trail in the middle of nowhere, It'd be far more acceptable if they grabbed a stick and flicked it into the undergrowth to decompose naturally.
And a special mention must go to those folk who allow their dogs to lay massive turds on paths or trails, there is one particular person who allows their dog to dump on the trails i've made over the years in the woods above my home town (Kirkcudbright), I've no probs with folk using them for dog walking etc - the more folk who use them the better as it keeps the undergrowth from encroaching and if i can offer somewhere for folk to walk then all the better but there is one particular cantankerous old **** (50ish) who allows his dog to dump anywhere and i'm sick to the point of when i visibly catch him allowing and walking away from the act then i'm gonna go to town and rub his **** face in it to see how he like getting a mouthful. I've already pulled him up for dragging sticks n' logs across the trail so if/when i catch him he'll be getting a facefull of shit.
Finding a tap on the SWD with cool fresh water to replace the warm stale water.
Breathing alpine air whilst savouring the warmth of an espresso cup and dissecting a croissant.
Finding a £20 note in your pocket that you'd forgotten about.
😆 @ jonboy!
Hitting a trail too fast, feeling the bike get all squirelly then just riding it out by luck more than skill then giggling to yourself because you got away with it
A Walker holding agate open for you so you can pass at speed.
Both ankles working as expected...4 weeks after a break and ligament damage isn't long enough for rooty offroad riding...
Not getting a puncture.
Not encountering any dogs off the leash.
"seeing, from the top of one hill, rain falling somewhere else"
this, definitely this.
Night ride - climbing up our local hill at the start to watch the sun set over Dorking.
Haribo Starmix
Ha, that's a drawback of fat biking I'd never considered before.
My fave little thing - dirt like blu tack, which I was lucky enough to enjoy this week.
The end of the ride ,when you're knackered , cold and wet, putting your warm & dry clothes on in a pitch dark car park/layby.
Watching the fog roll over Walton Colliery Nature Park and the amazing sunset last night
same as coolhandluke - smiley walkers holding the gate open as I shout a cheery "thank you, lovely day isn't it"
That autumnal smell that dying back ferns and loose earth make after a splash of rain.
When you meet walkers and both groups respond to each other like they're human beings doing really much the same thing.
Overtaking a roadie. I'm not proud but we've probably all done it? Look on the chap's face last week as I hauled my 34lb enduro bike on minions past him up the big tarmac hill was almost enough to make me not hate riding my 34lb enduro bike on minions up the big tarmac hill. You've got to make that effort to pretend like you're not out of breath. "Lovely day isn't it!"
To anyone thinking "He might have been at the end of a hundred mile ride"- yes he might, I don't care.
I like the feeling of when you've got your clothing or your layers just right. A little nippy when you leave the house but 5 or so miles in I get that smug feeling of "yes, I knew I needed arm warmers today".
Anyone...no, just me then...
And the post rain smell in the air, that's awesome too.
No not just you lunge. I went on a road ride yesterday knowing that it would be a little chilly but stupidly thinking that a gilet would be enough, "bollocks, I knew I should have worn arm warmers" was a repeated thought. Shivering on the downhills definitely made the ride less enjoyable. And yes, there is something deeply satisfying about getting your clothing "just right".
Giving dogs a fuss.
A cheeky pint
I agree with the Op, decent gates make all the difference. Sometimes it seems like land owners deliberately put in bad gates to discourage people going through there. I'm going to add strength or stamina, whatever you want to call it.
Every ride is enjoyable but some rides you feel just really strong, you know it within 5 or so minutes, the sort of ride where you put the hammer down and it's there, it's just perfect, you ask your body for more and it delivers and hills which you plod up sometimes you beast up and flats are like downhill.
Getting both wheels off the ground, even if only by a matter of centimetres and feeling the bike glide through the air, rather than being yanked there by a badly timed shove on the bars......
Doesn't happen very often, but when it does......wooooooooooooo! Extra pudding for me!
I actually registered ratemygate.com once. CBA to actually write the website. Mind you would be a lot easier nowadays with smartphone apps.
We came up with a proper scoring scale for gates.. was a bit strange to discover how much you can talk bollocks about a particular gate you've just been through. I guess that's how football punditry works.
A pub.
[i].....was a bit strange to discover how much you can talk bollocks about a particular gate you've just been through.[/i]
Yes 😕
My particular pleasure is finding that horrible muddy bit has dried out nicely and doesn't make my nice clean bike dirty!
The smell of a pine forest on a really hot summers day.
Seeing rare bits of wildlife and plants/fungi. This time of year is great for fungi spotting.
Two things for me.
Not riding through loads of cow/sheep/horse/ dog crap and pee. Especially the dog stuff - that's avoidable by the owner. Don't just flick it to the side of the trail, people walk there too. Or chuck it in a bush - take it home or bin it FFS. If you don't like carrying dog your own dog's turd in a bag and binning it, then don't own a bloody dog!
Secondly, time enough to do the ride in. Not having to rush it to get back for work/family/DIY type of things.
stevenk4563 - MemberThe smell of a pine forest on a really hot summers day.
Oh yes. Last year, I'd decided to save my money and not do a foreign holiday. Went for a sunny ride at innerleithen, smelled The Smell and got some dust in my eyes, flashbacked to la thuile and went home and booked a trip with white room 😆
Actually, cold weather's awesome too. Not so cold that I'm miserable but that invasive feeling you can't ignore, you are outside doing things, you are alive! Best when it snows, there's nothing like being caught out in unexpected snow.
1) When its proper wet, and the rain is dripping of the peak on my helmet (ooo err!) Somehow makes me feel "pro" and justifies being out in all seasons.
2) Finishing a ride and realising you have a dusty tan on exposed bits of flesh. Again, makes me feel like a better rider for some reason.
BJ
A while ago, a red squirrel dropped out a tree and ran alongside me for a few yards then up another tree. I like to think it was up for a race, but it probably wasn't.
Made my day whatever it's reason was.
Finishing a ride stronger than you started.
Companions who are slow enough to make me feel like a riding god but not so slow as to be annoying.
Good one that. I like to have at least one technical feature that I can ride but my mate who fancies himself as better than me can't. Ideally just after he's tried to give me hints.
(he [i]is[/i] faster than me, but that's because he's young and brave, and I'm old and [s]wise[/s] cowardly)
Jelly Babies. They're little and they make anything better 😀
And what about: "The smell of napalm in the morning"?
Sorry 😕
Correct tyres and tyre pressures for the job in hand.
On the road... Patient and courteous drivers.
Finding a new route thats you never knew 😆
And whats been said before, dog poo on the trails !! its seriously bad where I live and then trying to keep your mouth shut while blowing out your arse trying to avoid shite being flung in ya mouth ! 👿
Finding an answer to a long held mystery.
Dog owners bag their shite and leave it on the ground or hanging off a tree ...
to pick it up on their way back past, apparently.
Couple of pints after a ride always make it better.
When you have a little cold, get on a bike and 2 minutes later you can finally breath through your nose...
Dog owners bag their shite and leave it on the ground or hanging off a tree ...
to pick it up on their way back past, apparently.
that's an urban myth.
Strava heatmap for your local woods...
First not being rushed on a ride, especially as I do like to explore trails that I've not ridden before, so feeling like I've got to get round and back to the car as fast as possible just makes the ride crap.
Second riding a new bit of trail or landing a jump and it goes sketchy but you somehow manage to ride it out and end up riding off with a huge grin for the rest of the ride.
Chasing your mates down a grassy hill, and watching little bits of frost flying up off their wheels - the winter equivalent of dusty trails.
Peace and quiet on the trails, not seeing anyone else out there all day.
Although I do like riding with the GF (she's at the stage now where she's starting to kick my Arse on a few of the downs as well as the climbs), bro and Brother-in-Law.
One of the few (the only)joys of shift work is being able to ride mid-week and having the trails to yourself/small group of mates.
Tom KP
Flapjack.
Love seeing the Wild boars whilst riding in the FOD,still pretty surreal and makes my day.
Laughing like a loon after really pushing your luck on that scary fast descent knowing that you JUST about got away with it,again.
Hearing the pitter-patter sound of the forecasted rain just as you get home after a ride,and knowing that just for that moment yin time you're smarter than Mother Nature herself.
Uplift.
Stopping off for a drink or bite to eat.
You see, in my head I'm a lone cowboy. A drifter out...well, drifting the plains. I saunter in to some dusty town, eyes all on the mysterious stranger. I tether up my trusty steed. & strut into the dark saloon, all eyes on me as the salon doors swing to a creaky stop behind me. I saunter up to the bar, lay my dusty Stetson down & order me a whisky. Then the bar tender slides me the bottle along the bar & I saunter off to some shady corner.
In reality I've popped out of a muddy bridleway, to the out of town McD's, clumsily walked in (after pushing the door the wrong way), I've then been told not to put my sweaty Giro on the counter before ordering a Latte. All the while dropping mud everywhere, as parents & children stare at me, & staff rush to sweep up the mess I've brought in.
Not coming off.
Getting sprayed by stans , and not even having to stop because the punctures fixed .
Nice socks
rumbledethumps - Member
Not coming off.
Plus one.
and I'll add "Not breaking a bone"
Currently nursing a broken collar bone which isnt healing very well - new bike arrives in mid November and sure I'll be able to ride it! 🙁
1) When its proper wet, and the rain is dripping of the peak on my helmet (ooo err!) Somehow makes me feel "pro" and justifies being out in all seasons.
2) Finishing a ride and realising you have a dusty tan on exposed bits of flesh. Again, makes me feel like a better rider for some reason.
[b]BJ[/b]
+ 1 on the last point 😀
Loads of little things for me
• Getting the amount of clothing [i]just right[/i]
• No mechanicals
• Friends making something they didn't think they could
• Cheerie walkers
• Unexpected two wheels drifts
• Finding the balance point on a manual first go
• Getting up a hill and still feeling fresh
• Stopping on a solo run to do a bit of maintenance/building (seems to happen on every ride these days)
• Song matching the terrain i'm riding (it's like destiny maaaan!)
• Stopping for a funny cigarette on a gentle solo ride
Pretty much anything you can think of. I'm easily pleased 😀
Seeing, from the top of one hill, rain falling somewhere else.
Absolutely this, plus
- Haribo Tangfastics
- It being exactly the right temperature to ride in shorts & t-shirt
- Getting to the top of a long climb and feeling absolutely fine
- The 'ting' noise of cooling brake rotors after a long and tricky descent
- Walkers holding gates open for you
- Seeing that you've used all your travel without noticing
Basically like Euro above me, I just really like riding bikes.
Getting up that nigh on impossible technical climb - letting instinct take over and your momentum just carrying you up & over it
Strangely more satisfying than nailing something daft on a big descent
Also - solo bivvy rides - the whole adventure of it all 🙂
Riding a bit of trail and experiencing the sensation of "flow"
Chairlifts.
Post ride KFC.
Not needing to clean the bike.
Bike being quiet.
Ladies in lyrca.
Expecting rainless days, no dog shit or mud is asking too much.
So mudguards. 🙂
Finishing the ride with a light bit of dust coating the bike and exposed skin is a good one 🙂 I love riding but hate it when it's proper boggy, can sometimes ruin a ride for me.