[Closed] Rides alone 99% of the time - sound familiar?

You don't want a ride, you want a bimble.

I'm all for bimbling.

Edit:Yes, usually solo rides...

Yeah, that's happening to me at the moment despite having a boss and coworkers who enjoy their riding, but also being part of a couple of local groups.

I put it down to my schedule being totally dictated by baby, so lots of early starts, but also because I'm already 'training' when others are still doing their winter base miles. I just hope it's not because of my horrible chat...

Clubs don't really work for me either as they seem to be very much 'same time, same place' every week.

Being a loner does let you mess around with lots of tricky exploratative routes at least, I rarely ride the same route twice!

For the last year or so the vast majority of my riding has been solo. I have a couple of riding buddies that all got back in to MTB's at the same time and have ridden together for the past 12 years or so. The both have decent bikes but don't chop and change like I do.

Anyway, for various reasons mainly around family and work we seemed to be getting out less and less to the point my bikes could sit idle for a month or two. I decided last summer to start making more effort just to get out even if it was on my own. This was linked to a general fitness kick and getting bored of just running.

I enjoy it now TBH. With a 4 and 1 year old it's great just to pinch an hour or two to myself and blow out the cobwebs. It's a good job as my pals are getting out even less than last year to the point where one is considering selling his bike.

Yes finding someone you get along with and matches your riding pace is a hard task. Local fb groups are good. Try searching for the name of your nearest big town/city and cycling.

Try asking on here by starting a thread with the location in the title. I've met a few from here. Most people are friendly but it's a bit odd the first time you meet, kinda like a cycling date.

You could do a bit of Strava-ing, have a look at the leaderboards and find some locals who are riding at a similar pace to you, then befriend them in a creepy way. 🙂

I too ride solo for 99% of the time as well, oddly for the exact opposite reasons you do. I HATE faff, I'm time scarce so if I'm out for a ride I want maximum riding time. Set off on time, push on up the hills, fast back down, maybe a coffee and a cake at the end but only at the end as it means people can leave if needed. If I have 3 hours set aside for bike riding, I want to be riding my bike for 3 hours.

This year i've done most of my riding with people from this forum 😀

Start a thread on here with your location and suggestion for a ride.

That's how I've met others.  Sooner or later you will find some that can slow down slightly or speed up slightly to suit you.  I've also found my fitness improved as most of the others were way fitter than me.

I much prefer to ride alone, go at your own pace, explore, stop when you fancy, especially now I've been off the bike for a while.

The few times I rode with mates they'd complain we'd been out too long and they had to get home, were knackered etc, etc. One ride a mate was constantly stopping to have an email conversation about some work he was trying to drum up then his phone rang and even tried to book me in for a job he couldn't cover and I didn't want when we'd stoppedin the woods for about the tenth time, that was the last time we rode together.

All the above sound very familiar, Chestrockwell's in particular.

I never used to ride solo. I love riding with my mates, but their priorities mean that I've only had one 'non solo' ride in the since November. I enjoy riding with others but it is difficult meeting new people with who ride the same style and pace. Large group rides don't suit as there is way to much 'chat & faff' going on. I enjoy riding solo now , but I (and my wife) do worry a lot more about stacking it badly with no one else around.

As for trying to arrange riding trips away,  even just overnight seems impossible . I might have to be ' the strange dude on his own' on a guided Alps trip this year.

I'm lucky enough to have a pretty big group of mates who ride,but it's rare more than 2/3 of us go out together.

Frankly if I was in the OPs shoes I wouldn't bother, they're not mountain bikers, they've just been a few times and enjoyed it, it's not the same thing.

In my experience unless someone is willing to commit to a weekly slot, even if it's "Sat or Sun, but I need to be home for 2pm" type thing, then you'll do your nut trying to convince them to go, so don't bother.

We've got a pretty big whatsapp group for arranging rides, ask who's out this weekend and it's a ghost town, cut and paste a smutty joke in though and it's all action.

TBH I'm happier riding solo at the moment, it's less hassle and I can do what I want - not get dragged to some god awful trail I don't enjoy or spending hours in a kind of auction trying to find a time that suits everyone.

I've learned to enjoy the quiet time, nice ride, no chat, no worries, chill. It's a bit less enjoyable on a big ride, or a ride that's a bit more remote or new - some company helps there with either confidence or motivation.

too old too slow here to have riding companions

I ride alone the majority of the time.  I'd prefer it if my mates rode bikes, they generally don't (and the one that does is a pure roadie and so far ahead of me in terms of fitness it'd be no fun for either of us).

I'd prefer it if I had someone to ride with occasionally, however I like playing by my own rules and riding how and where I want.  However, having had a couple of decent offs in the last few years off road, selfishly it might be better for me if I rode with someone off road.

Generally as you go through life you find you pick up baggage. The problem, as you've found, is that everyone has different baggage.

Advantages of riding alone: you can do what you want for as long or as short as you want. You can make things up as you go along without annoying anyone else.

Disadvantages of riding alone: unless you are particularly driven, you tend not to push yourself. You might not try something new.

I'd say 70% of my riding is on my own, 25% with my wife and 5% with a group.

I enjoy riding solo now , but I (and my wife) do worry a lot more about stacking it badly with no one else around.

Set up the strava 'beacon' thing if you're that concerned.

Depends what you’re after.

With two small kids, I don’t get a pass to go out on the weekend on the bike very often. I do have days off in the week, and (when it’s not snowmageddon) I get out then, but of course none of my friends who have bikes are free. However, my main reason for going out on the bike is fitness/headspace so I don’t necessarily miss the social side that much.

Sounds like you have some flakey friends.

We have a couple of Whatsapp groups, which is a nice way to encourage people out. I have also used Meetup a bit too.

Go on then, I’ll ask.

Where you based OP? What riding you into?

Other than my yearly Night Rider Series where its a 'race' i generally don't ride with anyone. Work/Kids/House work/Laziness/away from home mean I cant always commit to riding. Summer is easier as i'm off once the kids are in bed! But I've only ridden with others, outside the 'racing', maybe 4 or 5 times in the last couple of years, and twice that was met somebody on the trails and tagged along as it was a new place that I'd never ridden.

Although I am trying bloody hard to arrange something with tdog as he isn't far from me but its a mega****in nightmare I tell ya!

Edit: balls, cant write f e c k i n g without the swear filter kicking in. when did that happen?!?!?

See if there are local club rides or lbs shop rides - there will be something that's loosely organised near you.  Or you do the organising and announce a local ride on here and you'll get some folk.

Fully agree with what some have said about faff - I do like just pulling the bike out the car and riding off. Could just do with a clone of myself to go riding with.

I'm that annoying mate with no kids and to much time on his hands, but still I can't even seem to book my friends months in advance.

I'll give the FB groups another go and try to get past the awkwardness of the "bike date". 🙂

We’ve got a pretty big whatsapp group for arranging rides, ask who’s out this weekend and it’s a ghost town, cut and paste a smutty joke in though and it’s all action.

The bunch I usually ride with use an app called Teamer.  Someone puts a ride up: time and a meeting place, possibly a direction to head in. You can either say Yes or No.  No extended discussion and counters:  "can we meet earlier/later/tomorrow/ do shorter/longer/ go here instead"  As is often the case, removing the options makes the decision to commit easier:  "There's a bike ride happening.  Do you want to ride your bike or not?"

It also helps that there's an established Tuesday ride and an established Saturday ride, which helps to get into people's mental calendars (and their other half's), as a given to be worked around rather than the other way around.

50 % group ..the other is mostly on my own during the week ..

The average age in our group is about 60 and on a Saturday we go out for the day ..no time restrictions and always pretty relaxed ..we have all got at least 20 years of trail riding under our belts but we ain't bothered about breaking any records ..its as much a social thing / out for a laugh as anything else ..

We are based in Northumberland ..where you might already know that the scenery is crap and the riding rubbish ..but feel free to join us anytime if you are up this way ..😉

Anyway, group rides can be a total pain in the arse.

I've been wanting to get this of my chest for a while anyway so I'm prepared to smash my square peg into this round hole.

Couple of weeks ago, "Do you want to ride Blade at Afan?"

Firstly, I don't really like the trail, I SUCK at technical climbs, partly because my BB height appears to be subterranean so I smash every rock on the way up and partly because I don't enjoy climbing, I don't mind admitting it, I do it because I have to and because I probably should, so the long technical climb start is about as appealing as a hot poker down the chapsie.

"Oh, I need to start later, got a chore to do first"

So I weighed it up, a late start, longish drive to get there, longish trail, I'll be back late, it's no drama but it pretty much means I won't be taking the kids out that day so I'm not keen, I try to bow out, but I'm persuaded with a promise of a 30 min earlier start.

I arrive a little early, everyone else arrives at the original time with a look of bemusement that makes me think I was the only one who got told the earlier time.

Anyway, eventually we start, I HATE being the guy who has to moan to get others started, I HATE being on the other side of the fence, but it's getting on for lunchtime now...

We start, I'm already in a mood I can't shake and I'm not really keeping it to myself so I'm hardly being the best company. I try to lead us out, but it's no good, they're moaning to pass thanks to my glacial pace, so I let them pass and we fall into the usual pattern for me - they shoot ahead, but they stop 4/5 times on the way up - I'm slow, but I rarely have to stop, but I do, because you can't just ride past (unless it's on the trail oddly, social convention is funny sometimes) as I think they're waiting for me. Finally we reach the top.

Now we reach the second thing I dislike about Blade, it's not really maintained so the first sort of flat, descent is an endless chain of massive puddles, ambient temp is about 3c and it's blowing a gale, so now I'm cold, wet and tired.

Then we actually get into the technical descent, I really like this bit, but I've got MR KEEN behind me, he wants to race, which for him means falling behind until we have to brake for a turn / obstacle which he can't see and doesn't know the trail well enough to expect, so I assume he thinks I'm just doing it for fun and slides almost, but not quite into me every braking zone, I should ignore it, but I can't so I'm cocking up my riding a bit - sure enough I go into a rocky s-bend thing too quickly, overshoot the end, and hurt my arm landing heavy (old injury) he takes this as an opportunity to get past me, I'd be pissed off if I was competitive, but I'm happy to have a bit of space.

We get to the bottom, I'm cold and wet but mostly I'm in so much pain I want to throw up and we're about as far from the centre as it's possible to be at this stage. My 'Friends' take a look at me, and promptly ride off chatting leaving me behind trying to keep my breakfast down.

We climb back up to the crossroads where I'm less than politely asked if I'll be making my own way back now, oh god yes, as quickly and efficiently as possible. So it's a bye from me - well I had to ride the next bit first, I made a point of 'proving' I could actually ride a bike by jumping everything there was to jump and trying to look as cool as possible whilst freezing and mostly riding one-armed, I don't think anyone noticed, but it made me feel better and ****ed off down the old Skyline descent.

I was in a huge piss, think PMT mixed with a sort of psychopathic rage and you'd be close, but even though I only got colder and my arm only hurt more, I enjoyed it, I loosened up and started to really be one with the bike again. I was asked "see you at the bottom then?" Yeah right, I changed and got back on the road pronto.

My 'Group' Ride mostly consisted of riding somewhere I didn't want to ride, when I didn't want to ride, either chasing, or being chased by other people rather than talking to them, and then in a not very subtle way, being told to leave So my weekly bit of de-stress and mind clearing turned into a total head-****. The week after I avoided the whatsapp group and snuck off for a little ride, just me and my mate Apple Music, rode a trail I ride all too often, but you know, I like it, I didn't set the strava world on fire, but you know - I didn't feel the need to "try to maintain speed through this transition with a couple of pedal strokes and nail this jump" to shave a second off, I chatted to some riders, hell I even gave some of them a polite amount of room even though I could have gone much faster (they were there for their first visit on a day-trip, it was probably my 100th lap or more)  I pulled a wheelie and laughed at myself about it, and got a flat on a blazing fast run of a strava section and gave no shits about it other than it was a shame to have to walk the last 200 metres to the Van.

Hell, as Jean-Paul Sartre once said, is other people.

I'm old and selfish these days so rarely ride with any group over 2 or 3 people any longer as I really can't be bothered with other peoples faff.

I either ride solo (which gives me total flexibility) or I ride with people I trust to know their stuff - they know how to maintain their bikes, get off the hill solo if required, etc

People ride WITH other people.........

ive one mate who rides and he hasn't been out for ages but it's brilliant when he does.

Ive got used to riding alone and it's my time where I can switch off and just pedal. Love riding on my own.

My work schedule means I'm normally on my days off midweek; a rare day at a weekend means a visit to my sons - normally I'll find a few hours or a day at short notice to ride. I send mates a group invite but most of the time they can't (don't want to?) come....

The flip side is I can listen to music and get lost in the flow and that works well for me.

A group ride as described by P-Jay above would be my idea of hell..the difference being between that and the group I ride with is that we are mates ..we go away on mtb trips every year as we have done every year for about the last 10 years ..and see each other most weeks ..

I think you have done well to keep that bottled up the way you did ..personally I would have told the lot of them to go **** themselves long before now !

Solo mainly. Love going at my own pace, finding my own trails and generally destressing.

But i also Love riding with mates... usually roaring with laughter most of the way round with plenty of stops. Beer also helps.

A group ride as described by P-Jay above would be my idea of hell..the difference being between that and the group I ride with is that we are mates ..we go away on mtb trips every year as we have done every year for about the last 10 years ..and see each other most weeks ..

I think you have done well to keep that bottled up the way you did ..personally I would have told the lot of them to go **** themselves long before now !

I'm sure their side of the story would be equally damming, it seems these days that a good day out is as good as a bad day out is bad if that makes sense? I'm still pretty pissed off to been given my marching orders, I was in a bit of a state tbh.

About 60/40 solo/group for me. "Group" is mostly just with one other person though.

OP - maybe start another thread on here "unfit riding buddies in Xyz"?

P-Jay - Are you one of those guys who rides with a group but secretly hates everyone else? Sounds like there's some proper passive-aggression going on there anyway.

For me there's no such thing as a group ride, only a ride on which mates come along.  It has to be actual proper mates.  The kind who'll be concerned if you crash and want to make sure you're ok.  Or will even cut the ride short to help you.  If I haven't got any of them to hand I'll go on my own.  Nothing more awkward than feeling obliged to be part of a group for the sake of it.

I don't care how fast my friends are because the reason I'm riding with them is for the company, not the speed.  If I want to train I'll do it on my own if I need to.

Still trying to get P-Jay out for a local spin though cos I reckon he's a decent bloke 🙂

I can relate to a lot of what has been said above, most of my cycling is on my own purely because I am short of time and want to make the most of the time I have. Saying that I do a regular evening ride and it is good fun and a good group but I am constantly amazed by how much some people faff.

I arrive dressed, bike in the car or on the rack, I take bike off car, put on shoes, gloves, glasses and helmet, put pack on and I am good to go. Often I do all of the above and turn around expecting the others to be at about the same stage and 1 hasn't even got his bike out the car yet, he is showing somebody else something on his phone. Another has his bike upside down and it oiling the chain and fiddling with his gears, another has his shock pump out and it setting his suspension up.

Eventually we get to the start of the trail and somebody decides his tyres need a bit more air, normally this person doesn't have a pump so borrows one and slowly pumps his tyres up. Once he is finished somebody else decides his pack needs re-packing as something is sticking into his back...

Right, we are all here and ready so lets get on with it...nope, matey now needs a piss because we have been stood round for so long. When we do eventually get going, somebody at the back pipes up that he needs to be back by 8 o'clock....

Hey OP, you described my ideal ride.

I used to lead a group ride weekly. Medium pace but  never leave anyone behind.

Plenty of little stops to session jumps etc for a few minutes, beer or brew at the end.

Family commitments stopped it in the end but I’ve got the time these days to do it again.

Are you in North Wales?

P-Jay – Are you one of those guys who rides with a group but secretly hates everyone else? Sounds like there’s some proper passive-aggression going on there anyway.

Nah, I'm usually pretty cheery, but I will admit to letting things snowball into darkness when things start going wrong.

If there was a point to my rambling rant it's that breaking your neck to ride in a group can mean a less enjoyable ride than a solo when and where you want, even if, all things being equal, you prefer to ride in a group.

Still trying to get P-Jay out for a local spin though cos I reckon he’s a decent bloke

Total arsehole I'm afraid. Fancy a TC Saturday? I fancy it's too wet for real riding.

Maybe not 99% for me but more like 80%, I would say. I have a mate who I do get out with maybe once every ten days and, like me, he’s an ex trials and enduro rider so I suppose that we like the same type of riding. In other words, finding and (hopefully) eventually cleaning obscure lines down some gully or steep hillside plus a few techy climbs.

Some people don’t “get” this whole cleaning thing (my son is one of them) but a nice clean ride through some tricky section can be the highlight of my day - conversely, giving away a stupid comfort dab or two really pisses me off...

A clean ride from my Greek village down to sea level, so a 400 metre descent on old mule and goat tracks is still, for me, one of life’s rare pleasures.

In that Greece I’m out on my own pretty much all the time (much to my wife’s concern) but it’s that or not ride at all. I do have a mate out there who rides a bit (he actually bought a house there because we were there) but he doesn’t spend nearly as much time there as me and isn’t into the technical sort of riding as much as I am.

He only lives ten minutes from me back here too, and gets out a couple of times a week with  another mate of his. I’ve suggested that they give me a shout when they’re going out but they never do - two’s company, I suppose plus I think they don’t like being dragged out of their comfort zone. I’m not really fast enough anymore to get out with the forty-something enduro bros. because I’m 65 now and just an old fart, I suppose.

But I frequently love being out on my own, especially on a nice singlespeed. Just alone with my thoughts, I can go wherever the mood takes me and not have anyone else to take into account. The only thing is, if a clean ride happens and there’s no-one there to witness it, did it even happen?

This is my riding buddy for 90% of my rides but only on sunny days. Late arrivals & faffers argh!!

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My riding buddy moved to south of France - so we're riding down to his place in May 🙂 but def 99% tout seul otherwise 🙁

Excellent write-up P-Jay. More entertaining than many a Singletrack article 🙂 Some groups are good to ride with, others not so, is my experience. Only seem to ride with my kid or dog lately though. Both of whom are a joy to be with (apart from when the dog goes missing).

Nah, I’m usually pretty cheery, but I will admit to letting things snowball into darkness when things start going wrong.

To clarify, I meant passive-aggression on both sides, not just you!

Seen it before with riding groups, some people just rub each other up the wrong way.

Total arsehole I’m afraid. Fancy a TC Saturday? I fancy it’s too wet for real riding.

Yeah I'm up for it.  Should have tarted up the Patriot by then so I can let rip at Cwmcarn.

I don't ride in a group, mainly because I don't know a group or have enough time. I like riding with a mate, or a small group (say up to a 3), it's a nice number and the ride is good fun as well as good company

I met a mate for a local pootle on saturday night. It was cold, damp, slushy and dark, still had a good time. Slow riding with a bit of banter, combined with a hip flask and a thermos.

99% on my own. I think I'd like to ride socially more, but right now time is tight so I'm less keen to compromise on the riding and I'm much less flexible with when I can get out.

This is all to do with babies and family life though (me and former riding mates) so really I'm happy to ride on my own if the alternative is stopping riding altogether, plus I know it'll be easier and better in the future. Just a phase, not really a preference!

100% of my riding is solo.  There are very few people I can bear (i have aspergers) so finding one who likes the same sort of cycling I do would be pretty much impossible.

If however I was in any situation where I was held up and waiting for 10 minutes I would just ride off and get on with the ride.

"easy ups, fast downs, plenty of breaks, chatting sh*t the whole way round and lots of coffee"

Yup. If you're in London/ SE/ SW, get in touch. My ideal ride would feature a pub halfway or at the end.

I often ride alone or with my 6 year old. This is mainly because with kids it's hard to make any plans to ride with anyone else.

The mates that did ride with me got put off as apparently I ride like a loon. Which is far from the truth, it's just years of riding Vs newer riders with less confidence.

Local club seems to be who can get to the pub the quickest!

It used to be 95% of the time for me but I made an effort to ride more with others. A lot of that was inviting other people out - yes, that meant I was always doing the arranging, but it was rare we couldn't work out a convenient time.

There there a couple of riding groups I go out with. One is an early ride from my old workplace, which is organised by people still there. The other is the local shop which has 3-4 groups going out early every Saturday, different speeds and overall very friendly and relaxed.

It sounds like you just need to find the right bunch to ride with - there are probably others near you who'd love the odd ride with company.

Only a few of my rides are solo and they tend to be the spur of the moment mid-week local rides. I'm in a few groups (fb, whatsapp, meetup, etc) and will sometimes go on the organised group rides, sometimes people will come on my rides. I quite like the social aspect. Generally it's pretty informal rides and there is usually a good setting of expectation in terms of pace/difficulty or if it's going to be a 'social' ride ie easy pace and lots of chatting. Also getting to know the main protagonists means you generally know what the ride will be like based on who's leading/organising and who's going. Most often it's me and a regular riding buddy who are both very similar in our riding. Sometimes it's just the two of us sometimes others will come along too if it's an open invite ride. It's funny as I know if X come along on the ride it won't impact the pace/dynamic, similarly if Y comes, but if X and Y both come it's hard to keep any momentum going as they are stopped chatting all the time. Or if Z comes you know they will ride off the front and set off again when everyone catches up, you know those rides will be a good work out. Different mixes of people can give the ride a different dynamic, and I like that, I don't always want the same type of ride. On occasion I have had to alter my ride route and/or pace to suit those who've come along, but mostly I get to do the ride I intended and with good company so it's all good. The only thing that really frustrates me is faff, in particular unnecessary and/or serial faff, though thankfully on the whole most people I ride with aren't too bad in this respect.

Yeah, similar. Got a few mates who ride back home, but most do a lot of messing about here and there, so can't really justify the drive to bum about for an hour. Other mates live much further away, so it' a rare treat I get to ride with them.

One of my mates loves riding, but somehow it' taken him over 2 years to buy a proper bike, and he's still fannying about now!

I tend to do a trip in spring half term for a few days. Previously I've been on my own, up early ride, eat, ride, eat, sleep etc. Last year a few mates and mates of mates came along. Was nice to have company and ride with new folk, but my God, the faffing was endless! Didn't actually start riding until after 12 most days! Sometimes I just want to get it done.

For me, riding can be a therapeutic thing. Time with myself, not thinking about much, going at my own pace, sitting on rocks and looking at stuff. I need that every now and then.

Most my rides are on my own. I usually ride with friends once a week which is great company and good fun. We all wait for each other and theres no expectations of pace of skill levels. Just good social riding. Over the last year or so it's become less and less people who regularly come out.

i generally ride alone. Partly as due to taking the boy to football and rugby both mornings at the weekend, or the garden needs doing, or something else

so i pop out when i can, and it's unlikely someone else will be ready. And if I want to change my route I can, and no-one cares.It's me time.

I'm also not the biggest fan of cafe stops; don't see the point of wasting half an hour as I don't generally eat cake, and it gets in the way of cycling (see above points...)

I don't really have friends per se, so most of my riding is done alone - been out a few times with a work colleague who I (think I) get on with, and is a faster/fitter rider than me so I enjoy the challenge of trying to keep up! Been out with my next door neighbour for some local rides lately and he's a decent enough rider that we have a laugh so that might expand in the summer.

I think once you get into adulthood, if you're not friends with people you knew when you were younger then you don't really tend to make new friends; that doesn't bother me especially as I don't seem to get on with many people, and even fewer get on with me!

Hey you just made me laugh out loud there fella.  That sounds exactly like my experience when we go out with a large group. We are mixed abilities and ages ranging from 20s to 40s. Theres a couple of us older dudes who know what we have come for which is to ride. The younger lads obviously less organised tend to do the things you described whilst me and my older mate stand around getting cold waiting for them to sort themselves out to the point of getting back in the car especially somewhere like Llandeglla where it can be pretty cold at 9am.

I usually end up riding alone and to be fair i enjoy the freedom and peace to set my own pace including a fair bit of road riding to the trails while my mates just want to go downhill as fast as possible and take on the biggest jumps and drops. I do enjoy a trail but i also enjoy just riding for the sake of riding down quiet lanes. I also dont have the time restrictions as far as childcare or the missus so if im not working which is 3 days a week and the weather permits im looking for somewhere to ride.

Family commitments stopped it in the end but I’ve got the time these days to do it again.

Are you in North Wales?

I'm not too far away, I'd class Llandegla as my local bike park (there are closer but I prefer Llandegs).

I ride in a group when out on the MTB,that said I've not been on it since June!

People comment about waiting round at the beginning of a group ride,what we do is arrange to meet up & RTR (Ready to Ride) at a certain time,so if you take half an hour to faff around before starting,get there earlier.We usually ride in groups up to 6 people maximum.I've been in a couple of clubs & they're great for going away for a weekend or a week in the Alps,but invariably on the weekend rides,the more riders the slower the progress,mechanicals,punctures etc...

I tend to spend most of my time on the road or 'Gravel bike' & I go on my own,I often call in for a brew & catch up at one of my mates houses on the way round,so even though I'm out on my own it still ends up being sociable.

Loved P-Jays rant - i think reading everyone's replies has made me realise I'm not looking for a big group ride. The thought of it sounds like hell. One or two people who ride the same and will look out for each other sounds perfect. That's what it's usually like on the rare occasion I do get to ride with my friends. Case in point, the last ride around the Marin one of them buckled the hire bikes wheel. There was no question of us leaving him to walk back to the car on his own, we hopped off our bikes and walked the two miles back with him.

I've recently moved to the edge of the Peak District and it feels like a un-tapped resource. I have no one to explore with - I've done two rides following a GPS route around Roman lakes area, it was awesome but would rather have someone along for the ride.

It's starting to sound like a lonely hearts column now. 🙂

Look at it this way, lifes full of arseholes. Why invite them on your rides? I prefer to ride either by myself or my old man/brother - that is it.

A fair chunk of my riding is solo, but that's because of Zwift and school collections. I take advantage of days WFH so my lunch hour is Zwifting, or i finish early and jump on the Turbo at 3.30 after collecting my lad from school. That means my riding buddies are at work.

Often on either Fri evenings or Sat i ride with one of my mates, it's truly a brilliant ride each and every time. We get on really well together and have a blast. It's nice having company that's for sure. Fri evenings are less so at the moment as it's winter.

There's a local group who sometimes ride Wed nights here... they also roadie on Sunday, but neither of them times work for me anyway so i rarely attend

I've tried and mostly failed to arrange rides at Swinley on here... but the couple of people i've met up with have been really good to get on with... I'm guessing i wasn't though as none have asked for another trip 😀

The trouble with riding alone is that sometimes your brain won't shut the hell up. You thought everything was hunky dory and you had nothing to worry about, hahahah well let me tell you, why don't you spend 2 hours obsessing over something trivial that happened at work today.

My god, bike faffing.

I bloody hate it.

I used to arrange an all ability/social rides every month through the summer, starting from a forest carpark not far from my house. Everyone got emailed a GPS pin or detailed directions to the carpark. Leaving for the ride at 6 sharp. If you want to faff, get there early.

Every ride *someone* would dick around for ages, getting dressed, building, cleaning then servicing their bike. Asking to borrow tools and so on. Usually the same two or three every sodding time.

One time it got to about 6:30 and i just got on my bike and rode off. 2/3rds of the group joined me, the rest slagged me off on the club forum.

I don't organise anymore.

Other bugbear was the elite racers who turned up and expected it to be a hardcore training session. Shooting off on their own at every opportunity. Usually missing all the good bits, then complaining that they just spent 3 hours riding on gravel roads and kept having to come back to find the rest of us. More than once had to go and find them following a phone call.

"We got to a tarmac road at the end of the gravel trail, where are you lot?"

"We turned off onto a singletrack about 2 km before then. I'll send you a GPS pin, and you should be able to make your way to where we are going..........You'll have to use the road for a couple of km though."

"Can't we do the singletrack bit as well."

"Only if you know where it is. You'll not find it otherwise."

Knobs.

Most of them were also incapable of uploading the GPS trail to their computers either.

Same club that used to crash all the time.

Don't miss it.

CBA with faffing or cockrotting so it's solo every time unless someone *really* wants to tag along and put up with the relentless, scorching pace.

lol Rocketman, everytime an older guy passes me at Cannock on a fatbike I wonder if it's you.

I’ve recently moved to the edge of the Peak District

GPS route around Roman lakes

Ah, you'll have no shortage of folk if you post up a ride around there.  In fact there used to be a stw Peak Pootle thread. I'm away from that area now, but there was no shortage of riders around.

It has to be actual proper mates.  The kind who’ll <strike> be concerned if you crash and want to make sure you’re ok. <strike> laugh their heads off and take the piss all the way back to the car.