[Closed] The Fear! Does anybody else suffer?

Yeah I "lose my mojo" all the time. A few weeks ago I was jumping with confidence. Had a few weeks off and I'm back to square 1, tensing up over the jumps and so not landing properly which is actually making it more dangerous :\

Nope it’s Just you….

Yeah it happens and I am King Gnar.. (well maybe not)

When its not working, dont push it, slow down and enjoy the ride in a different way.... Sometimes its an awful lot faster to ride within your limits, rather than ON the limit making a hash of everything.

Most folk get it at some time, to some extent.

Ruts do it for me!

Yeah, always had this problem. Cured it by paying off the mortagage last year and having a serious medical condition diagnosed. Every ride becomes the "last" ride, so has to be the "best" ride possible.

Bit extreme, I know, but since the idea of hurting myself now has very little mental impact on either health or income, I can loosen up a heck of a lot more on the bike - when I'm fit to ride!!!!

Yes.

Frequently.

Yes OP its not fear. Its sensory overload due to stresses off the bike/things on your mind with family/work etc so that you can't destress properly and just relax on the bike.

This is cyclic. You need the bike to help you relax but then you get stressed at moments on the bike.

It happens to all of us.

need to ride harder trails.

scare yourself at least once a day on the bike.

then when you get to the corner you were scared of, it wont be as scary as the thing that deliberately scared you. ergo you will nail it.

def-o get it from time to time.
but for me, working [i]through[/i] the fear is what i find the really interesting and - ultimately - the rewarding bit.

but it [i]is[/i] scary doing that.

"Its sensory overload due to stresses off the bike/things on your mind with family/work etc........"

Is it? I never knew that.

Yes- Ive experienced it and seen it in a couple of others. Worn out from daily life and get something difficult and you think 'I just cant ****ing cope/do it'. Its just too much on your plate.

I find that breathing excercises can really help you enhance you calm.

I take 5 breaths through my nose breathing out through my mouth then another five breathing in through my mouth and out through my mouth then repeat the nose in mouth out cycle, it's important not to force your breathing just breath gently.
It will slow you heart rate and help you get your shit back together. It really works for me.

J

I get that every time I ride my bike...I can session a 'feature' and every time I get the Fear...no matter how often I do it, each time I get it...royal pain in the @rse...apparently I over analyse everything so I need to stop doing that and let the body/bike do what it needs to do.

Harold Lloyd might not have had a thumb but looking at the picture he seems to have 2 - so how did that work? Did he loose them after the clock hanging incident?

Just checked Wikipedia - a prosthetic glove was worn to show all fingers and thumbs...

you really don't even wanna ask me that question

*resists outpouring of constant rollar-coaster of mojo availability*

Ruts do it for me!

Yeah I lose my mojo often, then it's time to get the play bike out and learn to relax again.

AFAIK Mojo loss is not the same as "The Fear", "The Fear" is what you get standing at the top of something checking the line for too long, I've got about a 10second threshold then the fear rapidly encroaches and I end up pushing my bike down - very nearly happened on tuesday.

AFAIK Mojo loss is not the same as "The Fear"

Agreed.

It must be really expensive if you lose your mojo a lot.

They're damn pricey frames!

very nearly happened on tuesday

Agree with ruts- grassy roots. Evil incarnate. They are like the grassy mermaids of the sea tempting you in, mesmerise then throw you...

MTFU you snivelling little girl.

No, I don't really get the fear apart from that last split second on the takeoff of a jump. Then I freeze mid air and land oddly.

terrahawk - Member
MTFU you snivelling little girl.

Cheers. 😀

Fallen off in the park recently?

yes, but I immediately got up and rode down a flight of steps 😉

No never. Just crash when its time to crash. Glad im not the only one who remembers Harold Lloyd though.

I get the fear over jumps especially where there is a gap involved such as in a double. Also with certain drops. There was a nice easy 5ft drop near me but the groms have dug out the landing to put a lip on it so now its a step down jump.

I think it all stems from the time a tore my nut sack crashing on a double!

I don't but my 10yr old daughter does.

Have you tried stabilisers?

I get the fear when I don't totally trust my bike or a new component on it.

For example I know where the cornering threshold is on my current treads, but if I use a new different pair then it takes me a while to really throw myself into using the bike as I don't know what point it will wash out etc.

Why not write an article about it for the mag? I bet no one has ever done that before...

It's a vision thing, same on a motorbike. Let me explain - You head into a bend and most inexperienced & experienced riders look just ahead of the bike. Result threpenny bit turns, instability and feelngs of mucking it up. What's required is to look-up and ahead of the bend, forget what's in oyur paraiferable vision (the brains already processed it).

My boy (bless im), on his 1st solo ride, crashed whilst trying to negotiate travelling through 2 static posts. Why? too busy looking at what was immeadiately ahead of him. Plaster on cut and subsequent attempt - no problem. How? Looking and planing ahead. Trust your instincts.

Nige

Pilots call it target fixation, keep looking at the plane coming towards you and you'll fly into it. Agree with Nige that looking ahead helps a lot, needs practice and confidence to do that sometimes though.

weirdly, I get the fear at the top of spooky wood every time I go (about twice a year) I can't quite explain it but I need a good five minutes to get my head round those first two ickle drops because you can't see where you're landing. I always do them and once I'm away I love it but still..... it's playing on my mind now and I'm not even going up there until mid-May 😈

the other is wet boardwalk if it's anything other than dead flat.

Yep I get, but usually after a big accident, which I have had a few. I have it at the moment. I am finding it rather hard to clear two 4 foot GAP jumps in a row that normally I would hit flat out and whip. At the moment I go for it then I brake without even thinking, hit the jump and case really hard, which isn't doing confidence any good as that means I nose diving, tank slapping etc etc all very controlled, not.

Anyway I'll get there in the end, its just a matter of try try again until eventually the mojo comes back and then its all gravy.

I get the fear turning right since shattering my wrist doing so on a round about last year. It's like the muscles around the impact area getting the fear rather than my brain... :S

Dirtynap how old are you? Maybe better to reign in and conserve what you have for the future than go at it like you used to?

maxray - Member
I get the fear turning right since shattering my wrist doing so on a round about last year. It's like the muscles around the impact area getting the fear rather than my brain... :S
POSTED 3 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

I get exactly the same. My brain says mmm corner - lean over , my arm says screw that and I stay upright.

For me the first signs of “The Fear” are feeling very high up in the air whilst sat on the bike. As I’m now experiencing “The Joy” I feel very low to the ground. All this without changing my seat height.

However, as Hora suffers the same I have come to the conclusion that I am indeed a mental.

Beep Beep Jibber Jibber etc.