Bit of a weird one this… but despite not being a “local” (living in Bristol), I’d say that surfing has been my obsession over the last 12 years, since my early 20’s.

Took MTB up a few years ago as a secondary hobby, partly because surfing can be so fickle, frustrating and innaccesible. And despite generally finding MTB consistently more rewarding (most of the time), more accessible, more sociable etc…I still have far less inclination to go, compared to surfing, even though the latter so often leaves me feeling jaded! Don’t get me wrong, surfing (in fleeting glimpses) can be the most magical, memorable and incredible thing there is. But on paper MTB gives me a lot more back, on a more consistent basis.

Perhaps it’s the very nature of surfing’s massive learning curve and inaccessibility that creates such a drive, while MTB cultivates a take it or leave it attitude.

I’d love for MTB to take over as my main hobby TBH, as I’d get to practice it a lot more than surfing,but I find surfing such a hard drug to turn my back on!

Anyone else get this?!

Yep. Only live 35mins from the north coast and surfed once this year. Ridden 149 times.

Hate to say this but surfing is more “elemental” than mountain biking. I live in Malvern, I have hills and singletrack on my doorstep but for some reason it doesn’t compare to knee to shoulder high surf.

Horses/courses etc

Sounds similar to why I dont really surf much anymore.

I guess You’re hooked on chasing that moment when everything goes right and the wave is amazing. And if the waves are up then who knows when the next time is so you’re more inclined to skip the mtb for it.

Depends what you’re comparative level between the two is too.

Oh to live near somewhere with good waves and good weather.

It was a time thing for me. Young and single, spending every available hour and penny chasing waves worked.

Married with job & kids with a couple of hours free here and there? I can get a good ride in, smash some turns and be home in less time than it takes to drive to the beach and back. Where the wind might not be quite right, or the tide needs to drop a bit or the swell needs to pick up a bit more etc etc etc.

Having said that, put a clean consistent 3-4ft beach break in front of me and the bike wouldn’t get a second glance.

I chased waves for about 15 years. At times to the obsessive level where it nearly destroyed my marriage. In all that time, hours spent driving, money on fuel, neglecting my wife and kids, I probably had a couple of handfuls of truly magical, perfect sessions.

I decided that it wasn’t worth it. I surf a few times a year, I spend more time splashing about in the shore break or body surfing now.

I can get a few sessions on the bike per week without interfering with family life, everyone’s happy and now I’m encouraged to ride and surf when the opportunity arises.

I’m the other way around…. swapped MTB for surfing since moving to Sydney, for exactly the same reason – accessibility.

For me, Surfing, MTB and snowboarding are all very similar – they all elicit the same emotions/reactions. I would agree that this is mostly to do with the elemental, intuitive nature of them, and the fact that you have to focus on what you’re doing – you can’t let your mind wander back to work etc.

The moment that I really “got” MTBing was when I went and did PPDS one summer. A couple of lift-assisted days in the alps really got the endorphins pumping, and established a kind of pavlovian response….. wet weekday evenings in Swinley suddenly were a lot more enjoyable 🙂

More Road(ish) convert. I live 10 mins from the coast and happy to drive 2 hours to Quantocks or an hour and half to Dartmoor or hour to Exmoor. But recently found both surfing and mountain biking an “event”. Load car, pack clothing, drive to venue, change etc. Same again to come home. On the road bike I change and go!! Most times it is an extended ride for my commute especially on the home journey. I have lived in the area 15 years plus. It is shocking how little I knew about the back roads, country lanes and bridleways of where I live!!!

Yes, moving from the west coast of Wales to the east coast of Ireland kind of knackered my surfing opportunities.

Not a surfing convert but windsurfing. A few of us from brogbrough lake started heading over to Woburn on the light wind days. Moved to the northwest (closer to the coast) but now married (happily) I’m just a summer holiday windsurfer now.
Still got all the kit other than a winter wetsuit keep having the sell it or use it argument.
As others have said it’s easier to keep the family happy with a half day away on the bike than a full day chasing wind n waves that may never be found

Surf always comes first for me. I ride when there isn’t surf.
A lot of my riding now is an excuse to go and explore a new area in U.K. or play in the big mountains. Rarely ride locally, feel generally uninspired by a lot of the local riding – love riding when I go but surf comes first

When I moved from Cornwall in the early 90s, MTB’ing filled the void

Very similar to Jam bo. Surfed ‘properly’ since i was 11, rode bikes at the same time but around 18, co-incident with getting a car, surfing became overwhelmingly number one. It was my reason for existance for many years. I’ve been pretty lucky, since my early 20’s I’ve never been more than 10 mintues from the beach (still am) and until my early thirties rarely missed a session. Was a surfing fundamentalist which had negative impacts on various relationships and career. To get the most out of surfing requires total immersion, understanding the nuances of every sandbar on the coast, what difference a 4.8m tide compared to a 4.9m tide will have on a certain reef, reading isobar charts not msw etc etc. Surfing ‘properly’ simply isnt compatible (for the majority) with career progression or a family life. The gut-wrenching anguish of missing a special session and subsquent depression made me hard to live with. Think I burned out a bit through over indulgence but surfing had to take a back seat as I’ve grown up and had greater responsibility. So now I rarely surf and it feels pretty liberating. When I do surf I can just take it for what it is, not wonder if I should be somehwere else down the coast.

By contrast I can get my biking fix on the commute, or at a pre-determined and socailly acceptable time, not get up at 4am to look at the wind and wave buoys. Also cycling is way way more sociable and friendly. Much nicer to share good trails than be sneaking off down random bits of coast path on your own, hiding your car so no-one realises.

Windsurfing for us. Started windsurfing in 1984 and bought a mountain bike in 1987 for the non windy days. Summers were spent on the beach in the UK and abroad. Getting married and having kids in the 90s didn’t change the lifestyle and bikes couldn’t provide the same buzz and high as getting out in the big waves with a small sail.
Move on to 2003 and a bit of an advert/write up on Singletrack for a Girly week mounting biking in Switzerland with a company called Bike Verbier.
I remember reading it in the office and after a quick call to them was booked on.
On that holiday I knew windsurfing would take a back seat for me. I can remember coming home and never shutting up about it. So much so that Kevin booked and visited them in the September.
We somehow talked Lucy into letting us return as a family in 2004, Abigale was 6 and Katie 8.
I’ve not been on a board since, wouldn’t mind a bash at kite surfing.
All the boards and sails are still in the garage, just in case.
Cant wait for the next Alps trip, the Peak will have to do till then

I’ve gone the other way. I’ve ridden MTB for years but haven’t turned a pedal on one this year. Instead I’ve been heading to Devon to get in the sea on a regular basis. Living in Northampton I have to drive a decent distance to find big hills and it’s not much further to find waves. Maybe next year it will change back after having a break from the bike. I’m still a miserable roadie in the week though.

Today was a perfect example.

Been waiting weeks for decent swell to push in. I get all excited, cancel today’s plans (pissing off the girlfriend), drive to Wales. Albeit crowded and not the best break, Coney Beach at Porthcawl looked great: 3ft+, clean and no wind. Excitedly I run down the beach and paddle in.

First thing I notice is appalling paddle fitness, having not been for a month. In two hours I got 6 waves, all of which lasted a few seconds. None were particularly inspiring. The rest of the the time was spent waiting, battling crowds, or paddling for waves and missing them.

And then it’s getting changed in the cold and rain, before driving 1hr 20m back to Bristol.

I can’t say I “enjoyed it”, and while in the sea, I repeatedly asked myself what the point is. I don’t even have kids yet, so window for opportunity will only decrease further!

And yet…here I am sat on the sofa thinking “I can’t wait to go again. Maybe it’ll be better next time. Bring it in!”

Spent the best part of 20 years living for surfing.. Lived in West Wales for the best part of it. My back and neck are pretty much foobared from the hyper extended position of paddling. Also have 3 young children so my time is limited too. Started mountain biking about 5 years ago.. Then road and CX about 2 years ago. Spend most of my time pootling around on my tripster now. Have surfed only a handful of times this year. Intend to surf much more next year.

I think it’s the fleeting nature of riding waves that makes it so addictive (&a its ace fun on a good day obviously!) it’s really hard to burn out on because the good stuff comes in small doses but there’s always the promise of more.

I’m lucky, I live 10 mins from waves and have a fairly flexible schedule so I get in a lot but I still miss sessions. It took me a long time to be adult enough to let that go and not be stressed about it – the addiction can be so all consuming if you allow it.

I love mtb because it’s just there waiting to provide excercise and fun if you have time available and don’t mind getting wet. I have trails almost from my door and don’t need to get in the car for it if I don’t want to.

I wouldn’t miss a clean day of surf to ride though and I’m really glad the latest flat spell is over!

Here’s a few pics from this week! Did manage a couple of rides too #lucky!

[img]http://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/s750x750/sh0.08/e35/15251859_1156441887804926_3108862543351775232_n.jpg[/img]

Where’s pic 2? Looks like puts but I don’t remember the rocks

All three are puts, it’s been that kinda week!

Looking marvellous!

Tomorrow morning looks good too…

Indeed! 🙂

Ironically, I met the editor of What Mountain Bike mag last week on our regular night ride. Good rider, lovely bloke and moved here a year ago (from Bristol) to surf more!

My addictions to push bikes and windsurfing have run in parallel for the last 30 years.Sometimes it’s bike biased.Sometimes it’s surf biased.
I’d always prioritise a good sail over a good ride….the hills will still be there next week.

Few years ago..

Ceepers….I recognise that board…different forums, different aliases!

Surfed for 15 years and shaped boards for the past 6. Was pretty dedicated to it for the last decade.

A good swell always took priority over getting out on the bike.

Was offered a job in Calgary early this year and move over in the new year. So have slowly been weening myself off the surf and riding more. Was tough at first, especially when you know the waves are good.

Looking forward to dedicating a bit more time to riding when I’m over there.

Ah Matt! Different aliases indeed!

A mates brother moved from here to Calgary about 8 years ago. He’s managed to snowboard and ride instead and loves it there!

Cloudnine that’s a nice looking turn.

This is from almost exactly two years ago:

(Not photoshopped!)

Family holiday back August was in Hossegor, France.
The surf was cooking, I took a body board cos I last surfed over 4 years ago and thought I’d suck.
Rented a surf board one day, it was like riding a bike, except the fitness! I couldn’t paddle for much. But I loved it.
It just got bigger through the week and I was glad to be riding a sponge. The old cycle fitness helped paddling with fins on the body.board.
I didn’t touch my bikes for months after we got back and spent my free time riding long board skateboards, I even got my wife to ride a skateboard for the first time.
Now it’s winter, I’ve been out on the mountain bike a few weekends on the trot, it’s nothing like surfing but I do love it. I prefer working on bikes that surfboards.
I just wish I could doodle mountain bikes as well as I doodle waves.
I have got a bike that in a weird way makes me think of one of my old boards, the board was way too small for me and I struggled to paddle it but when I got that board going it was pure magic. This little Hardtail is the same, too small really but get it on a small downhill gradient and it just comes alive. Rips corners to pieces and turns roots and little bumps into launch pads!
They’re not at all the same but both are epic things to enjoy.

Living down in Cornwall over the summer and I was bitten by the surfing bug, happens every year. Surfed the best I ever have and loved every second of it but back in Stafforshire now so have decided to sell my shortboard and will invest in a hardtail and lights. Sometimes career has to come first.

That said my longboard will be staying and come spring I’ll be drive down the the south most weekend!

Tynemouth matt – did you shape a flex spoon a while back, if same forum I am thinking of (I have same alias), have twigged ceepers alter ego too I think.

Anyway, sacked off a bike ride for a surf today, nice glassy little reef, half a dozen out, mellow waves, very relaxing on a twinny 😀

Hi ferral, yeah I made a flexspoon. It is down in cornwall at the moment on long term loan to one of G’s kneeboarder friends.

only toys, when you open the cupboard just play with the one that looks most fun that day.

3 foot dawn glass at a reef with just me and my mate out this morning doing the most difficult sport which I’ll never get close to mastering. I love days at BPW and all that but I’d be gutted if I was booked in on an uplift day today.

Sounds amazing, you having a reef to yourselves.

Drove from Bristol to Porthcawl again today, surprisingly quiet at 9.30am. 3ft clean also. Had once nice ride, but shoulders were a mess from yesterday so was like paddling through paint!

Ceepers…penny has dropped; realised what your alias is on that other forum. I’m Goat over there!

Didn’t realise you were into biking too. I do envy those who live bear the surf, but there would be a lot to give up if I were to leave Bristol.