This is me –

I don’t really class myself as a cyclist, MTB in the hills is what gets me going. If frinstance I had some injury that meant I couldn’t MTB, I wouldn’t road bike or anything, I’d go back to hill walking or hill running.

I’ve been thinking about going back to m/c trials but what keeps me riding mountain bikes is the fact that I can ride pretty much anywhere that I want to. We used to do this on trials bikes too, BITD, but those days have (sadly) gone.

I mostly get my kicks now from trying to (badly) emulate guys like Tobi Leonhardt, Axel Kreuter etc and pick my way down techy, trialsy decents – of course, I have to climb to get to them in the first place so that keeps me honest, I suppose.
The whole “speed for speed’s sake” bit seems to have deserted me, which is why enduros so far haven’t tempted me. People say “try it, you’ve got the skills” . Maybe, but I don’t have big enough balls to ride stuff at race pace anymore.

This might be my last year though (I’m 65) but I still dream of taking a bike to the summit of Profitis Ilias (in the Taigetos range) and riding as much of the decent as I could, right down to sea level. That’d be on my trusty Alpitude or else I’m hoping to put another LV 301 together – I like taking bikes where no bike has ever been before.
If only I could find someone to do it with.

Bravo Andy, don’t give up mate.

Well with a 4 yr old boy at home its difficult to get time to go away for “epic” rides. But I go out once or twice per month in the local area (which is very good to be honest) for a 2 hour blast. I also have no-one to ride with

Otherwise its all cx commuting or road bike commuting

but as I’m getting older the road biking is taking over a little bit

After 21 years MTBing I stopped for a while in 2011 because the bike wasn’t taking me to the places I wanted to go. Bolted it back together in 2014, started doing day rides then bought a set of basic bikepacking kit – and that was the niche I was after. I’m still riding the same bike I was on 10 years ago, it works fine. Happy enough pottering along on my own pathway, I have no aspirations to buy new bikes or emulate other people’s riding styles/goals.

Ridden constantly for the last 6 years and am getting bored with riding the same trails,I”m in Bristol but have ridden all of the local and S Wales trails to the point of boredom,but don”t really have the inclination to spread my wings any further at the moment.

I’d be very surprised if you’ve ridden everything. I always find that sometimes I get bored of riding certain areas, then one ride sparks my interest again. I still love getting out on my bike, and hope I continue to do so for a while yet.

About 10 years ago my hips wore out. I went from riding everyday, doing 300km audaxes, 24hr solo mtb races to not riding at all. These were dark times. 3 ops and about 5 years later I was able to ride a bit again and then crashed hard at BPW and ruined my knee cartilage and snapping my acl, 2 more ops. Now I do the occasional gentle mtb ride but stick to the road mostly.
Does anyone want to buy a 26inch wheeled orange five?

I really don’t get the pont a couple of folk have made about spending hours cleaning the bike after a ride. Takes 5 mins to do and usually I don’t bother anyway. Chains putolined tho so the drivetrain is clean and well lubed all the time. why bother doing anything other than shake the mud off whan dry?

Because not everyone has a garage or shed to just dump the bike in or a yard with a hosepipe to clean it all off.
Everywhere I’ve lived, the bike and my cycling kit has had to be kept indoors. There are ways around it all to minimise mess and I certainly didn’t polish the bike up after every ride but it does get a bit wearing after years and years of doing it!

I’ve not stopped but hardly ever ride mtb despite spending 6k on a yeti sb6c last year. It’s been used 5 times.

Started riding road and the bug has caught me, I’d now rather spend 6 hours pedalling if ive got a morning or afternoon spare, than 3 hours driving for 3 hours riding.

The mtb trails out if my door are all very tame.

Still love getting up in the peaks on the mtb every now and then, but I’m now firmly a roady with a collection of expensive mtbs in the cupboard

I stopped for about 5 years in my mid 20’s to focus on trail biking. However when I moved to the UK the trail biking is rubbish around London so switched back to MTB and love it. One bit of advice – make the most of the time you have when you are young and strong….it fly’s. However, if you are not in to it, don’t force yourself to go as you wont enjoy it. Maybe stick to summer riding and that lowers the cleaning time and reduces parts wear.

Yeah for about 3 years, need to kick myself up the arse and get back into though. The problem I have is I enjoy MTBing when I’m fit (not super fit just fit enough I don’t wince at every hill ahead etc.) but ofc to get fit again I need to ride (not even ridden the road bike in 8 months either 🙁 ). So bit of a chicken and egg situation + I hate riding solo but the cyclists I know are all pretty fit at the moment so I can’t just tag along (and wouldn’t enjoy it either, I hate being the slowest on the ride and feeling like I’m holding everyone else up – even though I don’t mind it when I ride with slower people myself and suspect no one really does).

I did try riding Bike Park Wales about a year ago (it’s only a couple of miles from my parents) but I found I was so knackered by the time I rode to the top I didn’t enjoy the descent (legs were cramping trying to stand up on the pedals :p ).

I’ve never really had the same passion for cycling as some people though, you know those who just want to be on a bike as often and for as long as possible. Even when I was pretty fit I preferred road rides of 40-60 miles, after that I just don’t enjoy it. I could ride 100 miles but it would be tedious (sure you feel good after finishing but I kind prefer to feel good whilst actually doing something as a hobby). I wish I had the mentality to push myself and love every minute of it, I’d likely be 5 stone lighter to.

Like others have said, I don’t consider myself a cyclist, I ride an MTB.

I have a road bike, occasionally ride it to work, but even with nice country lanes, it’s really, soul crushingly boring. To the extent i’ve built up an HT to ride off road on the way in & home instead.

Given the choice, I don’t think there are any circumstances I would willingly pick a road bike ride over an MTB ride, bar injury. Maybe i’m fortunate with my local woodland having some half decent trails, 10 minutes from my house.

Road cycling just isn’t an option for me – there are many other sports I would rather do.

I didn’t own a bicycle for a few years in my mid-30s (motorcycles took over for a bit) but missed it and bought a very cheap Diamondback HT to rekindle my mojo about five years ago. I totally regret the years (and ££££s) I ‘lost’ to motorbikes now and you can go anywhere on a bicycle. I use it for lots of stuff though, not just ‘MTB’- I’ll go to the shops on it and do some skids and wheelies along the way or I’ll stick some tyres that roll nicely on it and we’ll have a potter up the coast to a pub or several. Jeans and a t-shirt (or whatever) go a long way to making it ‘just’ a bike and take the chew (car, drive, special shoes, schralp, car, drive, clean) out of ‘MTBing’ as well.

edit- I’m not a cyclist either, I just happen to own and enjoy riding a bicycle.

I’ve ridden since 1996 but have had a few hiatuses.

I rode loads of MTB as a teen between 1996 and 2001, and the dabbled in skateboarding and BMX, but then ended quickly when my BMX was nicked at uni. After a few years of not riding, I built up another bike in 2004 and was hooked again. Living in Sheffield for a few years after uni helped due to the amazing riding on offer.

That stint lasted until 2009 when I sold my Chameleon and my Solid Flare and bought an Orange Patriot which I bloody hated – I hated that bike soooo much that I stopped riding shortly after.

Didn’t ride, got a bit fat but randomly at the end of 2011 I bought a Spesh SX Trail and was hooked again by spring 2012 and got fitter again.

2013 saw me by a road bike which I really enjoyed in addition to the MTB but I lost interest in that after really grotty winter and buying a turbo which was the most hateful invention ever!

Still riding MTB though – get out about three times a week which is normally one ride on the DH bike and two rides hacking about on my hardtail. Getting in a few uplift days which is brill plus I’ve started the local DH races.

had a temporary hiatus; got injured riding, bought a road bike to aid recovery, loved road riding and lost my MTB mojo. For most of the reasons stated by the OP (having to drive anywhere worthwhile, faff factor etc). Not helped by building a bike that suited the riding I had been doing (big mountain pseudo DH stuff) and wasn’t appropriate for more mondane riding.

So basically this

Started riding road and the bug has caught me, I’d now rather spend 6 hours pedalling if ive got a morning or afternoon spare, than 3 hours driving for 3 hours riding.

Though somewhat ironic that I also got into CX racing which means driving 3hr round trip to ride for 40 minutes, then have to clean TWO bikes 😀

Bought a cheap fat bike which rekindled my interest in MTB and have since bought a lighter, shorter travel ‘decent’ FS, but whilst I’ve recaptured my MTB mojo I’m not as passionate about it; not up to speed and geeking out like I used to, designs seem to have converged and all MTBs look the same to me now and I can’t get excited by them and when I had a personal injury payout the N+1 was a Ti road bike.

As an aside as others have mentioned them, I’ve also completely lost interest in motorbikes. I’ve always owned one since passing my test 25 years ago, but my current R1 has been sat under a sheet in the garage needing a load of TLC for about 3 years.

I stopped a few years ago. I was never really that good anyway, confidence always held me back.

I switched to road riding instead but even now I don’t do that a huge amount anymore. Been suffering a lot with mental health issues over the past few years which has meant I’d rather sit and stare at the walls than ride but when I do get out and ride I’m always left feeling great afterwards, but it takes so much effort to actually get off my arse and go riding.

I want to get back into off road riding but I’ve recently lost my job (because of my mental health) so it’ll have to wait until I’ve found new work.

I rode the MTB 3 times last year, and so far 3 times this year. 2 Kids under 3 have killed it stone dead.

The main reason is MTB from my door is non-existent and OH has priority access to the car when I’m out. Plus I don’t want to waste precious riding time driving.

Ride on the road almost exclusively now.

it’s too much like hard work; the breaking of parts, the breaking of me, the dirt, the clean up,

We used to take youngsters out on mtb rides back in the 90s and a lot of them switched to road riding because of this. To us, it was all part of it. Going out in all weathers, getting filthy, cleaning up, spending on new bits almost every week. Never gave up though, just try to avoid shitty weather these days.
Didn’t manage to avoid it yesterday, but was more worried about my son getting cold and wet and crashing on the chalk. He was happy to help out with the clean up afterwards!

I don’t like to think I’ve given up, but I’m definitely on a break. A few things mounted up, time for MTB was short before – Cambridge isn’t great for local trails, so any decent riding was a weekend away.

I’m now working in London rather than bike commuting, so fitness has tailed off, my weekends are precious and spent seeing people, so time to ride is limited.

Ultimately at the moment I’m not making enough effort to do it, I either need to accept that and thin out the bike shed, or just man up and get on with it.

I also like to roll out the BMX now as the track is closer and it’s a quicker hit of fun.

In a word, faff.
Faff in driving to the good trails.
Faff in the 5 mile slog on the road if I decided not to drive.
Faff of the mud and mess after a ride.

Road biking removed all of that and got me fitter than mountain biking ever did. Running has taken faff removal to the next level.

5 years ago I owned 3 MTB’s, one of which was a proper dream build, no running gear, no “training” gear and a car that was full of mud. Now, I have 4 road bikes, a cargo bike, too much running gear, no car and am 3 stone lighter and fitter than I’ve ever been.

Occasionally I get a pang to go on an MTB again but rather than spend £xxxx on a new bike I can go to Cannock or suchlike and hire a great bike for a few hours. Works for me anyway.

I’ve not stopped but I’ve always questioned is it worth it when you consider how much the maintenance costs.

This includes replacing broken parts, when that includes Forks and Wheels it gets expensive.

Bike technicians generally charge £20 per hour.

Things wear out or break surprisingly quick compared to Car parts.

^^^^^ I fix most things myself – learn to do it, buy some tools, save a fortune in the longer term. Parts wear out for sure, a MTB drivetrain every year, suspension eventually, but apart from that it’s really just brake pads every so often, and any accident replacement stuff that breaks.

With a garage full of bikes between me and my kids I couldn’t afford to pay someone to fix them !

I’ve not ridden my MTB for over a year, but have done more road miles so far this year than any previous year.

I got a bit tired of the faff, getting dirty, repairing punctures in the mud, etc.
My MTB has a knackered drivetrain and needs new rear mech/cassette/etc,which I’ve not got the inclination to spend money on replacing it all at the moment.
The only time my MTB is likely to get used going forward is for park rides with the kids – not got much interest in proper mountain biking in the near future.

Keen as mustard here, but I have to admit that the road bug has bitten in the last couple of months and the MTB hasn’t been ridden as much or as far since then…

Does riding a road bike up hills in the rain count? 🙂

lunge – Member
Faff in the 5 mile slog on the road if I decided not to drive.

Now, I try and ride on the road as little as possible, but 5 miles to good trails is too much of a faff? Isn’t that just a 15 minute warm-up?

Bike technicians generally charge £20 per hour.

My advice has always been to learn how to do basic maintenance yourself. It’s really straightforward, with just a few tools and some basic knowledge and a bit of common sense. For more complex stuff, you need to befriend a maintenance nutter like myself who likes fixing bikes for fun. You can spot them, because they usually have wild staring eyes and get excited with someone breaks a spoke… 🙂

I’ve worked as a bike mechanic and have all the know-how, tools but still got tired of the maintenance, buying replacement parts and all the time it took. I didn’t have an MTB for about 5 years – using a CX bike for my offroad adventuring before it was a thing. It’s big rubber, 1x drivetrains and rigid bikes have got me back into MTB – the philosophy of simple and reliable means it only takes an hour or so to keep everything running sweet and I have a bike more than capable of riding anywhere in the UK and beyond e.g. 2x winter trips to the arctic.

I’m lucky as I’ve got some great trails nearby and I hardly get bored of the feeling of riding them at speed. Plus I can go out for an hour door to door and have a good ride or longer.

However I am getting to the point where I can feel it takes longer to recover and I can feel the punishment it gives my body more and more as I get older (44 yrs old)

Still love it though and just had an amazing holiday in Finale which I can’t wait to get out there too again.

MTBs are too expensive now, much cheaper with a road bike and not so complex.

To be honest, I think about it now and then. I’m 37 now and haven’t stopped riding mountain bikes since I was about 14. But I’ve got loads of other drains on my time – work, family, other hobbies which sometimes I think I’d enjoy even more if I diverted bike time (and money) into them. But then I’ll get out on the bike and even an hour ride around the woods and the moor from my doorstep will leave me thinking of nothing but the next ride. I’m not ‘into’ bikes as much as I used to be when I was younger. I’m not up to date with the current fads, what bikes companies are churning out and what the newest suspension forks are etc – I purely ride for the enjoyment without any hang ups of what kit I’m riding.

It’s big rubber, 1x drivetrains and rigid bikes have got me back into MTB

No Dropper Post ?

I couldn’t do Rigid. It’s makes MTB’ing even more Dangerous without having suspension to compensate for mistakes.

^^^^ Dangerous ? …really….

Think you need to ride within your limits

After 40yrs of on/off cycling, road and trail, knee and back pain tell me I’m not 25 anymore. Got rid of all bikes at one time, so started with a fresh canvas again recently…. Now have a trio that suit well, trek folder I keep in the car, so handy if you fancy stretching your legs when away from home.
Old trek road bike when the weather is good, and a pair of single speeds, giant bowery and a charge for all else. Don’t ride where I live, go to Shardlow Elvaston area. Still do the canal paths and odd trail, but these 4 suit me well.
Can’t ever see me riding a proper mountain bike again, but honestly don’t miss it.

The only time I start to go off mountain biking is when it starts to get muddy for months on end from late Autumn to early Spring

Given the choice, I don’t think there are any circumstances I would willingly pick a road bike ride over an MTB ride, bar injury. Maybe i’m fortunate with my local woodland having some half decent trails, 10 minutes from my house.

Road cycling just isn’t an option for me – there are many other sports I would rather do.

Ditto.

I went to Brittany for a fortnight recently and took the hardtail, thinking I’d do some of that CX/gravel/XC type riding that seems to be so popular on here – you know, going places, seeing the world, pedalling, etc. That didn’t work out, I quickly got bored of bridleways and found a small wood with a load of really pumpy flowy singletrack that I criss-crossed repeatedly getting air wherever I could. And then 40 minutes drive away I found a big hill like a Dartmoor tor with plenty of steep rocky footpaths plus some official bike routes.

Basically my idea of mountain biking is like skiing without the lifts (but if there are lifts I’ll take them!)

I’d rather lift heavy things in the gym than road bike.* Or even go trail running (but never on tarmac – boring and hurty!) *I do this already and really enjoy it.

Currently off the bike due to illness and have been for the past couple of months. This lay off reminds me of how much I love mountain biking. I’ll ride any bike with anybody and often do but the thing that excites me is mountain biking, whether local woodlands or Peak jaunts. This is how it’s been for the past 25 years and I still feel that frisson at the idea of flowing down a particular trail or clearing a tech section, but mostly just that “phwoar” when you get back from a day in a remote hilly area, lost in the moment and totally self reliant, and I don’t care how much money/time/maintenance it costs to give me that, it makes me feel alive. Writing this makes me want to grab my bike and go now, but one of the joys of ageing is getting more accepting, and I’ll just have to wait another fortnight

I went from a regular 3 times a week off-roader / daily commuter cyclist to just commuter pretty much overnight. I have the benefit of loads of trails on my doorstep (live in Sheffield, parents have a caravan in the Lakes) and always thought I’d never get bored of riding, even if it was the same trails day in day out.

I was on a biking holiday in the Lakes and the whole thing just seemed so contrived compared to all the runners I saw out – they never had to worry about spending money on shock servicing, damaged mechs, tyres…. there was just a number of factors that had reached a tipping point and thought I’d try running instead.

As others have mentioned the endless need to look after the bike, the cost of maintenance, new kit etc. etc… seemed that the hobby was more about keeping a bike running than actually doing the biking.

I have been out on the bike a couple of times since then and enjoyed it, but it didn’t seem to have the same buzz that I remember, also there is nowhere near as much variety in the locale as other sports.

I had a few years off from when I was about 20 til I was 25-ish. Just had other stuff to do. Didn’t miss it, didn’t worry I was missing out on something. Floated back to it when I moved, and in trying to explore the area/meet new people I dug out my old bike. Been at it pretty regularly ever since (12yrs); rain or shine, hot or cold.

When the local rides get boring, muddy and hard work I force myself out of the house and within 20 minutes I’m always glad I did.

Doing stuff you’ve done before feels shite until you get back and feel great for it. I simply remember that and make myself move.

Ride all year, in all weathers. Fitness is good, weight is on track and life is better because of it.

I’ll be doing it when I’m 80. Instead of the old giffer shuffling around town centres waiting to die I’m aiming to be the old gal I met up snowdon the other weekend – 85 and does it every weekend. Bright eyes, shiny teeth, leather for skin.

The alternative doesn’t bear thinking about…

Yeah I binned off mountain biking when I bought a road bike about 5 years ago.

I was sick of the constant cleaning and was going through kit and components at a ludicrous rate, especially in Winter. I think you have to enjoy the technical/maintenance side of things to truly enjoy mountain biking and that definitely isn’t me.

Even the amount of faff relates to road riding does my head in. I like running as much as cycling really and so every time I have to fix a puncture, charge a garmin, clean anything or put a helmet on I always just wonder why I don’t just concentrate on running instead.

I’m definitely somebody who wants to just get up early, smash out whatever exercise I’m planning on doing and then get back to other things so it’s extremely rare I’d bother driving anywhere to ride unless I’m doing an event of some kind.

I binned off riding with my local road club for the same reason- I loved the social aspect of it but by the time I’d ridden to the meet point, waited for everybody, participated in a ride that was planned by somebody else, accommodated somebody’s mechanical etc I could have just been out my own front door at 7am, done a solo ride and had my lunch and headed to the pub already.