Has anyone just decided one day to quit riding altogether?

Afternoon all,

Was wandering if anyone on here just suddenly decided one day to give up riding?

I’ve ridden for a long time, trials as a teenager, DH (competitively) in my early mid and late 20’s.

For the last 4 years I’ve been riding xc/all mountain trails, whatever the buzz word for just basically mountain biking is these days…

Went skiing a few weeks back, I’ve come back and for some reason I now just really don’t feel like riding. Feels like I’ve completely lost interest in the sport. It’s weird as I’ve been riding all through winter maintaining 4 bikes (3 of mine and one of the Mrs’s) and got really fed up with the constant maintenance and cleaning, been itching for some dry weather to get out and ride… now it’s here I just can’t be bothered.

Has anyone else experienced this? Did you hang up the gloves or?

I can’t help keep looking at all the money in the bikes in the garage and thinking I could sell them all and put the money with my car and get a nicer newer car that I’ve been looking at/lusting after.

Sell two of the bikes and force your missus to maintain hers?

I prefer riding it the wet, it’s more entertaining on the downs and comes with a greater sense of adventure and accomplishment.

thought about it 4yrs ago when I got ill.
I bought a ebike to keep riding, it helped at the time, but I decided I would rather suffer a fair bit and ride a proper bike, although very slowly.
I am still suffering and riding slowly…….. 8)

Or maybe just sit on it for a bit (hypothetically speaking) – I’ve never done as much as you but I’ve long since stopped worrying about having periods of no motivation. Sooner or later, it’ll come back. 🙂

Thought you’d jacked it in for good ton?

Don’t sell all your bikes though, you will regret it. I can be the same, my interests come in waves. Mountain biking, computer games and academic interests are my main thing. I’ll get bored of either one for about 4-6 months and focus on the others and then I’ll tire of those for a bit.

Thought you’d jacked it in for good ton?

no mate, tapping out 500 or more miles a month on my tourer. very slowly. but I love it to bits. riding a bike is part of who I am.
hopefully one day I will get fixed and get back to riding mtb.

How about uplift days ton? Become a downhill goon? I’m sure you will ton, advances in cardiac treatment come in leaps and bounds.

Not exactly quit, but there’s definitely been a time or two when I just couldn’t be bothered for a good few months.

Each time something clicked after a while – had a few beers and my mind turned to that feeling as you nail a particular tricky line, or just wanted to get out and see the trails early in the morning before anyone’s up, kind of thing – and it came back.

Not sure if that’s quite what you’re going through, but it may not be terminal 🙂

Yes, after a mate got paralysed on a ride. Tried riding a couple of weeks afterwards, couldn’t get enthusiasm for it. Sold most of my bikes. Didn’t ride for 18 months. Slowly getting back into it, although 5 years after the fateful ride.

new challenges always help – i went through a few years of mainly riding trail centres, every weekend, with occasional DH day thrown in for a few years as that was what my bunch of mates did. the riding got like groundhog day tbh, and whilst thats ok for some the predictability got pretty tedious for me, and i found i was losing motivation. last year i went the whole year without riding a single trail centre, but did more rides, covered more miles and rode more new/challenging stuff than any year previously, also met some good folk too (and some randoms!). this year i’m intending to ride more local and get involved with more local clubs/trailbuilding too although a new house we’re doing up and baby is kinda holding that up. already paying off found some pretty good natural/BW/cheeky stuff within a few miles of home already

no mate, tapping out 500 or more miles a month on my tourer. very slowly. but I love it to bits. riding a bike is part of who I am.

#Might be slow, but still more miles than I or most on here do. Chapeau for keepin’ the faith on any wheels!

how about a week touring? island hopping around the west coast of scotland.

y’know, proper biking.

there’s so much more to biking than mountain bikes.

sell your bikes to buy a shinier car? – you’ve got it bad haven’t you!

yes. currently 5 months since i have ridden a bike.
reason: i have decided to put all my time/energy into career/work for a while so i just dont have the time as i’m working most weekends. totally my choice and i’m happy to do it.
being measured up for a new road bike this week and when that arrives i expect it will be time to get back into riding every weekend and a couple of times during the week. (and losing the 4kg i seem to have acquired)

It’s weird as I’ve been riding all through winter maintaining 4 bikes (3 of mine and one of the Mrs’s) and got really fed up with the constant maintenance and cleaning, been itching for some dry weather to get out and ride… now it’s here I just can’t be bothered.

Ground yourself down, forgotten why you loved riding. Take a break.

I was getting this way with minimal sleep with a newborn, shitty rainy cold rides made me question it all. I decided there and then to only ride when the weather looks good and promised myself that when the weathers amazing I’d milk it to the nth degree.

Thats how you fall in love again.

Gritty, cold rainy rides are for those who start to get bitter IMO.

Plus you’ve just comeback from lift-assisted fun. You always get the blues after ANY Alps trips 😀

Sad times Paul! Buy a bike that’s less maintenance and go get wet! I’m coming out of 2 years of a shit injury so on the opposite scale to you but I did for a long time lose interest. It’s funny being back on here actually as I only really come on when I’m bored. Can’t wait to take the bike out when I move back to the uk. Get yourself out on a cheap holiday to morzine you can stay at mine for nowt

& what will you do with the shiny car? Drive it to the Garden a Centre every weekend?

& what will you do with the shiny car? Drive it to the Garden a Centre every weekend?

Sometimes driving a great car is joyous.

OP Have ONE bike. One very decent bike- clear out the rest.

I’m quitting tomorrow.

Nah that is never gonna happen

Done it once with motorbikes never again. Getting back into it is so much more difficult – virtually impossible – the second time around

And for a car? Noooooooooooooooo way

Not an overnight decision as such, but due to the breakdown of my marriage and subsequent change of lifestyle and mental health I decided to pretty much knock cycling on the head, this was back in the middle of 2012, since then I’ve done one 20 mile road ride and Bridgewater to Taunton on the canal towpath.

I can’t say I miss it, I took up running instead.

Getting pissed off with having to drive to ride anywhere off road. Combination of small kids, high fuel prices and living nowhere near any hitlls has all but killed me as a ‘mountain biker’. Nowadays I just get out for a few hours here and there on my folder. Though I do ride in some capacity at least 4 times a week.

I’d love to ride off road whenever I could and tbh I’m a bit jealous of people who have good riding on their doorstep. Maybe it’ll return as the kids get older but I must have ridden my MTB about ten times in the past year.

TBH I go thru phases of riding everyday for months on end riding occaisionally and even not riding for a whole year, i always end up back on the bike at some point though

This is why I’m taking up road riding- straight out of your door and you can be back in 2hours (or more if you like) combined/total.

Start at 6am and your back for breakfast with the family?

Extreme but in summer….that’ll be great.

Plus with road riding- helps your off road too. Makes riding off road ‘easier’/its all different but if I stopped riding/exercise I’d probably lose my happy-streak and be a nightmare in pubs 😯

I’m not thinking of giving up cycling, but tbh, touring is sounding more appealing than the rough stuff to me these days(still doing it offroad too, but easier tracks and more road friendly tyres for the road sections), will never give up mtb, but I can see there being less of it in the future or atleast flirting in and out of it, My next bike purchase will be some kinda sturdy tourer I’ve settled on anyhow, would like to start trying to get longer distances..

yes bought a 1972 camper (hence the username – it came with a vanhalen tape in the tape deck) and did it up. still kept a bike but just used it to get about

after a while started riding again and then got more into riding again.

Take a break.

This. Times 1000.

Or, by “break”, try a new discipline….

DH bike = not ridden since April-ish last year.
XC bike = one quick 20min spin in 6 months.
Road bike = ridden weekly.
BMX (race) = ridden most of all, even for 20 mile loops!

I just need to finish building a back wheel, and I’ll have the DH bike running again – and I’m rather excited by it 😀

I got really ill 3 years ago. I got sectioned a few times due to doing some silly things.
I got diagnosed with severe mental problems. I couldn’t look at my bikes.
I was s 10 stone whippet, riding Coed y Brenin 4 times a week and DH uplifts with the likes of Tracey Mosely and others on private DH tracks around North Wales.
Now I’m on heavy shitty medication which makes me put on weight.
Today I’m 15 stone. A 50 percent weight increase in 3 years.
I can’t even look at my bike just yet but I know I will get better eventually.

I can totally connect with what you’re feeling, today! I sometimes wonder myself if I’ll keep it up forever, getting kinda bored of places to ride within reasonable distance of my home – feel like I’ve explored every nook and cranny. Plus there doesn’t seem to be the buzz within the various fragmented groups that I ride with, compared to say five or so years ago. Perhaps I need to move and start all over again

OP would you say you were a lot more time rich and free of commitments when you were more into riding in your Yoof?

Is it perhaps the case that riding has become generally less convenient as you’ve picked up work and family commitments that eat into the free time that bikes would have had first dibs on previously…

It sounds like bike maintenance (which probably wasn’t such a chore before) is now claiming a disproportionate amount of your (reduced) free time too?

Don’t quit cycling, you’ll only end up regretting it when you’re sat in a traffic jam on a sunny day, in the nice car paid for by selling off the bikes…

Instead maybe “Downscale” think about which one or two areas/disciplines you especially enjoy and focus on those, downsize the bike collection to just a couple of, different bikes, maybe just the one, whatever covers the preferred Niche(s) you’ll halve the maintenance faff and costs for starters…

I think there just comes a point where cycling has to fit in around your life rather than the other way round… but don’t quit, you’d definitely regret it.

I must admit that when people have a ‘fleet’ of bikes- it becomes expensive to maintain them- i.e. buy the bits that are good enough, storage hassle etc. In the end your maintaining a hobby, you don’t have a hobby.

Just bought a Brompton. Its an absolute hoot to ride. Plus it can be taken anywhere. Sure it doesn’t rank alongside an MTB on a decent trail but it certainly makes me want to ride it. It’ll certainly help me keep cycling until I can get MTBing again.

I must admit that when people have a ‘fleet’ of bikes- it becomes expensive to maintain them- i.e. buy the bits that are good enough, storage hassle etc. In the end your maintaining a hobby, you don’t have a hobby.

Depends on how often the “fleet” gets ridden. If they all get ridden equally, then yes I agree. I haven’t used the DH or XC bike in months.

Cheers for the input guys.

Alex.. long time no see! Might just take you up on that at some point 🙂

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. The question about free time etc.. yes I had more time etc years ago, but at the minute if anything my work life balance is at the best its been for the last 4 years.

My wife had a bad crash 6 weeks ago and has only just come off crutches… not sure if that’s coincidence or maybe and instigating factor too.

I’ll probably sit on the decision for a bit, but I’m also acutely aware of how quick kit depreciates.

Anyone want an absolutely mint 2012 Banshee Spitfire in Medium?

Anyone want an absolutely mint 2012 Banshee Spitfire in Medium?

Which bearings or bushes?

Bushes, it’s got brand new uprated ones in with no play whatsoever and no frame wear at all.

I got really ill 3 years ago. I got sectioned a few times due to doing some silly things.
I got diagnosed with severe mental problems. I couldn’t look at my bikes.
I was s 10 stone whippet, riding Coed y Brenin 4 times a week and DH uplifts with the likes of Tracey Mosely and others on private DH tracks around North Wales.
Now I’m on heavy shitty medication which makes me put on weight.
Today I’m 15 stone. A 50 percent weight increase in 3 years.
I can’t even look at my bike just yet but I know I will get better eventually.

…….wow. 😯

Me. Haven’t ridden for at least 3 years but recently decided to start again so havr a pile of bits that will soon be bike shaped in the shed 😉

Happens to us all paul. Just do what i do when i dont feel like riding.

I dont ride. I go do something else. Had a day of last thursday so was thinking of going up the woods. It was pishing down easnt feeling my usual enthusiasm for it so i got out my pen,paper and tools. Designed and built a set of shelves to fit in a specific sized space in the hall.

Dont sell yer bikes. Youll only have to buy another when the mood retakes you…..

Yep.

I basically stopped riding for nearly 2 years after a bad day at Caersws.
Kept the bikes and it came back eventually. Am now out riding loads and loving it.

Just take a break and do something else (mine were climbing and kayaking)

I got sick of bikes when I worked in the trade & didn’t ride much, if at all for a couple of years. Just kept building shiny bikes and selling them on after an hour or so of use.
Once I moved on from the bike trade, maybe a year later I started to get the itch to go out again and the last 4 years or so I’ve been back to loving it.
Sometimes I think you need to remember that you can do other things as well as riding bikes, it doesn’t need to be the thing that defines who you are for it to be fun.