Motorcycle related, but I think this is relevant.

Why we ride

just got back from a beer fueled solo 8 mile off road night ride

The very best type of night riding.

My riding buddies are all saying don’t but they go significantly faster without me even though I started our small village group around 10 years ago.

Option i) Slow down and smell the roses
Option ii) E-Bike

Thanks all – I mostly just wanted positive thoughts saying “Don’t give up!”

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjEq-r2agqc[/video]

Cheers Will!

OK, maybe I look it.

Started MTB at 49,the first year was carnage,it crossed my mind many times to throw in the towel.
Glad i persevered,going in to my 4th year and getting faster every year.
Getting fitter has been the key for me,with regards to crashing,i used to be worn out after the climbs,then out of synch and not fully concentrated on the downs.
Stepping i up for 2017,need to defend my Welsh DH title,so i’ve taken up running,that’s proving very beneficial,in that my average heart rate has dropped around 10 beats on my regular segments,leaving me less tired and more focused.
I’ve also found that if i’m out of sorts or slightly tired,i’ll ride my 29er instead of the 650,i find that i get away with a few more mistakes on the 29 er.
I’ve done a few courses as well,Jedi and Alex Bond coaching.

Don’t give up!

So shoulder surgery in 6 weeks time, 6 weeks of no driving as the surgery will fix 3 problems in one go! After that I’m looking at ~4 months before I can ride off road but having got into Zwift I can continue on the turbo after 2 weeks.

Starting to feel better and now wondering why i ever thought of giving MTB riding up 🙂

Date now through instead of ~8 week wait it’s been prioritised and I’m going in on Tues 28th March! So 18 days from surgeon deciding a “full job” needs doing to getting it done! 9 months since the injury!

Great news, not long now. 🙂

Now over a year since i tore something in the nethers. No cycling since last Aug as it just re-injured it. Tried a paltry seven mile (slow road) bimble last week (half of it downhill) and it set me back at least three months. This misery cannot stand. Pretty sure it looks like surgery, so could be another year off the bikes but it won’t stop me. I feel your pain, keep the rehab slow and steady, all in time.

I started riding mtbin 1987, on a muddy fox, these bikes were well known for having weak forks and they couldn’t handle jumping (SNAP)
This encouraged me to always keep both wheels on the ground, something I still do.
I have only broken two pairs of forks in the last 30yrs, one set was on the muddy fox (brake cable snapped, the straddle wire then got pulled down into the rotating tyre at 30mph, fork bent)
The other i broke at laggan going over a jump.
Ive had plenty of fun over that time, im faster than some, slower than some, but I’ve never wanted to stop.
Adjust your riding to suit your skills, but only stop when you aren’t enjoying it.
I don’t get out as often as id like, but when i do I always feel better.
Ebike is actually a pretty good call, perhaps try and have a proper go on one first, will let you save energy on climbs and be fresher for the downs. I have one, for me its the difference between getting out or not.
I will echo what many others have said above, don’t stop

Good luck dude , 2009 I was diagnosed with Osteoporosis , had a crushed vertebrae in my spine . Specialist told me to never ride off road again , take up jogging instead that will help load your bones ! Got a 2nd opinion from my GP he said carry on just go careful , the next year I spent the Summer in Whistler ! Obviously not loony tune stuff , I was told it’s better to chicken out ride 80% of stuff at least you’ll still be able to ride tomorrow .

I think you need to give up….

On Crashing that is. It does none of us any favours.

I sometimes wonder with full susser bikes whether we tend to ride faster than we used to in the past…which is great whilst you are riding like a God, but a bit of pain when you come off as it tends to be at higher speeds.

I’m 42, but recently made the decision to start working out a bit more and building up a bit more muscle mass. Does help a bit when you come off….As I discovered Tuesday night.

Took a smack to my head (cracked the helmet), face, stretched my neck a bit and managed to trap my shin between the twisted bars and frame.
To be fare I thought I was gonna be in a bit of trouble, but I think the gym sessions and general flexibility exercises paid off.

….Plus I get to buy another fancy lid without feeling guilty!!

Good luck with the surgery.

I just go more careful these days. And that includes not going out when it’s wet 😆
Used to crash a lot, but pushing the limits is a thing of the past. Bruises and grazes take long enough to heal now, let alone a break or dislocation!
No way I’ll be giving up (or getting an eBike (same thing) 😉 )

I would also reiterate the mantra ‘know your limits’. At your age you should have accumulated enough experience to know how far you can push things. I very rarely crash these days and then only when the conditions are extreme (ice etc) but I am not slow by any means. Just turned 48.

recovery time and my ineptitude has meant i no longer live by the mantra if you dont crash you are not trying hard enough

This runs the risk of being a self-indulgent ramble, so I’ll start out by saying don’t give up on it, biking’s ace!

One month before turning 40, I broke my neck (fractured C2 vertebra) by flying over the bars when riding a local trail feature that had been “modified” since I last rode it. I spent the next 3 months with a cage screwed into my face and being reminded regularly how lucky I am that I can still walk. I also damaged my arm/shoulder in the fall.

This was 18 months ago.

Last year was frustrating. I wanted to crack on with Running/Biking/Swimming like I did before, but my body and brain weren’t ready. I started out on the road bike, but it was pretty uncomfortable for any length of time (head position and arm).
I adjusted bar positions, rode the MTB on the road, and tried various other things to increase comfort, but the pain and the loss of fitness was pretty demotivating. I had a fair amount of physio on my neck and my shoulder but my arm barely improved. In the end I practically stopped biking regularly, having previously been a 3-4 times a week rider.

Towards the end of the year I started riding every other week with a mate who was happy to take it at my pace, and we’d mix on-road and (gentle) off-road. However, my confidence was shot on anything remotely technical or loose and my loss of pace continued to be a disappointment. Most of the winter was spent forcing myself to get out there again and I didn’t especially enjoy it.

About a 6 weeks ago something clicked and I suddenly “remembered” how to ride again and I’m loving it! I’m not as quick as I was but I’m gradually getting quicker and I’m getting out a couple of times a week. This last few weeks the pain in my arm has eased off quite a bit (still not perfect, but massive improvement from even a month ago), and my neck has been pretty good for a while now.

Since I started enjoying it more I bought a few nice new bits to shiney-up the aging single-speed a bit (under the guise of making it comfier).

Last night was the icing on the cake; we were out on practically dusty trails (in March?!?!) with the temp in double figures (just), covered 30-odd miles at a 12mph avg, saw tonnes of wild-life and came back smiling from ear-to-ear.

Hope the op goes well and don’t give up on it!

OP…first things first…get your shoulder fixed first…see a good physio and take it form there.
once your injuries have healed then theres no reason you cant carry on riding…you just need to be more careful.
a bike crash caused a compression of my L4 and L5 vertebrae in my mid 20s…it comes and goes now and all i can do is manage it…i’ve been asked the “should it not be time for you to stop cycling” question by various family members. they know my injury record and how long i’ve been riding for and how much ive invested into it…but every time they expect me to just give up…but i refuse to
the wife hasnt asked me yet which is a good thing…but then my oldest is nearly 10 and the youngest is nearly 3…ideally i still want to be riding so i can take the kids out on their bikes too

i might be on an e-bike by then so keeping up shouldnt be an issue

Never give up

In the grand scheme of things we are all incredibly privileged to have the opportunity and the means to ride nice bikes around beautiful countryside. I try never to take that for granted.

With regard to being able to keep up with riding partners, there is more to it than just whether mates ride faster on the downhills (and have better technical skills or simply take greater risks).

It may be more productive to seek to increase cardiovascular fitness to ride faster on the uphills and flat sections. Time permitting, training and improving cardiovascular fitness – however you do it (turbo, road rides, running, heart rate zone training on the MTB etc.) – is safely within your control and achievable, whereas pushing your skills to the limit and taking possibly too much risk to get to the bottom more quickly is likely to end up in further crashes, more time off the bike and loss of fitness (a vicious cycle).

Improved cardiovascular fitness would probably make your rides more fun: you can relax and enjoy the downhills at the pace you want to ride them, knowing that you can easily catch everyone else up when the trail flattens or goes uphill. Improved general physical fitness should also help improve downhill performance, since you will have better stamina and be less tired and more relaxed when going downhill, and so better able to concentrate, reducing the risk of crashes. The longer the ride, the more this physical advantage will tell.

Obviously improved skills – by getting tuition – and improved cardiovascular fitness are not mutually exclusive, but for some people improved cardiovascular fitness may be more easily achievable or offer a better payback for the investment of time/money.

I broke my collarbone 6 weeks ago and only now its starting to feel better. 6 weeks of no driving as well.

I’m looking forward to getting back out in the next few weeks thoigh.

I’m hitting 50 later this year, so have promised myself a new bike.
I’ve had quite a few offs in the last few years, nothing serious fortunately. I’ve always fancied an Orange 5, so was toying with the idea of getting one for my birthday, but actually I think a bike with less travel might be more suited to my future riding habits.

51 here and more than my fair share of bad crashes. Have definitely made a positive decision to ride well within my limits in recent months. My shiny new Anthem isn’t being stretched as it could be….

Roter Stern – Member

I would also reiterate the mantra ‘know your limits’. At your age you should have accumulated enough experience to know how far you can push things

Dunno about anyone else but at 41 I’m still trying to go further / higher / faster, otherwise how do you challenge yourself and keep thimgs interesting?

Junkyard – lazarus

recovery time and my ineptitude has meant i no longer live by the mantra if you dont crash you are not trying hard enough

Invite for a lunchtime session at Preston still there fella 🙂

Dunno about anyone else but at 41…

Well, yeah… To be 41 again.. 😕

I’d give up when i started posting in the wrong forum.

Dunno about anyone else but at 41 I’m still trying to go further / higher / faster, otherwise how do you challenge yourself and keep thimgs interesting?

Of course I take risks when out on the buke especially on new terrain but they are calculated risks based on years of experience. As already said the older you get the longer it takes to recover. Personally I’d rather spend time on the bike than in hospital.

Never give up! Just don’t be as daft as you used to be. I’ve adopted this philosophy.

Never give up, the bad thing about injuries really is that they stop you biking (unless your job requires broken bits not to be broken).
People that don’t do sport won’t understand.
And your riding mates won’t mind waiting!