Winter riding – is meant to be fun?

It was soooo muddy it just wasn't fun.
Does anybody get any enjoyment out of it?

Don't know – I would check the relevant government website

Temp was zero degrees BUT blue skies and snow capped mountains – Whinlater

AWESOME !!

Road bike?

IGMC…

(Yeti is right-can be really nice when not wet and just cold)

Temp was zero degrees BUT blue skies and snow capped mountains – Whinlater

AWESOME !!
ditto the Marin. We had a heavy shower towards the end but it didn't spoil a fantastic ride.

Stick to well draining trail centres like Afan. Its fun all year.

My wet, muddy, freezing cold ride today was further enhanced by very well worn summer tyres providing hilariously small amounts of grip. Brilliant fun!

Mud=enjoyment.

It was brilliant today. Mind, we were out on cx bikes rather than mtbs.

I was thinking the same thing after the first half hour (eg."why am I doing this??!"), then I warmed up, remembered how to control the bike in slimey mud and started to enjoy it. The trailhound loved it. And I met lots of nice people who all wanted to chat about my dog. And an especially nice young French lady with 3 Spaniel pups 🙂
Nearly didn't go out this morning, but glad I did.

Its all fun. Nowt wrong with a bit of mud

i love getting muddy.

Yup… the first half hour is spent dodging puddles and then the rest of the ride is spent slipping and sliding in to every puddle you can find!

Mud… Lovely! 😉

Awesome, just back from five hours or so in the Peak, trails slidey and slippy, feet blocks of ice – first hot aches of the year – face burning from the cold. Good company, lovely views, a robin on a fence post, a hello from Nick Craig buying chips in Hayfield, driving home in the dark with the heater on full blast feeling smug and warm and satisfied. What's not to like. Don't think too hard, every ride has a caramel centre, even if you don't spot it straight away.

Went to Sherwood Pines on Friday, muddy but great fun. It's the sense of risk ahead, whizzing through a section then to find mud ahead and picking your line to avoid it as best you can! makes it much more fun.

my ride today:

bring it on !!!!!!!!

Was on the road this morning. Hefty crash on black ice left me with bruised arm, but really enjoyed it. Sunrise was spectacular!

I reckon I expend at least fifty percent more energy slogging through the winter mud. Which about makes up for the fifty percent more caloires through drinking I do in winter time. So yep its worth it.

Winter riding can be great fun. Today, for example, in the peaks with the STW lot. Brilliant fun, some snow, muddy trails, plenty of comedy wipeouts to watch…all good.

However, a couple of weeks ago me and brother were out in the peaks and it rained non-stop. I think we both agreed that it wasn't as much fun as it should be.

jon

Went out last week in the mud and will be doing the same tomorrow. It's fun up to the point when you look at your speedo/trip and see that a regular ride has just taken a hell of a lot longer as you've just spent ages wheelspinning everywhere

No mud in Dalbeattie and the most rainfall ever this month, got to love well made all weather trails, hats of to the builders it was as good as ever. I think I am going to love winter riding this year.

I suspect Mabie might be a bit muddy though.

i love the winter for riding.
rides seem much more rewarding.

qwerty – are you a hamster?
🙂
SB

Well dunno, but my ride today at lunch time was good, short sleeves, sunglasses and about 20° mark.

Mind you it was a bit dusty 😉

Had a fantastic day out in Kentmere today – glorious sunshine and snow capped mountains all around us. Yes, it was chilly, and there was some sloppy mud in places, but with plenty of cheerful totty and glorious views we were all happy :o) Lunch at Maggs Howe was excellent too!

Last year I hated it

This year I love it 8)

ROLL ON SUMMER !

I went to Lee quarry today and it was much so much fun!

winter last year was probably the best since I've been mountain biking (13 years) – loads of snow and ice and frequently dry – just wonderful 🙂

Muddy rides are so much more fun.

Nothing beats going sidewards when you're on a flat straigh bit of singletrack.

nice young French lady with 3 Spaniel pups

Marie Antionette possibly but I'm not sure if it was true

think the mild weather has given a false sense of time

Must be just me then.
I just found the same trails a slog and a grind in winter.
One descent I felt my pads wear away. Ground down by the mud.
Hills I climbed through the summer were impossibly slippery.
Trails all lacked flow and were tyre deep in mud.
Bike muddied. Rider muddied. It was all a bit grim.
Can't wait for those sub zero rides though.
Will stick to running, swimming and football for winter!

Great stuff…winter riding.

Winter riding when the ground is frozen is probably the most fun you can have here in Scotland. Apart, that is, from the cold (duuhh!), you can almost kid-on that you're riding in totally dry summer trails- running semi slick or lower profile tyres, not worrying about damaging trails, knowing that you're bike is not going to need 2 hours of cleaning after.
In fact, considering the washout that is the average UK summer, riding on a crisp f**kin' baltic day is preferable to spring, summer, autumn.

Must be just me then.
I just found the same trails a slog and a grind in winter.
One descent I felt my pads wear away. Ground down by the mud.
Hills I climbed through the summer were impossibly slippery.
Trails all lacked flow and were tyre deep in mud.
Bike muddied. Rider muddied. It was all a bit grim.

I try not to ride places I know are going to be really muddy. It's not fun and it wrecks the ground.

I really like going out in wintery conditions ( although I do not like strong wind due to a previous injury). Just been out for a blast tonight and loved it. It's nice to have decent winter clothing and use it. 😀
It all seems in a way more rewarding.

I love winter riding-warm,dry,well lit,no mud,tunes on the PA,smooth trasitions,remembering how to ride 6ft spine,dodging errant bladers (thats dodging),giving skaters grief for snaking.Ahhh indoor parks and bmx-I love winter.

Where's that redthunder? You're Bristol based iirc.

YES!!

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Great fun

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Snow riding is amazing.