everyone has a certain branch of cycling that they enjoy, be it dh, touring, cross country trails riding or racing, plus loads more obviously.
I know a few old road racers, who when they stopped competing, stopped riding.
obviously some people need to compete no matter what, but what if you could not do you fave type of riding because of illness or some other reason.
would you still ride or find a way to ride, be it a different type of cycling.
could you not function correctly without riding a bike?

Yes

If I couldn’t do mountain biking, I’d stop entirely I think. I ride for transport too but really only for the bike fitness. But I could change how I mountain bike, if I had to give up the downhill and other harder stuff I could be happy enough rambling around the hills. I’d be back on the motorbike I expect.

Mind you I already shouldn’t be doing this sort of riding so apparently I’d need some convincing to stop

Nope, I enjoy bike riding but it’s not my ‘life’ if it became too painful to ride I’d stop

Riding bikes is everything to me ,road ,mtb ,track, touring .I am happy doing any of it

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/mike-trimble-goes-for-a-ride

Watch.

Never competed and never plan to. Whether it’s a trial centre, a XC loop either solo or with mates or even play riding with my daughters in the street I’d still ride….If cycling was carcinogenic, I’d still ride…different strokes for different folks I guess 😕

Even if couldn’t mtb i’d still ride to work, it wakes me up in the morning and blasts away the stresses on the way home. I’ve always ridden bikes, never compativley.

I just like riding bikes.

Shattered both my wrists last year. 7 operations, 32 screws, 6 plates, fused right wrist, need wonky bars on all my bikes to hold on properly now. Wrists ache most of the time. Stopping never crossed my mind.

When I stopped racing roadies I stopped riding, I’d had my fill of pulling on the front for the glory queens. It took 14 years to get back on a bike and it took an old team mate visiting for the weekend to bring down one of his spare bikes for me to ride out with him to convince me I could ride without a) competing b) killing myself for others c) dieing 7 deaths on the bike.
I quite enjoyed it 😉

I started riding mountain bikes, then I rode BMX, then I had knee reconstruction, then I rode road bikes and then I rode XC, then I rode Downhill and now I ride “enduro”. 😉

if I couldn’t do one type of cycling I would have to do another, no matter what.
I would even unicycle.
but not recumbents, but that’s not really cycling is it?

I just like riding bikes.

Me too so yes to the OP, I’d still ride.

Not really sure. As much as I love riding, it’s the ‘being out in the woods/hills’ that does it for me. So I guess that if I did stop riding, I’d like to think I could/would continue running and walking to continue getting my fix of the outdoors.

Can’t imagine life without riding. Racing or fast techy trails excite me, touring or ‘just rolling along’ chills me out. Busting a gut on my road bike makes me feel good about my fitness.
There are other things in my life that are important too but stopping riding would be very hard to do.

Sort of that. Cycling is just one way I enjoy being outdoors. Walking and paddling are just as good. In fact, I still think of myself as a walker first and foremost. It’s only really health issues that got me so deeply into cycling. If fitness didn’t permit I’d invest in motorcycling again.

Yep. I want to be the old duffer in his 80s who rides to the newsagents and the pub every day to keep him going. I have a feeling I will always want to ride as fast as I can, but as that isn’t very fast now, I think I’ll adjust alright to the aging process.

I can see an end to my off-road riding but I sincerely hope I’ll always be able to swing a leg over/through a bike/trike/recumbent for a gentle pootle along country lanes

As long as I can ride some sort of bike i’ll keep at it.

To be honest, I’ve kinda given up xc riding anyway, and that has been replaced by trail running. Now, my mtbing is pretty exclusively DH, because I enjoy it. If I couldn’t do that any more, I’d struggle to find something to fill it’s place as nothing else I do gives me the same feeling. I do road ride as well, and would probably do it more, but it is a totally different feeling..

Ultimately, I’d cope. I have other interests I’d probably persue more: I might actually become good at playing the guitar, or photography.

Edit: I would still have to do something outdoorsy, though. Not sure what.

Only ride Mtb no interest in fighting with traffic so would go back to other hill / climbing type stuff and do more,windsurfing.

@ton quite a few sportsmen stop when they stop competing, I’ve spoken to a few who’ve explained their reasoning.

Personally I’d think that I’d keep riding offload as long as I can. When I injured my knee it was one of the main activities I told the doctor I wanted to be able to do. My neighbour was still riding his bike into late 80’s (we all thought he should stop as he wasn’t exactly speedy and we were convinced he’d get knocked off but he never did.

“no matter what” is quite broad though.

Personally I struggle to derive any enjoyment by simply being on a bike I cant ride towpaths or fire roads or round fields or ride miles and miles and miles just for the sake of it I have to have a steady stream of challenges to keep my mind occupied.

On the occasions when I’ve had to ride something dull the thought always creeps into my mind that I would pack it in if it was all like that.

Hobbies come and go. Biking is always around. Its more a lifestyle than a hobby.

To be fair, it sounds as though the majority of replies are from folk that don’t have health issues.

I’ve had rubbish health for four years, there’s been a few times where I’ve stopped riding for a couple of months. Many a time I’ve bawled my eyes out on the bike due to not being able to do what I used to do.

Thing is, the landscape feeds my soul but I need a bike to reach it!

How’s it going with you ton?

I’d say I would but then I said the same about kayaking as I used to own several boats, paddle for fun and compete in all disciplines. Haven’t paddled properly in years. Occasionally dabble on holiday. So yes I could see me stopping although at the minute I’m not sure what would.

cinnamon_girl – Member
…Thing is, the landscape feeds my soul but I need a bike to reach it!…

Brilliant description of why I ride, but I could never put it as well.

(I can now, though 🙂 )

I’ll ride anything, but don’t have a bike at the moment.
Until one of the pseudo-socialists on here will lend me a bike, I’ll be a pedestrian.
Footflaps, I’m looking to you…

the landscape feeds my soul

Love it! what a fantastic description. Covers both my mountain biking and mountaineering pastimes in equal measure.

😀

cinnamon_girl – Member
The landscape feeds my soul but I need a bike to reach it!

Quote of the year {decade}

if I couldn’t do one type of cycling I would have to do another, no matter what.
I would even unicycle.

You stole my line – and a potential solution for mattbibbings right there. For those who need a challenge then there’s always a challenge on a uni.

I used to ride to race – the only reason I ever got a mountain bike in the first place was because I needed one for a race I wanted to do. Riding a unicycle has eased my transition into being a more recreational rider (though ironically my attempts to get more sociable have led to me joining a very race oriented club!)

I’ve been at the cutting edge of every cycling fad, & long may this continue.

To bike is to live.

I would ride whatever and whenever, health notwithstanding. Sport, recreation, fitness, transport, fun. I would have no compunction in using a trike, electric assistance, handcycle, anything really. WWSD?#

What would Sheldon do?

I am 40 and ride OK..some stuff I ride great but some ….
I have older friends that ride. One in particular comes to mind. He is super fit for his age and great at techie riding but also loves bikes be it road or xc or all Mountain. If I’m him 30 years from now then wow! But…. The biggest thing that keeps him going? Bike? Hills? Fresh air? Or friends? I’d ride with G even if it took all day to go to the end of the street and back. If others will do the same for me then I’d ride until I drop.

trail_rat – Member
Hobbies come and go. Biking is always around. Its more a lifestyle than a hobby.

This…

I’ve rode BMX, jump bikes, downhill bikes, freeride bikes, I currently ride mainly XC trails and the odd bit of dirt jumping and downhill. I don’t drive and I ride to work on my road bike 6 days a week. On my day off I go out for a ride… I probably ride at least 360 days of the year.

I quite frequently have different cravings for different kinds of riding, but as long as it has 2 wheels, it just feels natural to me.

Personally, walking almost doesn’t seem natural anymore!

Not riding at the moment – haven’t ridden for a month after rupturing my bicep tendon.

Had found my mojo too – missed riding for a couple of weeks, then it starts to fade a bit. Still itching to get out there a bit, but I can cope. If I couldn’t ride mtb, I doubt I’d bother at all.

maybe, I used to think of climbing as something I would always do just fell out of love with it or drifted away.

I have always cycled and (hopefully) always will. I was stricken down with an illness earlier this year and my wife said afterwards she dreaded to think what I would have been like if they had told me I could never cycle again!

I’ve been riding since the early 90s.
Raced xc and dh but was shit at both.
3 years ago I suffered a major breakdown.
I got diagnosed with ultra rapid cycling bipolar disorder.
I haven’t been on a bike since as a switch in my head turned onto no bikes. I would do anything in the world to be able to just jump on a bike snd go for a spin.
the medication I take has made me gain weight and since I was diagnosed I have gained 4 stone.
It’s a vicious circle that I’m currently trying to sort out with therapy.