Sick of putting bike in car/no longer enjoying it
Discussion
I hardly ever use my mountain bike now. It's just such a pita loading it into the back of the car, driving 45 mins to Peaslake, getting covered in crap and spending ages cleaning stuff after. I used to go once or twice a week, in the last 2 years I've ridden off road maybe 10 times. Doesn't help having a new car that I'm trying to keep decent inside, not covered in mud and grit. It also requires both wheels off to fit in the car, the fittings for my Thule bars seem like a bodge for my car so not keen on using them.
I can get my road bike out of the garage and be riding immediately, get some decent miles in and only clean every now and then. It's just not as much fun as mountain biking though. Maybe the occasional weekend away mountain biking in Wales or somewhere different would help maintain interest?
I can get my road bike out of the garage and be riding immediately, get some decent miles in and only clean every now and then. It's just not as much fun as mountain biking though. Maybe the occasional weekend away mountain biking in Wales or somewhere different would help maintain interest?
I know how you feel...
I'm addressing similar feelings by working on " Project "move the family closer to the hills"!
ETA.. Road biking could never replace mountain biking in my mind, in much the same way as I suspect RAF fast jet pilots must feel if they leave and start flying airliners. Sure, it's still flying, but where's the fun?
I'm addressing similar feelings by working on " Project "move the family closer to the hills"!
ETA.. Road biking could never replace mountain biking in my mind, in much the same way as I suspect RAF fast jet pilots must feel if they leave and start flying airliners. Sure, it's still flying, but where's the fun?
Edited by Kermit power on Saturday 30th September 16:19
I know how you feel but from the inverse, I hate riding my 29er HT on roads, its a slog.
I'm getting fed up of the local bridleways as I've ridden them so often and as I get fitter / stronger I end up further a field, and I've just lost my favorite cut through as its a permissive right of way, and it closes for deer season.
So I've bought a Planet X London Road to build up as a gravel bike, with tyres 1/2 the size of the HT, it should make roads more bearable, with the advantage of being able to handle the bridle paths around here. Opening more up as they require more road miles to link them up.
I'm getting fed up of the local bridleways as I've ridden them so often and as I get fitter / stronger I end up further a field, and I've just lost my favorite cut through as its a permissive right of way, and it closes for deer season.
So I've bought a Planet X London Road to build up as a gravel bike, with tyres 1/2 the size of the HT, it should make roads more bearable, with the advantage of being able to handle the bridle paths around here. Opening more up as they require more road miles to link them up.
I struggled a bit to get my riding in when the children were really young. Now my 12 year old has the MTB bug bad and is the kick up the rear I need to get out there when I'm knackered at the weekend. I still enjoy it as much as I have done over the 23 years I've done Mountain biking. (I was a bit of a roadie before that :-( ).
Did Swinley Forest with him yesterday, green, blue & red runs which he did really well. 16.6 miles in total according to Strava. Our navigation wasn't the best. We did a few bits wrong.
Wrt feeling guilty about leaving the family I felt similar but looking back now I recognise if I hadn't gone for the occasional ride I would have got a bit "stale" & not to mention, grumpy ! You need a bit of fun now and again. It also means that at 49 I can still keep pace with the youngsters, for now anyway.
If you are still feeling guilty, take them with you if they are old enough. I have a wealth of amusing stories from introducing my children to it.
Anyway, the bikes don't fit so well in the back of the Mondeo now they are bigger which is the justification I needed for getting a tatty old Land Rover !
Did Swinley Forest with him yesterday, green, blue & red runs which he did really well. 16.6 miles in total according to Strava. Our navigation wasn't the best. We did a few bits wrong.
Wrt feeling guilty about leaving the family I felt similar but looking back now I recognise if I hadn't gone for the occasional ride I would have got a bit "stale" & not to mention, grumpy ! You need a bit of fun now and again. It also means that at 49 I can still keep pace with the youngsters, for now anyway.
If you are still feeling guilty, take them with you if they are old enough. I have a wealth of amusing stories from introducing my children to it.
Anyway, the bikes don't fit so well in the back of the Mondeo now they are bigger which is the justification I needed for getting a tatty old Land Rover !
Never owned a mountain bike, but I've just replaced my road bike with a Cannondale CAADX cyclocross bike because I was getting a bit bored with road riding and wanted to add a little variety. Lots of good trails around here, and it seemed a shame to not use them.
Edited by uncinqsix on Monday 2nd October 06:43
I'm lucky enough to live in Steyning, right at the bottom of the South Downs, it's cycling heaven. I just don't understand the idea of putting the bike in the car to go for a ride, unless it's abroad. Or going to a trail centre?!
Having a Skoda Octavia hatch makes it easy to take the bike though, drop the parcel shelf and flip the two seats and it's in in about the time it takes to walk round the car.
Having a Skoda Octavia hatch makes it easy to take the bike though, drop the parcel shelf and flip the two seats and it's in in about the time it takes to walk round the car.
Your enthusiasm for hobbies will naturally wax and wain with time. I've just sold up my stake in a trackday car to a mate, something I never thought i'd do, but I was using it hardly ever and enjoying my cycling more. I'll go back to that when it doesn't take me away from the wife and kids for a whole day on the weekend. Just go with your gut. If you don't have to free up space, give the bike a good clean, put it away and you'll know when its right to dust it off in the future.
Tri_Doc said:
Your enthusiasm for hobbies will naturally wax and wain with time. I've just sold up my stake in a trackday car to a mate, something I never thought i'd do, but I was using it hardly ever and enjoying my cycling more. I'll go back to that when it doesn't take me away from the wife and kids for a whole day on the weekend. Just go with your gut. If you don't have to free up space, give the bike a good clean, put it away and you'll know when its right to dust it off in the future.
Exactly this, I go round and around with hobbies...My view now is only have a hobby which you can lock away and forget about for a while!
Buy a road bike, go explore locally and then soon enough you'll go back!
I've been an MTB'r for 20+yrs and lived in the same place for 7, I know what you mean about knowing the local trails. I refuse to turn to the road so a few things I've tried to keep it interesting;
Explore the town / city you live near. I ride early in the morning so have a few "urban courses" that include stairs etc, doesn't replace off road but is different.
Go out at night. I've previously ridden Cannock from 11pm - 2pm when the family is in bed, riding in the dark is a whole lot harder.
Explore the town / city you live near. I ride early in the morning so have a few "urban courses" that include stairs etc, doesn't replace off road but is different.
Go out at night. I've previously ridden Cannock from 11pm - 2pm when the family is in bed, riding in the dark is a whole lot harder.
Can understand that, if you can't ride from your door then it's a faff to ride mountain bikes at all. It helps having roof carriers, keeping your kit all bagged up ready to go, etc but it can still feel like wasted time.
Have also got young kids so the more frequent riding is a couple of hours of road from home early in the morning, and to keep me sane the odd weekend of away MTBing with a mate or two. Easier to justify all the time on the motorway when you get a couple of days of riding out of it.
Have also got young kids so the more frequent riding is a couple of hours of road from home early in the morning, and to keep me sane the odd weekend of away MTBing with a mate or two. Easier to justify all the time on the motorway when you get a couple of days of riding out of it.
Daveyraveygravey said:
I'm lucky enough to live in Steyning, right at the bottom of the South Downs, it's cycling heaven. I just don't understand the idea of putting the bike in the car to go for a ride, unless it's abroad. Or going to a trail centre?!
Having a Skoda Octavia hatch makes it easy to take the bike though, drop the parcel shelf and flip the two seats and it's in in about the time it takes to walk round the car.
It rather depends on the sort of local riding you have, I think.Having a Skoda Octavia hatch makes it easy to take the bike though, drop the parcel shelf and flip the two seats and it's in in about the time it takes to walk round the car.
I can ride a 20+ mile loop from home (even though I'm inside the M25) with no more than a mile on tarmac, and even then that's very quiet residential streets. I can, but I don't very often, because it's just not that much fun.
Yesterday afternoon, for example, I had a few clear hours after spending the morning at a rugby tournament with my youngest, so I put the bike in the car and went and rode round Swinley. OK, so that's a 90 minute round trip in the car which, as Swerni says, I could've spent on a road bike, or on a mountain bike on local bridleways, but I'm more than happy spending those 90 minutes in the car for the simple reason that the riding is so much more fun!
In general, I just don't get the comparison between road and mountain biking (or even cross-country and trails mountain biking). It's like comparing rugby and crown green bowls, just because both of them happen to use balls! If I rode purely - or even primarily - to get fit, then it would be a valid comparison, and the time spent in the car wouldn't be worth it, but I don't. I go riding because I love mountain biking, and in particular the adrenaline from trails riding, so getting in the car will always be worth it in comparison to getting on a road bike from the garage.
Having said that, being able to ride onto decent trails from home is certainly a significant consideration in my desire to move to Shropshire!
TwistingMyMelon said:
Why you need to drive, there no bits to ride near you?
Not trails riding, no. As I said, I can put together a 20+ mile bridleway loop, from home, but it's pretty dull - basically like road biking just on a heavier bike without tarmac. For berms, jumps, drop-offs and all the other fun stuff, I have to go further afield than can be feasibly reached by cycling.Of course you'll find the occasional little fun feature out on most bridleways, but if you want a couple of hours or more of riding consistently fun stuff, then from a Surrey starting point, you're essentially looking at the Surrey Hills, Swinley, Queen Elizabeth Country Park or Bedgebury.
The closest of those to me is the Surrey Hills, but even that is a 35 mile round trip, and I'd challenge even an arrogant roadie twonk like Okgo to find the time and willingness to do that on a full suspension mountain bike and still get in the actual fun riding when you get there!
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