Riding alone - yay or nay?

Naveed

I know some people who say that you should never mtb by yourself as it's too dangerous. These people always ride in pairs or groups but I've also noticed that these people don't ride that much as they've got to organise who to ride with.

I like to ride with someone, but am just as happy riding alone. To be honest I prefer riding by myself that little bit more because I can go at my own pace, stop when I want, and take as long as I want enjoying the views. Of course when riding alone I'll make sure I'm not doing anything too risky (that kind of riding is best left to group rides) but all in all I think riding alone is perfectly fine.

Right now I'm riding everyday and that's because I'm not waiting around for someone to finish early from work etc - I still get at least one group ride in during the week though.

I'd love to know what people's thoughts are on this matter.

Stumpy Ade

I don't ride on my own, but then again I'm a reckless lunatic that can't be trusted not to injure himself badly.

Oh and I'm not that good either :oops:

DrWorm

I ride alone 90% of the time, never had a problem.

There are risks with everything you do in life. I also hike alone and will happily cross open moorland without a second thought. I have confidence in my own ability & my equipment and if a situation does arise which I think could present more danger than is worth risking then I will find an alternative route.

So long as you have decent common sense, decent equipment, map reading skills etc etc you reduce these risks considerably. Sure someone could attack you while you are out alone, you could break a bone, you could...

...but all these things can happen going to your local shops, life is all about taking calculated risks, if we didn't we would never leave the house.

The best bit abuot cycling/hiking alone is the silence, I love being out in the middle of nowhere without another human or building in sight.

It's bliss.

jono_1uk

Hi Nav


I used to ride alone but since having a fairly bad "off" ( that resulted in a dislocated elbow ) i really dont want to anymore ..

SilverSenator

Once I've got myse weight down, and a bit fitter, I'll be looking for some one/group to ride with. You're giving up the peace and solitude you get from riding alone but you gain:

* Moral support
* Friends - well, maybe
* Safety - not only for accidents but from those scum of the earth who'd like to nick your bike
* Motivation - when you'd normaly give up riding buddies will 'push' you a bit harder
* A big laugh

So the pro's outweigh the cons. To my mind anyway.

bomberesque

I rarely ride offroad alone. In the case of the proper hills, it's because I have a sense of my own mortality and know that, at the speed mountinbikes go these days, hitting the ground is likely to end in major bone breaks. To illustrate the point I fell off in the ardennes 6 weeks ago and my knee was imobilised for a month. Fortunately I didn't break my leg.

tbh though, If I rode alone, I would just be a little less reckless than I probably am when riding in a group.

the other reason I don't ride alone much is that I am in a big, active and friendly bike club that usually rides 4 times a week.

Plus afterride beers are much better in good company

SpinningJenny

I do ride alone, but I'm not (yet) at the stage of throwing myself off the side of mountains!

I always take the usual stuff with me and always agree to phone the OH at agreed times and finally with an ETA of return. Plus, I do have a MedicAlert ID card attached to my person in an obvious place, just in case it all goes horribly wrong ( I have a 'condition' lol). Yes, this assumes there will be someone else who turns up to help, but you can't go wrapping yourself in cotton wool...

Having said that, I've yet to have a big off - it will happen - so I'll let you know how I feel after that!

Jonesy.

I enjoy riding with mates but also really love riding alone, as I've always been a bit of a wilderness freak and can't get enough of being in solitude in the great outdoors. I've had my share of crashes but none that resulted in broken bones, yet. My girlfriend knows where I ride, plus I have a mobile phone on me...so even if I broke my back, it's unlikely that I'd be left to die of exposure without someone looking for me! If you take the usual precautions that you would take for hill walking or mountain climbing - e.g. let someone know where you're going, and roughly what time you expect to be back, then when it comes to 11pm and you've still not returned, they can send out the sniffer dogs!

Mancunianfightingcat

I often ride alone. I get a week day off every week but work most weekends. I do have riding buddies who I go out with too, but, if the weather's good like it was yesterday, I ain't going to sit at home waiting for them to finish work!
I did about 25 miles yesterday, 12 on road and 13 off road. I didn't see a single person on the off road bits and I thoroughly enjoyed being on my own with just my thoughts and the views!

Graydawg

Nice to ride alone sometimes - gives you time to yourself to think etc.....

And you don't have to worry about keeping to a pace / fast or slow....

cat_with_no_tail

I almost always ride alone. I like the fact that on my own, I am neither slowing down, or being slowed down by other riders. I also get to choose my own routes, and if I fancy going off and exploring, I can.

I have 2 small children at home, going for a ride is the only chance I get for a bit of peace and quiet.

I do occasionally join the local MTB club on their organised rides, it can be a good way to find new trails if nothing else.

I'm not a weight weenie, so when I go out, I always take my mobile, a first aid kit (with pain killers), one of those foil survival blanket things, some form of high-viz gear, and an emergency flashing light thingy. I always let the missus know roughly where I'm headed and roughly what time I'm going to be back. And if I'm going to be too late home, I'll give her a ring.

I had a pretty bad off last year whilst riding alone, broke my wrist and cracked a couple of ribs. But I dont see how having people around gawking at me would have helped matters any. Just MTFU and walk it off

However, I would never go doing serious downhilling or anything like that on my own.

weeksy59

Depedns where etc.

I do plenty of off-road on my own. But it's not at somewhere like Afan/Swinley. If i were going to either i'd be with someone else.

My local trails/dirt, i'll ride 3-4 times a week on my own. I've not died once.

Dancake

Thinking of going out on my own tonight (never really done that) but it will be more of an explore kind of thing as I fall off pretty much all the time usually

weeksy59

Cat With No Tail wrote:

I'm not a weight weenie, so when I go out, I always take my mobile, a first aid kit (with pain killers), one of those foil survival blanket things, some form of high-viz gear, and an emergency flashing light thingy. I always let the missus know roughly where I'm headed and roughly what time I'm going to be back. And if I'm going to be too late home, I'll give her a ring..

Really ?

I take a phone and water

blister pus

I jump on my bike and go out riding it's a solitary affair and the way I like it. Sometimes I'll hook up with other riders along the way, sometimes I'll make a definite date, whatever, I'm easy.

Going on a distance route out of relative road and civilisation reach then I'll take 'the kit' along.

seataltea

Peace, solitude, contemplation and a pleasant break from work, family, thoughts of money, bills, painting, cutting the grass and the great unwashed.

I occasionally ride with others but I like to listen to music loud, mostly in my head although I did let slip the start of Scooby Snacks a couple of weeks ago and the guy in front turned and nearly fell off.

Everybody be cool, this is a robbery!

Any of you f£$%ing pricks move, and I'll execute every mother£@##ing last one of you!

:oops:

Tim.s

I often ride alone, probably 75% of the time. I dont push myself quite so hard if im on my own though.

DrWorm

Mancunianfightingcat wrote:

Lovely trig point, do you have the grid ref?

edhornby

if all your riding mates bail or can't on a weekend when you've got the time free to go ridin... what'ya gonna do, sit at home or get the bike out and go solo


I'd choose riding in pairs or in a group cos I'm a people person but I've no issues with soloing either (wouldn't go downhillin on my tod though)

Mancunianfightingcat

DrWorm wrote:

Lovely trig point, do you have the grid ref?

put this in googlemaps

53.864612,-2.521585

Chaz.Harding

I do most of my riding on my own. However, it is good to have a mate when you are trying more extreme stuff - for moral support (when you're being a pussy, he / she / they peer-pressure you into doing it, and you thank them after), first-aid support, and just plain company.

It's FUN having a laugh, sessioning a fun bit of DH with a few mates, jumping, p1ssing around.

It's why I MTB - roadie for phys (although lately, MTB too!), but for fun, MTB every time!!

REF123

Mancunianfightingcat wrote:

DrWorm wrote:

Lovely trig point, do you have the grid ref?

put this in googlemaps

53.864612,-2.521585

Plugged that "lat/long" pt into GE and tilted the camera till I matched your pic.
Very nice ride and view up there.
I ride alone 90% of the time, btw.
More flexibility that way and I can dial in just the right amount of agony to suit my needs.

diamondbacker

Not having much time and being dad to young kids (1 & 3) I try and ride when I can - this of course means as I struggle to commit to specific times and have to ride alone. I quite enjoy it, although I do feel like gauging myself against others and maybe one day having a go at racing..

Mind you, I did scare myself a few weeks back when I went over a jump and fell. Thought I'd broke my back and/or ribs after hearing a crack and struggling to breathe. I'm still getting pain in my back at times so I reckon I may have done some damage to vertebrae or discs. Better get it looked at. I was panicing and it's made me much more cautious which is a shame.

lm_trek

I did ride alone for the last 12 months ago, but just over 2 weeks (i was out with a group) i had an accident, and it seems to be worse than i thought. I basically face planted the ground, hit a hole in a fireroad bike stopped i didn't.

I had concussion, broken front tooth, 9 stitches above my top lip, 9 stitches in my chin severe bruising and swelling, and one knackered lid!

2 weeks on i still have what they call sustained concussion which is head aches and slight memory loss thats short term memory loss and some confusion, simple things like instead of taking the direct route somewhere i will go the longest for no real reason??!! and at work will wonder down a corridor and then think why the hell am i here??

After this i will think twice about solo biking, i dread to think what would of happened if i was alone and this happened. I know people say at trail centers its easy for people to cycle past, but when you go off route at a trail center and you know no-one is going to go past, basically your stuffed!

I haven't got out on the bike yet but my next trip out will be with other bikers!

Flenser

I tend to ride on my own for most of the week but that's mostly on-road with a bit of gravel track and some minor off-toad.

Then I'm out with my bro or my brother-in-law it tends to be more woodland, bridleway, single-track and some major hills; both up and down! My brother's a c*nt like that. Him and his f'ing Stumpjumper.

projectsome

I generally ride alone as it's more convenient for me. I like getting up really early.

Dazzza

Flenser wrote:

I tend to ride on my own for most of the week but that's mostly on-road with a bit of gravel track and some minor off-toad.

Then I'm out with my bro or my brother-in-law it tends to be more woodland, bridleway, single-track and some major hills; both up and down! My brother's a c*nt like that. Him and his f'ing Stumpjumper.

You know i have a friend like that always climbing up things with her epic and it's me who ends up struggling, so what have i done.

Gone and bought me an anthem.

carbonfibre

Like riding on my own...seen enough Grylls and Mears...I'll be fine...

Dancake

Well I went out on my own and lived to tell the tale

Biggest problem I had was riding around Cranham and realising my sense of direction was awful! (Eventually found Jim bowen so at least I did one trail I knew)

oh and those new 203mm hydros are a little more powerful than my old mechanicals so I may have sort of fallen off in a panic moment. All good though

carbonfiend

I ride alone but then again I smell and have no mates.

dave_hill

I ride alone 95% of the time.

But then 95% of my mates are under the thumb and are only allowed out by their wives or girlfriends once a month and that's to do the shopping.

And it also helps that I hate riding in groups - I prefer being on my own and just knowing that I'm the only person for miles around or higher up, with a bike, than anyone else at that given moment.

I'm not afraid of big advenures either and going right out into the wilds. But you have to know your limits and ride within them. And you have to be prepared for most eventualities. Don't forget that there are still places in the UK where all the mobile phones in the world won't get you out of a scrape!

The thing is when you're out riding alone you absolutely have to follow your head - follow your heart and unless you're very lucky you're going to be asking for trouble. Any good outdoorsman (and I suspect that there aren't many here...) will never knowingly put themselves in danger, or consider the consequences of doing something particulalrly risky.