Why do you ride?
The Northern Monkey
Posts: 19,174
Just wondering what peoples motivations are for riding..
Mine is sheer enjoyment. Its my hobby, I love to get out there and just like the freedom, scenery and more importantly the trails. I don't care if I'm slowly going up hills on my weighty HT. But I sure as hell go balls out down any decent I possibly can!
I also love to fettle. Tweaking, buying, upgrading and building. Bloody love it. Almost as much as riding if i'm honest.... Think thats why i'll never buy another off the shelf bike!
Personally i'd never race (not for fear of being censored -which is highly likely) but it'd take away the enjoyment factor IMO. I don't really see my riding as a sport.
What turns your MTB'ing mind on?
Mine is sheer enjoyment. Its my hobby, I love to get out there and just like the freedom, scenery and more importantly the trails. I don't care if I'm slowly going up hills on my weighty HT. But I sure as hell go balls out down any decent I possibly can!
I also love to fettle. Tweaking, buying, upgrading and building. Bloody love it. Almost as much as riding if i'm honest.... Think thats why i'll never buy another off the shelf bike!
Personally i'd never race (not for fear of being censored -which is highly likely) but it'd take away the enjoyment factor IMO. I don't really see my riding as a sport.
What turns your MTB'ing mind on?
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i like the feeling when you see a jump or a bit of track and say to yourself "there is no way i could do that!!" and then you actually do it and then you say "that wasn't too bad, i'm going to do it again"
i also like tweeking, replacing parts, staring at lovely bikes, cleaning and reapirning my bike.
it's also a way to get away from everyday life like school, work, annoying family etc.
and it's good exercise, i would rather be riding my bike all day than stuffing my face and staring at a computer screen all day
FREE KONA KULA WIP
makes me smile inside
mtb coaching
Scott CR1
As well as that a big part of riding to me Is the playing with and building bikes.
I just need to be pedaling something
Now my motivation is pure enjoyment, I have lost 2 1/2 stone since taking up MTBing which is unexpected bonus! I try to ride 3 - 4 times a week, puts a bloody big smile on my face at times, I find there is nothing better than a quick blast on the bike if I have had a s**t day at work as well!!
pinkbike
Blurring the line between bravery and stupidity since 1986!
Also because it's more fun than anything else I've tried.
I've not got any particular interest in racing as its a hobby for me. However I have entered the kona mashup out of curiousity to see where I 'stack up' speed wise with other regular riders - but thats about as competitive as I want to get - having said this now, I may get bitten by the racing bug and annoy my long suffering wife with further talk! :?
Go big or go home.
Orange 5 AM Custom
I can go with my mates
Go on my own
Go with the family
Meet people whilst out
Ignore people whilst out
Combine it with a familty weekend in a cottage
Combine it with a lads weekend in a coma
I enjoy the pain of the uphills
I endure the pain of the downhills when it goes wrong
I enjoy being on a bike and being able to cover practical distances.
it's so flexible
I commute by bike
I tour on a bike
I mountainbike
I ride to the pub
sometimes I even mix and match and commute ... to the pub!
The only races I've taken part in are 24hr races, which I really enjoy for the team spirit and wholesale madness of the concept.
Beer in moderation ... is a waste of beer
If riding an XC race bike is like touching the trail,
then riding a rigid singlespeed is like licking it
... or being punched by it, depending on the day
I ride because at first light when the rest of the world are in bed, I can see kingfishers, squirrels, stoats, foxes, woodpeckers, and manner of things from the natural world.
I ride because it helps me keep very fit
I ride because of the feeling of satisfaction when reaching the top of a large hill........
I ride because of the adrenalin and sense of fulfilment brought about by a fast and technical downhill stretch
I ride because of the views of the countryside , some of the best views in the country are only available when walking or cycling
I ride because its something I can do with mates that the missus supports.including weekends away !!
I ride because when I fished all of the time I drank too much and smoked too much...I needed to slow down on one and stop the other
I ride because it washes my brain of my problems
I'm not very good with rules and regulations and I don't like being told what to do or where to go.
Freedom.
Good for fitness
Gets you out and about
Low impact on joints
Fun
I ride because I love the feeling of throwing myself and my bike around trees
I ride because it gets me and the missus out of the house to get dirty in the woods
I ride because it is the only thing that has given proper purpose (for me) to going away on holiday
I ride because it gets me to work quicky and for free
I ride because of the sense of achievement
I ride because for the freedom and views from the top of the trail
I ride because I can't stop fixing/upgrading the bikes, is half of the fun IMO
I ride because my bike is simple and riding it is pure concentrated fun syrup!
While going up a steep hill, into a gale force headwind, rain pouring down, soaking wet, feet frozen, no energy, no food, only my pride stopping me from going the hell home....
I think it's best I don't ask myself stupid questions like this again
FCN 8 off road because I'm too old to go racing around.
The Shaker
because i'm a tight tyke who's spent money on it and need to get my money's worth.
to help me get and keep fit.
to get me outdoors (i can't walk due ot fimur injury) so it's the ONLY non car way of getting to the top of a hill.
because it's bloody wonderful, and the feeling you get when you get home, that slight warm burning feeling in your face, the blissful soak in the bath afterwards - and the fact it's BETTER if you get muddy and weatherworn.
Freedom
Fitness
And a dose of adrenaline missing since I stopped doing track days in a car :twisted:
2. Focus - I love the mental state it puts me in. Riding removes everything else from my brain (if only temporarily), nothing makes me focus more than blatting along a half-foot wide trail faster than is sane to do so.
3. Places - a big part of it is exploring new places many of which I'd never have thought to go if it wasn't for mountain biking
4. Fitness - gets the old heart pumping and keeps excess lbs off
and you get all of the above at the same time! bloody marvelous!
Charge Cooker, Ragley mmmBop, Haro Mary SS 29er
Pics!
38 years old and doesnt need any excusses to get muddy with mates or on my own.
I dont give two hoots about being the quickest because I ride for fun, sometimes it hurts sometimes its a breeze.
Looking forward to riding with my son in the future (he better join me).
I always feel better after a ride out and it fills my days off nicely.
I do enjoy a good tinker to keep the bike running how I like it.