How much do you love bike riding?

Anonymous

i like it enough, its good fun and i enjoy to go out on the bike a couple of times a week if its nice and sunny and im not to tired from the weight training, playing squash or going for a run.

its a bit of a hobby for me and i like tinkering with the bike once im done with it. im more pleased about the bike performing flawlesly during a ride than i am when i have performed flawlessly. (mainly because im slow and rubbish but i am a good mechanic)

if i never rode a bike again though, i wouldnt be fussed in the slightest i dont think.

so how about you lot, what does it mean to you, what would you do without it?

supersonic

It is harder than when I was younger, and because of various ailments I have - but I like it for many reasons. Just getting out and enjoying the country and fresh air is part of it. Then the adrenaline rush of fast swoopy trails.

So is a mixed bag for me. Also enjoy the mechanics, design and related stuff.

BenWatson89

I LOVE it.

If I couldn't do it then I think it would be hell (and id also be massive due to the fact that I cant run). +1 to the getting out into the fresh air and the countryside.

bails87

Somewhere in between supersonic and BenWatson89. As the Editors said/sang, I'm so glad I found this.....

I absolutely love it, I like the social side of it, I like getting out into the peace and quiet on my own, and then doing something interesting in it! A good ride in beautiful scenery, on flowing trails always leaves me with a massive grin, feeling quite content with the world!

I've only been doing it for a couple of years. But I'd pretty much always prefer a ride to playing football, which used to be my main sport. It can be competiive without aggression between the people you're with, you can have as much of a good ride on your own as in a big group. There's something special about being out in the middle of nowhere, completely alone, at 10pm on a freezing December evening. And there's something equally special about hurtling down a mountain in the summer, with a bunch of mates in tow.

The fitness is just a happy coincidence. TBH, I find myself getting grumpy if I can't go out and ride for a few days

cee

Admittedly...I go potty when i can't get out on my bike for a while...

For me...Its how I clear my head. Its the only thing I do in my spare time where my mind feels truly clear..thinking about nothing apart from what is ahead...it doesn't always have to be a trail ride either...I ride to work...am always totally awake when i get there, and never feel stressed when i get home.

My life is on average 60 work hours a week. Riding is time that I get for me and nothing else feels important.

the mechanics are just part of it...

bails87

cee
Good point about clearing your head. At some points in the last year I've really needed that. And if you try to think through all the other stupid stuff going on, you'll end up riding into a tree/going under a car because you're not concentrating. So it forces you to push everything out of your head and just enjoy what you're doing.

cee

bails87 wrote:

cee
Good point about clearing your head. At some points in the last year I've really needed that. And if you try to think through all the other stupid stuff going on, you'll end up riding into a tree/going under a car because you're not concentrating. So it forces you to push everything out of your head and just enjoy what you're doing.

its the other way round for me...I find it really difficult to think about anyting else whilst riding...its like a forced reboot!

bails87

cee wrote:

bails87 wrote:

cee
Good point about clearing your head. At some points in the last year I've really needed that. And if you try to think through all the other stupid stuff going on, you'll end up riding into a tree/going under a car because you're not concentrating. So it forces you to push everything out of your head and just enjoy what you're doing.

its the other way round for me...I find it really difficult to think about anyting else whilst riding...its like a forced reboot!

I think that's what I said....

cee

I meant...theres is no apparent pushing out of the head....

its just gone.

I reckon we are saying the same thing too though.

newclearbomb

I like to get out and ride ! i find that special little place where the only thing that matters is the trail in front of me..................

I dont mind riding in any weather Sunnshine or rain soaked wet muddy trails,

I,m just not a very good Mechanic altho i do keep my bike in tip top condition its more preventative maintenance and tinkering rather than outright stripping and building !

I couldnt do without it and often think about not being able to ride ! :oops:

njee20

I usually love it, although some of the time it can be miserable!

However, those miserable wet, icy, dark, cold 3 hour road rides in January make the flat out blasts in summer all the more fun!

MacAndCheese

njee20 wrote:

I usually love it, although some of the time it can be miserable!

This somes it up for me but if I could never ride again I'd be devastated. Because when it's good (fast trails, bike fully functioning, me on good form, riding with good company and a bit of banter) it's the simply the best activity I've found.

When its bad (bike not working, me being rubbish, crap weather) it can be pretty miserable, but you always know it's probably going to be better next time.

ilovedirt

Riding is one of my two real hobbies (the other being music), so i hate when i can't ride my bike. There's nothing like blasting down a great piece of singletrack, your bike working perfectly and feeling really good at the end of it. I don't get loads of free time from work sometimes, so when i do, riding my bike is just really relieving and stress-free. I love it!

Cferg

Best part of riding? Knowing that I know my local woodlands inside out and with every little track that only I ride putting a huge grin on my face. Getting out into the country, getting that adrenaline rush, getting exercise and having a good time with mates that are doing the same three things, cannae' beat it!

Anonymous

cee wrote:

its the other way round for me...I find it really difficult to think about anyting else whilst riding...its like a forced reboot!

Very much the same here.
Otherwise though, without bikes, I wouldn't be who I am. I thrive on it, when I don't ride for a while, I become physically tired, and depressed. Everyone I know notices the change, without riding, I fade a way.

It's not the most important thing to me, but it IS me.

fletch8928

I really enjoy it. Not fanatical or obsessed, but very much into it.

The open countryside can be taken in or blurred through. The local woods can be sessioned or just pootled in. Either way its a great activity and a good hobby. Being fitter is a positive side effect. Being poorer isn't

I wouldn't like to think i wouldn't be able to go for a ride again, but thats not a choice I have to make at the moment.

I did wrap it in for a few years from 97 to 08. Had a bike but didn't really ride it. I did miss it but as i was running pubs I didn;t have all that much time. When I went out for the 1st time in anger again I was amazed about how it made me feel. knackered.

thel33ter

bails87 wrote:

Somewhere in between supersonic and BenWatson89. As the Editors said/sang, I'm so glad I found this.....

I absolutely love it, I like the social side of it, I like getting out into the peace and quiet on my own, and then doing something interesting in it! A good ride in beautiful scenery, on flowing trails always leaves me with a massive grin, feeling quite content with the world!

I've only been doing it for a couple of years. But I'd pretty much always prefer a ride to playing football, which used to be my main sport. It can be competiive without aggression between the people you're with, you can have as much of a good ride on your own as in a big group. There's something special about being out in the middle of nowhere, completely alone, at 10pm on a freezing December evening. And there's something equally special about hurtling down a mountain in the summer, with a bunch of mates in tow.

The fitness is just a happy coincidence. TBH, I find myself getting grumpy if I can't go out and ride for a few days

100% How I feel, apart from the football bit, before cycling I was tubby and pretty unfit, now I'm no.1 at long distance running at my school in my year

paul.skibum

I spend five months of the year skiing and when I am skiing I often find myself longing for the summer so I can go riding. But then just now I am kinda thinking about winter and that first powder day.

FixedGear11

On a scale of 1 to 10 I'm at about a 7

If the weather cooperated I would probably be riding a lot more. I hate getting caught in the rain.

Also, thing I hate most is that my gf doesn't ride so if I want to go anywhere with her its either the car or the bus for us.

lawman

out of 10 im probably at 11

bikes and riding are pretty much my life, i work with them, i ride them and like spending money on the things. some people do it with phones, computers etc, but i dont think any hobby will ever replace mtbing, other than the obvious natural reflexes

Happy Harry

It's just come together in the last couple of years. I've always had mountain bikes but little time to ride them due to 'responsibilities'. And then usually along the towpath. But now the responsibilities have gone away (died and grown up respectively!) I've finally got time for myself.

As well as bikes, the two things (other than sex, obviously :roll: ) that have consistently given me most pleasure throughout my life have been exploring the English countryside on foot and using OS maps. My first proper off-road ride a couple of years back revealed that I could put all three pleasures together.

So my bike now takes me into the depths of the countryside and we either explore new paths that we've seen on the map or follow familiar rides that we've enjoyed before. And best of all is when we stop for a rest and lay on the grass and daydream about how, actually, sex IS better

Torres

I like it - bikes give me focus.
Doesn't matter if im riding or fettling; my mind clears and when i'm done i can give 100% to whatever else needs doing.
It's simple and i like it.

Raymondavalon

Love it myself.

I come from a background of off road motorcycling and as circumstances didn't allow me to own a dirt bike, cycling became the alternative and is now my preferred recreational activity
Admittedly I am no fast, lean mean, singletrack attack rider, but I do get out and ride whenever possible. It keeps me fit, keeps the reflexes sharp and it sure beats running.
I usually ride Follow the Dog at Cannock every day after work. It's Novocain for the soul
After a day's work, saddling up and getting out among the trees is the best possible way to unwind. When I get home I feel as if I earned my supper :¬P

I also ride on weekends too, usually do the [new] Monkey Trail which is hard work and rewarding. Another bonus is that bikes are easy to transport and you get to experience some great outdoor places through this sport too.

Lastly it's the great camaraderie between us "mountain bikers" that make this an even more rewarding activity.

mrfmilo

Alot :P

Northwind

Mmm, it's pretty important to me. Not just the riding though it's one of the best ways I know to spend my days, but also there's the social side, and the wider "biking hobby" like the entertainments, trailbuilding, building and maintaining the things... It's the only exercise I've ever come across that I can stand, too.

It's actually the exact same thing I used to get from motorbiking, tbh, except that I enjoy the riding more.

The Northern Monkey

About this much.




i'd probably be a fat slob if I wasn't MTB'ing... i'd have more money though!

blister pus

i'd be here all day for reasons why i do it and like it. but everyone will cover some aspect or other but endorphin rush is probably at the top

bartimaeus

Really enjoying it... I'm 47 and only really got into off-road a year or two ago. Since I got 'a proper bike' at Easter I've managed to get out a couple of times a week - mostly late evenings.

I feel much fitter and stronger - I'm a couple of gears better up the climbs... and with full-suss the downhill is also fun where before it was just dangerous. I'm finding it easy to get the motivation to go out - it's the combination of learning/improving, the satisfaction of meeting the challenges and the magic of the summer evenings and moonlit nights with deer, foxes, rabbits,badgers and owls for company.

We'll see if that motivation survives the winter

snotty badger

I really enjoy riding and fettling. Even just riding to work, clears my head and wakes me up.

If I don't ride for a week I feel a bit disappointed in myself! :oops:

ilovedirt

The Northern Monkey wrote:

i'd probably be a fat slob if I wasn't MTB'ing... i'd have more money though!

Oh yeah, i'd be a fat bugger if it wasn't for bikes, but i'd be about 2 grand or so better off! (well, actually, i'd probably have spent it all on guitars :roll: )

jay12

basically it gives me something to do, hang out with riding friends, film, take cool pics, spend money on something worthy, make me fit and healthy, makes me stay away from the computer, i love fetelling with bikes, i spend most of my time on biek realted websites. in fact i love it so much that i want to become a pro and move to canada in the future