Why is MTBing addictive?

hammy7272

I am still new to it all but, one thing I have noticed is I spend alot of time when not riding thinking about riding. I have noticed on other threads people saying "I've been bitten by the bug" or "I am addicted" or words to that effect. Just wondering what other people thought.

I look forward to your thoughts...

jpstar

I think it might be the sense of achievement when you get over a jump or up a hill you didn't manage last time and the adrenaline rush when doing a techy DH track.

jay12

jpstar wrote:

I think it might be the sense of achievement when you get over a jump or up a hill you didn't manage last time and the adrenaline rush when doing a techy DH track.

+addictivepotatos

phoebian

Achievement value for sure!

torgey33

Know what you mean, got 3 mags on the go, upgrade parts coming, thinking about clothing and a new full sus and all this in between riding !!
I think jpstar is right about the sense of achievement, had a certain hill that has up until 2 month ago got the better of me but trying different lines, gears and frame of mind and i`ve got the bugger nailed.
Hope your enthusiasm for biking continues and above all else ENJOY....

tony620

started riding properly again in January this year and love it i have lost 3 and half stone which is 1 thing which keeps me on the bike but i love the adrenaline. Built my first bike and rode it with a great feeling of success and am going whales in October also going to start a few events. every week i seem to be getting stronger and finding it easier. Best sport i have ever done.

hammy7272

I think my girlfriend summed it up whilst looking over my shoulder while I was watching a utube clip of spooky wood at Glentress, "is that it!?....it just looks like a rollercoster but on a bike!" I smiled and said exactly...(she didn't get it!)

I know what you mean, the combination of fitness and strength you can almost feel grow with every ride wrapped up in great fun, certainly a winning formula.

Stu 74

There are lots of things I like about mtb but I think it is the adrenalin rush that keeps me coming back for more

Stu

Northwind

Dopamine, seratonin and adrenaline...

What addicts me is those perfect wee zen moments. I love riding in general, the challenge and the exertion and the adrenaline rush and the post-ride crash, don't get me wrong but just occasionally everything goes out of your head and time stops and you get that "at one with the bike and the world" feeling and it all just makes sense. Doesn't last but a second like that can make a day. That instant "trackstand on top of a tech feature, not thinking about balancing or particularily about the line, just stopping for a second til it feels right then going" thing. I overthink everything apart from riding and it does my head in

What an old hippy No wonder I read singletrack. But I defy anyone to tell me I'm wrong.

hammy7272

Yeah I agree, nice summary. That moment when you have pushed the limits and just brushed a tree but the danger has passed.

Paul 135

haha hammy that feeling is relief

Joe_Pineapples

It's all about the adrenaline, baby!


...and besides, Crystal Meth is way to expensive nowadays.

Tartanyak

Weirdly, my friend and I were pondering how to explain what it was that makes mountain biking so good on the way back from Scottishland the other day (we had lots of time). We couldn't really get anything that didn't turn into a slightly creepy sounding existentialist rant.

For me, it's being able to climb hills I couldn't (on my tank-bike). Death-gripping down hills and plating round berms. Feeling the momentum you've got pulling you in directions not normal for being on a bike as you're sideways (well, about 10 degrees over, but it feels like you're sideways!). Leaving a rooster tail of dirt... Pinging off the top of a rise and losing no speed while doing a bad rendition of the a-team theme tune, no matter how tired you are. Oooh, it's suddenly finding some energy when you had none because that bit of trail looks fun. Wrenching the bike from side to side, getting the weight over but missing anything (or nearly missing...) everything painful with you and the bike - swapping which pedals up or down and getting that extra half-turn of speed.

DAMMIT I WANT TO GO OUT BIKING NOW! NOW NOW NOW!

JimmerG

Its addictive because its the most perfect sport....

first of all - there's the thrill, the adrenaline, belting down rocky decents, pinning swoopy single track, we all know about that.

Its also properly dangerous, which gives an edge over many sports, wrestling the bike back from a seemily inevitable crash is very exciting, but actually crashing has its merits (depending on the injuries) the first thing you want to do once you've hit the deck is tell everyone about it, and show them then the damage!

It gets you out in the open, you'll see incredible scenery that so many sports miss out on. Its healthy, you can't fail to get fitter if you ride regularly, it teaches you about biomechanics and nutrition.

Its a very wide ranging sport, you can go for a gentle bimble with the children in the woods or you can go hell for leather down huge mountains with your mates. You can go hopping off walls, or you can blaze trails in the dead of night. Rain or shine - you can still have a laugh.

There's the whole techy side of things - the lovely shiny gear, and the fancy technical clothing. Then there's fettling - getting your hands dirty, tweaking cables, adjusting shocks, bleeding hydraulics, just generally loving your bike.

And also - its just cool, even my wife's friends who steer well clear of anything cycling marvel at a nice full suspension machine, and simply can't believe the sort things people do on MTBS. It gives you a bit of kudos I reckon - by day I'm a sales manager, at the weekends I'm a father and husband - occasionaly when I get the chance I'm thrashing down hills on my bike like a lunatic.... I can cope with anything my job and family throw at me, so long as know I can get out for a ride now and again, and be myself....its a vital few hours of escapism when I can forget my troubles, and remind myself I can 'still do it!'

That's why its addictive.

gb2gw

I also love it for the adrenaliney how-the-hell-did-I-just-ride-that feeling, but other things that I love is the social aspect of it, the being out in the fresh air, escaping the crowds into the solitude of the peak district (prefer natural stuff to trail centres for this very reason) and when I'm out and I'm riding, that's all there is. Every other little botheration or worry or stress that I might have previously been caught up with, just goes out the window completely.

ashleymp777

I love the sense of freedom it gives you and the beautiful scenery which a lot of people don't get to see.

And its frikin' cool!!!!!

mikee1979

For me it's a combination of getting out in some amazing scenery that you would'nt see normally, the rush of flying down hill and getting to the bottom sometimes thinking how the hell did I stay on. I even enjoy going up the hills as well, rewarding in a different way. Also that great feeling of finishing an epic ride (even better if you can finish at pub). You feel knackered but your mind is in a really good place.

fastpaul

Just getting out there and doing trails well and quick and trying and trying again. and finding new places.

Skonk

I tend to switch hobbies a lot, have done all my life; but I took up biking over a year ago and it seems to have stuck.

The reason I think I've stuck with it though is because biking doesn't just accomplish one thing for me; it does 4 or 5 things.

1: It's fun (I do XC, Freeride and DH and I enjoy them all)
2: It gets me out of the house (passes the time and gets me out with other people)
3: Gets me fit (lost almost 4 stone since I started riding a year ago)
4: Gives me something bike related to pass the time when NOT out on the bike (editing helmet cam video, processing photos etc)
5: Gives me something to collect/tinker with/spend my hard-earned on (In a year of riding I've had 5 different bikes, learnt how to build them up and how to fix stuff)

So yeh, it's a multi-purpose hobby for me and so far is showing no signs of getting old with me so hopefully I've finally found a hobby that I'll stick with.

Tom Barton

Or they lace handlebar grips with Ycrack to keep us coming back for more!!!! :shock:

cycleninjarobin

I think its because when you're out on the trail you forget everything else, apart from what you're doing in that moment.

It's like a form of meditation, if you lose concentration for one moment you'll probably end up in a heap on the floor, having hit a tree.

Which we've all experienced.

Unless you're being followed by mountain lion. I came across a weird post about that yesterday - and posted it on my blog.

Anyway, I vote for the sense of freedom.