I've lost my mojo?!?

a.s. said:
Cyclecross on a fat bike... :dead:

I think ktmrider hit it on the head. I definitely need a new bike. My 2011 Pivot is awesome but it's the longest I've owned a single bike ...and it's a 26er. 😵 I'm used to riding the latest and greatest but with 2 kids my expendable income has shrunk considerably.


Wow ...I think I feel even worse now. :shrug:
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wait, two kids and you're sick of riding so much? I'm jealous.
 
hmmm on second thought... maybe you should sell that pivot and get a fat bike. What size and color is the pivot anyway 😛
 
It will pass. It happened to me as well last 2 years and now I ride every week, road and mtb. You don't need new bike, you need the right bike. My Niner Rip 2009 never gets old...
 
i've only been out on my bike maybe 10 times this summer and only like 3 times since july. i bought a house which requires quite a bit of work, wife and i are trying to have kids, finishing my masters degree, along with work there just isn't much time for riding so when i do ride i don't go and suffer. because you're burned out, when you do ride, ride somewhere which is really fun. not somewhere that you have to say, "i've got to go ride."

For me, it's mountain creek. with limited time to ride, i don't want to spend that time suffering on trails that I don't feel like riding. I like all the XC trails (there are many more than what is on the map) at mountain creek and all the DH trails. I grab an XC ticket (jorba membership takes some $$ off) and hop on the lift to the top. I do a loop on some of the XC trails. If I feel like doing another loop or riding a specific trail, I do. If I get bored and feel like doing some DH runs, I ride back to the lift and do a DH run and grab another XC ticket if I want to do another DH run. Usually at that point I have to leave but I know if I go to mountain creek, i'm guaranteed to have a good time in the short time that i'm there.

What also helps with burnout is riding in fun events. I really liked going up for the Thursday night XC rides and DH races at creek. I also like going to enduros with no intention of winning or doing well but with full intention of having a great time. I like to find new people to ride with and watch other peoples' stage starts. I generally try to spend the entire allotted time for the race out on the course- my goal is to finish the last stage 2-5 minutes before the sweeper rolls in. During the transfers, if I see something fun, I ride it twice. I bring food and have lunch in between a stage. my theory is that i paid to be there, i'm gonna have a good time.
 
mattybfat said:
I am heading into almost a 2 year lull, burnout happens as does life. Mojo will come back though fishing sure does sound like a nice replacement.
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Oddly enough, I'm a little burned out from fishing for the last month and a half every weekend (Trolling for King Salmon in lake Ontario). After I type this I'm headed into Allamuchy for a much needed "break" on my bike....ha ha Gotta get my head back in the game...river season starts soon.
 
Get
a.s. said:
Cyclecross on a fat bike... :dead:

I think ktmrider hit it on the head. I definitely need a new bike. My 2011 Pivot is awesome but it's the longest I've owned a single bike ...and it's a 26er. 😵 I'm used to riding the latest and greatest but with 2 kids my expendable income has shrunk considerably.


Wow ...I think I feel even worse now. :shrug:
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Get in your car, drive up to VT and ride some completely different trails, completely different type of riding.

Don't stop fishing now either, Iso's are hatching upstate.
 
JimN said:
Finding a totally new place to ride and explore might also help. The nice fall weather will probably help the most though.



Yeah, a new bike is always good at getting me motivated to get out and ride too.
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Jim N has a good point i was getting Lazy for rides …. and i went and rode a place in N jersey last tuesday that kinda of changed that . Now i can't wait for tuesday to ride it again .
 
ktmrider said:
Jim N has a good point i was getting Lazy for rides …. and i went and rode a place in N jersey last tuesday that kinda of changed that . Now i can't wait for tuesday to ride it again .
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If you're talking about the place I think you are, I can show you how to ride into there from the reservoir if you don't want to have to start at Mike's house.
 
I can relate! There are some great suggestions in this thread. Mine would be Ride for Fun (that means no heart rate or pacing, no tempo or hill repeats, or anything arduous for that matter). Go slow!! Take the weird line. Take pictures. Tell yourself you will stop when you want to. Appreciate the breeze and the sun and the foliage and nature (easier when it's not 100 degrees). Also what people said here: mix it up with other activities, explore new trails, find new people, get some new gear (even if it's just new shoes, or pedals, or a pack). In the end, even when I have to drag myself out I remind myself that this is something I am *able* to do now but won't be able to forever.
 
roc said:
I crashed two months ago, and have absolutely no mojo, every time I get on that bike!
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This is tough, but I have been there too!! It seems obvious but the key is to start slow again. Find small things you know you could do before and try them to get your confidence back. Don't be afraid to ask for a spotter - we had them at the Michaux training camp even for the experts! And if you're not feeling something on the trail just skip it and tell yourself "next time" but don't dwell. It will come back!!
 
Whatever you do, don't turn the joy of riding into an obligation or chore.

Do fun things, cycling-related or not, and try to figure out why things have changed, be it overload or some external cause.
 
bystickel said:
Whatever you do, don't turn the joy of riding into an obligation or chore.
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Yea that's what riding was becoming, a chore. Or more accurately, the process to get a ride in was becoming a chore- get up before the kids, drive 30 minutes, ride 2 hours, drive 30 minutes, shower, run around all day with no break then pass out at 9pm so I can be up at 4:30 to get to work ...repeat 1-3X a week.

The ride became a chore. The running around afterward felt like a chore. The getting up for work everyday became a chore. I wasn't enjoying myself so I said, "F that. I'm sleeping in. I'm taking the kids out to breakfast. I'm going to clean up my tool box..." My riding window is always too damn short and life isn't going to wait. Hate to say it but as soon as I gave up the riding, everything got easier.

I know I'll be back on the bike soon. I think I just needed the break.
 
I've been feeling the same way. I think it's a combo of doing LewMo all the time and when I go out to explore new trails it's the real techy ones where its more hike a bike for me than fun (wildcat ridge and sourlands back to back). I'm on a haitus for maybe 2-3weeks now and the fall weather is making me itch to go. Maybe I'll get back on real soon! Just fearing the moment I go back my cardio will kill me.. but I do enjoy fall leaves though.
 
Yes, I get burn out from time to time. Sometimes it lasts for years... Like from about 2003 through 2013 due to a g/f who hated bikes...

For me, part of it is having so many hobbies. Between 6 cars always in need of something, a dozen guitars to play and a house in constant need of care, whenever I spend a lot of time riding it usually means I'm neglecting something else and then I'm scrambling. Like right now I'm procrastinating doing work on my '64 Mini, but that's partly because I was hoping to drive it this weekend and it looks like that isn't happening. 🙁 Then there's my '03 TDI that's been half torn apart on a lift in my garage for nearly two years now... 😳
 
kichibot said:
I've been feeling the same way. I think it's a combo of doing LewMo all the time and when I go out to explore new trails it's the real techy ones where its more hike a bike for me than fun (wildcat ridge and sourlands back to back). I'm on a haitus for maybe 2-3weeks now and the fall weather is making me itch to go. Maybe I'll get back on real soon! Just fearing the moment I go back my cardio will kill me.. but I do enjoy fall leaves though.
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You chose both those trails😉 and k would like to go back to wildcat. Imagine how cold the cave is right now?!
 
For me its just a transition of how I approach riding mentally to avoid becoming tired of it. I have three primary ways I go about riding.

1. Fun with friends
This is the best choice to keep motivation high. Friends make the worst rises the best rides.

2. Training to be faster
It then becomes a game I can play against myself to push. A lot of inner dialogue happens during these rides were self motivation is very strong

3. Riding to clear my mind.
some days I ride just to zone out. I'm finally at a point that I can afford to just zone out and let my body just take me up the hills on auto pilot on my local trails.its The peace I find in my own head that can only be had through excursion on my bike in the woods. And I'm addicted to it. My head is a constant cluster fuck of thoughts. It's my therapy.

I could prob ride the same stretch of trail forever as long as I have the ability to change my approach mentally .
 
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