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Have you ever lost The Passion?

2K views 22 replies 23 participants last post by  IamtheYeti 
#1 ·
Have you?

I started riding mountain bikes a long time ago, moved on to road bikes, and then back to mountain bikes. I currently commute on a 2007 Specialized HT Stumpjumper S-Works. I loved riding single track, loved it. Lately though, I have found myself running. :eekster:

I was planning on purchasing a fat bike or maybe a 650b to re-kindle my love for riding. However, I am having a hard-time convincing myself I want to drop a crap load of dough on a new bike. Part of it is definitely money related. Its not that I can't afford it, I just am not sure I want to right now.

Another part is that I am having a hard time finding a bike that I think I will love riding. It seems like there are so many options, and I am definitely having a hard time wrapping my head around what I want. Should I go 650b, try 29er, stay 26", try a fat bike, think about full-suspension, consider a full rigid... Arghhhhh....

The final part is because of where I currently reside. Most of the trails I ride here on Kodiak are hiking trails. They are taken care of for hikers only, have no flow, and many of them are very very narrow. I do a lot of hiking here, and have started running on the trails and on the road. I have gone from 158lbs down to 147lbs in a short period of time, like months, and I am continuing to lose weight quite rapidly. That isn't easy for someone who is 5'5 short and likes beer. Now I am even thinking about running a marathon next year. I also do most of my own bike maintenance, and I am even losing interest in that. I have sold every spare part I once had, and now just have my 26" HT. I even cancelled all my magazine subscriptions. What the heck is going on with me? :madman:

Guess it might be time to move on...
 
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#3 ·
"Have you ever lost The Passion?"

Sportsman, what sort of question is that, to ask on this site? ... the passion only gets stronger, much stronger with the inspiration from being here ... and inspiration tailored to your interests.

Otherwise buy a book, sit on your couch, get fat, and envy those who are outside still doing it ... no matter how basically they're doing it, it sure beats turning pages over.

Time to buy an Anthem Mate? ... and go hill climbing, or just go off-road exploring. Do it!

Warren.
 
#16 ·
Lost the passion for one activity or another? Definitely. Lost passion altogether? No way. There's always something fun to do. MTB is a hoot, but I'll drop it in a heartbeat when something comes along to usurp the passion.

Expecting a new bike to stoke enthusiasm seems backward to me. I think of what kind of adventure or action I'm looking for, then seek the tools for the job. If you drill into where your riding passions are guiding you, I'll bet the gear will virtually select itself. (Even if that means no new bike, or no biking at all.)

Some rock climber buddies have their whole world wrapped up in the sport. Like if they can't do that, they've got nothing. WTF? So many fun things to do during our short stint above ground, I can't see being like that about any pursuit.

Mind your fun meter. Follow conditions. Reap big time. Good luck!
 
#18 ·
Sometimes I dread putting the bike in the van, driving to the trails, and the first mile or so of the ride. Almost enough to not get up and go. But once I recover form the first hill and get my wind it's always all right.

Except the few times I say,"Screw it," turn around and go home. I'm not obsessed with riding like I was with running. It's a healthier passion.

Of course, I have ridden 42 of the last 45 days.
 
#2 ·
I spent about 3 years away from any serious mountain biking, even to the extent of not reading mags etc. After 10 or so years I just seemed to be over it and couldn't be bothered, and prior to that, everything in my life seemed to revolve around mtb'ing. I had all the mags, was racing and had spent well over $5000 on the sport (and a lot of that I was borderline unable to afford). The passion had definitely deserted me at that point, so I can see where you are coming from.

That was about 2005. Three years later I saved up and got myself a 2nd hand full susser, and haven't looked back. Have re-discovered the desire to ride and generally have a blast on my bike.
Sometimes I think you need to have a bit of time off your bike if you don't have the desire to ride, otherwise you risk getting burnt out for sure.
 
#7 ·
I skipped a year completely a while back, then came back strong. No explanation. This season, I built up my first-ever hardtail, and after riding it in the woods this spring, have spent the summer on rail trails and gravel roads. Cop some breeze and outrun the bugs. I'm telling myself I'll be back in the woods as soon as the weather cools.

Passion is like love - it's where you find it. Life can be a mystery.
 
#8 ·
Congrats on the weight loss!
I have always dug anything that pedals but family stuff did make me take a break from bikes for a period of 5-8 years. Oddly enough, during that time, I never considered myself a "non-biker".

I am a runner also. I have ran 30-50mpw for the last 3 years pretty consistently. I started doing it for weight loss also, plus it seemed cheaper(lol.....what a joke that is!) and pretty simple to do anywhere you are. I have ran through weather and terrain I wouldn't drive or bike through! But passion.....I don't have it for running like I do for biking. Even now.

I agree with SPP & thickfog, getting something simple like a singlespeed rigid can get the love back that starts when we are kids with simple bikes.
 
#9 ·
For me it's a progressive continuum. Despite changing seasons (I ride year round) , riding styles (DH, trail, road), and personal changes (health), I adjust and my passion grows. I love riding a variety of technical trails, new trails, building trails, doing trail advocacy, meeting people and sharing and exchanging experiences with others. It's all good
 
#10 ·
I definitely have lost the passion before for an extended period of 15 years..
I just got i back into it and the passion is coming with force! Craigslist is great for getting something to get back into it. My new/old rig is an 01 stumpjumper m4 comp hardtail that looked like it was sitting in someone's garage and never taken out that i scooped up for 200.
I currently have the family/kid dilemma that prevents me from doing a lot. (Single dad of a 3 year old here) i just threw some slicks on, toss her in a chariot and used the bike as a commuter for now. I figure this will put me in some exceptional shape for when i can actually get out on the trails
 
#11 ·
I have lost various passions over the years, to be replaced by other passions. I was passionate about skiing, then snowboarding, then telemark skiing. I was passionate about flying fighters in the navy, then retired and am passionate about flying in the airlines (besides, if I even touched a fighter now, it would likely kill me)...and soon plan to become passionate about retirement! I was passionate about surfing, then moved to the mountains and became passionate about kayaking. I can't really imagine remaining statically passionate about anything for my entire life, other than family. I started my "bucket list" when I was about 14....I don't think I'll fill it up before I pass on, but I'm going to try.
 
#19 ·
Yes! This!

I am sad yet excited to say that the passion is winding down for me. It has been for about the past year. I still love to ride a bike, but I guess I've grown tired of the braggadocio and bluster that seems to fill every niche of the sport these days. You can't just go for a ride-it has to be about shredding or hucking. You can't ride a 29er or a 26er anymore; it has to be 27.5. Can't ride a hardtail-unless it's a singlespeed that is. Can't ride an old 3x9; gotta have that one-by these days.

Yes, I have grown tired of the hype, of the people who makes as much noise and commotion on the trails as they can. I've grown tired of the Strava and the iPods, the user conflicts and the lack of common courtesy. I've grown weary of trying to find some peace and quiet when I'm out on the trails trying to find some peace and quiet. I'm tired of riders shouting at the top of their lungs about how relevant our sport is and how entitled we are to tear up any and all trail space we can find. I'm tired of driving to trail heads and tired of drinking bad Pabst blue ribbon there once the ride is done.

There are so many more activities for me to explore and I think I'm going to do so. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for riding bikes, but I seriously think the time has come to find a new obsession for a while.

Ride on, guys....
 
#12 ·
Life's too short to be only passionate about one sport. If running fills your desire now, do it. I love running as well (especially trail running). I mix it up between MTB, road cycling, and skiing. My passion for the last 5 years has been fixed/SS road/mtb riding. I'm starting to run more now, though, and hope to eventually do an ultra (100 miler) and earn a belt buckle (bucket list item). I just try to stay active, whatever that medium is.
 
#14 ·
Yup, lost it for a while after searching fruitlessly for west coast like conditions in New England. Yeah I know tiz a futile endeavor. My need for speed led me to catching the road bike and vintage steel bug real bad. Recently bought a new mtb and again became a single-track fiend. My road bikes have been sitting idly by for the past 3-4 months now. Went for a 40-mile ride the other day only to think about single-track the whole way. Unfortunately my mtb is out of commission for a while, so it looks like more road miles are in order…

It is hard to maintain passion for both mtb and road riding, I keep going back and forth.
 
#15 ·
Hey, check out the http://forums.mtbr.com/passion/running-passion-869345.html thread.
There's a time and a place for everything.

Passion lost?
No.
But my passion wanes when trails get closed, or new trails aren't as "b!tchin'" as they were supposed to be, but if you want your ride passion to get fired up, go and break your leg. By the time you walk that off you will be jonesin' for a ride. ;)

No - I don't wish that on anybody, but trying to like something doesn't work. If you really miss it, you will gravitate back to it. In the mean time try something you haven't tried to see if the grass on the other side is as green as it looks.
The fact that I don't get to ride but 1 or 2 days/week means I really relish what ride time I do get. Maybe you just need to start over, or like you said, move on to other things.
(but you'll be back)

-F
 
#21 ·
I lost my passion for a year after a 50 mile race left my bike with $600 in repairs (on sale parts/my own labor), which I didn't have at the time, mostly due to the first years of starting a family. Well, the thing that brought me back really hard was a bikepacking trip of the Pinhoti trail in Georgia with a couple other guys. It's something I had wanted to do for a few years but no one to accompany me. Well that upcoming summer, I finally fixed up my bike and actually rode it on a 4 miler and a 11 miler. A week later, I left on a 250-mile self-supported journey. It brought me back HARD!!! I did take a couple of weeks off after the ride, but that trip led to a 150 mile Virginia Bikepack trip New River/Iron Mountains, finishing the Pinhoti in Alabama (just did a section a couple days ago), and headed to the Colorado Trail next year...Palmetto Trail, Sheltowee Trace, the A1A, Tour Divide, and AZT are somewhere in there as well.

I will say that I supplement to keep my passion high, I bought a packraft and have been running whitewater this last year and doing multi-day trips with that as well, which are great when it's too hot or it's been raining in the southeast. I also have a nice gym to train in, and will occassionally go on hiking trips a few times a year. I miss running...and would like to revisit my goal of running a 50 miler by the time I turn 50. Time and money...hard to keep both in high supply!

I also bought a lifetime subscription to Dirtrag a year ago to remind myself regularly that people are Doing IT!!!
 
#22 ·
Yup,
From 2003 until recently I would ride sparingly. 1 year I rode 2x. Pretty depressing.
This year though I got a new bike and it has ignited and renewed my desire to ride. As stated above-as your skills improve your desire to ride increases. True. My goal is to have 400 miles on the new bike before the winter weather makes it tough. I am at 260 so I think I can do it.

Having the goal helps too.
 
#23 ·
I am pretty similar in that I love running as well and do mountain biking when I really get the urge for it. That's why I have a cheap bike. I ride when I want and have fun with it but I had trouble justifying the cost as well. I went with a Gravity G29 SS and haven't looked back and love it.

Provides a good alternative on those days that I need a break from running and having a rigid SS, there is barely any maint required.

A better bike might increase my desire to mountain bike but I am more than happy with what I have and enjoy it when I go out.
 
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