Riding alone

[shampoo]

Hello

I am curious how many of you ride alone and if so do you choose easier terrain or do you take any other precautions?

J

[The Inquisitor]

There are quite a few topics about this in the general forum but.....

 

I ride alone and like it but way different terrain, speed etc than riding with my buds. Honestly and for me it is way more fun, faster and technical with the buds.

[CRFThai]

Both have their pros and cons imo. 

 

I prefer the complete freedom of suiting myself when riding alone. I can stop where ever I like and ride for as long as I like. There are obvious issues that need to be taken into consideration, especially if you are riding out in the wilderness on your own. 

 

However, if I had a nice solid 3-4 man crew of tight riders exercising similar riding ability with similar sense of humors I reckon it would be better. I've yet to find that!

[Cascão]

Alone I can choose the toughest terrain with my buddies don't like....

[shampoo]

Interesting.. I brought this subject up because on a local forum a bunch of guys were saying they didn't ride this weekend because they couldn't find anyone to ride with.. So I asked why and they replied that it's too dangerous.. It got me thinking because I almost only ride alone.. 

[fith wheel]

When I do I usually end up riding with people who are already there. One time recently I went by myself and no one was at the place I went at all. I didn't go there drove another hour to another place to ride that day. Didn't feel safe to ride were no one was at. It was raining that day so probably why no one was there at that time. Ended up stop raining by the time I got to the second place and rode by myself half the day and then with a couple of other people the last half. Ended up being a good day. I just suggest making sure there are enough people around and carry your cellphone just incase you get into trouble.

[LSHD]

Just like solo boating, flying, or hiking, always tell someone where you will be and when to expect a call from you. I ride 90% solo and really enjoy it.

[BOAB]

I ride alone alot, and like it, but lately my youngest son has been wanting to ride with me.  He's 25 and way beyond my skill level, but its always fun.  And he'll ride my bike over stuff I don't feel like doing. ?

Edited June 21, 2016 by cjjeepercreeper

[4Sevens]

I ride alone at times and knock on wood, have not had a problem.  I tend to ride a bit cautiously when alone and I only ride areas I know and I tell someone where I will be.

[LSHD]

I ride alone alot, and like it, but lately my youngest son has been wanting to ride with me. He's 25 and way beyond my skill level, but its always fun. And he'll ride my bike over stuff I don't feel like doing. ?

That's priceless right there. My nephew loves to ride with me and I take him along whenever I can. Lasting memories.

[The Inquisitor]

Interesting.. I brought this subject up because on a local forum a bunch of guys were saying they didn't ride this weekend because they couldn't find anyone to ride with.. So I asked why and they replied that it's too dangerous.. It got me thinking because I almost only ride alone.. 

If I want to or need to ride and my buddies aren't in, I'll ride alone

[skobiak]

The guys I ride with are more advanced than me and I feel like I hold them back. I was considering going out alone to improve my skills but was always told it's not a good idea.

[CRFThai]

The guys I ride with are more advanced than me and I feel like I hold them back. I was considering going out alone to improve my skills but was always told it's not a good idea.

It's fine if you ride within your limit and only push it to advance your skills in places that are not going to ground you if you &%$#@! it up and come off the bike. 

 

Riding slow is actually the best way to improve your skill set anyway so it's perfectly fine to ride alone. Going 10/10th in remote areas alone is perhaps a tad foolish.

[The Inquisitor]

Ya IMO riding is almost more mental than physical.

 

The key thing is to ride with better riders who are patience and won't get you into stuff beyond your ability. Then try to follow them and don't ever worry about holding them up.

 

When know I'm riding with slower newer riders I make sure they know that I'm making the choice to do this and we can take as long as they need.

 

Last thing I want to do is hurt someone or turn them off our awesome sport.

[skobiak]

I guess the hard part is when you start falling behind and want to increase speed to try and catch up. On single track that's a bit intimidating to say the least. I'll probably try going out alone a few times. There are some good trail loops we ride on that aren't too far from the staging area and offer some challenging terrain.

I rode alone most of the time when I rode street because I hated all the hanging out in parking lots and posing.

Edited June 23, 2016 by skobiak

[SenorThumpy]

I rarely ride with other people these days. I don't know many people that ride anymore and my riding buddies haven't been able to pull it together and actually meet up for one ride yet this year. I'm lucky enough to have trails right off my back yard and the furthest away from civilization I get is 4-6 miles. I carry my phone with me and have service and GPS in 95% of the trails I ride. I don't take any other precautions and ride as hard as I can or feel like. I usually pick the hardest most obnoxious line that I can spot. If I waited for people to ride with or held back my riding while alone, I'd never ride and never progress... and for the money I have into my bikes, it wouldn't make any sense financially to keep them. 

Its a risk that I'm more than willing to take. I've slammed good and hard by myself and I've had to walk out a couple times, it really sucks when you're by yourself and injured or with mechanical problems but its better than not riding IMO. 

[CJH]

I ride by myself all the time, but tend to not be too crazy as I'm not getting any younger!

[zaffa86]

I ride by myself nearly always being a shift worker I rarely share days off with my mates.

I think it's important that you carry and phone with you. Even if you don't have an accident your bike may brake down and you could be km's away from civilisation.

And lastly like always ride within your abilities. Generally people do when they ride solo as they don't have to impress anyone [emoji23]

[arnego2]

Most of my rides I do alone. If I'd wait for my buddies to find the time to ride I' ride about once a month. 

Alone I practise more, do circles, figure 8 or ride sand in an oval again and again. Something I cannot do with my riding buddies which have their days planned out less than me. 

Edited June 26, 2016 by arnego2

[rrefugee]

I ride alone when I'm doing trials because I don't know any other trials riders to ride with. Most often, I ride with my 11 year old grandson and we just chase each other around. I don't worry riding alone doing trials, the chance of real injury is pretty remote since I'm not that good of a trials rider and not usually going that fast, and if the bike breaks down, the truck is close by. When I ride alone it's usually to do something specific, like practicing going over a larger log or concentrate on perfecting a move or technique. When I ride with my grandson it's all fun & games.