Rideouts/Meets
Discussion
Bit of an odd one really.
For years I'd have handful of bike mates who without fail we would be out most summer weekends, group size would be 4-5 max which is a nice number and we would spend our rides mainly around North/Mid Wales, Peak District or possibly South Lakes depending on what we fancy.
I set up a whatsapp group for the usual suspects to try and organise a rider out, but over the last year or two this group has reduced to pretty much non existent, work/family commitments and I've spent most of this year racking up miles on my own. And to be honest as much as I like riding it's no fun without your mates to have a weekend blast.
I'm generally an outgoing kind of guy, but I'm not one for bike meets and certainly wouldn't wonder up to someone and start chatting "bikes" with a complete stranger, if someone comes to me and starts a convo I'll happily chat.
So what can I do to a) get the gang back together b) get some new/additional biking mates to enjoy my two wheeled fun again?
For years I'd have handful of bike mates who without fail we would be out most summer weekends, group size would be 4-5 max which is a nice number and we would spend our rides mainly around North/Mid Wales, Peak District or possibly South Lakes depending on what we fancy.
I set up a whatsapp group for the usual suspects to try and organise a rider out, but over the last year or two this group has reduced to pretty much non existent, work/family commitments and I've spent most of this year racking up miles on my own. And to be honest as much as I like riding it's no fun without your mates to have a weekend blast.
I'm generally an outgoing kind of guy, but I'm not one for bike meets and certainly wouldn't wonder up to someone and start chatting "bikes" with a complete stranger, if someone comes to me and starts a convo I'll happily chat.
So what can I do to a) get the gang back together b) get some new/additional biking mates to enjoy my two wheeled fun again?
I've seen this happen more than a few times with toxicnerve and piginawig in the groups
Peoples priorities change. We have 2 ride out groups, at some point someone spats off group goes another gets created. Within the group you get the silent ones that say nothing but read everything
The whatsapp group I'm in has something like 12-14 riders all at some point previously would come out...right now its typically just 2-4 that are up for a sunday blast
Peoples priorities change. We have 2 ride out groups, at some point someone spats off group goes another gets created. Within the group you get the silent ones that say nothing but read everything
The whatsapp group I'm in has something like 12-14 riders all at some point previously would come out...right now its typically just 2-4 that are up for a sunday blast
It's not just bike groups that are affected by this, it affects all sorts of other sports groups etc in my experience.
I can totally understand if someone has young children as that obviously takes a lot of time.
However, many of the people I know/am friends with, don't have young children and at least a few are single too. I assume it's just general laziness because if you look at what some of these people do with their time, objectively they have nothing to show for it.
I used to be a member of one of the larger London bike groups but I stopped going because there were too many old gits, smokers, lesbians (I was single at the time), and riding just for the sake of riding wasn't very satisfying. I much prefer enjoying the bike as a fun tool for getting somewhere to do something, and then enjoying the ride home again.
If I want to really do something and nobody else is able to join, I'm fine with just doing it myself.
I can totally understand if someone has young children as that obviously takes a lot of time.
However, many of the people I know/am friends with, don't have young children and at least a few are single too. I assume it's just general laziness because if you look at what some of these people do with their time, objectively they have nothing to show for it.
I used to be a member of one of the larger London bike groups but I stopped going because there were too many old gits, smokers, lesbians (I was single at the time), and riding just for the sake of riding wasn't very satisfying. I much prefer enjoying the bike as a fun tool for getting somewhere to do something, and then enjoying the ride home again.
If I want to really do something and nobody else is able to join, I'm fine with just doing it myself.
catso said:
Welcome to the billy-no-mates club. 
It's funny because it's depressingly true for me. I don't actually have anyone I can call a friend these days, let alone any riding friends. It's not a good position to be in really.
I've only ever actually been on three rides with anyone else - excluding lessons of course. First was a friend of a friend, second was with Toxicnerve, piginawig, Birky and a few others whose names escape me now and the third was with a local group. Sadly the latter was a sub-speed limit plod and I never went out with them again.
I did have the same problem as others - wife, three kids and work made finding the time difficult. I've split with the wife but that didn't make it any easier
I had 2 groups of riding mates I went out with.
First one was around 12-15 people - that was just a nightmare and I stopped after our second trip where it took 3 hours to get fuelled and out of a small town.
The other group is with 3 others and we’ve been all over the U.K. and Europe, but I’ve decided to stop riding with them too after our last trip of moans, bikes breaking down and people just being late/unprepared/lazy/entitled etc.
I’m done.
Back to solo riding for me…. Far, far, far better for me and how I like trips away.
First one was around 12-15 people - that was just a nightmare and I stopped after our second trip where it took 3 hours to get fuelled and out of a small town.
The other group is with 3 others and we’ve been all over the U.K. and Europe, but I’ve decided to stop riding with them too after our last trip of moans, bikes breaking down and people just being late/unprepared/lazy/entitled etc.
I’m done.
Back to solo riding for me…. Far, far, far better for me and how I like trips away.
As has been highlighted, it's not just finding people with the time (who can be othered to get off their backsides) but those who want to ride in the same way you do, to the same sorts of places you do. It's the main reason why the Old Gits trips are run the way they are, with ride outs involving small groups of about 5 or 6 maximum, often 3 or 4, trvelling a a pace, in a way and over a distance that everyone is comfortable with.
Intercoms make a huge difference to a group ride, allowing for lots of banter on the boring bits.
Most of my riding is solo but I enjoy a group ride with people I trust and have confidence in. Those tend to be the ones I've met on an Old Gits trip and we get together occasionally for a run somewhere when our diaries all align.
Intercoms make a huge difference to a group ride, allowing for lots of banter on the boring bits.
Most of my riding is solo but I enjoy a group ride with people I trust and have confidence in. Those tend to be the ones I've met on an Old Gits trip and we get together occasionally for a run somewhere when our diaries all align.
dibblecorse said:
Mate, its a common occurrence, whats happened to your midget wingman and the Toad of Cheshire ? They stopped riding ?
Midget I think is under the thumb these days, that plus trying to sell campers to all and sundry.Toad of Cheshire (funny), although technically it's Greater Manchester, no idea he's gone very quiet after his off on a ride earlier in the year.
Just picking up on this post from last month.
Was and still am a member of a few local f/book groups and you do tend to see some of them splinter off. (If anyone is in the Hampshire area they'll know that there is a massive group that do ride outs and meets - it's not my sort of thing but I like to see how things go), but I prefer smaller ride outs with a max of 5 maybe 6 at the most.
I prefer going out during the week and it's worked ok for me the past x amount of years. We'll average around 150/200 miles and stop off a few times for breaks, talk some nonsense and have a good laugh then head back before peak times.
Recently I've found myself going out solo. Not because of billy no mates and maybe that in the past of x amount of years doing the same stop offs, routes, same people get boring? I've found myself going a lot further out than normal and even thinking of selling current bike or even adding a touring bike to cover off both eventualities.
In the past year I am no longer interested any more in doing daft speeds and in a rush to get to a destination. Not interested in going out when it's too hot but oddly don't mind the colder weather nor rain. Must be an age thing? Almost mid 50's. I keep getting drawn to BM's, as in up to 2012 K's and R's where fuel range is good and wind blast is at a minimum. Currently have a Speed Triple where wind blast is very noticeable.
Was and still am a member of a few local f/book groups and you do tend to see some of them splinter off. (If anyone is in the Hampshire area they'll know that there is a massive group that do ride outs and meets - it's not my sort of thing but I like to see how things go), but I prefer smaller ride outs with a max of 5 maybe 6 at the most.
I prefer going out during the week and it's worked ok for me the past x amount of years. We'll average around 150/200 miles and stop off a few times for breaks, talk some nonsense and have a good laugh then head back before peak times.
Recently I've found myself going out solo. Not because of billy no mates and maybe that in the past of x amount of years doing the same stop offs, routes, same people get boring? I've found myself going a lot further out than normal and even thinking of selling current bike or even adding a touring bike to cover off both eventualities.
In the past year I am no longer interested any more in doing daft speeds and in a rush to get to a destination. Not interested in going out when it's too hot but oddly don't mind the colder weather nor rain. Must be an age thing? Almost mid 50's. I keep getting drawn to BM's, as in up to 2012 K's and R's where fuel range is good and wind blast is at a minimum. Currently have a Speed Triple where wind blast is very noticeable.
Last weekend was the same, earlier that week a few were up for a ride then sighted the hot weather so decided not to go out.
I went out on Saturday to the Peak district and it was the perfect temperature for riding, you're high up in the peaks (I've had my heated grips on only a month ago up there), so I knew it would be pleasant. No one around, clear roads, probably did 150-200 miles that day, literally grinning from ear to ear as I was having a ball and thinking how wrong they were staying home.
Admittedly the last 10-15 miles home were hot, traffic, lights/junctions but well worth the effort to get out.
I'm in two minds to even bother trying to organise another ride via Whatsapp now as the response has been so poor, and leave it for someone else to try and arrange.
I went out on Saturday to the Peak district and it was the perfect temperature for riding, you're high up in the peaks (I've had my heated grips on only a month ago up there), so I knew it would be pleasant. No one around, clear roads, probably did 150-200 miles that day, literally grinning from ear to ear as I was having a ball and thinking how wrong they were staying home.
Admittedly the last 10-15 miles home were hot, traffic, lights/junctions but well worth the effort to get out.
I'm in two minds to even bother trying to organise another ride via Whatsapp now as the response has been so poor, and leave it for someone else to try and arrange.
I've always been known for ducking out when it's too hot although been out a few more times this year after buying some cheap decent clobber from XL Moto (in the bargain thread from this section) as my leathers and other stuff are more like boil in a bag gear.
Never managed to do the Peaks yet but will one day. Probably worth joining a few other groups and seen who goes out the most and when and go from there with the possibility of forming your own splinter group? That's what I'll probably be doing at some stage.
Sadly, I think it does get to the stage where you can keep announcing your going out on xyz day and end up been on a Billy day out. It's not a bad thing to be fair, but equally it can be good to have someone to chat to when you stop. Well, unless there hard work and don't talk back and are total bores of course.
although been out a few more times this year after buying some cheap decent clobber from XL Moto (in the bargain thread from this section) as my leathers and other stuff are more like boil in a bag gear.Never managed to do the Peaks yet but will one day. Probably worth joining a few other groups and seen who goes out the most and when and go from there with the possibility of forming your own splinter group? That's what I'll probably be doing at some stage.
Sadly, I think it does get to the stage where you can keep announcing your going out on xyz day and end up been on a Billy day out. It's not a bad thing to be fair, but equally it can be good to have someone to chat to when you stop. Well, unless there hard work and don't talk back and are total bores of course.
I’m in the process of gracefully dipping out of our riding group.
They’re great lads and all that but it’s all getting a bit predictable; same routes etc.
I much prefer riding my own ride and set off with no real destination in mind and if I want to go daft I can do when I want to.
Probably a sign of age and generally wanting to be more by myself I suppose, but it’s far better and easier.
They’re great lads and all that but it’s all getting a bit predictable; same routes etc.
I much prefer riding my own ride and set off with no real destination in mind and if I want to go daft I can do when I want to.
Probably a sign of age and generally wanting to be more by myself I suppose, but it’s far better and easier.
Freakuk said:
So what can I do to a) get the gang back together b) get some new/additional biking mates to enjoy my two wheeled fun again?
There are lots of FB groups for ride outs might be worth looking at, or you could try IAM / ROSPA groups if you're older / slowerI found a lot of off road bikers to ride with through the TRF - are there any road bike clubs these days ?
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