[Closed] Local riding getting stale?

Road /gravel

Out of my front door I have got The Mary Townley Loop, 5 minutes ride Lee and Crag Quarry and a boat load more around Rossendale. Spoilt for choice and feeling blessed.

Ride less is one option and find something else to do instead. Go for a run!

All my riding is pretty much exclusively doorstep... in Thanet. Even less there than you have. Just need to take a fresh pair of eyes to what you do have and try harder to see what there is to be used to add challenge to your riding. To that end, in Thanet, I attempted to learn trials riding. Hasn't really worked out that well for me, I'm finding the skills very difficult to acquire and also very physically demanding. But it has helped me to enjoy my local riding to a greater degree because I can see things here to ride that wouldn't have occurred to me to ride a few years ago as well as things I'd like to be able to ride but don't yet have skill/confidence for.

Also, daydream! On my xc commute the other morning, with weather on the cusp of rain, my head was 100% in the Welsh Valleys even as the cars whooshed along the road running parallel to the bridleway 😀

I've ridden through the woods on my way to work for 13 years.

Yesterday I found new trails.

My local riding is nowt special but I like it.

I actually quite like riding the same stuff. You get to see the seasons change and conditions change.

Singlespeed 😎

Get a van and just drive a bit.

Ride less is one option and find something else to do instead. Go for a run!

All my riding is pretty much exclusively doorstep… in Thanet. Even less there than you have. Just need to take a fresh pair of eyes to what you do have and try harder to see what there is to be used to add challenge to your riding. To that end, in Thanet, I attempted to learn trials riding. Hasn’t really worked out that well for me, I’m finding the skills very difficult to acquire and also very physically demanding. But it has helped me to enjoy my local riding to a greater degree because I can see things here to ride that wouldn’t have occurred to me to ride a few years ago as well as things I’d like to be able to ride but don’t yet have skill/confidence for.

Yeah I took up running precisely due to this, not getting out much over last winter (due to the 6 months of rain) to keep my fitness up, and while I'm now the fittest I've even been aerobically speaking, I found the lack of bike miles meant leg strength was my weak point. Got the lungs for big climbs, but not the legs!!

Hmmm, trials you say? I am lacking in those skills areas (bunny hops, back hops, endo turns, manuals etc etc). How stupid would it be for a 39 year old to start trying to learn trials?

An hour or more drives would be no disco for me, no way at all.
So instead, a few ideas to get the best from your trails:
Ride them backwards. If you normally turn right out of the door, turn left. You can make old trails fresh again by attacking them from a different direction
Spend an hour or 2 walking or running in the area and look for new routes. The slower pace of being on foot means you’ll see trails you’ve not before.
Do some point to point stuff. Most of us have a few longer distance trail, they may be tame, but there’s something nice about riding to somewhere and maybe getting the train back.
Stop riding. The nuclear option, but time away doing something else can do wonders for motivation

Rigid 29er with the right tyres, big bars, fun handling etc as an alternative to the gravel bike?

If you don't like pure road riding it's hard to see how a gravel bike will help your situation but a good XC 29er with the right ride feel/attitude could work to get you to the fun stuff as well as making the ride there n back enjoyable. I'll ride locally on a bike like that to get maybe 20% good singletrack stuff, the rest is pootling on 40% towpath and byway and 40% lanes. I have a gravel bike but rarely use it for those same rides as it's just not the same the singletrack. I can ride the trails on it but it's a different kind of experience, not MTB-like fun. I ride the gravel bike as I like road riding and it's a welcome variation on road miles.
I should add - I'm lucky as I live in an area with good riding on my doorstep. Good, but not great riding and I have a lot of time to ride so it still gets stale. Any bike that widens my range is good.

How stupid would it be for a 39 year old to start trying to learn trials?

Well I was a couple of years older than you when I started. After a year and half I've settled on accepting I'll never be any good at it. But the basics are good fun to practice and not too difficult to acquire; but to be honest, the basics aren't necessarily totally specific to trials. Loads of tutorials on youtube.

I'd be interested if there's a surefire answer to the OPs concern.

I do struggle with the same thing, but there was a thread on here recently about people who lived near really big hills, complaining they struggled for motivation because every ride involved so much climbing/descending and they'd love something flatter. Try imagining that if you come from the more flat/muddy/field-filled parts of the UK!!

So even if I moved somewhere with a better trail network, maybe I'd still find something lacking in my motivation to ride more. Although I do think it would be better!

I suspect I have to keep adding variety - over the last 5 years that has been variously the rigid 29er, or XC racing, or travelling by car, or investing in better lights and mudguards for winter so mud isn't as much of a deal breaker, and so on. Right now I'm in a phase of e-"hardcore"-hardtail and driving 35mins to places I know well, but are worthwhile trails for me. The speed up on the ebike negates some of the travel time for a good ride for me. I'm aware it's just a phase, couple of years I'll need to do something new with bikes.

Also riding alone - I think that's a big factor in poor motivation for many, me included.

Some decent ideas there, thanks.

I think the driving thing won't change, living in Kent it's just the way it is. If I want to ride proper mtb, it's a drive, whether that's an hours drive to local trails or 4 hours for a weekend away (aside from the handful of trails 5 miles away).

A van would make that easier but that's maybe something to look at later on. I am tempted to hire a roof tent for a long Scotland trip next year so that would be a taster of what it would be like.

So, riding from the door: there's not enough fun trails really, can ride them all in a 2 hour ride, and so local riding consists mostly of bridleways/doubletrack/the odd woodland track and single lane roads. I may end up selling the gravel bike if it doesn't get much use.

A rigid 29er with big tyres (singlespeed?) would make stuff interesting, I am planning a geared hardtail build that is as winterproof and as low maintenance as it can get, so that will make winter and local riding easier. My FS bike is going more enduro with a coil, no water bottle etc so is definitely compromised for local stuff but is perfect for the riding I do in the peaks/lakes/Scotland etc.

I've been riding trails local to me for 15 years.

I found a load of new trails today using strava's heat map to some woods I've never really explored much.

I also found a perfectly groomed jump line. Just in time for going back to work!

I do struggle with the same thing, but there was a thread on here recently about people who lived near really big hills, complaining they struggled for motivation because every ride involved so much climbing/descending and they’d love something flatter. Try imagining that if you come from the more flat/muddy/field-filled parts of the UK!!

So even if I moved somewhere with a better trail network, maybe I’d still find something lacking in my motivation to ride more. Although I do think it would be better!

I'd have an ebike as well as a regular bike. 😁

Would alternate depending on the ride/time I had available to ride.

Also riding alone – I think that’s a big factor in poor motivation for many, me included.

Definitely - nothing like a planned ride to get you out the door, and riding with others makes things so much more interesting.

Doing stuff on your own, procrastination kicks in big time!

what do you do when your local rides (i.e. stuff from the door, or a short drive away) starts to get stale?

Ride the same trails on an inappropriate bike without suspension that makes them back into a challenge

I'm lucky to have a 250m high, wooded ridge full of trails that starts at the end of my road. Also Woodbury common (20+ square km of open access land) a 30 minute cycle ride away.

Still, I've done nearly 80 rides in these locations since lockdown started, but I try to vary the bikes I use.

What's easy and nigh-on sedate on a hardtail with 160mm forks, is amusingly precarious on a gravel bike.

Easy on an 11spd, a sod (but satisfying) on the SS.

My most ridden bike over the last 5 months has been my rigid 29+ Stooge. Most things are fun on it 😉

Get yourself a mattock, bound to be some quiet, out of the way woods that some lines can be created.

Trail building (locally anyway) isn't an option, literally the only decently hilly area is where the most local trails have been built.

I live on a pretty flat area with a 600ft chalk ridge a few miles to the north, any trails are on the ridge or in woods in that area.

I'm getting the impression that more bikes is the answer? 😁

I do some group rides but there’s not many about at the moment so I’m pretty much riding solo 98% of the time.

I'd guess this is your main problem.

Riding buddies distract you from the repetition of your local spots.

Paul, I’ve been doing more gravel rides again recently as I’m finding the top of Bluebell Hill On the MTB far too busy for my liking (Monk Wood esp).

Recently I have ridden down to Lenham a few times using a bit of road and the Pilgrims Way.

My favourite gravel ride at the moment is up Bluebell Hill, down by the Robin Hood, over the M2 Medway Bridge and into Ranscombe. Ride past Cobham Mausoleum, back down to the bottom of the hill and then up round the back of Holly Hill. From there I either go to Trosley CP for a coffee or head back down to Birling and work my way back home.

Just a couple of ride ideas if you need to some inspiration.

I started riding the dirt jumps in the park nearly every day over the last few months. It's a workout and a lot more fun than pedalling around the streets.

Paul, I’ve been doing more gravel rides again recently as I’m finding the top of Bluebell Hill On the MTB far too busy for my liking (Monk Wood esp).

Recently I have ridden down to Lenham a few times using a bit of road and the Pilgrims Way.

My favourite gravel ride at the moment is up Bluebell Hill, down by the Robin Hood, over the M2 Medway Bridge and into Ranscombe. Ride past Cobham Mausoleum, back down to the bottom of the hill and then up round the back of Holly Hill. From there I either go to Trosley CP for a coffee or head back down to Birling and work my way back home.

Just a couple of ride ideas if you need to some inspiration.

I'd seen the monks wood trails have been taken off trailforks as they were getting a little busy/attracting too much attention.

That gravel ride is almost exactly the route I've done a few times! I normally carry on along common road past the robin hood, along the narrow rooty descent which pops you out on the same road at the bottom, then over the M2 bridge, into ranscombe, past the mausoleum, then normally left at the end to head south, then either towards birling and back through leybourne lakes, or back towards halling and over Peter's bridge, then back through aylesford.

Pilgrims way to Lenham is good, as is Pilgrims way the other way, you can go all the way to wrotham from halling.

TBH I think it shows how little variety there is here when we both ride basically the same route!!

I was trying to put together a route this morning, normal bluebell hill start into ranscombe, then through cobham, up sole street byway onto thong lane (s****) and then somehow avoiding as much of gravesend as I could to get onto the road/gravel next to the thames and medway canal, with a detour to shornemead fort. Might still try and complete it.

Have also been trying to put together a decent little hour/90 minute local route that I can ride in all weathers, on the gravel bike or the MTB as a regular ride, it's a struggle keeping off the roads and on decent byways/bridleways that don't turn into a bog in rain.

There's barely any bridleways to the south of Maidstone, same for the east - and my go to local route of oaken woods has got housing areas fenced off now with massive security fence and robots on pea fields on the way to oaken woods (planning for 300 houses to be built there), which in turn has had trails closed off - I can be out my door and onto a cyclepath and into barming woods with only 100m of road to cover, but looks like that's going away soon. There's one trail in barming woods that I know of, and it's not that great.

I've been up to Monkdown wood near bredhurst too, and capstone park of course.

I started riding the dirt jumps in the park nearly every day over the last few months. It’s a workout and a lot more fun than pedalling around the streets.

If there was a pump track nearer to me I'd have bought a dirt jump bike ages ago and would be down there regularly. Hoping to go to the one 25 mins drive away if I build a hardtail. Will help with my jumping and pumping skills.

There's 2 short jump lines in Mote Park. Not on the scale of a proper pump track but I like sessioning them and it's been good for my skills. I mostly ignored them before lockdown but now I can grab the bike for a ride every lunch time I've spent a lot more time there.

+1 for rigid MTB. I’ve a fat bike that I’ve got some regular rimmed/tyred wheels for, makes what would be a fairly dull trails into something you’ve to really concentrate for.

Apart from the odd trip away (obviously less frequent recently) most of my riding is within 10km of home.

I don't live in a hilly area (average 25-30km ride involves around 300m of climbing) but I do live right next to a small FE woods with a network of (now all unofficial) twisty, wooded singletrack trails criss-crossing it.

I've managed to not get bored over the last nearly 10 years of riding this area at least a couple of times a week by 'rationing' the sections I ride each time out, switching the direction I ride the trails in, shifting where I put a real effort in each time, changing the bike I ride (a luxury admittedly), raking in the odd new trail (and looking out for what other builders have been up to), and even occasionally a bit of Strava bashing. I also try to give myself a focus each ride - it might be hammering any uphills, finding all the rooty bits, fireroad tempo bashing, etc.

There’s 2 short jump lines in Mote Park.

Where in the park are they? Is it near the new work they did down by the cafe/play area?

No they've been there ages. Other side of the sports pitches from the leisure centre.

There's tons of varied riding and routes around North Kent,I've never got bored of it. Maybe go out riding with others. Nice and quiet road / gravel/ river routes around the Hoo Peninsula . Allhallows to Gravesend along the Thames is around 18 miles and is a tough but pleasant ride. Plenty to do if you know where to look.

A back of the shed build singlespeed has made my local trails more interesting. It makes you focus on flow and cadence more which takes your mind off the doing the same trails over and over again. It also makes you swear more which is quite cathartic 😉.

I’m not sure it will tackle your core issue of becoming bored with your local trails. But I tend to ride the same trails over and over. For me that’s one of the main reasons I ride a hardtail. Riding a hardtail makes me focus much more on the small bumps and obstacles - you feel every bump. I love my full suss, but I ride my HT 95% of the time.

There’s barely any bridleways to the south of Maidstone, same for the east – and my go to local route of oaken woods has got housing areas fenced off now with massive security fence and robots on pea fields on the way to oaken woods (planning for 300 houses to be built there), which in turn has had trails closed off

Yeah this has caused a problem for me as now I ride along Heath Rd instead. Someone is trying to get the footpaths around the Pea Fields altered to bridleways but I can’t see much chance of that happening as the locals will kick up a fuss - they’ve already lobbied KCC to put up “no cycling” signs.

You’re quite right that if we’re riding the same stuff it just shows what little choice there is. For winter riding we do tend to head over to Halling and cross peters bridge and come back the other side through snodland and leybourne lakes. Pretty boring ride but gets us out.

I go through these periods even though I'm surrounded by good riding. I have a couple of default fitness loops I just do laps on for a while till it passes. Doing the odd ride further afield helps too, even if its once a month. Works for me anyway.

sounds like not a lot to go at...one what I thought odd tip picked up from a running mag was reverse the direction of your regular routes I was surprised how set in my ways I was on this...add in just trying some connections previously dismissed and connections done but not thought great creates some different routes
as to motivation for running if local area ain't great then same issue I guess...but gym, core, pilates...spin all other things to do to if you don't already and will give some edge if mojo returns
me a bit of a billy no mates but having someone who expects you to be ready to do a ride if only once a week helps

Buy a fat bike and then find the most inappropriate surface it ride on, will pay back any investment with smiles and giggles. If you’re near the coast even better you’ve just increased your local winter/wet weather riding opportunities. Also fingers crossed for snow as they’re also ridiculous fun in that too.

For me it makes the autumn winter local stuff fun in a weird way, and massively opens up local areas too bland or boggy or dull or inappropriate for a conventional bike.

for bonus points go singlespeed (don’t do that )

What I did was sack off local rides and get a turbo. Im fitter and when I get a proper ride out I enjoy it more because of that. Im.also starting to feel psyched for local rides again.

I bloody love riding Blue Bell Hill and feel really lucky to have these trails on my door step. OP, when you say theres only 4 or five trails to ride from your door are you talking about just Monk wood? Do you ride Westfield wood and the steep stuff off the North Downs Way between the top of Boxley Hill & Detling quarry? Trail wars, Inferno etc?

I'd say there's 15 really good trails in that area and I don't include the flatter trails in Monk wood as I rarely ride them. (Rooster, Replica, Chubby Cheeks etc) or the ones on the Scouts land. I also ride a few around Lordswood & Walderslade too. For me there's enough so that I don't have to repeat the same loop everytime.

@leegee I'd found some trails between boxley and detling, but tbh most were far too steep for my liking, plus there's the hellish climb back up. 2 or 3 runs, max would be my ride.

Had a brilliant ride today, at the normal spot but rode with someone else - it makes a huge difference, you don't notice the climbs as you're chatting away on them, found some trails I didn't know existed, some I knew existed but had never ridden, sessioned some small drops.

Monkey Breath down at the Detling end is a good trail if you haven’t tried that.

plus there’s the hellish climb back up. 2 or 3 runs, max would be my ride.

Keep thinking an ebike would help with this.

Also riding alone – I think that’s a big factor in poor motivation for many, me included.

I’ve had to admit this recently. Being long-term injured is a pisser as it slows other riders down, which spurs me on at risk of reinjury. Not ideal. Maybe next year. During these ‘different times

I’ve find running the odd extra daytime errands/transporting groceries/making impromptu visits to places via a ‘regular bicycle’ type bike has been a welcome and life/mind-improving diversion from the solo trail slog. Typically go on egg-hunt once per week but now also scouring old lost places for damsons, apples, plums, berries, nuts etc.

Egg bike:

https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/share-your-lockdown-bikes/