New cyclists that give up after a few weeks

[SpokeyDokey]

Hello again.
Whilst out on my bike ride tonight I got thinking as to why a lot of new cyclists give up riding after a few weeks ,of there newly found interest.. You often see bike ad,s on eBay etc on the lines of " used a couple of times and have no time to use it" blah ,blah blah..
Is it the road traffic that puts new cyclists off ,or the fact they have bought an ill fitting bike that's completely unsuitable for there needs.
The summer time always seem to be the peak time when you see new faces peddling there nice new shiny bikes on the road. It always seem to peak after a well publicised bike race like the Tour de France ,and then theres a raft of newbies sporting some expensive looking team replica bike and dressed to break the laws in physics in time trialling.
.As soon as the winter grip takes hold they all seem to disappear never to be seen again..I too, must admit to losing my focus on my cycling sometimes. When i first got back into it last year, i rode all my miles for just the sole intention of enjoying getting outside and clearing my head of all the crap that was going on in my life at the time.
As time went by i started to realise my belly was getting smaller and that i was starting to ride further and quicker. I noticed that i was becoming more and more obsessed with my average speed / miles and endurance. Suddenly out of the blue i started to realise that i was now not enjoying my bike rides as much as i did. Coming home absolutely cream crackered because i was pushing my self to the limit was all very well when admiring my fastest ever time, but i was now missing out on enjoying the lovely country side that surrounds my area because i was to focused on pushing myself.. Gone where the stops by the lake side or taking in the spectacular evening sunsets. It was a case of bike out the door , cycle hard for a good hour and then collapse on the sofa when i got home.
The last few weeks though I've made a conscious effort to slow my pace down and enjoy my cycling again. The magic of cycling has now come back again ,and once again look forward to getting out for a ride after work. I think it's all to easy to get "sucked " into the wrong kind of cycling when you get to over enthusiastic about your new found interest. Sometimes i think we need to take a step back and re evaluate the real reasons for cycling enjoyment. It kind of makes you wonder if new cyclists expect" to much to soon " from there new found hobby ,that ends it all to quickly for them ,and a new bike languishing in the garage for months on end before being sold on.
If your still awake after reading that i appluad you .
Take care out there .
Johnny :-)

Maybe they give up because they thought cycling was going to be exciting - which most of the time it isn't.

 

[MontyVeda]

I think most people are quixotic by nature... they see something they like the look of and think they'll have a go at that. It could be a shiny road bike and complementary lycra or a half decent electric guitar, an inexpensive multi effects pedal and a tiny amp... maybe even a top of the range DSLR and a bag full of lenses. They dream of fitness, rock stardom, unrivalled creativity but only after giving it a go can they decide whether it's something they can a; do. b; enjoy, or c; stick at.

For sale: One half decent electric guitar. I'll throw in the pedal for free!

 

[GuyBoden]

For sale: One half decent electric guitar. I'll throw in the pedal for free!

Swap for a surf board..................

 

[MontyVeda]

Swap for a surf board..................

Tempting... is Morecambe any good for surfing?

 

[Blue Hills]

Here's my recipe for a nice 'Leisure ride'

1. Find a nice pub about 2-5 miles from home.
2. Now plot a 30 or so mile route to get there
3. 

wot no 4 - go back home?

 

[raleighnut]

wot no 4 - go back home?

Depends how good the pub is.

 

[slowmotion]

I'd hope that no one told them. Because it isn't true.

At least, it doesn't have to be. I enjoy riding by my sporting motto of "don't try too hard". In fact I'm thinking of making a bid for taking over BC's overly aggressive, bullying coaching environment with my own coaching philosophy, which will have the aim of converting team GB into the most nonchalant, insouciant team out there. Special coaching will concentrate on witty rejoinders, and a crack team of barbers will aim at giving our riders, male and female, boyish floppy hair.

Add this man to the coaching team...

 

[Reynard]

Is that Mr Chipolata... uh... Cipollini?

 

[Fifelad]

They hit the first hill, get a puncture, get wet = give up

 

[johnnyb47]

I also think psychology has got a lot to do with giving "cycling up" with newish riders..
When i first started my average ride at night would be around 10 miles and spent around 40 minutes doing it. As time went by its increased to around 20 miles a night. The thing is though , i now expect myself to do the 20 odd miles and nothing less each night. I kind of look down my nose at the thought of going out for just 10 miles, and i think this is were the problems lye. I had it in my head that doing just 10 miles is not worth the bother now and i will not gain me any benefit what so ever. This is the when cycling can take a down hill turn for most. In reality though it's all very well to be able to do a 20 miler each night but sometimes its not always possible..A busy day at work , feeling under the weather etc.
It becomes a point ,of all or nothing as to whether you take your bike out.
I try and make a conscious effort to get out every night whether it be a long ride out or a short 30 minute blast down the road nowadays and not to expect to much to soon in my cycling .

 

[KnackeredBike]

maybe even a top of the range DSLR and a bag full of lenses.

At least cycling is less annoying, my FIL has bought some stupidly expensive camera and now every visit is even more annoying whilst he spends two hours photographing mini-KB on marginally different settings then putting them on the TV and discussing how rubbish they all are.

We have the technology to put a decent camera in my £35 phone and for some reason everyone feels the need to buy a huge massively expensive one.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I also think psychology has got a lot to do with giving "cycling up" with newish riders..
When i first started my average ride at night would be around 10 miles and spent around 40 minutes doing it. As time went by its increased to around 20 miles a night. The thing is though , i now expect myself to do the 20 odd miles and nothing less each night. I kind of look down my nose at the thought of going out for just 10 miles, and i think this is were the problems lye. I had it in my head that doing just 10 miles is not worth the bother now and i will not gain me any benefit what so ever. This is the when cycling can take a down hill turn for most. In reality though it's all very well to be able to do a 20 miler each night but sometimes its not always possible..A busy day at work , feeling under the weather etc.
It becomes a point ,of all or nothing as to whether you take your bike out.
I try and make a conscious effort to get out every night whether it be a long ride out or a short 30 minute blast down the road nowadays and not to expect to much to soon in my cycling .

You are so right with what you say.

 

[Reynard]

At least cycling is less annoying, my FIL has bought some stupidly expensive camera and now every visit is even more annoying whilst he spends two hours photographing mini-KB on marginally different settings then putting them on the TV and discussing how rubbish they all are.

That's just someone not understanding the basics of photography - the downside of digital, everyone thinks they're an instant Henri Cartier-Bresson. You can rattle of tons of shots in the hope of getting a good 'un without being out of pocket. With film, every shot had to count, so either you learnt quickly from your mistakes or you wasted money.

Same's true of every hobby, including cycling. Basic things like riding the right gear, pacing yourself on a longer ride, learning how to do basic maintenance etc.

 

[mjr]

Whilst out on my bike ride tonight I got thinking as to why a lot of new cyclists give up riding after a few weeks ,of there newly found interest.. You often see bike ad,s on eBay etc on the lines of " used a couple of times and have no time to use it" blah ,blah blah..
Is it the road traffic that puts new cyclists off ,or the fact they have bought an ill fitting bike that's completely unsuitable for there needs.

Around here, people prefer to walk, struggle with the weather (fen winds!) or lose access to a bicycle. A surprisingly high number who have a bike stolen don't replace it and quite a lot of people who bend their bike in a crash - including into those flaming barriers on cycle tracks - never fix it. A few consider the roads too busy and even fewer fear injury.

Nationally, more people say the roads were too dangerous and the next biggest reason IIRC is that they can't find anywhere to park it at their destination.

4. "racing" bikes geared far to high for normal mortals never mind beginners. This compounded by no mudguards and trying to carry a rucksack rather than panniers.

That's not limited to "racing" bikes. City bikes have long come with a top gear somewhere around 100" which is sheer vanity for most uses and sometimes puts the bottom gear around 50" which isn't even low enough for a fit person to ride up a railway bridge from a standstill.

Saddle comfort was a big problem for some. I know part of that is just getting used to it but some people, including me, have a lot of difficulty finding a saddle that's remotely comfortable. I wonder if most keen cyclists just happened to have the right bum that fits most saddles?

Or we got lucky, starting with bikes which had the right saddles that fit most bums? You know, ones that were vaguely saddle-shaped, rather than the quite width/sweep specific flat-top T-shaped ones that seem popular now and probably allow people to sell more aftermarket saddles.

People start and stop new hobbies all the time

It doesn't have to (shouldn't?) be a hobby.

They give up because no one told them cycling is a 'kin hard sport which only rewards the effort you put in.

It doesn't have to (shouldn't?) be a sport.

Maybe my outlook is slightly different because i live in Sheffield which is very hilly and have ridden most of my life the Peak District so most rides at fairly tough. A normal 50 miler will usually involve over 4000 ft of climbing.

A mighty 3% average gradient if I've done the sums right - I guess some bits are steeper!

Out here you can't escape the wind. You just have to live with it. Can make a real difference on a five mile ride into town. If conditions are favourable (no wind / tailwind) it's half an hour of reasonably easy cycling. If the conditions are pants, it's almost an hour of sheer hell.

...or you go another route which is 7 miles but avoids plugging into a headwind the whole time so still works out about 45 minutes and not quite so hell. If you can find one, as sometimes fen roads are far apart and there aren't bridges where you need them.

[...] pretty clunky old MTB. [...] It was only when I admitted defeat and bought a road bike that I appreciated that you could spend all day in the saddle and still feel human at the end.

I suspect the problem there was "clunky" as I've done that distance on the Dutch bike and on a hybrid. Actually, they're slightly more comfortable than the road bike for it, but the more upright position makes them less aerodynamic so it's slightly slower.

Maybe they give up because they thought cycling was going to be exciting - which most of the time it isn't.

I think you're doing it wrong Well, not exciting exactly, but even the ugliest bits of cycle track have a sort of beauty to them at times...

 

[Reynard]

...or you go another route which is 7 miles but avoids plugging into a headwind the whole time so still works out about 45 minutes and not quite so hell. If you can find one, as sometimes fen roads are far apart and there aren't bridges where you need them.

There is an alternative, but it's three times the distance. And given that the first two miles are the same, it's often just a case of sticking it out on the shortest route for three more miles than do another ten LOL

The long way round is a very nice ride when you've got plenty of time, but not ideal when you've got commuting gubbins and are trying to get to the station to catch a train...