Mountain Biking - Riding Alone

Just curious as to if any of you guys out there ride alone or thoughts on it... Im off tomorow and none of my friends are free.. all i can think about is ridingggggggggg you guys ride alone or is it rue of thumb if your going into the woods bring a partner?

I just got a new bike. First time I went out I went with a friend. Last two times a rode alone. I didn't take it into the forests though. Just on some steep fire roads. There was still the potential to get hurt, but where I rode, I felt that if I did get hurt a hiker or biker would see me since i saw many around the basin.

Eh, I ride alone a lot. Just know your limits, and don't go past 'em. Bring everything from ibuprofen and neosporin to chain links and spare camelbak valves. Better be safe than sorry.

I ride alone sometimes.. I have lots of trails around my house so when I get the urge I'll go for a short ride. I always keep my cel on me though.. just incase I get broken

I always ride alone. All my friends don't leave the pavement on their bikes, if they even go that far, and everyone else is always busy and all that sad crap.

I hate to ride alone, not because im afraid, just because its more fun with friends. just take a cell and some sort of ID, and dont ride anything overly hard for you, that ways theres less chance of getting stuck there alone. Have fun!

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alone as much as with friends.

I ride alone all the time. If you want to ride, go ride. Don't let the lack of other people stop you.

I ride alone all the time. If you want to ride, go ride. Don't let the lack of other people stop you.

I know all about that, no one in my town, and I mean no one, rides but me. it sucks sometimes, but you just got to get out there. I actually kind of enjoy it because my friend thats even with me in skill, diesnt know what i can do, and I dont know what he can do all the time. so when we go for a ride together, we're like "Woah!, when'd you learn that?!?!"

go have fun and ride

I ride alone most of the time cause my work schedule is different than most of my friends. I ride alot during the week. As someone else said know your limits.

Riding alone. You can ride wherever you want at your own pace, and stop whenever you like. Then go home when you want.

i hate riding alone i get bored and tend to go slow

Other than in places where people are sure to find you if something happens- my own experience tells me that riding alone is too risky and foolish, this is an inherently dangerous activity, at the very least when you're riding challenging terrain.

Fortunately for me and what happened to me, I had a training buddy and my son with me. It could have been worse- I could have lost both eyes instead of just one.

I primarily ride alone, but the single track I ride on is a County owned park and they lock the gates at sunset. I hope that if they see a vehicle with a bike rack in the parking lot that they would go looking for the person. I carry a cell phone with me in case I hurt myself and need to call for help. I have a small LED flashnight if I get stranded after sunset.

If your worried about it, tell a friend or family member that your going riding alone and that you'll call them at a specific time after your ride is over just to make sure that you made it back ok. If they don't hear from you, then they should come looking for your carcus.

Yea knowing your limits is definatly good advice... i rode alone today for about an hour and a half... One thing i definatly did notice though is that i didnt ride nearly as hard alone as i would have with a buddy... I also stayed really close to the main trail of the park.. as its too easy to get lost .. Going to ride again tomorow.. but this time im going to bring my ipod.. maybe th music will help :)


ohh and i brought a bookbag with me today with a few extra bottles of water.. cell phone, flashlight with extra batteries, a bandanna, and a few protein bars... overall was a good experience

I ride whenever I can. Alone or with friends. Sometimes I meet people on the trails and ride with them. But I just always bring my cell, lots of water and a snack just in case.

i was riding alone when i broke my collar bone.. on thursday. walked to the nearest fire road and used my phone to call for a ride..

I used to hike in CO and they also say you should never hike alone. But then again, "they" don't ever say who you should hike with. And when you don't know anyone interested in going the same place at the same speed, you don't have much choice but to either sit in an easy chair or get out and do things on your own.

I ride to be alone.

I ride to be alone.

Second that.


I ride alone 5 - 6 days out of the week and every so often I take the lady because she loves to ride with me.

I used to ride alone a fair amount - great thinking time! Ride with people, ride alone, both are great, just make sure you take a charged mobile with you. Even better let someone know where you're going and roughly when you'll be back.

yep. just be careful and stick to what ya know, like they all said. i mtn and road bike alone all the time. maybe it's just my outgoing nature.

I usually always ride alone. I take it as time to enjoy nature and go at my own pace without making sure I don't get split up with everyone else.

I ride alone 75% of the time... I carry more energy bars than I need and a fully charged cellphone in my camelbak.

The past 8 years 95% of my rides are alone due to my riding/racing buddies have all moved on to other interests. It allows me to put in more time on the bike and I go when and where ever I want.

I did a night ride alone on Halloween a few years ago. That was pretty spooky. http://smilies.sofrayt.com/hal/booo.gif

Nearly always alone - I have two main riding buddies, one has now gone to boarding school away from town, the other one is the only one out of us three who owns an MTB, and is the only one to complain when we go off road that its "too difficult" :rolleyes: He is too much of a pu**y to try anything anyway. He put slicks on his MTB now and rides roads-only, and then only to get to places rather than just riding for the fun.

So I ride alone, on some woodland 5km away from my house. Yes, I've fallen over a few times because my nearly fully slick tires don't like riding on wet, slippery grass (surprise surprise), but nothing's ever become seriously damaged. Actually, I'm not that worried about falling and breaking something because there are no extreme trails there and its so close to my house. Obviously I carry a phone.

Riding alone can be really fun, especially if you're the contemplative sort. You go at your own pace, and where the hell you want with no differences of opinions. Its easier to stay focused because you don't feel the need to chat to your friends every few minutes. Just you, the bike and the Earth...

When I ride alone, I prefer to be by myself.

yep. just be careful and stick to what ya know, like they all said. i mtn and road bike alone all the time. maybe it's just my outgoing nature.

haha, LT FTW!

I ride alot by myself, but only on trails I know. I also let someone know where I'm going. :) I had 11 days off work and rode alot of those days by myself. It was fun!! :) Just be careful and always, always tell someone where your going and when they should expect to hear from you. :)

When I ride MTB, I prefer to be alone. The only exception is when my son rides with me, that's always a blast. Otherwise, I prefer just me, the woods and whatever animals are on the trail.
Funny, when I road ride its just the opposite, I prefer to ride in a group, the larger the better.

Fortunately for me and what happened to me, I had a training buddy and my son with me. It could have been worse- I could have lost both eyes instead of just one.

err WTH?! explain dude what happened

Everyone carrying phones with them.? everywhere I ride has 0 coverage.. I guess I would carry one to help them find my carcass.

last time I went on a 10 mile gravel road ride alone(my normal preshower weekend ride) I flatted and had to walk 5 miles.. my shins hurt for 2 days .. apparently I need to walk more. most times I bring tools except on this short ride where I use a bottle.. a short ride can become a long walk..

I ride alone very often, both on trails that I know and on ones that I don't know. All my friends are lazy mofos so if I waited around for them, I'd be riding 10 miles a week. I never have cell coverage either, but I do let me lady know where I'm going and what time to get worried if she doesn't hear from me. I'm too much of a puss to go night riding alone though.

don't drink alone

I've gone up to 10 days alone pulling a BOB trailer. Places like the Canyonlands and Death Valley. Always leave a way out and don't do anything that can cause you to crash hard.

I enjoy the challenge of surviving alone where it really is up to me to make it out OK.