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how do you motivate yourself to ride in rubbish weather?

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  • November 15, 2012 at 7:03 pm #17280
    racefaceec90

    i admit that i am a lightweight when it comes to riding in bad weather.can always make excuses (blame it on my depression why i don’t go out in the rain/unfit/lazy e.t.c)

    the annoying thing is that i will finally be getting my first proper road bike next week (a lovely specialized tarmac sport).

    have wanted a road bike for a long time.

    obviously next week’s weather looks pretty dire all week in wiltshire X(

    i really don’t want to take my new bike out in the crap weather on it’s first outing (i know :\”>

    how do you deal with riding in bad weather/get motivated to ride?
    i know it’s a stupid question to ask,but i do suffer with depression and it really does put the dampeners on things X( thanks in advance 🙂

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Viewing 15 replies - 16 through 30 (of 49 total)
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  • November 21, 2012 at 10:28 am #706619
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    andyp

    ‘Errr…might be slightly
    ‘Errr…might be slightly masochistic, but I love it when I turn up at work soaking wet/blue with cold/running sweat etc and my work colleagues hurl abuse at me as a front for their total respect.’

    Even better, *I* have dry clothes to change into after my commute. *They* do not.

    Win/Win.

    November 21, 2012 at 9:51 am #706617
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    racefaceec90

    will do stuke
    i have to
    will do stuke 😀

    i have to admit,i didn’t do the ride that i planned above (got my tarmac sport yesterday).due to the weather/lack of fitness i ended up cycling from melksham cycle centre to lacock,then up bowden hill.turning right to bromham,then going back to rowde (via hawkstreet country lane).then devizes. slightly shorter than i planned 🙁

    i do plan on doing the above route sometime soon though hopefully friday/or next week if the weather improves.

    but i cannot wait to start riding my new bike regularly 😀

    November 21, 2012 at 9:38 am #706615
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    stuke

    racefaceec90 wrote:
    from

    racefaceec90 wrote:

    from melksham to lacock.up the steep hill to the main chippenham/devizes road.
    cross over to calne.
    turn right at the main road (as if going to beckhampton roundabout) but climb back up hill where north wilts golf course is).
    cross over the main road at junction (devizes/beckhampton) and head to horton then to pewsey vale. (sorry for the long write up :”>

    continue onto marlbrough (stop and have a coffee).then return back to devizes via pewsey vale (by this point i will be feeling like this :&

    thats a nice ride, I work in Devizes and use various parts of that route for testing the bikes and extending my commute home to Westbury.

    If you see a roadcc jersey darting through the Devizes traffic be sure to wave 😀

    November 21, 2012 at 8:44 am #706613
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    Roscoemck

    My excuse? The bikes live in
    My excuse? The bikes live in a damp, unheated shed. Had the MTB for 6 years and there’s lots of rusty bolts etc on it. Only had the road bike a year and don’t want it going the same way by riding it in bad weather.

    Poor excuse I know! Any tips for keeping the bikes tip top given the damp shed they live in?

    November 20, 2012 at 11:04 pm #706611
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    Littlesox

    Errr…might be slightly
    Errr…might be slightly masochistic, but I love it when I turn up at work soaking wet/blue with cold/running sweat etc and my work colleagues hurl abuse at me as a front for their total respect.

    Comments like “How far is it to your house” and “How long does it take you….must be mad” just fire me up to do it again and again.

    I’ll get my coat…….

    November 20, 2012 at 4:16 pm #706609
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    Jezzag

    My wife called my bluff on
    My wife called my bluff on Sunday. Weather was terrible ouside, friend decided not to venture out, I didn’t really fancy it either tbh. Then: “You mean you spent all that money on a bloody bike but you’re not going to ride it?” That was all I needed. Conditions were pretty awful but I’m glad I went.

    November 20, 2012 at 2:44 pm #706607
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    Cycleoptic

    Commute in all weathers
    Commute in all weathers across London,

    Just think of the alternative, sitting in traffic or squashed on tube.

    Cycling gives Same time whatever the time, weather……

    The hardest part is getting out if the door, pack the night before so fewer excuses.

    Nice if destination has hot showers.. 🙂

    November 20, 2012 at 2:24 pm #706605
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    jimmo62

    Make a public commitment to
    Make a public commitment to someone that you are going to ride X days per week and ask them to check up on you – amazing how avoiding having to making lame excuses can focus the mind and determination…..

    November 20, 2012 at 1:11 pm #706603
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    mad_scot_rider

    matt_fantastic wrote:Even in

    matt_fantastic wrote:
    Even in the worst weather, my bike commute is better than being on the Tube… B-)

    Seconded – public transport from ‘burbs into weegie-toon (AKA Glasgow to the southerners) is totally depressing and NOT how I choose to start my day

    November 20, 2012 at 2:55 am #706601
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    PhilRuss

    Excuses? Have some of mine!
    Excuses? Have some of mine! Here’s a few of ’em—–it’s raining, it’s too hot, too cold, it’s snowy, it’s windy, it’s too far, it’s not far enough to bother, too much traffic, this stuff (to transport) will weigh my bonk-bag down, there’s nothing to lock the bike to at the cafe-stop, I’m a bit tired, I’m not really fit enough, my head aches, my (left)knee doesn’t feel right….and ultimately the classic copout: I’ll go tomorrow!
    At 16 I joined a club, and for 18 months the weather–any kind, including snow & ice– was entirely irrelevant. Bring it on! The worse it gets, the more HEROIC you feel. And as has been mentioned elsewhere, hard rides stimulate your feel-good endorphins (peptide neuro-transmitters in yer brain, innit) which are well known to lift your spirits. However, having said all that, I’d advise you NOT to instantly sally forth into a downpour unless you have to. That’s my philosophy these days, but if I do get stuck in the wet stuff, I just get stuck in. “I can do this! Rain & wind don’t beat me—I beat rain & wind! And it’s doing me good—ALL OVER!”
    And after the battle, how do you feel? Relaxed–and happier.
    P.R.

    November 18, 2012 at 10:28 pm #706599
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    Bedfordshire Clanger

    This is what works for
    This is what works for me:-

    Set a target number of rides or miles that you’d like to achieve in a month. If you have some friends to benchmark against then so much the better. Record your outings on mapmyride or something similar so that you can chart your progress. When bad weather comes your way, you know that you’ll still have to go out to hit your target or to put one over on your riding buddies. As many have stated above it is rarely as bad as it looks when it’s raining and you love riding your bike anyway right? Just in case you are not aware of the excellent if a little tongue in cheek Velominati rules I’ll quote rule #9 for you:

    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.

    Fair-weather riding is a luxury reserved for Sunday afternoons and wide boulevards. Those who ride in foul weather – be it cold, wet, or inordinately hot – are members of a special club of riders who, on the morning of a big ride, pull back the curtain to check the weather and, upon seeing rain falling from the skies, allow a wry smile to spread across their face. This is a rider who loves the work.

    The only other rule that you really need to know is #5.
    There’s nothing quite like telling your friends to MTFU when they’ve been shirking rainy rides.

    Enjoy that new bike, I bet you’ll love it!
    I always feel great after I’ve been out on mine, I hope that it’s the same for you.

    November 17, 2012 at 12:04 pm #706597
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    alotronic

    It’s always slightly better
    It’s always slightly better outside than it looks from inside the house.

    Commute, even the shittiest london weather is better than the tube.

    Have a crappy bike for towpath excursions.

    Mountain Biking! Somehow nicer to get filthy and soaked if there are no cars around and you are ‘in’ the environment rather than riding thorough it.

    MTFU!!!

    Plan events and work towards them – this will get you out.

    If I don’t ride I get very very very shitty indeed (integral part of my depression avoidance mechanism!)

    November 17, 2012 at 11:23 am #706595
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    issacforce

    just get out and do it
    just get out and do it

    November 17, 2012 at 8:31 am #706593
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    Bob's Bikes

    Like others have already said
    Like others have already said just go for it. I sometimes do myself out of a ride by looking out the window and thinking eugh! also when I’ve got “the black dog” but do manage to get past the front door the first five or so miles I am fighting my inner voice that says, ah a quick left here then another and I’m home. The feelings of accomplishment, self achievement happiness etc etc after a ride far outweigh the frustrations of sitting around doing nothing.
    Good luck to you and have fun on your new bike.

    November 16, 2012 at 6:28 pm #706591
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    SideBurn

    The worst bit is always
    The worst bit is always sitting indoors looking out at the weather. Once I am out there B-) this seems to be the case regardless of rain, wind, tired, hung over, a bit sore etc

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