# I have become that which I once mocked



## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

I admit it. Secretly, I used to mock them... those people who drove their bikes to a trailhead instead of riding them.

"How silly," I thought. Why carry your bike to a ride? You wouldn't tow your car to a restaurant, or a drive-in.

But I have a few different MUT options that are about 20 miles from my door. Once upon a time that might not have bothered me, but now the prospect of a 40 mile round trip just to start a ride doesn't hold quite the allure it once did.

So, now on occasion, I drive my bike to a trailhead. I see young people riding up... silently judging. Why would anyone carry a perfectly good bike to a bike ride? 

Just wait... your time will come.


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## wgscott (Jul 14, 2013)

I've evolved in the opposite direction. Having the car broken into at the trailhead was a big motivator.


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

wgscott said:


> I've evolved in the opposite direction. Having the car broken into at the trailhead was a big motivator.


Yikes! Yeah, I see where that could put me off driving. Luckily, I have some decent rides not too far from the house, so I have options.


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## wgscott (Jul 14, 2013)

Opus51569 said:


> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


They bashed in my window and got my iPad mini and iPod classic, and some other stuff. Everyone in Santa Cruz is either a multi-millionare or a heroin addict. (Some are both.)


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## fast ferd (Jan 30, 2009)

You can do what I do and park a couple miles from the trailhead. Find a nice shady spot in a quiet neighborhood. Then you can continue to give evil looks to those parking at the trailhead.


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## Peter P. (Dec 30, 2006)

wgscott said:


> They bashed in my window and got my iPad mini and iPod classic, and some other stuff. Everyone in Santa Cruz is either a multi-millionare or a heroin addict. (Some are both.)


Most crooks won't bother to break in to your car if they don't see something appealing. Police always advise hiding valuables if not outright removing them from the vehicle-out of sight, out of mind. They don't even need to see the attractive items; a car with lots of "stuff" in it may mean to the crook that it's worth rummaging around.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Opus51569 said:


> Just wait... your time will come.


Maybe. But I doubt it. I really don't mind riding roads. I don't go out of my way to ride MUTs, unless they're conveniently located to let me avoid a bad traffic route. Maybe I'm lucky in having decent roads nearby, but for me, a road ride starts by rolling down the driveway.



> the prospect of a 40 mile round trip just to start a ride


That doesn't make any sense to me. The ride starts when you start riding, wherever that is. The idea of driving a car 20 miles to get to a place to ride a road bike holds no appeal whatsoever. If you were talking about taking a mountain bike to a place to ride an outstanding off-road trail, that would be different. But if you have a road bike, and there's a road in front of your house . . .


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## fast ferd (Jan 30, 2009)

No idea about Opus' case, but for me a few explanations exist:
1. Thirty miles on the trail to reach the beach, totaling a sixty-mile ride. Not interested in riding a century every time I ride to the beach. (20 mile distance to the trailhead for me, too.)
2. Variety is the spice of life and some days call for that choice of route. (In my case, I probably only do it a few times per year.)
3. Riding the path is very relaxing, not worrying about vehicle traffic, and listening to headphone music.
4. I live up a two-mile hill, and ending every ride there gets old for this old guy!


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

fast ferd said:


> No idea about Opus' case, but for me a few explanations exist:
> 1. Thirty miles on the trail to reach the beach, totaling a sixty-mile ride. Not interested in riding a century every time I ride to the beach. (20 mile distance to the trailhead for me, too.)
> 2. Variety is the spice of life and some days call for that choice of route. (In my case, I probably only do it a few times per year.)
> 3. Riding the path is very relaxing, not worrying about vehicle traffic, and listening to headphone music.
> 4. I live up a two-mile hill, and ending every ride there gets old for this old guy!


1. Point taken. A quite valid reason: going somewhere for the day, wanting to get a good ride in, but the full round trip is too long to be practical every time.

2. Another valid point. A different route is nice sometimes, though I like variety in terrain, so a MUT trail would rarely be my choice, since they tend to be flat.

3. I guess I'm lucky in having a variety of loops nearby that take me on some excellent and quiet roads. There's some traffic, but not heavy in many areas, and I know how to deal with traffic. I've never ridden with headphones, and it doesn't really appeal to me. So in general, a trail for regular riding I tend to find boring.

4. I like hills. Scratch that, I LOVE hills. I live in a place with no real mountains, but plenty of short steep hills (my house is about 30 feet above sea level, and the highest point in town, at about 900 feet, is only 8 miles away by road). The way home is usually downhill and flat, and this 66-year-old guy would love to have a long climb at the end of every ride.

Diff'rent strokes ;-)


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## wgscott (Jul 14, 2013)

Peter P. said:


> Most crooks won't bother to break in to your car if they don't see something appealing. Police always advise hiding valuables if not outright removing them from the vehicle-out of sight, out of mind. They don't even need to see the attractive items; a car with lots of "stuff" in it may mean to the crook that it's worth rummaging around.


I think I left the iPod classic in view, and hid the other stuff. So that lured them in, and then they got lucky.


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## bellzisu (May 1, 2013)

I really see no shame in driving your bike to a trail. I live 6 miles from the trail and my route has some decent short steep hills. I probably ride to the trail 95% of the time. 

The other 5% I drive is for various reasons. 

1. Taking the kids on either tag a long or burley for a ride

2. hot and humid but wanting to ride and legs don't feel like hills.

3. Cut off the 12 extra miles round trip and make them up going further down the trail. 

My brother has to drive 15 miles to the nearest trail. He occasionally rides to it, but with all the road construction in his area it's dangerous as hell since everyone uses the main to routes. This pushed him into gravel riding.

I guess I've never judged anyone for driving. I guess I'm just happy to see more and more people getting out and using the trails.


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## WaynefromOrlando (Mar 3, 2010)

I don't mock people who drive their bike to the trail, I drive my bike to ride on roads. The local roads are treacherous, full of traffic and don't have any shoulder area, simple two lane roads with nothing on the other side of the white line. It's why I don't commute to work now, in my earlier jobs in other towns I could ride to work but I cannot safely ride to work from where I am now. 

The result is that I drive to work with my bike, ride it after work and then put it back in the SUV for the ride home. It is less satisfactory than commuting by bike, but if that is not possible then I'll drive the bike to work at least a couple of time per week.


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## Jwiffle (Mar 18, 2005)

I drive to start a road ride when I go meet my friend at his house 20 miles away. (Don't usually have time to ride those miles to and from his house). Or when I join the club ride, I usually don't have time to ride and make it to the start on time. So I drive to the start (as do most others).


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

I drive 1.5 miles to the trail when I commute. Mainly because the alternative involves trying to cross a really busy road, and a really gnarly hill after I've climbed half a dozen of them on the way home. 

And I have become a man I once mocked ... an old fart riding a steel bike with Campy components.


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## mikejd (Jul 18, 2012)

I could see it, no matter the age. I drive my truck to my Saturday morning group rides about 14 miles away for a few reasons. One, the ride usually tires me out and I don't want 14 miles in my legs beforehand. Two, the idea of getting up earlier on a Saturday morning doesn't appeal to me, I'd rather save that time and get some more shut eye. 

The weirder thing to me is going out of the way to ride an MUT. I pick one up on my commute for a couple miles. They're great as long as no one else is using them.


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

mikejd said:


> The weirder thing to me is going out of the way to ride an MUT. I pick one up on my commute for a couple miles. They're great as long as no one else is using them.


Well, no one I could see...










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## jrm (Dec 23, 2001)

*Same here*



wgscott said:


> I've evolved in the opposite direction. Having the car broken into at the trailhead was a big motivator.


 in the East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley). Just not worth my $500 insurance deductible.


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## Talabardio (Dec 3, 2015)

That's not so bad. I suspected the worst when I saw the title... a recumbent rider!


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