I need another hobby

[Matt2matt2002]

Hi folks.
I love cycling and I love my Raven.
I'm just back from 8 beautiful days cycle/ hosteling through the Outer Hebrides.
I know I'm a lucky guy.
But I've recently started to think I should spread my options a bit. To try another hobby.
It's not that I don't want to get out on the bike, it's just......
Well, they say a change is as good as a rest.

I tried and enjoyed geocashing. But did them all on my Raven.

Anyone like to share their own ' other' hobbies?

Matt

[jags]

brother of mine makes sticks as walking sticks.he's big into his dog training hunting dogs  travels the country to these game events sells them to his hunting buddies 
its a lovely hobby .wood carving  is also good. whatever you do dont take up golf it will wreck your head.

anto

[Danneaux]

  There's another hobby? 

 

Among my other interests, I make and repair things. There is a service/volunteer aspect to it as well. While I've got a never-ending list for myself and family, it is also nice to put those skills to use for the elderly and people with low/fixed incomes. The best form of recycling can result when treasured old possessions are restored to workable condition so they can continue to function. I used to resolder/replace a lot of electrical cords, but in the last few years, it seems to be membrane switches and carbon-rubber contacts that fail most often. Now many things are electronic, it is often the moving parts that fail. Damage from leaking alkaline batteries is a fixable problem too.

It seems to be a scalable pursuit. A short piece on the evening news here recently told about "repair fairs" in The Netherlands and the idea has now spread to the US as well. It is only a matter of matching need with volunteer skills and the result is beneficial to both parties.

 I also enjoy recreational walking and have been told it is essential after spending so much time on-bike. It seems cycling is not considered weight-bearing exercise, so is not as good for the bones. I take calcium and vitamin supplements for osteopoenia but have still lost some height, so walking -- with a few rocks in my pockets -- is not such a bad idea. I try to get in 8km/day.

For a good while, I maintained a "trap-line" of 25 geocaches and checked them daily (placing adds a whole new dimension compared to finding) but eventually gave it up when I couldn't hold pace against vandalism.

A love for learning and research ensures the kettle is always on to boil when it comes to learning and personal growth, so a lot of reading happens along the way. This often results in a variety of short-term hobbies as I go off on a tear.

I find novelty -- maybe especially in hobbies -- keeps things fresh and adds balance.

Best,

Dan.

[AndyE]

Yep me too. I have had to give up the Sea Kayaking because of the old glass back and general aches and pains and it was a tough call to make and my personal circumstances don't help. Just sold 80% of my Kayak kit and reinvested some of  the proceeds into a Greenhouse yet to be shipped and erected.  Spuds are in, peas carrots beans etc, I don't see it, growing veg and gardening as a hobby persay but more as a life skill, and something to do that fits in with my caring duties for dad, instead of sitting down and twiddling my thumbs.

Not been for a proper ride since late last August because of lower back pain and my knees are beginning to suffering too, so a long extender trip is out of the question at the moment. I will get out and about sometime this year I'm hoping! still have a tent and stoves N+1 and the will to get out but it will have to be local and for only a few days.

Looking on the bright side, kitchen and livingroom could do with a lick of paint, hall stairs and landing too, hobbies no time for hobbies

Andy.

[jags]

Andy what the problem with your back,i'm in the same boat or canoe as yourself  swollen discs is my problem ,i'm ok cycling once i do things at my own pace  first few miles are always the hardest for me .going to try my road bike in the morning haven't been on it since i bought the thorn audax should be interesting if nothing else 
have you thought of going for an ebike  some beauties out there.

anto

[AndyE]

EBIKE!! wash your mouth out

[in4]

Bird watching: I've often combined it with a ride. Quite a bit of stopping and starting as birds are seen and heard. Plus, with some exceptions,  most birders are good for a passing chat and keen to share 'Spots' with cyclists.
I picked up a set of golf clubs yesterday for a nine-holer with my mate, here on the Gold Coast. I'll never understand the appeal of it but I guess its a reasonable walk at times. Think the attendant 'roos were much amused by my swing!

[jags]

EBIKE!! wash your mouth out

[mickeg]

See attached.

EBIKE!! wash your mouth out

Concur.

[Danneaux]

Nice photos, mickeg.

Best,

Dan.

[leftpoole]

EBIKE!! wash your mouth out

Here here! Carbolic required........

[leftpoole]

Camping with or without bike.

[John Saxby]

Paddling and hiking, mostly -- though much less of both in the last few years, since I began to spend more time cycle-touring. We're privileged to live in one of the great paddling areas of the world  -- see photos below.

I've enjoyed the care and feeding of old motorcycles over the years, as well; but again, have sold those and now keep only the photos. Partly, it was a matter of being utterly fed up with the antics of the drivers; partly, I prefer going places more slowly, and my bicycles let me do that.

[jags]

Matt i just finished converting my audax.
managed to get a rohloff  wheel nailed it to the dropouts  took the engine out of the petrol mower and now  i can go anywhere when im fed up cycling i can always mow the grass

[Andre Jute]

Anyone like to share their own ' other' hobbies?

Before I took up cycling, I would go hillwalking -- that's anything from a bit of fell-striding to climbing any mountain that does require ropes; if you're fit enough to tour in a bike, you're plenty fit enough for amateur hillwalking. Before I gave up the car altogether I rebuilt old Bentleys, and changed a few rusted-out Mk VI into nostalgic sports cars, but those opportunities were already becoming rare 25 years ago when I gave up on the automobile.

My current hobbies are:
*** Designing and building valve (tube) amplifiers and the associated  single-point loudspeaker enclosures. Voltages from about 500V up to nearly 2000V for the amps, up to 5500V for my electrostatic speakers, power tools for the speakers. A dangerous hobby requiring a decent education in electrics, and a smart mate to stand by to turn the switch when something goes wrong. Pay heed to the warnings in red at the bottom of the page at Jute on Amps:
http://www.audio-talk.co.uk/fiultra/JUTE%20ON%20AMPS.htm
Or you can rebuild vintage equipment which in many cases sounds better than today's gear and is almost always at the lower end of the insane voltages of true modern ultrafi gear. See: http://coolmainpress.com/ELECTRONICS%20QUAD%20I%20booklet.html

*** I like cooking -- today I'm cooking salmon fish cakes from a fish I caught.
http://coolmainpress.com/andrejutefoodindex.html

*** I don't wear a wristwatch -- I believe in punctuality but I'm surrounded by people who tell me when I'm next due somewhere -- though I do collect functionally useful timepieces if they're also well styled and not too horribly expensive.  Here are a few fave pieces from my collection:
http://coolmainpress.com/andrejutewatches.html

*** Painting is a restful hobby, easily combined with cycling:
http://coolmainpress.com/andrepaintings/cleanbicyclepaintingexpedition.html
More on combining painting with cycling at:
http://coolmainpress.com/andrepaintings/cleansketchercleanpainterenpleinairhome.html
More about my painting tools and interests and samples of paintings at:
http://coolmainpress.com/ajwriting/category/sketching/
and the forum, analogous to the Thorn forum, where I hang out:
http://www.sketching.cc/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2163

*** Most of my professions started out as hobbies:
http://coolmainpress.com/andrejute.html
One that isn't even on the list is music, the love of which turned me into a widely syndicated music critic for fifteen years or so; sample at:
http://coolmainpress.com/ajwriting/3052/

*** Of course, my main hobby is still cycling; all kinds of stuff on my cycling page, where you can also see my Exclusive Brooks of England Tool Rack and other wonders:
http://coolmainpress.com/BICYCLING.html

***

Finding a hobby isn't much bother. Most of my hobbies have very steep learning curves, so finding time for each hobby is harder. I'm sorry now that I didn't learn watchmaking when my eyes were a bit sharper.