Style and the aging cyclist

[NHAero]

Sandyrs' good-natured jibe in my post about my Litespeed conversion leads to this more serious post. I will cop to being clueless as a college student getting into fine bikes that I didn't register at the time any fashion police amongst the community I was joining (this was Cambridge, MA, '71-75). I met Sheldon Brown in the fall of my freshman year, and he became a close friend and guided my ordering and building up of my custom Bob Jackson. Sheldon of course questioned all sacred cows and that's how I learned, along with an engineering education at MIT, where little was taken for granted. I was never a racer, but in those days rode with fast riders on occasion - I remember riding in groups with John Allis and observing how gracefully he rode. Many of us didn't even have cycling shorts or other purpose-made cycling kit. In grad school I rode the bike I'd built for my undergrad thesis in the Mt Washington Hillclimb - actually before the race began, as they wouldn't let me ride a fixed gear. I rode alone, in 1:13:30 - a time that would have been in the top ten that year (I think Allis had the record back then at 1:01:39). During those years I never heard someone making a derogatory comment about someone's bike set-up or kit.

I moved to NH after grad school and though I rode throughout the 34 years I lived there I spent a lot of time in the White Mountains. Again, I was not any kind of competitive athlete. I've climbed all the 4,000 footers in the Whites in the winter, which doesn't take a lot of speed but it takes persistence :-)

In 2006 I had a lower back disk herniation that left me with nerve damage and loss of some muscle use in my left foot and calf. That was pretty much the end of winter mountaineering - hard to manipulate a crampon with this injury. In 2014 another incident took out my left quad for a couple of months - very scary - but I got most of the function back.

At this point in life, I live in a more benign place - Martha's Vineyard allows year round riding and if you want climbing you need to ride repeats up to Peaked Hill, elevation 311 ft above sea level. I can't ride bent over much, so my bars on my road bikes are level with the saddle. (This wasn't that unusual in the days of quill stems for normal riders, especially for touring or randonneuring.) It's harder for me to ride long distances with the nerve damage - my left leg is susceptible to cramping even when well hydrated and fueled (happened to me on D2R2 on a couple of the really steep climbs, I had to walk) - I think it's because some muscles are compensating for the ones that don't work. So it seems that 70 or so miles is my upper limit, though I hope to test that this summer. Nonetheless, I do get out on a bike almost every day, so the pedals are turning - just not so fast. I switched last year to a full suspension MTB to make longer off-road rides easier on my back.

When I was 50, I didn't envision the physical compromises I'm making now, and I couldn't have foreseen the disk problems. I knew I'd age, and imagined a slow decline but not any step change reductions in functionality. Nonetheless, at 63 years old I have had multiple friends die from heart attacks, strokes, and cancer (Sheldon was 63 when he died), and I'm grateful for being mostly functional and being able to get out on two wheels just about every day, even if it's just riding to work. And I just plain don't care what the bike looks like if I can ride it comfortably.

Any of you in similar circumstances?

[biker72]

I'm 78 and comfort is the #1 priority. Never had the legs to race so speed has never been an issue. I never had much speed to loose.

I sold a really nice looking Seven Axiom Titanium and kept a aluminum Specialized Diverge. To me the Diverge is more comfortable.

[weisan]

>>And I just plain don't care what the bike looks like if I can ride it comfortably.
Any of you in similar circumstances?

Aero pal, thick skin and being comfortable in our own skin is the key to cycling success.

[NHAero]

I knew you'd get it - you have a Rivendell! And with a fair bit of stem showing - gorgeous bike! Even that sharp Corsa Extra manages to get by without the slammed stem :-)

Originally Posted by weisan

>>And I just plain don't care what the bike looks like if I can ride it comfortably.
Any of you in similar circumstances?

Aero pal, thick skin and being comfortable in our own skin is the key to cycling success.

[bigbill]

I am and I'm 52. I had back surgery in late 2015 for a herniated disc L5-S1 which caused nerve damage in my lower left leg, mostly in the inside part of my calf which has significantly atrophied. At this point, I'm not sure it's coming back. This hasn't greatly affected my cycling because my quads weren't affected but it has made me a little weaker on the bike. I rode 8070 miles last year with an average just over 16 mph. I'm still capable of turning on speed, I have most of the Strava segments around but it's a small group and I'm the most experienced guy, so that's the difference. I'm smarter about my efforts, when to push and when to recover.

I've got cool bikes, but none of them are set up aggressive. I'm tall so there is some drop, but it's not severe. As far as my back, I've done a bunch of core work since surgery and it's strong. My back is actually in its happy place on a bike. I've gone bigger with my tires, nothing under 25mm. I'm a fan of newer groups, I can ride a standard crankset with a 12-27 cassette that has the same gears as my 8 speed racing days (12-21) with a 23,25, and 27. I just installed a new group with a compact, I'm still making up my mind about that.

Back in the late 80's, early 90's when I started racing, I had a sweet Raleigh 753 that I upgraded and cold set to Dura Ace 8 SIS in 91. I bought into the hype and got a Ti bike in 94 and sold the Raleigh. The Ti bike was lighter but not better. Now I have a Pegoretti, two steel GT's (Nobilette), Ti Serotta, and an MX Leader that I got when I sold the Ti bike in 99.

[SoCalSteve]

So, take this for what is worth...as every person is so different from the next...

I have found the complete opposite to be true. I have lower back nerve damage that causes sciatica on the right side of my gluteus, hip, thigh and sometimes all the way down my right leg. It can be very painful and sometimes really scary.

After thinking I could be more comfortable on the bike by finding the right saddle and being more upright, I came to realize ( through the help of a local bike fitter and a gentleman on this forum ) that I needed to build up core muscle strength, upper body strength and lose weight. I've done all this and...

I am now in a much more aggressive position on the bike with my hips rotated much more, set back more in the saddle while using a skinnier saddle and lower handlebars. I can ride much farther now, almost pain free.

Again, every person is different and every situation is different, but for me, I took a different tack and am much more comfortable on and off the bike.

Oh, I am about to turn 59 years old.

[Peter P.]

I'm 56 and had a pacemaker implanted last November. This was after a rude awakening on a pre-D2R2 ride in the summer, where my friends and I rode the 100k route in reverse. It was quite the meltdown. I'm thankful to have finished, after putting my friends through 100k of worry.

I had another meltdown of sorts a couple weeks ago. I lost all muscle strength in my legs while riding. Turns out its the cholesterol/statin drug my doctor started me on. I stopped taking it, and I'm fine. I'll give the doctor another chance with a different statin, or that party's over.

[bluesea]

Originally Posted by NHAero

When I was 50, I didn't envision the physical compromises I'm making now, and I couldn't have foreseen the disk problems. I knew I'd age, and imagined a slow decline but not any step change reductions in functionality. Nonetheless, at 63 years old I have had multiple friends die from heart attacks, strokes, and cancer (Sheldon was 63 when he died), and I'm grateful for being mostly functional and being able to get out on two wheels just about every day, even if it's just riding to work. And I just plain don't care what the bike looks like if I can ride it comfortably.

Any of you in similar circumstances?

Same here. I was very strong then. Considered an "animal" on the job site.


I'm in my 60's now. In Dec 2009 had a sub-dural hematoma in the right temporal/frontal lobe that was and still is life changing. Outlined for brevity

- starting racing senior year HS
- peak fitness in '89/'93
- double patellar tendonitis in '95, doing epic rides/climbs in Northern California
- work demands wouldn't let the knees heal--couldn't ride a city block without burning tendons for weeks at a time--quit riding
- left my trade in 2009 due to TBI, got it in my mind to start riding again
- worked out well till first, I aggravated the herniated disc a few years ago, and took the better part of a year off
- second, aggravated double patellar tendons riding favorite hill--Peacock flats--took another 6-7 months off
- its been slow progress since, but theres been enough to have picked up a nice frameset
- I'd rather "burn out, than fade away", so the short term goal is the ride out to Peacock Flats, hopefully in three months
- haven't ridden Haleakala or Wilhelmina Rise since the 90's, and not ready to think about that yet

P.S. Fractured neck in '83, herniated lower back disc in '86. Had to leave the trade a year, and close to three years to recover.

[bigbill]

Originally Posted by SoCalSteve

So, take this for what is worth...as every person is so different from the next...

I have found the complete opposite to be true. I have lower back nerve damage that causes sciatica on the right side of my gluteus, hip, thigh and sometimes all the way down my right leg. It can be very painful and sometimes really scary.

After thinking I could be more comfortable on the bike by finding the right saddle and being more upright, I came to realize ( through the help of a local bike fitter and a gentleman on this forum ) that I needed to build up core muscle strength, upper body strength and lose weight. I've done all this and...

I am now in a much more aggressive position on the bike with my hips rotated much more, set back more in the saddle while using a skinnier saddle and lower handlebars. I can ride much farther now, almost pain free.

Again, every person is different and every situation is different, but for me, I took a different tack and am much more comfortable on and off the bike.

Oh, I am about to turn 59 years old.

And the frame you sold me some 10 years ago is still ridden every week. With the tall headtube and long toptube, a 100mm stem puts me in a good position. In the past year, I've nudged the bars a little lower in an attempt to rotate my hips in the manner you describe. My core strength is much better than it's ever really been. I've been lighter so I'm still working on that. Everything that is wrong with me would be better with less of me.

[weisan]

Originally Posted by joosttx

I think the most important thing is not to over think it.

.

[Masaoshiro]

I respect any older gent on a bike. Especially when I cant keep up with them lol...but seriously.

[Mzilliox]

style is not how your bike looks, but how you look on the bike...
Ill be happy to be on a bike at any age past 60

[fuzzalow]

Doesn't matter what the setup & style (bad semantic on this word 'style" as it implies superiority) on the bike happens to be. It is all good. All done in service of the ride.

Originally Posted by NHAero

if you want climbing you need to ride repeats up to Peaked Hill, elevation 311 ft above sea level.

Dunno, that's the big hill on Middle Road closer to the Menemsha Cross Road side than the eastern side ending near West Tishbury, right?

I treasure every moment of every ride on MV.

[OtayBW]

Originally Posted by SoCalSteve

...I am now in a much more aggressive position on the bike with my hips rotated much more, set back more in the saddle while using a skinnier saddle and lower handlebars. I can ride much farther now, almost pain free.

More aggressive = more spine elongation/extension which was always good for my lower back. However, it is my bad C5 and C6 that limits the amount of drop that I can take to ~7-9 cm. But, on balance, at age 62, I still like to ride in the drops with hips rotated forward.

[NHAero]

Yes, a short steep spur that climbs to a communications tower and a massive vista, about a mile before Beetlebung Corner and Menemsha Cross Road. Highest point on the Island!
Do you get here every year?

Originally Posted by fuzzalow

Doesn't matter what the setup & style (bad semantic on this word 'style" as it implies superiority) on the bike happens to be. It is all good. All done in service of the ride.



Dunno, that's the big hill on Middle Road closer to the Menemsha Cross Road side than the eastern side ending near West Tishbury, right?

I treasure every moment of every ride on MV.