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. :D

[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 :-)

>>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. :D

[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]

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]

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]

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...:beer:
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.

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]

...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?

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.

[SoCalSteve]

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.

These are words to live by for all cyclists. The whole arrogant notion of faster backward bikes, judging how much or little saddle to bar drop a bike has is horrible.

Until you walk ( or ride ) a mile in someone else's Sidi's, please don't judge them. We are all fighting the good fight...:beer:

[paredown]

If the wheels are still turning, then you are on the right track...

I never got to meet Sheldon (although we swapped messages over the Falcon piece hosted on his site), and I too have friends who are no longer with us. I'm about to turn 65, and just came through one of those health crises that make you take stock--you know, on the operating table and the errant thought crosses your mind?

Bottom line--every day that you wake up, and things (mostly) work is a blessing. Some of what happens is because of the genetic lottery, some things we can limit the effects of by watching our diet, getting out on the bike, keeping a happy attitude... Fashion is just noise. Ride what you like, the way you like it. The young arrogant racers (I was one) will come to see that youth and speed is a fleeting gift.

I keep remembering the 80 year old women (2!) on the tour I did in Eastern Europe, and I think 'Ive got some miles in me yet!'

[rccardr]

Yeah, so I turn 66 pretty soon...and I get it. Was never much of a competitive athlete in my youth, but always had a bicycle around and rode quite often. Ten years ago got into riding in a big way, just because it started to appeal to me, again. Now put in around 6,000 miles a year, which is pretty easy to do in retirement- just ride almost every day, 35 miles or more, up and down the hills we have in VA. Add in a dozen or so centuries (it's fun to fly around with a bike to various parts of the US and ride with different friends) and thrice weekly spin sessions in the really nasty weather.

Fortunate to still be fairly flexible, so my bikes (and there are a lot of them, all vintage steel and aluminum) are set up with about a 2 1/2 inch drop between the top of the saddle and the top of the bars, 26 1/2 inches between seatpost and handlebar center, and 30 1/4 inches from center of BB to top of saddle measured along the seat tube.

Style? I still dig colorful lycra/spandex & a clean, shiny bike. Not the skinniest guy out there, in fact some would call me rather, um, voluptuous. At 66, who cares?

[cpamplin]

If you are still riding at 60, 70, 80, whatever... you are doing it right. Style be damned.

[colker]

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?

Yes. Ciatica nerve pain. It hit me 3 yrs ago and never went totally away. Approaching 61yrs old, i ride every 2 days a good long distance. Stem is not too low..

[makoti]

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.

I had bad reactions to ALL the statins I tried. Ended up on Zetia, which is better than nothing.

[Ralph]

I'm 75....still ride about 100-150 miles per week.....depending on what my wife plans for me. No serious health issues, etc. And fortunately I live where it's easy to ride year around, with an extensive trail system supported by a fitness oriented county, that can get me out in rural areas for quiet roads if I wish. Or....rural trail ridding not bad as it goes thru towns, etc. And I mostly ride with younger guys...which is difficult sometimes.

However....I am finding it more and more difficult to sit on a bike saddle for 50-60 mile rides. My orthopedic Doc says I have some deterioration in my lower back, coccyx area. So no matter what kind of saddle I use, how I adjust it, how much padding it has or hasn't....after a while I get butt pain. I'm usually OK for 25-30 miles. Maybe I just need to accept that.

Some friends of mine ride 'trikes", some super nice expensive trikes....probably 25-30 of them ride together on long rural trail rides. maybe I do that next. Good luck maintaining your health guys.

BTW....Martha's Vineyard a neat place. Been there a few times. Couldn't afford to live there as a retiree.

[buddybikes]

What great names from the past John Allis!

In am almost 60, 50 of which have type 1 diabetes. Combine that neuropathy with stenosis/spondylolisthesis - resulting in L4/L5 fusion, plus arthritis in basically every joint, I am happy doing an hour spin or 1.5 hr hike with the dogs. Ride every day when it is somewhat "normal" outside, I have a 7cm drop on the Firefly and about 4 on the cross bike. Wish I had done a longer head tube on the FF, thinking of realities ahead, but hopefully I will be fine, or the dreaded flip the stem around. (but then I need Tyler to do some more anodizing on the stem)

If you are pushing 50sh with problems and building that "last" bike, deal with the reality so bike can serve you to your grave...

I never was mentally agile to sit in a pack, so I was happy doing some TT in my 20s. One of my biggest joys however was training a group of female friends (all beautiful) and one day riding up kangamangus highway - they pulled away from me. So guess my job was done!

[Ti Designs]

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.

Same here. I'm only 52, but I didn't wait until later in life to injure my back, I did it in my early 20's when I was too stubborn or too stupid to give up on the idea of bike racing. I quickly found that a lower handlebar made riding a decompression exercise for my spine. Now the only time my back really bothers me is when I don't ride for a few days.

[fuzzalow]

The whole arrogant notion of faster backward bikes, judging how much or little saddle to bar drop a bike has is horrible.

:beer: Yes, that notion is just elitist bike roadie conceit. And I'd add that this is a close relation to paredown's comment that follows below about speed...

The young arrogant racers (I was one) will come to see that youth and speed is a fleeting gift.

They oughta pin on a number. You wanna know what's even better than speed? Having the self confidence to meet a stranger and not care a whit or take the bait on a match race. What are these man-boys thinking? Jeez, if they think the world revolves around them then they better at least attend Harvard.

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?

Thanks. Hill repeats? No thanks. I'm out there riding as a tourist ;).

Yes, we will return to MV this year as we have done for almost twenty years.

Your OP talked about adapting the outlook and attitude of riding to life's changes. Heck yeah. Sure beats the alternative. All the more sweet when you/I/us have been around the block a few times, have had the inevitable wins and losses experienced in life and a few human mistakes we've had taken outta our hides to boot. My life isn't expressed in the monochrome of hobbyist competitive cycling because I've been blessed with a life that is far, far richer than just simply that.

I cannot express to you the joy, serenity and tranquillity I have when I get to ride easy routes along the main roads where you live. I appreciate that peace much more since my riding environment has changed with living in Manhattan. I don't care what form I have when riding on MV because whatever I have in form pales with the riding I can do when I visit. We will always visit MV as long as we are able.

Gotta ride. Gotta smell the roses.

[GParkes]

My two cents....will be 53 in September, raced and road a bunch up until '95 when kids got older and into things - racing stopped. Since then, I've had three pins inserted in right femur from a crash in a race; two abdominal surgeries, three concussions, and a few torn muscles from playing hockey. Stopped skating three seasons ago and decided no racing, but riding. Got in to swimming and a few tri's. With increased stretching, core strength from swimming and weight training, I'm as fast on flats, and faster TT'ing, than I was 20+years ago. Can't climb like I did 20 years ago because of being 15 lbs heavier, but overall much such stronger/balanced than then.

[Dana Kilalps]

"However....I am finding it more and more difficult to sit on a bike saddle for 50-60 mile rides."

I have the same problem, but it is somewhat remedied by usually having to stop to pee every hour or two and pedaling out of the saddle on short, steep hills and in punishing headwinds. I broke a hip three years ago and two years later broke the other one. I find I can pedal, but I have trouble getting a leg high enough to mount and have to lean the bike way over to get on it. I just accept it as sort of normal for 67 years old. Things could be much worse.
And I find occasional incidents of sciatica are relieved by bicycling once I get on the bike.

[NHAero]

The summer of 1972, after freshman year in college, I received my new custom Bob Jackson, and my friend bought a Raleigh Gran Sport. He worked at Eastern Mtn Sports (their first and at the time only store) and he borrowed a bunch of camping gear and panniers for us and we went off to ride through the White Mtns on a three day trip. We planned to ride over the Kanc towards the end of that first day, and he kept telling me how steep it was. So all the way up I never dropped into my lowest gear, saving that one for when it got really steep. Of course all of a sudden we were at the pass and I was still in second gear. I'd set that bike up as a compact double, 48-34, with a 14-24 5 speed freewheel. I don't think I'd be riding that route in a 34-21 on a bike fully loaded with camping gear today. On the east side of the pass we were passing cars. We rode 150 miles that day, 65 the next day to stay with a friend on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee, and 135 miles home the third day. No cycling shorts, no helmets, just youthful ignorance and exuberance. We just didn't know any better.

What great names from the past John Allis!

In am almost 60, 50 of which have type 1 diabetes. Combine that neuropathy with stenosis/spondylolisthesis - resulting in L4/L5 fusion, plus arthritis in basically every joint, I am happy doing an hour spin or 1.5 hr hike with the dogs. Ride every day when it is somewhat "normal" outside, I have a 7cm drop on the Firefly and about 4 on the cross bike. Wish I had done a longer head tube on the FF, thinking of realities ahead, but hopefully I will be fine, or the dreaded flip the stem around. (but then I need Tyler to do some more anodizing on the stem)

If you are pushing 50sh with problems and building that "last" bike, deal with the reality so bike can serve you to your grave...

I never was mentally agile to sit in a pack, so I was happy doing some TT in my 20s. One of my biggest joys however was training a group of female friends (all beautiful) and one day riding up kangamangus highway - they pulled away from me. So guess my job was done!

[Ti Designs]

What great names from the past John Allis!


John retired from Wheelworks and coaching the Harvard team a few years ago, but he's not dead - far from it. He lives in his father's old house in NH, he's still riding a lot, and every once in a while some new kid shows up at races, riding just like John. John can't help himself, he just makes people better riders...

It's sad for me to think of JA as a name from the past. He coached the Harvard cycling team for 30 year, two years after he left nobody on the team knew who he was. That year in the fall I took the team up to visit John for a weekend. It's a 62 mile ride from Harvard square, John headed back in to meet us along the way. When he did he introduced himself, but they still had no idea who he was. It gets hilly on the way to his house, two members of the men's A team, John and myself rode away from the group, but we got to the house before the car with their stuff. John didn't want them standing around in wet clothing, so he pulled out a few boxes of warm-up suits. I'll never forget the look on Jordan and Stuart's faces when they realized that all of the clothing had olympic rings and said "USA Cycling, John C. Allis"

We (Leftyfreak and myself) have a number of good rides in the planning stages for this season. The one I'm looking forward to the most is the one that heads up to John's house. I just hope that when he joins us on the ride that I can keep up with him!

[weisan]

The one I'm looking forward to the most is the one that heads up to John's house. I just hope that when he joins us on the ride that I can keep up with him!

Ti pal, I would sure like to meet John pal. In fact, I am coming up to Boston for a week (May 20-26) It's probably wishful thinking on my part, but if the stars all aligned and you are up for it, we can go visit him May 21 Sunday. I will bring my bike.

[oldpotatoe]

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?

Why of course!! The object of the ride is the ride. Mechanical meditation, soothing, comforting, mind calming, to just get on the thing(any bike) and pedal it around. Distance, pace, time, just doesn't matter. Turning the pedals..THAT matters. Now, if speed, HR, powerout, strava stuff..all that makes the ride the ride you want, go right ahead.

But for this 66 year old, the object of the ride is the ride.

[smontanaro]

I am smack in the midst of what I suspect might be one of those step functions. Last Tuesday I collided with a car on my way home from work. Don't remember anything. Woke up in the ambulance. I now sport some titanium (I think) rods and screws in my right femur, have a dislocated left AC joint, and soreness in several other places. Should go to rehab today for a few days to get a bit more mobility and learn to navigate stairs.

At 63, my declines up to this point have been of the slow, age-related type. I've had no major illness or chronic conditions. It will likely be a few weeks before I can even climb on a bike attached to a stationary trainer or get into the pool. Should be interesting to see what functionality pops out of the back end of this event/process.

[weisan]

montanaro pal, sorry to hear about your recent accident, hope you heal up soon.

[shovelhd]

smontanaro, ouch. Heal up quick.

[bob heinatz]

Hope for a speedy recovery.

[572cv]

SMontanaro, you're a young man... although at the moment you feel old! Ouch, t'was even more nasty than my crash in the fall. The head injury sounds similar though. Do your PT, be an optimist, be back soon! You'll heal up, and we'll be pulling for you. Tailwinds...

[d_douglas]

When I was in grad school in Vancouver, my LBS was this old school, family oriented shop owned by a former Olympian named Lorne Atkinson. I just Googled him now and he died 7 years ago at 88. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/lorne-atkinson-kept-cycling-alive-in-postwar-vancouver/article4353058/

To my point, in 2006, I would see him ever-so-slowly and gingerly pedalling his road bike with a bunch of old dudes and I was always impressed that he was out doing it. The bike was totally dated with raised handlebars and a lowered saddle to allow him to get his leg over the bar, but in the end, he was in his mid-80s and doing what he loved.

In my mid-40s, I still ride bikes that look 'right', but I foresee the day that I put a flat bar on my road bike because I just cannot stretch out to ride on drop bars anymore.

Though Ive never been an amazing athlete, I was a fanatical runner until my late 30's when I think I just got lazy. I still miss the charge I get out of running, and am trying to get back out there to shuffle my feet like a mid-40s aging athlete :)

As Peter says, the goal of the ride is the ride. Even now.

[Ti Designs]

Ti pal, I would sure like to meet John pal. In fact, I am coming up to Boston for a week (May 20-26) It's probably wishful thinking on my part, but if the stars all aligned and you are up for it, we can go visit him May 21 Sunday. I will bring my bike.

That's the weekend my shop normally has it's Tandem & Touring weekend. I lead a tandem group ride around what's know as the Allis loop - the loop that John used to train for the olympic road race. John and his wife do ride a tandem, and I'll certaily ask them to join us.

[NHAero]

Hope it all works out and you are back better thn new! Heal well and quickly!

I am smack in the midst of what I suspect might be one of those step functions. Last Tuesday I collided with a car on my way home from work. Don't remember anything. Woke up in the ambulance. I now sport some titanium (I think) rods and screws in my right femur, have a dislocated left AC joint, and soreness in several other places. Should go to rehab today for a few days to get a bit more mobility and learn to navigate stairs.

At 63, my declines up to this point have been of the slow, age-related type. I've had no major illness or chronic conditions. It will likely be a few weeks before I can even climb on a bike attached to a stationary trainer or get into the pool. Should be interesting to see what functionality pops out of the back end of this event/process.

[weisan]

That's the weekend my shop normally has it's Tandem & Touring weekend. I lead a tandem group ride around what's know as the Allis loop - the loop that John used to train for the olympic road race. John and his wife do ride a tandem, and I'll certaily ask them to join us.

Awesome!

I better put a 58 on my big chain ring then.

[Hindmost]

...the ride is the ride.

Made me think of e-Richie.

[leftyfreak]

Awesome!

I better put a 58 on my big chain ring then.

Maybe you could be Ti pal's stoker for the ride?

Are you free on the Thursday of that week? Ti and I ride every Thursday morning and you'd be welcome to join us. Regardless, I hope that you share your schedule a little bit so that the Boston area riffraff might be able to meet up with you at some point that week!

[thwart]

I am smack in the midst of what I suspect might be one of those step functions. Last Tuesday I collided with a car on my way home from work. Don't remember anything. Woke up in the ambulance. I now sport some titanium (I think) rods and screws in my right femur, have a dislocated left AC joint, and soreness in several other places. Should go to rehab today for a few days to get a bit more mobility and learn to navigate stairs.

At 63, my declines up to this point have been of the slow, age-related type. I've had no major illness or chronic conditions. It will likely be a few weeks before I can even climb on a bike attached to a stationary trainer or get into the pool. Should be interesting to see what functionality pops out of the back end of this event/process.

Sorry to hear. I hope for a speedy recovery.

This whole thing about style on the bike is really a little bit silly... if you're out riding and enjoying yourself, you'll always be 'in style'.

Reminds me a bit of those who belittled Serotta for making (custom) bikes where the bar height was higher than the saddle... you know who you are...