Best bike design for getting old

[buddybikes]

Yes I am getting old, and have had 4 back surgeries as well as knee. I have just gone through loss of my beloved parrot, Buddy 28 years old. Week later and I still glance into his corner. Great bird that was friendly to everyone. Anyways, why not, let's get a nice bike made that will handle me into my 70s. Main concern with current Alchemy custom e-Ronin is feeling "high" on the bike rather than close to the road. Also drives like a truck, nimble is not what it is. I am riding 100% pavement, if I lived closer to some pack gravel probably be doing that but unless we move or get a second home (our daughter moved to Ft Collins so guess that would be possibility).

I put my deposit with who I know and trust, three horsemen at Firefly. (yes I know they have few more but these are "the" guys.

Kevin will certainly dial me in, but as I start to think suggestions for my next dream machine? It will use the newest/lightest/smallest Bosch drive. I want to feel safer on it, not pound my wrists, shoulders and neck. (thinking of suspension stem or a light front suspension).

[Retinadoc]

Back cycling after 10 years. After one friend killed, and another seriously injured in bike vs car accidents. I decided at the time the risk/reward just was not worth it.

Now back on my 20 y.o Spectrum Ti. When Tom Kellogg designed the geometry he told me it would be near future proof, and he was right. Despite being heavier, and certainly slower the joy of cycling came rushing back.

The hardware has certainly changed, as I left off when electronic shifting was in its infancy, SRAM had just started, disc brakes had not happened, and gravel bikes were CX bikes. I was shocked to see that Campy had lost so much market share and no longer even major a racing team sponsor.

Now that Rip Van Winkle has awoken, I am wondering about the next decade and beyond. The needs of a cyclist from age 60-75 are going to be very different than a 30 y.o. Flexibility and muscle mass changes will accelerate in the next two decades, that is inevitable.

This seems to be a very good use case for customized geometry, as if you put most 60 y.o's on a pro level Tarmac they would be a pretzel in 15 minutes of riding.

So finally my question to the collective. What changes have you made (components, geometry, accessories etc) that have maximized the pleasure of being a senior cyclist?

[AngryScientist]

Hey Steve, I can't help with the bike but wanted to offer my sincere condolences on the parrot.

Our family really got into birds this year. We have a couple of little guys, and we just love them. Such personalities. I totally understand how attached you get to each other and it must be crushing to lose a pal of that many years.

Our neighbor (and his wife and daughter) is actually an avian vet and he has a 45 year old parrot who is just a majestic friendly little dude. His daughter has that parrots three babies, who are all in their 30's now! They are so cool.

If you feel up to it, I'd love to see a photo of Buddy.

Georgie says hi and sorry for your loss. (King George the Bird)

(Sorry for the non bike related post....)

[buddybikes]

[QUOTE=AngryScientist;3439324]Hey Steve, I can't help with the bike but wanted to offer my sincere condolences on the parrot.

Our family really got into birds this year. We have a couple of little guys, and we just love them. Such personalities. I totally understand how attached you get to each other and it must be crushing to lose a pal of that many years.

Our neighbor (and his wife and daughter) is actually an avian vet and he has a 45 year old parrot who is just a majestic friendly little dude. His daughter has that parrots three babies, who are all in their 30's now! They are so cool.

If you feel up to it, I'd love to see a photo of Buddy.

Georgie says hi and sorry for your loss. (King George the Bird)

Thank you, this loss is pretty raw. Parrots are different, as they react to you, chattering/talking almost conversation form. If I was on work call and found something really bad, he could hear my tone and say "uh oh".
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(Sorry for the non bike related post....)

[Elefantino]

We all have an "old" friend who because of ergonomic issues recently swapped his Turbo Creo S-Works for the new Vado SL 2 flat bar and says it's great.

[shadco]

A Look 765 Optimum is quite nice. I’m old.

K

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[jimcav]

Originally Posted by shadco

A Look 765 Optimum is quite nice. I’m old.

K

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no idea what you mean by "old", but I'd count my self blessed to ride with that saddle-to-bar drop in the years to come. I used to love snatching up the 56cm that came up for sale here, now look for 57-58 that might work because I need the taller HT.

[Spaghetti Legs]

I will pile on the recommendation for a quill stem; not to mention IMO they look better. I am “only” 56 now but deal with stiff neck and back. I still ride mostly old racing frames but have raised up the stems on those bikes to the minimum insertion point. I still ride in the drops quite a bit and use shallow drop bars for that purpose too. I just real quick did a rough saddle bar drop on what I consider my raciest bike and got 4 cm. I haven’t yet used a Nitto Technomic stem but I do own one and see that happening one day.

Another thing you can do is use a Rando or gravel bar which are flared and will raise you up a bit. All of my bikes, even my tourers, still feel nimble and fast to me. I rode my Velo Orange Randonneur on a semi organized gravel ride today and got passed like I was standing still pretty regularly on the climbs but got it back, passing a lot of youngsters with disc brakes, etc on the descents.

Also, a thanks to C40_guy for the 35 mm Vittoria tires. They were very much appreciated today!

[shadco]

Originally Posted by jimcav

no idea what you mean by "old", but i'd count my self blessed to ride with that saddle-to-bar drop in the years to come. I used to love snatching up the 56cm that came up for sale here, now look for 57-58 that might work because i need the taller ht.

72

And that is my relaxed ride.

This is my other one.



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[mstateglfr]

A threadless stem can also be raised. Either by moving spacers under the stem or by using an angled stem.
And there are now are a bunch of quality drop bars with 10mm to 50mm of rise.

Just mentioning since the advocacy for quill stems continues to be based on how they allow you to adjust height.

[fogrider]

As some has mentioned, 35mm tires helps a bit. I just got an ee silk suspension stem, sim. to redshift and it certainly takes the edge off of rough gravel and rough roads. Electronic shifting also make shifting a bit easier.

the great thing about riding gravel is little to no cars. Even though I feel like I can ride anywhere by bike, I avoid traffic and busy streets. And I do find joy in finding bike paths.

[Fat Cat]

Yeah, I forgot to mention the bars. Still have drops on a couple but the theme going forward is bullhorns. These days the drops serve no purpose other than to mount the brifters. I'm seriously considering trying the Paul Thumbies since any decent sort of stem shifters for the index stuff don't seem to exist. The adapted barcons look to be a good possibility. Maybe.

[Likes2ridefar]

I can only pass on observations of my father who has ridden into and through his retirement and is now approaching 80. He rides the same titanium Serotta skinny tire rim brake road bike he bought when he decided to start riding again, and also has a 29er carbon mtb from right when Trek took on Gary Fisher’s bikes. He hasn’t changed his setup at all but also hasn’t required surgeries. I think it is dependent on the individual and there is no best design.

If smoothness is of essence perhaps outside the box thinking for the bike could be useful. My XC full suspension mtb with fast tires barely loses speed to my gravel bike and is obviously much smoother to ride. The bike is very efficient and I don’t bother to lock out the suspension even on the road. Im thinking about getting a full suspension e mtb that can go 28mph to commute to work since it is over wavy, remote, multi-use paths with lots of cracks that can be jarring.

[Ken Robb]

Grant Petersen of Rivendell has written many articles on bike fit that are aimed at "non-racer" cyclists. I recommend reading them on the Riv website for "guys like us". My Riv Rambouillet is the last "road" bike that I have kept. You could probably find a Riv model that would ride just right and feetl low enough for you. Some folks can't get past how "un-racy" they look.

[eddief]

My Turbo Creo looks ridiculous but boy is it comfortable and rides great. Good thing about Creos is the cables and brake lines do run through the frame but no proprietary stuff gets in the way of adding a steerer extension or whatever stem you choose. I did have to change out and lengthen the brake lines and did change out Di2 for AXS = less wires.

I added this: https://origin8.bike/products/x-tra-lift-stem-risers

and these: https://redshiftsports.com/products/...ndlebar-system

I am now flying high with great control, comfort, and even riding in the raised up drops half the time.