Best bike design for getting old

[lorenbike]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

And the Riv site has links to years of "Blahgs" and other articles about riding comfortably. One of Grant's favorite things is a threaded fork with a stem that is easily adjusted with an Allen wrench. I have had a few long-ish rides where I decided to raise my bars later in the day because y nec k was hurting.

Don't overlook quill stems for this reason, plus I find 25.4 or 26.0 bars noticeably more complaint than 31.8 bars. I don't have a Rivendell but if I were looking for a long term bike I'd strongly consider one -- the frames look classic but a little upslope on the toptubes is nice too for getting the bars up.

[Road Fan]

Originally Posted by 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?

Condolences about your parrot! We’ve lost a few cats who had been in the family >15 years, and the loss is real. Still see them in dreams, occasionally!

I’m 72 and in a returning to road phase. I and the bike are actually ready for lighter rides outdoors, just as the temps are into the 50’s. Since it’s now November I think outdoor riding is delayed again until… not sure when.

So it’s time to wrench! My 1952 Rudge is put together, but needs me to overhaul or replace its four speed FM hub and renew the brake cables and housings - possible challlenge since they are 72 years old. Also shorter reach.

2005 Mondonico was disassembled for cleaning and paint touch up. Rebuild will involve all-silver Al components, tubular rims (I got enough tubulars for maybe 8 years!), and a shorter reach cockpit.

1980 Woodrup Giro frame has been aligned, repaired, repainted, and pin-striped by Jeff Bock. It’s gonna be built as a retro-roadie with silver Campy 2 x 11 or 3 x 11, fattest feasible tires considering spacing and mudguards (it’s not such a roomy frame!), and shorter reach cockpit than when I first owned it and had it built.

For me at 72 yo, the theme is that I’m going to reduce reach for less difficulty being balanced between saddle and hoods. Cranks will remain 170 or 172.5. Gearing will be 13/29-ish by 30/39/50 if triple or 12/30 by 50/34 if compact double. The racy Mondo might be challenging to climb slowly with good stability, but I’m drawing the line at fork mods to reduce trail.

So those are my fit accommodations for “new” fine bikes to take me through the next few years. If they don’t work out or my hips tighten up (gotta keep up the yoga!) I might be in the market for a drop-tube frame from maybe Rivendell, but we’ll see about that. Oh, almost forgot - going for platform or road pedals with loose toe clips or no toe clips, on all of the above bikes.

I’ll be on the lookout for a fitter with sympathy for what my older body really needs. I do not intend to go for a wind-cheating position in these coming years. I do intend to evaluate the effect of the changes I outlined before seeing a fitter.

[Ralph]

I’m 83 and have slowed down a lot. Can’t keep up with fast groups anymore, so mostly ride by myself on the paved trails in our area. And riding for pleasure and excerise is still enjoyable. Still ride my old road bikes often, with bars a little higher than years ago, but really enjoy a bike with kick stand, fenders, and rack….with flat pedals. Exercise, exploring, and being able to walk (grocery store) are getting to be important. Thinking about a 3 wheel E cargo bike next. Not stoping riding, just riding different.

[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".
192932433_1871716628_o.jpeg
(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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[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.

[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.

[bironi]

Originally Posted by rwsaunders

Regardless of the drivetrain and engine, any bike that I plan to accompany me into retirement and beyond will have at least 28mm tires, fenders and a front bag. I want to give Mother Nature limited opportunity to impact my ride, and the bag helps in taking time to smell the proverbial roses...snacks, camera, tools, outerwear, etc. Good luck on your hunt and keep us posted.

Yes, maybe.
I jump on all my friends bikes that I may pedal somewhat safely.
Hey, that's just my curiosity, and they humor me.
I prefer the feel of a race bike and a handlebar bag does not feel the same.
I certainly see the benefit of convenience, but am still unwilling to make that compromise.
I'm a dinosaur, just not quite extinct.
By

[Derosid]

I’ll add another data point. I’m 67 and still enjoy drop bar bikes. A lot depends on your physiology and medical conditions, of course. I had a collapsed disc when I was in my early 30’s, but I actually feel better after riding my drop-bar bikes. I rationalize that its the stretching out, but I don’t have anything but my own anecdotal data top support this claim.

I have noticed that I’m not as flexible as I once was, so I enjoy the compact-style drop bars, and have shortened my reach and dropped the saddle slightly on my trusty DeRosa that I’ve been riding since 1992. I can’t run tires wider than 25mm on my DeRosa, but haven’t really noticed a difference in ride quality between the wider tires I’ve experimented with on my commuter (28-32mm width) and the 25s on my DeRosa.

[Willy]

I recommend an e-bike. Most of my bike group of 75+ year old riders have moved onto e-bikes. I have the Domane+ SLR9 and love it. As you get older you don’t have the same amount of push as you used to and it’s nice to be able to get a little assist when hitting a steep hill or a heavy head wind. Also, on normal rides you don’t have to have the assist on.