Originally Posted by
Dudelsack
Drawing from some active threads, we 60+ cyclists get no respect.
Those who stay fit and competitive are wannabe racer boys and need to grow up.
Those who are slow and chunky need to be rounded up and shipped off to the shuffleboard courts.
Those who like full carbon are pretentious materialists who likely drive Jaguars, NTTAWWT.
Those who like steel are miserable Luddites.
Carrying parallelism to an obnoxious extreme, those who ride bikes built in 19XX should have Aricept put in their water.
And the worst: chunky slow bent riders who shamelessly wear Lycra. Sigh.
A lot of wise observation there. But previous to todays MUP ride I would have thought: Who cares... we seniors dominate the casual sport cycling seen. But based only on todays observations on the MUP I would describe cycling as a "young couples sport". I doubt that more couples took up cycling together. More likely there was just fewer of us 60+ cyclist out on a Sunday afternoon. But demographics are always changing.
I wonder if "stay
ing fit and competitive" is really possible outside of our dwindling age group. And... I am positive there is no value... in growing up.
We are all "slow and chunky" at some point [or points] in our lives. At one time... I couldn't even tie my own shoes! But I grew up and learned how.
If I thought buying a full carbon bike would afford me the funds for a Jaguar... I'd buy the bike tomorrow. But... I am more attracted to Comoly than fiber.
I am not a Luddite. But the desires of my affections.... does seem to have aged with me. That's a good thing! I believe is it natural and better that I am attracted to gracefully grayed women.... instead of the hot newer models. And I still see the real beauty in the old steel too.
I keep a couple old-steel bikes. And from time-to-time I ride one. But mostly the old girls are assigned to the duty of just looking pretty. And of jogging my memory of the days pasted... when chrome important.