Fifty Plus (50+) - Has Any One?

Has anyone here purchased a bike and then tried to work up the drive to use it. 53 years old and retiring this year and bought myself a used alpine star. Fixed up another Bike and my son used it and now I have run out of excuses not to ride this bike?
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Try riding it. You'll then be happy you did. It grows on you, and the experience is pleasant. Good luck!

--- Yes, I had a bicycle for years that lanquished in the spare room, unridden. Once when I was moving it out of my way for the Nteenth time, I wondered why I didn't feel like riding it. So I cleaned off the saddle and pumped up the tires and took it for an spin an found out it was NOT COMFORTABLE. I did not like the drop handlbars and the hard saddle anynore.
So I modified the heck out of my bike so it felt good to ride and now I'm back on the road and ready for the next oil crisis: www.hubbertpeak.com/campbell/

Quit procrastinating . . . go ride!

After a couple of seasons riding my 1984 Trek 520 when it was new, it pretty much languished in the garage. I'd ride it every once in a while, but I got unused to its friction shifters, and it felt uncomfortable. Three months ago I bought a new bike, had it carefully fitted, fell in love with the new technology, and now ride regularly.

I sold the Trek, but before I did so I took it out for a spin to make sure it was as advertised, and realized that I had it adjusted so badly that it was no wonder it felt uncomfortable. So make sure the bike fits you, don't over-extend yourself before you get used to it, and you'll get into it in a big way!

Quit procrastinating . . . go ride!
This is a great reply-- just be comfortable, start slow and short. Never over do it when starting out. Keep working on slowly getting in good shape, and in a very short time you will be so addicted to riding you kick yourself if you miss a day of riding. You will also be amazed at how good you feel.

Has anyone here purchased a bike and then tried to work up the drive to use it. 53 years old and retiring this year and bought myself a used alpine star.
.

Over the past 8 years, I've "bought" 4 bikes. The total mileage on the first 3 was about 1/2 block. The fourth now has about 500 miles on it. It's kind of like joining a fitness club, some spark fancy and some don't.

In my case, for bikes 1-3 which I sold, it was a. color, b. fit, and c. boring. Also being used, I could easily justify not doing anything, it's just a $20/$40/$35 bike. What's the big deal.

The big deal for me was the doctor saying, I needed to do something different or I would have medical problems. So I learned about the new bikes, got what I wanted at the time, in the right color and spend about a grand. Now I had a double motivator: doctor and just I can't let all that money go to waste.

Suggestion: stop and identify what it is that is a dissatisfier about the Alpine. Is it changable at a reasonable effort level, or are you more likely to be motivated if started over with a fresh bike?

53 years old and retiring this year and bought myself a used alpine star... now I have run out of excuses not to ride this bike?

I bought my first bike in many years in 2000 at the age of 55. Started riding the first day and never stopped.
I'm now on my second and third bikes - see pictures below. :D

Now, quit procrastinating and get out there!

Hillwalker....one last kicker: Simply determine to ride the bike regularly--even if its just a token. As relative comfort and perceived fitness and a sense of regimen grows, you'll find yourself hooked. We all feel uncomfortable on the bike pretty regularly (if it was always comfy, then it wouldn't be rewarding) but then there are moments, breakthroughs, cresting that hill, powering through that intersection, outrunning that damned Rottweiler.....moments of blissful "bring-it-on" at no matter what level of cycling we're at.

A no brainer..."go ride" as Desertrat says above.
***And, as someone observed, the pros hurt in all the same places that we do...but, unlike them, we're noble enough to endure the pain gratis. 8-)

RIDE WHILE YA STILL CAN!!!!
Now that we're old, you never know when you might lose the ability to do things you like to do.

Thanks for the advice all. I just officially retired so I have plent of time . Now all i have to do is use it properly.

It may depend on several different factors. I base my answer on my SINGLE experience, but we are all an experiment of one.

1. The type of bike may be wrong for you. I didn't much care for off roading so the mtn bike I initially bought wasn't for me. I still ride it but now have slicks on that bike making it a sorta hybrid.

2. The first road bike I bought didn't fit me. I gave it up after two 3 mile rides. Time passed.

3. I tried a 'lead pipe' road bike not finding the riding experience too rewarding.

4. A friend of mine lent me a high grade older steel bike with top notch components, fitted to me and adjusted to a T. That grabbed my interest, but I still wasn't thrilled as I was uncomfortable after about 20 minutes in the saddle.

5. Following advice from my friend and what I learned here on this Board, I bought a good saddle ($40 / eBay) and an expensive set of riding shorts. This, added to the good bike, broke the thing open to me. I now am an enthusiastic rider of my own bike finding this sport to be a great deal of fun. I ride both for fitness / speed and just to be out there.

So for me, enthusiasm demanded many things coming togther - the right style bike, the right bike (a good one), a decent saddle and riding shorts. Missing any one component and I doubt I'd be riding today.