Fifty Plus (50+) - Support for old men.

Yesterday I was lowering my handlebars a little - after returning to cycling a few months ago I reckoned I could manage that, so after doing the job leapt on the bike for a short test ride up and down the road. I won't do that again - I was in my comfy knitted fabric soft shorts and nowt underneath! Quite an interesting experience as the horn of the saddle try to resculpture my manhood!

Now when I road regularly in my teens and twenties I don't remember that being a problem - but those were the days (60s and 70s) of close fitting men's day-clothes and tight briefs that held a man in place. So the proper bike shorts will be compulsary from now on.

But what are biking underbriefs like? Can't be too comfortable if you spend a few hours off bike before coming home. There are some unpadded men's trunks cut like biking shorts that would not distort the fit of smart trousers. Are they better for the job that well cut brief offering close support?

Hi,
get some bike shorts. After you know what the real thing is like you can fool around with other stuff. You rarely see people far out of town wearing anything else. IOW, real riders wear proper bike shorts .

You prob don't want to lower the handlebars, at least not yet.
http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/rr_comfposition.html

Support for old men.

??

What would be different in the support for "old men" that wouldn't be true for "young men?"

Get yourself a pair of good bike shorts, no matter whether you are "old" or "young." The shorts are the same. They do not have special shorts for "old" men.

And what is "old" anyway? :eek:

Jeez.

You prob don't want to lower the handlebars, at least not yet.
http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/rr_comfposition.html

Thanks for this page. I have been experimenting with posture, and have just tried a shorter stem (old style quill stem).

I think the problem might have been that when I bought the bike second had the brake levers (old style with suicide bars) had been set too high up the curve of the drops. Moving the down 3/4 in chages the geometry completely - I can now reach the levers from the drops and from the hoods. I may have spent £10 on the short stem uncessarily.

I am 6 ft 3 in tall with a 37 in inside leg - the bike is about 23 in - I guess a little small but my short body can make reach a problem.

The old bike I have is in the proportions outlined by Dave Moulton here

http://www.prodigalchild.net/Bicycle6.htm#FrameChart

but I note many modern frames have a proportionally longer top tube, as everyone seems to be chasing the racing style at the cost of all other considerations.

I will get there in the end!

I had to put a very short-reach stem on my PKN-10, because the top tube is a bit long for me. (Actually, the 57cm frame is technically about 2cm too tall for me, but the shorter stem reach makes it quite comfortable.)

Denver is right; get some good cycling shorts. Also, consider a good tensioned leather saddle, such as a Brooks.

Hey Labarum - I'm an ole guy, 6'3" and weigh in the upper 200's - me in spandex is ludicrous,but I wear it anyways! The reason? I find good bike shorts are very comfortable. You asked about having to wear them for a while after finishing the day? I frequently will have a day of 100 to 130 km (fully loaded), but not be able to change for a while. I just slip a pair of regular shorts over top so that I'm more presentable publically, and thoroughly enjoy the comfort. Try them out -- I don't think you'll regret it!

For any ride more than 30 to 45 minutes I wear padded riding shorts. There is no substitute if you are riding any length of time. You'll just hurt yourself otherwise and create an excuse not to ride. Currently I've got a pair of Sugoi's that sell in the $80 range. However, in a few months I think I'm going to upgrade to Assos or Etxe Ondo. They are supposed to be the best. The better you feel, the longer you will ride.

However, an alternative for very short rides and ones where you will be doing something else are padded briefs. They are thin stretchy underwear with a relatively thin pad. No one will know unless they hang out from under your outer shorts plus they offer a bit of compression. They are fairly inexpensive ($15 to $20) and do OK within limits.

However, an alternative for very short rides and ones where you will be doing something else are padded briefs. They are thin stretchy underwear with a relatively thin pad.

for longer rides I use the padded briefs and riding shorts. Not recommended on warm/hot days.

The best advice I've ever been given (for numbness, pain or soreness in crotch) is to get your a$$ off the saddle more often - one minute standing for every 6 or 7 minutes seated. If problems persist you need a professional fitting and probably a different saddle.

Support for old men.

??

What would be different in the support for "old men" that wouldn't be true for "young men?"

Get yourself a pair of good bike shorts, no matter whether you are "old" or "young." The shorts are the same. They do not have special shorts for "old" men.

And what is "old" anyway? :eek:

Jeez.

Fox, You have a good point. Just because we are over 50, why do we all refer to ourselves as old men, old fart, etc. I think I'll start using "mature man" instead of "old fart"...... :D I may just leave off mature since in the bike club I ride in, age does not seem to matter to anyone else I ride with. And to stay on topic, I always wear my mtb bike shorts which I find very comfortable.