Fifty Plus (50+) - the prob with being 50+

you almost always come up against some young cocky ***** head that's looking for trouble here on these forums, you post a pic of your bike and all they do is critique your ride, from now on when i cross another fixed gear rider i'll just look at them like there poop! I ain't looking to make any freinds on here!

Youth is wasted on the young-the older I get the more this makes sense. LOL

The people you describe are vastly outnumbered by the people who are friendly and eager to help. I've gotten a lot of great advice from the road, the 50+, the touring, the long distance, and the training & nutrition forums. I've ridden with quite a few of the regulars in the So Cal sub-forum. and no one has ever given me grief about the bike I ride or the clothes I wear. If someone bothers you, put them on your ignore list.

Ah, man, you're old enough not to CARE what people think about you and your ride. I have a couple of pretty nice bikes (Atlantis and Rambouillet; love them both), but I do about half my miles on an old Trek I convered to a singlespeed, with fenders. I don't own a jersey--T-shirts are fine--and I haven't worn anything but baggy mountain bike shorts in 10 years. Works great on group rides, because everybody figures I'm a poseur or a complete fred. If I'm faster than they are, it demoralizes the crap out of them, and if I'm not, they barely notice, because I'm just the old guy on the lugged steel bike.
Tip: put a bell on your bike, and every time you catch somebody, ring the bell and say, "Excuse me, please" as you pass. Knocks their d!cks right in the dirt.

The people you describe are vastly outnumbered by the people who are friendly and eager to help. I've gotten a lot of great advice from the road, the 50+, the touring, the long distance, and the training & nutrition forums. I've ridden with quite a few of the regulars in the So Cal sub-forum. and no one has ever given me grief about the bike I ride or the clothes I wear. If someone bothers you, put them on your ignore list.well said

I've put "****heads" on my ignore list and, it must work, because I haven't gotten posts from any ****heads.

P.S. to Velo Dog: I strap my old Roy Rogers lunch pail to my rear rack if I'm feeling aggressive...really makes the OCP'ers pout when they have to work to pass you....the old Little Nash Rambler vs. the Hot Rod Lincoln affect.

P.S. to Velo Dog: I strap my old Roy Rogers lunch pail to my rear rack if I'm feeling aggressive...really makes the OCP'ers pout when they have to work to pass you....the old Little Nash Rambler vs. the Hot Rod Lincoln affect.

I would consider a Roy Rogers lunch pail very OCP... on the right bike... :D

Hi there, I am over the great 50 mark also. I do not care what all those sweet younguns are going to think when they get our ages. Just keep up your biking. I think it is great.
Mrs. Stormcrowe

I am 50+.

I ride a mountain bike on the road, exclusively.

I have fenders so I can be reasonably comfortable in wet conditions.

I have a dork disk, why should anyone care?

I don't own a jersey, leg warmers, or arm warmers.

I ride with my seat too low because I like it that way. It's comfortable. I go up hills just as fast as the guy that told me it was too low.

If the young'uns don't like it, they don't have to ride with me.

In other words, there is much more to life than looking the "part".

And remember. Old age and deceit will defeat youth and enthusiasm every time!

I am 50+.

I ride a mountain bike on the road, exclusively.

I have fenders so I can be reasonably comfortable in wet conditions.

I have a dork disk, why should anyone care?

I don't own a jersey, leg warmers, or arm warmers.

I ride with my seat too low because I like it that way. It's comfortable. I go up hills just as fast as the guy that told me it was too low.

If the young'uns don't like it, they don't have to ride with me.

In other words, there is much more to life than looking the "part".

And remember. Old age and deceit will defeat youth and enthusiasm every time!

+1, heh,heh,heh! 55 here; I'll admit to taking off the dork disk, but other than that and the fact that I'm a stickler for seat height (only reason: my knees hurt like hell from osteo. if it's too low!) pretty parallel!

I ride for myself and no other.

The young ones take no end of pleasure deriding my EZ Sport recumbent. It's; too slow, too heavy, can't climb with it, &c, &c ad infinitum. Well, I'm not racing anybody and it doesn't hurt anywhere. They just don't get this. I just figure, one day you'll be 50, and you will know what I'mm talking about. Unfortunately, your breath is also wasted on the young when you try to explain something that doesn't fit in their universe. bk

too old to count, but too young to give it up ;)

What is a dork disk?

I'm 57 tomorrow, and don't worry about young studs, male or female, passing me on the bike. But I do wear jerseys and bike shorts because they are very practical!

John

the prob with being 50+ is...you are not 20 years old anymore...BUT just yesterday my doctor said I have the circulation of a 20 year old so at age 53 I'll take that.

No bike shoes, no bike jersey, no bike pants, no heart monitor. I do have an 'el cheapo' cyclometer and lights...not sure why though. I might be interested in a 'dork disc' if I knew what it was...would it make me look 'OCP' ?... don't know what that is either.

the prob with being 50+ is...you are not 20 years old anymore...BUT just yesterday my doctor said I have the circulation of a 20 year old so at age 53 I'll take that.

No bike shoes, no bike jersey, no bike pants, no heart monitor. I do have an 'el cheapo' cyclometer and lights...not sure why though. I might be interested in a 'dork disc' if i knew what it was...would it make me look 'OCP' ?... don't know what that is either.

What is OCP?

H*ll I still use toe cages!

One of the things I like about Being older is Experience. we do have a couple of younger riders in our group and I enjoy showing them that the slippery slope they have just dragged their bike up is rideable. Then last year we came across agroup of 25 to 30 year olds on one of the steep hills. They were struggling. Chatted to them and they admitted that they were not as fit as they should be and one of them actually said that he would like to be a few years older so that he climb the hills like we were. I also live at the end of the South Downs Way. One of the EPIC one day rides in the UK. It is a hard ride and I attempt it most years. We very often come across riders doing the full 100 miles over 3 or 4 days. They get a bit upset to find that I have attempted the ride 10 times and succeeded 7-On the one day event of course.

I do get a bit annoyed at the youngsters on some of the other forums- but we don't get them on this one- well not very often. But sit back and anylise what their riding is- Is it as hard and long as ours. Look at their bike and is it as well proven and reliable as ours. And look at what they are saying- Then you will realise that there is an advantage to not being a young ****.

Hi there, I am over the great 50 mark also. I do not care what all those sweet younguns are going to think when they get our ages. Just keep up your biking. I think it is great.
Mrs. Stormcrowe

I agree, when I'm passed, I just remind myself that in lifetime miles they are still tens of thousands miles behind me.

H*ll I still use toe cages!

You go guy! So do I.

Hey, you guys are all quite civil here comparatively. I tend to hang out on the MTB forum more than here and there is occasionally a lot of rancor over there; and some threads digress into outright name-calling matches. But it IS definitely lively - and there are a number of really sincere people seeking and giving sound advice. What I find most interesting is the variety of groms there; everything from the inquisitive to the know-it-all arrogant. But for the most part I just chalk it up to their being very young and able to hide behind a degree of anonymity to have an opinion among adults on an equal footing. Not something that some of them get many opportunities to do, I suspect.

^^^^I actually like going at it with the young studs on occaision. Physically and mentally. While I do not keep the advantage on the bike like I used to, I can still hold my own in almost any tech thread. Been at this business so long, I have forgotten more than most of them will ever learn. Yet I am old enough to know I don't know it all and welcome an education from anyone, nevermind their age.

And BTW - I don't see any real downside to being over 50. For one thing, it would be useless to dwell on opportunities lost and adventures missed. I just look forward to what tomorrow brings. And waking up again is the first thing to come to mind.

you almost always come up against some young cocky ***** head that's looking for trouble here on these forums, you post a pic of your bike and all they do is critique your ride, from now on when i cross another fixed gear rider i'll just look at them like there poop! I ain't looking to make any freinds on here!
I'm fascinated... I'll have to do a search on your posts now... :)

One of the guarantees in life is that we all get old.

LATER: It's not worth sweating. You didn't exactly endear yourself with the HATER post. Anyway, neat bike. I too am interested about the tight clearance between the tire and downtube -- have you had any problems with rubbing on the tube?

What is OCP? H*ll I still use toe cages!
YES! What is OCP?
Obsessive Compulsive Person?
Overly Concerned Parent? :p
Out Cast Pastor? :eek:
Original Cycling Pain? (As in the arse?)
Outright Crazy People?

Help me out here!

YES! What is OCP?
Obsessive Compulsive Person?
Overly Concerned Parent? :p
Out Cast Pastor? :eek:
Original Cycling Pain? (As in the arse?)
Outright Crazy People?

Help me out here!

I believe it's Obsessive Compulsive Poseur

YES! What is OCP?
Obsessive Compulsive Person?
Overly Concerned Parent? :p
Out Cast Pastor? :eek:
Original Cycling Pain? (As in the arse?)
Outright Crazy People?

Help me out here!

Obsessive Compulsive Poseur. Head over to Road Cycling, they're swarming over there....

B'Dog

...Head over to Road Cycling, they're swarming over there....B'Dog
Thanks! But I'll stay put! They'd eat me alive for riding a '66 Collegiate.

No bike shoes, no bike jersey, no bike pants, no heart monitor. I do have an 'el cheapo' cyclometer and lights...not sure why though. I might be interested in a 'dork disc' if I knew what it was...would it make me look 'OCP' ?... don't know what that is either.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(cut and pasted from previous post)
The Obsessive Compulsive Poseur is part of a group of individuals who actually give a crap what other people think, and they firmly believe that said people actually give a crap about what they look like. They have an insatiable need to "look the part", even if they don't come close to pulling it off in a believable fashion.

You can generally easily spot an Obsessive Compulsive Poseur in one of many ways; if everything...and I mean everything....matches, they are what some of us would consider to be a Type A Poseur. Everything has to be perfect, dammit; nothing less will do. This includes color-coordinating the bike, components, bike kit, sunglasses, shoes, helmet, watch, and riding partners. Look for start/stop points at major points of interest, such as Starbucks.

There are the Type B Poseurs who, from time to time, may decide that they're a bit too tired to really put the effort in to coordinate the outfit for the day, and really get back to basics of cycling and just go ride anyway without putting on a total fashion show. Granted, if caught, they will downplay the travesty as much as possible; "I'm on a recovery ride".....or "my team kit is in the wash"....or "I'm in-between outfits". In general, while they may hold all of the qualities of a full-on OCP'er, they aren't quite dedicated enough to pull it off 24x7.

If you own 8 helmets, and all are in fine working condition, you might be an OCP'er

If you "have to have" Record or Dura Ace because it's expensive and "looks cool", you might be an OCP'er

If you're a complete label *****, you might be an OCP'er

If you really believe that the person across from you at the light thinks you look fuggin' awesome in your kit and that your bike is the greatest thing since sliced bread, you might be an OCP'er

If your water bottle cages cost more than your monthly car insurance premium, you might be an OCP'er

If your primary concern is watching your wardrobe versus watching your training chart, you might be an OCP'er

If you arrive at your club ride in a new piece of kit and proudly show it off like a parent with a newborn baby, you might be an OCP'er

If you ride 50 miles a week and own $10,000 in bikes and gear, you might be an OCP'er

If you can successfully negotiate slippery floors in Starbucks and actually pronounce the names of their coffee, you might be an OCP'er. As well as a metro.

If you'd rather walk 5 miles with a flat tire than carry a seatpack because they "look stupid", you might be an OCP'er

If you think that Brand X wheels suck because they weigh 27 grams more than Brand Y wheels, you might be an OCP'er

If you can't bear the thought of having a "mainstream" bike merely for the fact that everyone else has one, and you need to be different, you might be an OCP'er

If you think that valvestem caps are extremely uncool, in addition to most likely being mildly ********, you just might be an OCP'er

If you feel the need to look down on other peoples' bike choices because your bike is vastly superior and it makes you feel good about yourself, you just might be an OCP'er

If you believe that your 15 pound bike....obviously not weighed with waterbottles to "make it lighter"....will climb much faster than your training partners' 17 pound behemoth, you just might be an OCP'er
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and a dork disc would be....anyone? anyone???

dork disc: plastic or metal disk between the rear gear cluster and the spokes.

So the young guns I work with like to blame me (my generation, the boomers) for ruining things for everybody else. Especially when I reminisce about a campus party we once threw that consumed a then record 28 kegs at a school that no longer allows any form of alcohol on campus. Or about sitting in the bleachers at Wrigley Field with joints floating freely by in all directions, etc..

I like the answer given (don't remember who) about whether you'd like to go back to your 20's again. It was, "Only if I could take my 53 yr old brain with me!"

thanks dbg... I thought for sure a dork disc was a 'big butt' seat...like what you would find on a farm tractor.


"Or about sitting in the bleachers at Wrigley Field with joints floating freely by in all directions, etc.. "
ah ...yes the good ol' days...too bad, so sad.
showme

Obsessive Compulsive Poseur....B'Dog
My next question was going to be, "What's a Poseur?" Very nicely answered showme! It's rather satisfying to know I am not one. :rolleyes: