Fifty Plus (50+) - What's something you learned this year?

About cycling that is. I was having a "discussion" with a friend about my "cycling obsession", which includes riding thousands of miles a year, reading anything cycling related, watching any cycling event I can, reading and posting here, etc. You get the point. In any event, he wanted to know what good all of this did, that is besides the riding. I told him I'm always learning something new. He says, "like what", in a not too friendly tone. The first thing that jumped into my mind as a retort was, "That chocolate milk is a highly effective (as effective as most sports drinks) at helping with recovery after hard rides."

So, am I alone here, or do you continue to learn new things after years of riding? What have you learned this year that was new to you?

PS - I'm gonna drag my smart***** friend to the computer and make him read this thread. He really drives me nuts with his judgments, especially because he's a golfer and reads more golf stuff than you can shake a putter at.

PS - I'm gonna drag my smart***** friend to the computer and make him read this thread. He really drive me nuts with his judgments, especially because he's a golfer and reads more golf stuff than you can shake a putter at.

He'll learn that biking is better exercise than golf!

"A bicycle is the long-sought means of transportation for all of us who have runaway hearts."

--Lance Armstrong

My guess is nearly everyone who hangs out on this forum would agree in one way or the other with the above quote. But I would also guess your friend won't be able to grasp it. To each his own, says this former golfer.

I learned that I am tougher than I thought I was. I rode coast-to-coast, totally self-supported, sleeping in my tent most nights, in 51 days. I turned 60 in Feb, '07.

I learned that i am a Slacker....after reading the work ethic (on the bike) of others i realize i have allot more to put out to really get into racing.

We've learned about colonoscopies, various blood pressure medications. We've learned about how to deal with dogs, rednecks and golfers. We've learned about what it takes to get ready to climb really large mountains on a bike and what it feels like to succeed. We've learned a little about carbon fiber and the social interactions that go with different riders opinions about saddles, pedals, mirrors. We've learned a little about raising kids, dealing with families, crossing the country with a bike and a tent. Then there's the physics of bikes being faster merely because of their color.

Oh, did I mention that we learned how to deal with golfers!

I learned that 65 is not too late to get in shape, lose weight, get off the bp meds and get a really low cholesterol.

I've learned that I can ride as far and as fast as a lot of the young pups--but not all of them :p

I've learned how to enjoy solo time, alone with my own thoughts.

I've learned how much fun group rides can be.

I've learned that endorphin highs really exist, and that they are wonderful.

I've learned that folks who don't get it need sympathy, not condemnation.

Like most forums I come to check out what bikes and parts get good reviews and which ones don't. I also use the forum to compare to some limited extent my cycling abilities to others i.e. mileage, speed etc. I found out I am kind of in the middle for the road forum and not up to snuff for the racing forum and that the 50+ group is pretty identical to the road forum as far as abilities. Besides where are you going to find 20 people to discuss the merits of toe clips vs clipless other than a cycling forum?

So I've learned a whole lot of things.

I've learned that I can push the limits of what I thought I could do, and now I set my goals a lot higher.

That bike commuting is not only possible, but fun. That riding in the dark or the rain or both isn't some dreary painful experience; that when properly equipped it's actually fun.

I learned that I can ride a lot farther than I thought. 200 miles in 2 days, over 4000 this year.

That thin tires pop more often than I like.

That I love the smells of an early morning ride; Breakfast cooking, wet fields, flowers, the earth after a rain
.
There are a lot more wild animals in suburbia than I'd have ever thought possible. The numbers of hawks, owls, skunks, coyotes, ducks, geese, snakes and other critters amazes me.

I learned to finally make the transition in mindset from:

"Fat Man tryin to get Lean"

to

"Weak Man tryin to get more Powerful" again...

#2 is way harder...

I think the most important thing I have learned is to ride what I like, wear what I like and fix my bike so it is comfortable to me! I rewrapped my handlebars, the list for me seems pretty endless, I love this forum.

PS - I'm gonna drag my smart***** friend to the computer and make him read this thread. He really drive me nuts with his judgments, especially because he's a golfer and reads more golf stuff than you can shake a putter at.


A dear friend had a heart attack on the golf course and he did not make it to the hospital. Cycling is not just fun but a lifelong part of you if you continue to ride. Someone I knew in his early 90's still ride and walk strongly without the aid of a cane or a walker. Glad to rediscover cycling again.

I learned that my preference decades ago for reading Aasimov, Heinlien and Herbert over Tolkein would someday come back to haunt me.

Wow, good question. What *haven't* I learned?
I, too, have learned I can ride farther than I thought, that I am capable of far more than I believed.
I have learned that the more I ride, the stronger I get.
I have learned the unmitigated joys of a good road bike.
I have learned that Kool-Stops ROCK!
I have learned that Brooks saddles ROCK!
I learned that it is easier to climb with my hands on top of the bars than on the hoods or the drops.
I have learned that -for at least as long as I am in the saddle, I can be free. Totally free.

I have learned how to ride no handed after tearing my left rotator cuff. It's not as easy at 50+ as it was at 10. I learned all about EKG's, Nuke scans, Stress tests, heart cath's medical insurance, my companys policys and proceedures and rotator cuff surgery. I am now trying to learn how not to ride my bike for 3 months (2 1/2 months now). Also trying to learn how to keep in shape and not go crazy with 3 months off work. I learned how to cancel 3 epic bike vacations. On the positive side I don't have to go to work for 3 months and I am getting full pay YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!! But I learned that rediscovering biking was one of the best things in my life. I can still ride a exercise bike and maybe a trainer, look out next year!

Here's my top 10 list.

10. I can ride the big ring up some hills
9. 10 miles is now a short ride around the block
8. I can ride along the ocean at 10mph, just because
7. I can wear cargo shorts on a road bike and don't care
6. Little kids will talk to you if you are on a bike
5. They will talk alot if you tell them their bike is cool
4. No matter how many times I race a 10 year old on a BMX bike, I still lose
3. Riding with my wife is tops
2. Riding with my grandsons is the best

and the number one answer is...

1. I learned there is a really weird dude that lives in Kentucy

I learned [among other things too little to list]:

How to upgrade a bottom bracket from loose ball bearings to cartridge,

And how to swap twist grip shifters for triggers,

How to work with the SRAM folks to get replacement parts,

How to maintain a full-suspension bike, and

How to fall off said full-suspension bike into the nastiest, thickest, stinkin'est swamp hole in the Shenandoah and upon landing make a sound that's best described [in my finest onamatapoea] as "IEEEE!! Guschhhh".

OK, here's what I still need to learn. . .how to give up my numerous beater bikes and focus on just one. . .or admit that I don't need ANY beaters. It's SO hard. . .they're all such great friends. . .and such great rides. . .and so well cared for.

I learned that my preference decades ago for reading Aasimov, Heinlien and Herbert over Tolkein would someday come back to haunt me.

And haunt you I will, to my dying days.

So if I had picked the moniker Guy Montag, Hari Seldon, or Paul Atreides, then you wouldn't have been duped?

I learned that I am tougher than I thought I was. I rode coast-to-coast, totally self-supported, sleeping in my tent most nights, in 51 days. I turned 60 in Feb, '07.Good job, OHB!
I learned that, at 53, it's a lot harder to get ready for a mountain ride than it was at 36, and, I learned that that fitness goes away rather quickly.
I have also learned that my cycling friends are some of the best people on earth.

I've learned a LOT this year, hard to think of it all. Of course one has much more opportunity to learn after years of inactivity. Some things that come to mind:

- I'm familiar with almost every hybrid bike model being sold in the USA in 2007 and have test ridden well over 50% of them.

- I learned how to ride a recumbent.

- I improved my pedaling technique.

- I learned how to make adjustments to my handlebars, stem, and seat to improve my riding position.

- I learned that old men wearing Florsheim shoes are not to be taken lightly.

- I learned that road bikes have different geometries and some ride very different than others.

- I learned that I hate riding all road bikes.

- I learned that cycling jerseys have back pockets.

- I learned that some are willing to throw away their precious Fred-dom all for the sake of riding a century.

- I learned not to wear baggy shorts when riding a recumbent.

- I learned to not trust pointy-headed men giving advice on which bicycle to buy.

- And most of all, I learned that I could still ride a bike for over 20 miles ... in fact, well over 20 miles.

I learnt that Offroading for 100 miles on a 12 hour ride is not as much fun as it used to be. So much so that I got a road bike to find out what that side of riding is about and learnt that there is always a mountain to climb.

I learned how to say "Can a dog smile?" in Russian. Honest.

And haunt you I will, to my dying days.

So if I had picked the moniker Guy Montag, Hari Seldon, or Paul Atreides, then you wouldn't have been duped?

I've never been able to decide if Michael Valentine Smith or Duncan Idaho or R. Daneel Olivaw is the best name ever.

For everyone else........if you don't get it, you don't get it.

P.S. Arthur C. Clark (pre-2001) should be included

I learned of the awesome power and speed and grace of white bikes.

I learned of the awesome power and speed and grace of white bikes.

DG: You need be careful or you'll end up walking around with a long white staff, wearing white robes and claiming to be the white wizard.

I've never been able to decide if Michael Valentine Smith or Duncan Idaho or R. Daneel Olivaw is the best name ever.

The best would have to be Kilgore Trout (see sig.)

Learn? - you are supposed to LEARN stuff :eek::eek:?

DG: You need be careful or you'll end up walking around with a long white staff, wearing white robes and claiming to be the white wizard.

Rut roh... too late! :D

But the robe goes well with Shimano cycling sandals. Just sayin!

I learned the world looks much better @ 15 mph. The solitude when riding alone is beautiful early in the morning when the only sounds are the hum of the tires on the blacktop and the chirping of the birds. I learned it's easy to rack up 40 miles and wonder where the time went .. and wish I had time for 40 more. I learned it has done nothing to cure my golf slice .. but I don't care.

Most years I ride about 100 mi per week but never had much weight loss.
I learned this year that 200 mi per week achieved the weight loss I had always been seeking.
6'1" & 195 lbs, down 25 lbs this season. Now riding as strong as 20 years ago.

I learned there is a difference between an entry level comfort bike (trek navigator) and a pretty decent steel frame flat bar bike (jamis coda elite) in a lot of ways.

I learned I can ride further and faster and with more sheer enjoyment than I imagined possible twelve months ago.

I learned how much fun it is to ride with my grandsons.

I learned there is a highly supportive, informative and just plain fun virtual community at the BF 50+ website.

I learned that it is nice to have real leg and calf muscle definition and that it is pleasant to have Lovey comment on same.

I learned that riding really is very very good for arthritic knees, and it ain't bad for your back either.

I learned that it is bad when your son who you like to ride with finds a girlfriend who is really nice, really smart and really pretty and who really likes him too.

I learned that after all these years of riding bicycles, there are still more challenges that I can take on, that these challenges are hard and require determination and sacrifices and that it still feels great when I meet them. I'm wondering what the next one will be.

The best would have to be Kilgore Trout (see sig.)

Yes, indeed.......

This year I learned;
Clip's are killers! cost me a seperated shoulder the first time I climbed on the bloody things
Clipless on the other hand are very freeing and I can actually enjoy riding the itty bitty road bike on Michigans back roads.
Your cholesterol can get too low and the doctor doesn't like that any better then he did when it was off the scale the other way.
Teaching your 50 year old wife to ride again is STRESSFUL!!!!

I recently learned that I have this bad habit of rolling thru stop signs at 15 or so mph, on roads that I cycle regularly.

While in my car.

I should state that my wife of 24 years helped my "learn" this, while sitting in the passenger seat. Something along the lines of "You know, that's the 4th stop sign you've blown thru".

SB

I joined here and learned that I am normal - now I'm scared :eek:

Actually, non-cycling related and I learned it a couple of years back but still attempt to exercise it - there is nothing that can happen to you that is so horrible that you can not find a joke in there ... somewhere.
The follow on from that is - find that joke and you are halfway towards beating it.

Richard

I learned that I'm really a much nicer person when I get my endorphins.

I learned not to judge a cyclist by his or her cover.

I learned that I can ride no-hands, but I need more practice.

I learned that it's fun to ride in cold weather, as long as you have the right clothes.

I learned that good wool base layers can be purchased at goodwill for a great price.

I learned that I can rationalize just about any expense when it comes to biking.

I learned that all my fingers will turn to thumbs when I put a tool of any kind in my hands.

I learned that if I try to pretend like I know what I'm doing, I will inevitably display my ineptitude for all to see very clearly without equivocation.

I learned that Payday candy bars are as good, if not better, than clif bars for a ride snack.

I've learned that some of the nicest people ride bikes!:D

This year I learned; ....Teaching your 50 year old wife to ride again is STRESSFUL!!!!

I got mine the bikes (3 to date), a large variety of saddles, all the necessary clothing, gentle encouragement, flat riding routes -- then I gave up. Let her sleep in, watch TV and shop if that's her preference, it's her life, ya know?!

I've learned that you can crash a tandem and still finish the ride.

I've learned that my body makes a good shield for protecting a new bike.

I've learned that teamwork is a finely-honed art, and its rewards are priceless and satisfying beyond description.

I've learned that I'm far more competitive than I'd imagined.

I've learned not to apply arbitrary limits on my abilities.
____________________________________________________
Great thread, by the way! Thanks for starting it!

Learned to check the tightness of a rear cassette before ordering and installing a new btm.bracket! Well, the old one was still working, but was due for replacement soon anyway. Also found that I like oil based chain lube better than the wax based I was using.

I learned the mantra: Longer duration; lower intensity
and learned that it applied not only to exercise.

I learned there is a highly supportive, informative and just plain fun virtual community at the BF 50+ website.



+1
It great to be equally accepted along with the "High Milers"

Being new (again) to cycling for just a matter of months, I've learned that it's very different than riding as a kid when you just hopped on and rode and nothing hurt.

Mostly, I think, I've learned how young 50+ really is, if I challenge myself and maintain a positive mental attitude.

I just learned the frozen bandana trick.

I learned that I can ride no-hands, but I need more practice.


So how do you do it?

Things I haven't learned this year:

--how to ride with no hands.

--how to lift my front tire higher than about 4-6 inches (a useful skill whilst trail-riding).

--how to do a track-stand.

--how to adjust a front der.

--how to cross that stinking little creek in Cherokee Park. My son can do it. My daughter can do it. People riding their bikes because they got tired of their walkers and canes can do it. I can't do it. It's a mental thing, unless I crash, in which case it will physically hurt like h@ll.

I just learned the frozen bandana trick.

LOL. Just don't get confused and dip it in chocolate and nuts. :D

Ah! but mine asked...which once again proves she is crazier then I am! :) I wouldn't want my grouchy old arse teaching me anything! :eek:

I couldn't talk her into a good bike, she decided she had to have an inexpensive model from Dick's and a month later some low life stole it from the back porch, didn't touch my old Schwinn MTB (more the fools they) and she went out and replaced it within the week so I think she may have the bug just not enough miles in the saddle yet.

She did a club/local outfitter store ride a week ago and liked it and is starting to drool over a trek roadie now...so there is a lot of hope...she signed on to the do the Apple Cider at the end of September, but we have talked it down to her doing one of the shorter routes while I see what its like to do 100 on my road bike this time around (did it on the MTB last year) and we can share some of the before and after bits. :)

I've learned :
- You CAN go back again and relive some past adventures (only now it takes 3x the work to get ready)
- Winter is just another season, not an excuse
- Bike fit is a work in progress, never a finished masterpiece
- Patience, Prudence, Passion, Perseverance are desirable traits for successful training (keep reminding
myself)
- As serious as I think I may be about riding, there are many MORE dedicated than me
- There are still goals to reach (Hmmm, DO I want to ride as part of a RAAM Team, can I do Mt. Mitchell
next year or PBP in 2011)

I learned that:

even though I am a wonderful human being:p, I'm glad there's 60 pounds less of me to go around:D!

it's much more fun to ride the road on a road bike than on a mountain bike, and I like the drops

I don't have to have chocolate and/or cokes (Southern for any carbonated soft drink) every day

a guy who smoked for 30+ years and quit around 3 years ago can ride 100 miles in a day at a reasonable average speed

like golf, cycling is an avocational endeavor in which regular people can successfully engage well into their years

a stock saddle can work just fine

I still carry too much junk around on my bike:eek:

I can get closer to a deer on my bike than I can when I'm pursuing one in the woods with the goal of ending his life with a large-caliber revolver:mad:

though they look dorky, helmets are OK

I am probably a good deal more fit than the average guy in my age group

the mountain almost got the best of me, but now I've gotten the best of it (x3)!

wind is a four-letter word for cyclists as well as golfers and fishermen