Fifty Plus (50+) - sad admission...

Fellow 50+ers, the time has come for me to realize the dream is over. It hasn't been easy to come to terms with, but today I made the leap. I'm not at peace, but I think I am at last willing to accept reality.
Yep, you guessed it. I changed the stem on my road bike. I now have an old guy bar set up. Ill never be young and agile again.

I finely admitted to myself that my drops were almost never being used, and that I lived on the hoods. Sure, I could hit the drops for a short spurt, or when I knew that PhotoCrazy™ was shooting the century I was riding.
But really, I wasn't comfortable at all.

So I have a new stem. Darn it. As Billy Crystal said "It's better to look marvelous than to feel marvelous." and I no longer get even close to marvelous.
Here's a photo of me as I think I am (and only semi-marvelous even here), shot during the Chico Wildflower this year.

http://cccorlew.home.comcast.net/hosting/drops.jpg
Someday soon I'll post a photo of myself in my new and (cough) improved upright geezer riding position.

The good news is: Nobody cares.

Case in point: Yesterday a tire blew on my road bike as I was about to head out on a big group ride. So I grabbed by my 25-year-old fat-tired touring bike. Ended up riding 50 miles with a charming and rather attractive young woman who had a purple bike with purple pedals and purple socks, purple shoes, purple shorts and a purple jersey, oh, and purple gloves and a purple helmet. She was so busy being purple and I was so busy being charmed that no one seemed to notice my rust bucket with a quill stem.

Welcome to the bright side. :D Whatever keeps you riding.

Hi cccorlew,

Your reality was my (somewhat) irrational fear when I awoke on my 50th birthday last year I thought that my back would instantaneously lose its flexibility and I would have to buy rising stems for my bikes. :eek:

Fortunately, this did not happen. However, my position is definitely a little higher than it was when I was younger so slowly, but surely, my stem height is rising. :cry:

I will also note that I was never one to ride in the drops very much unless I was racing. That's pretty much still the case.

Out of curiosity, do either of you do any stretching exercises on a regular basis?

Your supposed to ride in the drops?

Drops?

Out of curiosity, do either of you do any stretching exercises on a regular basis?

Nope. I do play a lot of tennis, which requires lots of movement and stretching during play. I tried yoga, but ended up in a class with 19 year old girls who bend more than I ever did. I didn't stay long.

Plus, even though i weigh 151 I could lose 7 more and bend a bit better. But even if I did that, the low bar thing is now a thing of the past.

I can never post in the Road forum again.....

Come on- We are supposed to be setting an example to the younger set (Road Forum).

It is very remiss of you to give away the secrets of why we can do century rides and then get home and do 3 hours gardening and then take the wife out to a restaurant for dinner- And still go to work the next morning without having to brag about how far we went on the bike this weekend.

Very disappointed.

get some shallow drop bars. I switched to some this summer and have been much more comfortable, and am using the drops much, much more.

I found a photo of the part I bought....
Needless to say it is not pointed in the same direction shown here...
http://castrovalleycyclery.com/images/library/large/spec_stem_multi_pos2_05_m.jpg
Ad copy: "This unique Specialized stem is adjustable in 2-degree increments from +/- 8-degrees to +/- 16-degrees ensuring dialed ergonomics. This forged beauty also features an oversize 31.8mm clamp and a 4-bolt face plate for exceptional strength."

I put a stem riser on my touring bike yesterday and tried a 60K ride with it. Back felt great, sure looks goofy though.

As said the truth is , no one cares. Guess we all age differently. I find riding in the drops comfortable. Maybe back exercises might help. Still, no one cares .

The good news is: Nobody cares.

Life had 3 phases:

In the first we worry way too much about what other people are thinking about us.
In the second we stop worrying about what other people think about us.
In the final stage we come to realize that other people aren't thinking about us.

My Nitto Techomic quill stem is great. It not only helps my arthritic neck, but it gives mounting space for a Tera cycle accessory mount for my light, plus the light battery. The stem is as high as it can go, and all of the accessories cover it up. But as it has already been stated, who cares what is looks like as long as it keeps you riding.

[QUOTE=cccorlew;6760438I tried yoga, but ended up in a class with 19 year old girls....[/QUOTE]

Um, just exactly where is this class?

The good news is: Nobody cares.

Case in point: Yesterday a tire blew on my road bike as I was about to head out on a big group ride. So I grabbed by my 25-year-old fat-tired touring bike. Ended up riding 50 miles with a charming and rather attractive young woman who had a purple bike with purple pedals and purple socks, purple shoes, purple shorts and a purple jersey, oh, and purple gloves and a purple helmet. She was so busy being purple and I was so busy being charmed that no one seemed to notice my rust bucket with a quill stem.

Was her hair purple too?

PS-if you happen to sign up for the class with the 19yr olds let us know so we can have EMS on standby......

I went through a bit of this when I realized I needed to raise the bars. Probably as close as I got to a mid-life crisis, (I'm old and fat and slow, wahh). It does affect your aerodynamics a little, and I'm aero challenged as it is. My body sure feels better after a long day on the bike, though.

I can't remember ever being in my drops.

An alternative to ditching drop bars is to get set up with the bars higher and perhaps a bit further forward. And use those shallow drops.

Although I notice Moulton in his blog on getting old and riding suggests simply shortening the reach and maintaining the drop.

Oddly I still have about the same drop and reach I used to in the early 1970s. And through better fitting I generally end up at the end of the season with substantial drop and excellent structural fitness. Although I have to be very careful. Setup is much more crucial with narrower tolerances!

What hurts me is not riding. I get stiff and lose flexibility. Just riding my commuting bike doesn't do well for me either. It's the strong riding on a responsive machine that keeps everything working.

When Yen said her hubby gave up and installed a riser stem, I gave in and did the same.

Result: my back and shoulders are much more comfortable.

Interestingly, the move caused wrist and hand pain, so I tilted the saddle up one notch and it instantly went away.

So after one year, I'm just now feeling like my Buenos Aires is dialed. Whcih is why I've been doing more mountain biking lately. Go figure.

Drops?

I think it has something to do with water bottles.

Ended up riding 50 miles with a charming and rather attractive young woman who had a purple bike with purple pedals and purple socks, purple shoes, purple shorts and a purple jersey, oh, and purple gloves and a purple helmet. She was so busy being purple and I was so busy being charmed that no one seemed to notice my rust bucket with a quill stem.

http://www.brucew.com/gallery/albums/2007-07-24/100_1345.sized.jpg

Wasn't this lass I encountered last summer, was it?

OK. I'm thinking that I forgot my cycling basics: When in doubt, buy stuff.
I think I'm going to give those shallow drop bars a shot.
The goof ball stem I got (actually it my not be so bad, even though it weighs at least 1/2-a-feather more than my old one, and how can that be acceptable?) is adjustable. If I try shallow drops it makes sense because I'm a smaller person and should have been on them all along.


On the subject of the 19 year old girl pretzels in yoga class.
Sure, it sounds like heaven. But in practice it was astoundingly uncomfortable. The classroom was a dance studio filled with mirrors. Every direction I looked with filled with the image of a pretzel girl in an interesting position sending the following mental message: "Avert your lecherous gaze old man. And, like, why are you, like, here anyway? "

The only escape was to drop the class. So now i can't reach my drop bars and I'll have to drop more money on shallow drop bars because I was too shallow to stay in class.

When Yen said her hubby gave up and installed a riser stem, I gave in and did the same.....

When Hubby told the fitter at the LBS that he wanted a taller stem, the fitter only said "That wouldn't look good".

Those words coming from the fitter. And he is not a young guy.

I'm so glad it worked out for you, TWL.

The good news is: Nobody cares.

Case in point: Yesterday a tire blew on my road bike as I was about to head out on a big group ride. So I grabbed by my 25-year-old fat-tired touring bike. Ended up riding 50 miles with a charming and rather attractive young woman who had a purple bike with purple pedals and purple socks, purple shoes, purple shorts and a purple jersey, oh, and purple gloves and a purple helmet. She was so busy being purple and I was so busy being charmed that no one seemed to notice my rust bucket with a quill stem.

You sure about that? :lol:

http://www.brucew.com/gallery/albums/2007-07-24/100_1345.sized.jpg

Wasn't this lass I encountered last summer, was it?

What a beautiful woman!

Hey, for me, a LWB recumbent brought back feeling marvelous. So much comfort, so little pain. bk

Hey, for me, a LWB recumbent brought back feeling marvelous. So much comfort, so little pain. bk

I'm rattled enough about changing the angle of my stem. I don't think I'm ready for a recumbent yet.:eek:

Was her hair purple too?

PS-if you happen to sign up for the class with the 19yr olds let us know so we can have EMS on standby......


And remember to bring pics!

If I'm on the drops, there is either a heck of a headwind, or I just got passed by another old coot.:)

I can't remember ever being in my drops.

Goodness! Does this mean it's been so long since you've used drop bars you can't remember :eek: !

Or just that you've never ridden a bike with drop bars :D ?

East Hill

I think maybe you should have gotten a Specialized Roubaix, no problem in the drops at all.:D

How interesting...I just ditched my 100mm tall stem bought a 75mm stem with 7° angle. :giver: I wonder what the future has in store for me. :twitchy:

http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/250/PS-EPK-NCL-ANGLE.jpg
When I put my Delta Stem Riser on it looked pretty bad to me so I put one of these on too and now it looks a lot better and it is a great place for a granola bar, small camera etc. I was gonna take a picture of my bike with it on it but I would have had to get up off the couch and go all the way out to the garage to do it.

I'm rattled enough about changing the angle of my stem. I don't think I'm ready for a recumbent yet.:eek:

I'll be polite and not suggest that maybe you should start doing some preliminary research on bents.
Haven't bought a bike with drop bars since 1979 - mountain bike, hybrids, tandem (with an adjustable stem for the Cap'n) and now riding the Older Person's Recumbent Bicycle.

Don't worry about how it looks! If it feels good, do it.

I went to a slightly larger frame on my last bike (per Rivendell sizing, though it's a Calfee and not a Rivendell) and I'm much for comfortable overall, plus . . . I ride in the drops a lot now, as to almost never on my smaller framed bike.

So don't become too focused on one part (like the stem, or the drop depth of the bars), but look at the whole picture (which you probably knew anyway . . . ).

Rick / OCRR

Drops?

Wait... is that the hookey sort of thing on the bottom of the handlebars? Isn't that where you're supposed to hang your helmet when you're not riding? :p

... lurking newbie about to post...

After my recent substantial weight loss, I've convince myself that I'm 25 years younger and so yesterday I re-subscribed to BICYCLING magazine and I bought a new Road bike. For the last 10 years, I thought that I was destined to only ride a bike path bike.
I've missed the road bike feel though I think too that I'll be on the hoods more than I was with my old Schwinn Tempo.
CCCorlew, your posts are interesting and funny to read. I too, have a similar pretzel girl experience...

You need to watch more races and see how little time the pros spent in the drops.

You need to watch more races and see how little time the pros spent in the drops.

Not sure what you're trying to say here, but if they're trying to get away, they're in the drops.(pic-umd)

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u308/bigjohn53/2168bissell.jpg

A few years back I went to a shallower drop bar and a higher stem to bring my bars up from 3.5" below saddle height to 1" below and it was a great move. I am much more comfortable when on the hoods and much less hesitant to go into the drops for a headwind, a downhill or a fast stretch of flat road. Fortunately I have a threaded fork steerer and quill stem, so I could go with a Nitto Technomic Deluxe stem and keep the traditional level stem extension. :p

Recognizing the benefits of a higher bar doesn't indicate you are over the hill. But recognizing any reason to leave a room full of 19y/o girls stretching and contorting is a pretty sure sign that it's all over. :(

Not sure what you're trying to say here, but if they're trying to get away, they're in the drops.

True enough, but that represents a small part of the time in a road stage for most riders. The bulk of the time they are on the hoods.

Hmmm.....I'm going through the exact opposite experience. My LBS-built LHT was set up with a "geezer stem" - angled very much upwards so that the bars were about 2" above the saddle. I recently discovered that I was very comfortable riding in the drops, to the extent that when I got down into the drops the hand-numbness and butt-pain were relieved. I just lowered my stem about 1/2" and raised my saddle about 3/4". Much better, and I'm thinking about lowering the stem another spacer-worth.

Stretching exercises? I just got seriously back into Service Rifle shooting, and I think that the 200 yard sitting position requires one to get into a very stretched-out position with the elbows hooked in front of the knees. The first several times in this position, I could really feel my back stretching - to the point that it was painful! Now, since I'm stretched out, it's quite comfortable.

It's curious how the two sports complement each other. The sitting and prone positions in Service Rifle require one to get really stretched and flexible, which helps the riding. The cardio workout of riding helps with the respiratory pause and steadiness of position, which helps in shooting.

Wait... is that the hookey sort of thing on the bottom of the handlebars? Isn't that where you're supposed to hang your helmet when you're not riding? :p

That's about all I use it for:thumb: I have been known to use them in strong headwinds.

Interesting...I'm no Gumby, but I guess I must be an exception to the "old guy with a bad back" rule.

I'm 55 years old, and my Surly LHT commuter is set up with the bars about 2.5" below the saddle.

My Trek Madone race bike is set up with the bars around 3.5" below the saddle.

And my Cervelo P3C TT/tri bike is set up with the bars about 5.5" below the saddle.

So far, no back issues for me.

However, I do ride nearly every day, and I've been doing more stretching and low back exercises recently to prepare for some upcoming time trial races. Here's hoping I never have to join the "flipped stem club".

I found a photo of the part I bought....
Needless to say it is not pointed in the same direction shown here...
http://castrovalleycyclery.com/images/library/large/spec_stem_multi_pos2_05_m.jpg
Ad copy: "This unique Specialized stem is adjustable in 2-degree increments from +/- 8-degrees to +/- 16-degrees ensuring dialed ergonomics. This forged beauty also features an oversize 31.8mm clamp and a 4-bolt face plate for exceptional strength."

Hey, that's MY stem.

Interesting...I'm no Gumby, but I guess I must be an exception to the "old guy with a bad back" rule.

I'm 55 years old, and my Surly LHT commuter is set up with the bars about 2.5" below the saddle.

My Trek Madone race bike is set up with the bars around 3.5" below the saddle.

And my Cervelo P3C TT/tri bike is set up with the bars about 5.5" below the saddle.

So far, no back issues for me.

However, I do ride nearly every day, and I've been doing more stretching and low back exercises recently to prepare for some upcoming time trial races. Here's hoping I never have to join the "flipped stem club".

Now I have two reasons to hate you. No Mac version of CycleStats and now this flexible over 50 stuff.
I'm not dead in the water here, My new stem brings my bars up to just ever so slightly below my seat.

I'm also thinking of (well, shopping for) shallow drop bars. Then I can put that stem a bit lower.

But I've never been really flexible and now I'm even less so.

I guess I need to work on that

I'm rattled enough about changing the angle of my stem. I don't think I'm ready for a recumbent yet.:eek:

Yeah, some of us ride bikes with 19"stems.:eek:

Now I have two reasons to hate you. No Mac version of CycleStats and now this flexible over 50 stuff.
I'm not dead in the water here, My new stem brings my bars up to just ever so slightly below my seat.

I'm also thinking of (well, shopping for) shallow drop bars. Then I can put that stem a bit lower.

But I've never been really flexible and now I'm even less so.

I guess I need to work on that

LOL - well, now you'll hate me even more. I measured my 3 bikes and the drop from saddle to top of bars (or, aero bar pads) is:


For the Surly LHT - 3 inches
For the Trek Madone - 4.5 inches
For the Cervelo P3C - 8.5 inches


Just call me Gumby, I guess.

As for recumbents....I'll ride one when they pry my cold dead fingers off of my carbon fiber drop bars. :D

As for no Mac version of CycliStats (http://www.cyclistats.com) - thankfully, newer Macs are based on Intel chips and can now run most of the fine Windows programs that have been unavailable to Mac users for so many years. This includes CycliStats - I have quite a few users of the program who are running it on their Macs using the Windows emulator options that are now available.