Fifty Plus (50+) - Sad tale of a Tombay Grande...and a serious tire question!

A wheel touch led to a tombay causing multiple fractures to my 63 year old pelvis which happily didn't need screws/surgery but the orthopod condemned me to 6-7 weeks on a walker (exposing me to many "elderly" jokes). It's surprising how much you can do on a walker...still trying to figure out how to go up and clean the roof gutters. Maybe not this year.

Doctor tells me to expect some extended residual soreness on one of the ischial tuberosities (sit bone) that was cracked. I've been planning my return to the roads. Weight forward drop bar bike with relaxed geometry sounds good....I have a Riv Romulus I can use that should do well with its standard (now "long") reach brakes to allow lower pressure, bump absorbing, more comfortable tires...fatties like 32 or 35mm's.

Puncture resistance and durability aren't so important to me as lightness, resiliency...the "fun" part.

Anybody have experience with Schwalbe Marathon Racers or Mitsuboshi Grand Bois (as found in Bicycle Quarterly)??? Or any other similar tire? Before Avocet sunk, I happily rode for a time their 32mm FasGrips.

I'm not trying to be flip, really, but are these tires for the bike or the walker?

No offense taken, WeakLink. Should have titled this thread, "I Broke My A** Cycling". The tires I'm referencing are a little off mainstream....my pre-crash favorites are Conti 4000's.

I inherited a 12 year old minimalist walker with 4 inch plastic wheels. Not so good for bumping along in parking lots. Aluminum tubing, as we frame material experts know, transmits every rattle and vibration. Sitting in the line-up waiting for the CT scanner I was able to compare walkers like I used to compare bikes. Think of mine as an alu Schwinn Varsity. Others were far more OCP. My favorite walker was a metallic red aluminum with seat, English bike style brakelevers, and an embroidered single pannier ridden by a blue haired lady. Her kit was complete except for helmet.

A whole new world has opened since I traded the DeRosa for a walker. Puttering along at the supermarket yesterday I passed a sweet little old lady with flower print dress, massive owlish glasses, riding a basic walker like mine (except mine has no sliced tennis ball no-skid devices). She gave me a knowing smile, roadie to roadie, and an octogenerian equivalent of a thumbs up far more friendly than many cyclists I meet. I've joined the brother and sisterhood of the walker! When my time comes, as it may for us all, I'm going for a custom titanium. Skip the embroidered seat bag.

My own "flip" aside, WeakLink, I miss the real road these sweet cool mornings...but only for 6 more weeks I hope.

I had the Schwalbe Marathon Racer tires on my touring bike.
NY to LA last summer on them.
They have a soft ride.

For 6 weeks I'd put 12" bicycle wheels on the walker and extend the rear legs with conduit.

The owner of a LBS rides the Schwalbe and is a solid CAT2. Lots of respect for him. Sorry to hear about your tumble, heal fast and "COMPLETLY!"

Don't forget to put tennis balls on the back supports of your walker. It wont snag as easily.

The owner of a LBS rides the Schwalbe and is a solid CAT2. Lots of respect for him. Sorry to hear about your tumble, heal fast and "COMPLETLY!".

Thanks Daspydyr......The Cat2 racer must be racing on Schwalbe's skinnier, for-reals racing tire....Can't imagine doing a gazillion competetitive accelerations on 28mm or larger tires (let alone finding a contemporary racing fork/brake to accept them......but I can easily imagine riding our poorly kept county roads quickly and comfortably on such tires. (Strange how often the crappiest roads go to some of the best places.)

Hope you are wearing the 50+ jersey when out on your daily exercise walks into town for Pie.:innocent:

Sounds as though you want the wider tyres for comfort and shock absorbtion- instead of less rolling resistance and take it you will not be using them longer than necessary.

Not used either tyre- but the Tandem is 26" wheels and I used one of the Marathon slick tyres for quite a while. Finally had to change them and went to a conti and did not notice any difference in Ride quality. What I did notice was puncture resistance. Those swalbes are a durable tyre that must have a puncture belt built into them.

Sorry about the Gutters needing cleaning- but keep the rest of the body in trim before you get to them. Torso and upper body strength should be kept in trim and don't forget to exercisde the legs- in particular the quads. All that being supported on a walker is not going to help on leg strength in 6 weeks time.

And on the walkers- My local Seaside town is famed for the Walking frame races as the residents of the hotels rush down to the pier after breakfast to get the best chairs for the days resting. At your young age and it only being a temporary usage- you should be able to get the best seat every day.

OUCH!!

Heal quickly but heal well.

Meantime, just for jollies, why not mount some of your cycling accessories onto the walker as a reminder of your real ride. A bell would actually be practical, and you really should have a headlight for wandering around the house at night. You're probably moving kinda slow so how about a blinkie so you don't get rear ended, don't want to agitate your injury possibly prolonging your recovery. Bottle cages are always a must have item. A computer set to time mode will allow you to firmly grasp the walker with both hands and still be able to keep track of the time. An orange flag will help keep you safe as you cross the parking lots. Lastly, you really should put a set of panniers to tote your stuff around in when you're shopping.

You know I'm just teasing of course. Please keep us apprised of your progress.

Thanks for all the supportive comments and observations! Half of me is pissed off and the other half can't help but find it all a bit amusing. Yes, Stapfam, I'm doing a variety of crunches, back arches, and some lite upper body stuff, and some very careful leg extensions and ham curls. Just gotta be careful not to stress that pelvic area. I tore some knee ligaments skiing 8 years ago and was in a cast for, of course, 6 weeks. Surprising how quickly you can lose strength/flexibility when you're not mobile. Took some work to get it back. Probably same this time, but that's OK...it will be good to be DOING something.

The ER doctor, appearing a sedentary guy, thought I was mildly heroic for cycling in a pack at my age. I could barely resist answering him that I was no hero, but had been in the "company of heroes" at BF Fifty Plus. :thumb: