Fifty Plus (50+) - What Limits Your Riding?

In the process of trying to find a comfortable sit I've come across many reasons why people don't ride more often or further than they do. Others seem to have no limits.

One person told me they quit altogether except for toying around the neighborhood because they couldn't find a pain free saddle. Another because they don't have a very good place to ride.

Mine are two fold: Discomfort and time. After about 30 miles or so my butt just hurts too much for it to be fun any more. Also, there are only so many hours in the day and I do have other things in my life.

If you have something that limits your cycling what is it? Or, what are they?

I have lots of nice bikes, plenty of time, an understanding wife, good health (fingers crossed), and live where I can ride out my door into the country.

The only reason I can come up with is lack of motivation.:o:rolleyes:

Work and wife.
Work isn't as understanding as my wife about my wanting to ride more.

Sleep

Work.

Work and wife.
Work isn't as understanding as my wife about my wanting to ride more.

+1
Work & Wife!

One I intend to leave behind and the sooner the better. The other....I can't imagine life without her.

Let me put it this way: I occasionally get the urge to climb into my Tour Easy, point it westward, and just go. What keeps me within a one day out & back range is not my job!!

Working six days a week.

Work. New CEO and he has promised to keep me very busy.

http://blogs.sun.com/kto/resource/NationalLampoonNov75.jpg

work and climate

My biggest constraint is work. I had thought about trying to slow down after I turned 60, but right now I am "working my age," i.e., 60 hours per week, between doing my day job and teaching two night school courses at UCSD. In this economy, I am thankful to have steady work which I enjoy and which pays decently.

I'm 65 and usually ride alone and the thing that limits my riding (distance) is not feeling safe in many of the neighborhoods that I could ride through. I live in the close in burbs of Atlanta. Need I say more.

Work and family obligations are the biggies. Occasionally health issues get in the way. A recent broken leg has slowed me down a bit.

Like 10wheels, Sleep but I would add lunch and dinner to that list. I also simply don't have the energy or fitness to ride everyday. Four or five days out of seven is the most I can do without the legs complaining.

My coach limits my riding time. Three years ago when I decided that coaching myself was not working due to my overtraining, I hired a real coach. The first thing he made me promise was that I would not exceed his workouts and do recovery rides as prescribed. I'm also semi-retired, working three days a week, and have a very understanding and supportive wife.

In the process of trying to find a comfortable sit I've come across many reasons why people don't ride more often or further than they do. Others seem to have no limits.

One person told me they quit altogether except for toying around the neighborhood because they couldn't find a pain free saddle. Another because they don't have a very good place to ride.

Mine are two fold: Discomfort and time. After about 30 miles or so my butt just hurts too much for it to be fun any more. Also, there are only so many hours in the day and I do have other things in my life.

If you have something that limits your cycling what is it? Or, what are they?

Physical and neurological - I have mild but obvious scoliosis, severely knocked knees, and problems with balance.

Comfort - I've yet to find a saddle that doesn't chafe or rip me up.

Psychological - my joy in riding is limited by my perfectionist streak. It bugs me no end that I can't do things other, better, 'real' cyclists do - such as ride fast and use clipless, or even mount properly. I've given up riding in groups after a bad experience with a group of roadies in Harrisburg a year ago. Aside from a couple of friends who I still ride with from time to time, I avoid riding with groups now.

I went from 3000 miles in 2007 to less than 500 this year.

Run down physical condition - continuous sinus and ear infections, family/work stress and mild depression. Last winter it was several 2+ foot snow storms when we normally only see a couple 3-6" storms.

1. Work
2. Rain. Won't start a ride in rain but will finish one if I get caught in it.
3. Snow. Please excuse use of four-letter word.
4. Ice. Might as well be a four-letter word.
5. Cold. Another four-letter word. 15 F or less. Above 15 is OK if no #3 or #4 four-letter word junk on road.
6. Evening rehearsals for two different choirs in which I sing.

As far as I can tell, tsl laughs at numbers 3, 4, 5, and perhaps 2. Methinks he's a tough hombre.

I've developed arthritis in my hands which is slowly getting worse. I can't use my bikes with the thumb shifters anymore, so no more roughing it up on my mountain bike. I've equipped one of my bikes with the ergo grips and am seeing if that helps. I hate wearing riding gloves because they get so frikkin hot, but I may have to to cushion my hands. Can anybody recommend some that are cool and will absorb a lot of shock so my hands won't have to?

We are finally crawling out of the super intense summer heat so I'll be able to get in more ride time. YAY!

Work. When it's hot the job kicks my butt, when it's cool the days are shorter.
I also ride pretty hard on Saturdays and need to recover so I would never ride 7 days a week. If I didn't have to work I would probably ride 5 days.

I am having a very difficult time getting my bike dialed in. We were up to 4 x 6.5 + 15 +12 a week..about 50 a week, but I have managed to get my knees messed up by my endless adjustments and my hands are still WAY to low. I have an appointment this week with a pretty good fitter and hope to put all that behind me. I hope and think LIGHT will be the limiting factor after that..I am not all that up on night riding.

Bike Forums

Okay real answer...same as doctor j except for #6 I don't sing.

I've been thinking about my initial post of the old "Lampoon" cover.

Work isn't my only excuse. I can come up with a lot more and it really makes me disappointed with my self.

It's too hot/cold.

It's too early/late.

I need a long ride and I don't have the time.

I can do a short ride but I really need a long one.

After four hours my legs turn to jello.

It's a holiday weekend. Might be some impaired drivers out there.

Excuses, excuses, excuses.

Time, or lack thereof and other household chores and family obligations. It may pick up soon however since our daughter and son-in-law live 2 miles north of the Katy Trail in St. Charles, MO. Since they just made us grandparents with a little daughter, I'm sure the wife will be wanting to go down there more. Gramps too, of course! But the trail is so close :)

Almost all my riding is commuting to work, so the limitations are weekends and vacations. This Saturday, though, my wife suggested a family ride. Off we went for an hour or two, and my 11 year-old daughter decided that the feeling of accomplishment made up for the required effort. this may lead to more weekend, non-commuting, non-shopping rides.

Paul

Well, I ride about 250 miles a week. I could ride more but that is actually usually enough. More would cut into my time for other enjoyable things. Can't use the weather as an excuse because where I live there are only maybe 3 days a year where the weather is so bad you can't go bicycling :-).

Lately it has been travel for work. I was in Quebec City last week, and am in Mexico City now. I will ride some this weekend and early next week. Then my wife and I will go on a 9 day cruise.

Work

Butt pain is my problem. I can ride 30 miles with only mild discomfort, 40 miles is painful and 50 miles finishes me.
I do not have the budget to try numerous $75 - $150 saddles until I find one that works for me. If such a beast even exists.
I would love to ride a century, I don't think my legs or stamina would be a problem but the butt is my Achilles heel.

Butt pain is my problem. I can ride 30 miles with only mild discomfort, 40 miles is painful and 50 miles finishes me.
I do not have the budget to try numerous $75 - $150 saddles until I find one that works for me. If such a beast even exists.
I would love to ride a century, I don't think my legs or stamina would be a problem but the butt is my Achilles heel.

+1.

I only ride if I am having fun. I don't set a goal for the length. I don't try and achieve a average speed I just ride because it is fun. When it's not I won't ride.

1. Work
2. Rain. Won't start a ride in rain but will finish one if I get caught in it.
3. Snow. Please excuse use of four-letter word.
4. Ice. Might as well be a four-letter word.
5. Cold. Another four-letter word. 15 F or less. Above 15 is OK if no #3 or #4 four-letter word junk on road.
6. Evening rehearsals for two different choirs in which I sing.

As far as I can tell, tsl laughs at numbers 3, 4, 5, and perhaps 2. Methinks he's a tough hombre.

Thanks, but I don't exactly laugh. At least not before the ride.

For me the great advantage is that I won't own a car. And I have a job, which I have to get to. If you compare standing in a snowdrift waiting for a bus that may not come, with the joy that cycling provides (albeit in winter, much of the joy is felt after the fact), not to mention the heat it generates, then you would probably make the same decision too.


Okay real answer...same as doctor j except for #6 I don't sing.

If you sing like I do, then your neighbors are grateful that you don't. Mine are. :innocent:

As for the topic, for me lately it's been rest. Ever since that flu hit me in June, I've felt tired and run-down all the time. Beautiful late-summer day today, and I slept until 11, then had a long nap after--well it was lunchtime, so let's call it lunch.

Yesterday went out for a nice 25-miler. I about died on the first climb, but was feeling a lot better at the turnaround. Shortly after that, a rabbit popped out of a side street, dressed in (local) team kit. (Then again, I was dressed in BikeForums Great Lakes kit.) Took me miles to chase him down. Only his bad luck with stoplights (and the fact it was probably his recovery ride) made it possible, although I did manage several miles in the big ring. (Man that Litespeed feels better the faster you go.)

Then I got home and collapsed for several hours, got up, made dinner, and went to bed.

I'm waiting for that part of getting older where you wake up early all the time...

........

I'm waiting for that part of getting older where you wake up early all the time...

Don't rush things. I've heard that the waking up early thing is bladder related. :innocent:

Rain, because they lock the gates to river beds. Here in SoCal when it rains people speed up to cut down there stopping distance.

I don't know what my limit is for an individual daily ride -- the most I've ridden in a day is 155 miles, which was this summer, and I felt pretty good at the end. I think maybe next summer I'll try to do a double century and then say that's enough. I toyed with the idea of riding brevets w/the randoneering club but there comes a point when their rides involve long rides at night over highways, and that I'd rather not do.

In terms of getting miles in, I think I ride enough. There are days when I can't ride due to work or family obligations, but once I worked commuting by bike into my schedule I manage to get plenty of miles. However I don't always have time to do the longer rides I'd like to do -- I rode only 2 centuries this year; I think 1 or 2 more would have been ideal for me. I do get bored on a bike after about 80 miles or so if I'm not riding somewhere really nice or trying to chalk up a particular challenge.

Time - or rather the lack of suitably sized chunks thereof.

During the week my riding is usually limited to utilitarian trips because of work (no car, so I ride to work, the store, etc.). On weekends I don't have time to ride for fun as often as I'd like. Lately I've either been doing freelance work or backpacking most weekends.

During my rides I'm limited by asthma that kicks in whenever I ride hard enough to start breathing through my mouth, so I ride at a pretty easy pace.

Can't use the weather as an excuse because where I live there are only maybe 3 days a year where the weather is so bad you can't go bicycling :-).
That is just not right.

Sometimes the doctors say "don't ride".

I ride with my wife and we are retired so there goes the primary excuses. But we both tend to get a bit butt sore and lose interest after about 30 miles. So we generally ride 25-30 and rarely ride more than 40. After that it just seems like work.

Work and family obligations are the biggies. Occasionally health issues get in the way. A recent broken leg has slowed me down a bit.

How did I miss the news of a broken leg? Hope it's healed and you're back on the bike.

Don't rush things. I've heard that the waking up early thing is bladder related. :innocent:

Piece of cake. Been dealing with that for years. It's part of the reason I prefer apartments with en suite baths. Shorter trip.

Although I am old enough to remember using chamber pots.

I thought my riding would increase after I retired but I've found there are other things that occupy my time - gardening, house/yard projects, etc.

I also don't ride in rain or temperatures below freezing. The January/February weather in Ohio often limits my riding time. I usually hit the gym much more during those months.

My back injury still rears it ugly head occasionally and will limit my rides:(

I hear a lot of complaints about saddles. I found a particular saddle at Performance that I liked. It was inexpensive so I waited until it went on sale and I bought 5 of them. Now I have them on 4 bikes and a spare in case something new magically appears in my garage.

Recently I heard about a bike shop not too far from home that has a bin full of "take offs" for $10 a pop. I am assuming they mean saddles taken off new bikes that were sold but the customer wanted a saddle swap. I am going to get down there later in the week and see if that is true. If a friend has a saddle problem, that's sure worth a shot at any local shop. All this goes without saying I would love to try to help that one guy get his current saddle adjusted properly. I bet that is as much of his problem as anything.

I sure wish I worked closer to home. I do commute a few times a year by bike but the 52 mile round trip isn't something you can do more than a couple of times a week and only when the weather is guaranteed to be nice. The drive is somewhat shorter but there is a river crossing involved and I have to go a bit out of the way to get to a bridge with a bike lane. And I have to bring everything I want to wear in the day before because there is no way I am humping all that too and from work on the bike. The really funny thing is that there are some 20-something guys at work who think doing a ride like that is too much. Man, those guys better start using it before they lose it. If I was within 10 miles of work I'd ride almost every day -- in fact I'd probably try riding every day for a month and at least once per week for an entire year.

I run a car at Speed Week which really kills the riding in the last two weeks of July through late August but that's OK because it's usually really hot then. I really like the spring and fall.

Time. Work is the biggie and I'm also buying and will be rehabilitating a 110 year old farmstead.

Work, Snow, Ice and Darkness.

My situation is complicated, mostly by my own abberant personality. The things that limit me most are:

1) Wy wife and I both work, so time is in extremely short supply, and is getting scarcer as the days grow shorter.
2) She and I both need to exercise regularly for at least an hour at a time, to succeed at losing weight and getting healthier.
3) She enjoys riding, but not to the extent I do, and thinks if there isn't time for a 2-hour ride, she'd rather not deal with suiting up, and would prefer an hour's walk on the MUP. Her preference for this over riding is increasing as the available daylight disappears.
4) I know she would have a hard time getting out to do any kind of activity at all if we weren't doing it together, so I choose not to ride during the week in order for us to get out together and walk.

All that leads to weekend riding only, and it's hard to make progress with that kind of schedule, though we have been increasing in small increments.

I mention my aberrant personality because if I weren't the sort of "pleaser" person I am, I'd just go ride by myself and let her worry about how, when and where she gets out to exercise herself. But I just can't bring myself to do that to her. I'm not saying that doing that would be inherently bad or uncaring, but I sure feel like it would be, and I'd feel terrible about it.

How did I miss the news of a broken leg? Hope it's healed and you're back on the bike.

It happened when the car hit me on 8/11. Healing, but not yet completely healed. It was rough for a while, but I am now able to walk and ride pretty well. Trying to get my stamina back up so I can ride a nearby metric century weekend after next.

What Limits Your Riding?


Bike Forums

Occasionally while out riding solo, I have encountered other riders, and I ask them if they read BF, hoping to meet some local subscribers. A couple of riders have snarkily told me, "No, I'd rather be out riding than sitting in front of a computer." So I replied, "Me too. That's why I post at work." :innocent: