Fifty Plus (50+) - I'm so awesome

Thank you. I'm going to wait until I'm competent. That may be several years :) My initial awesomeness has morphed into a sort of envy of youse guys that have got it down. As I will.

I would only take about 30 minutes to get it adjusted and your riding would be more fun.
I started 3 years ago at the age of 65 years.

We have all been where you are with the bike right now.

Here is a quick picture of my wife's bike. Notice the handlebars and how they are flat across the top to the shifters and the bottom of the bar is almost parallel to the ground. This is a common setup.


She has a beautiful bike. I changed the position of my handlebars early this morning, they look more like that.

I live on a block where most all of us are 50+ and we've all lived together on the same block for the last 30 years. I'm sure they are very entertained right now, lol.

Thank you. I'm going to wait until I'm competent. That may be several years :) My initial awesomeness has morphed into a sort of envy of youse guys that have got it down. As I will.

I would take 10 Wheels up on his offer. You can learn a lot in an hour riding with him as opposed to trying to figure it out by yourself. It will speed up the learning curve and make your rides in the future much more enjoyable and productive.

I would take 10 Wheels up on his offer. You can learn a lot in an hour riding with him as opposed to trying to figure it out by yourself. It will speed up the learning curve and make your rides in the future much more enjoyable and productive.

Have to agree. Will save you months on set up but PLEASE-- Don't drop 10 wheels on the hills

Definitely take up 10Wheels' offer. He has been around the block quite a few times, and know his stuff. what you will take a year or more to find out, he can show you in 30 minutes to an hour. He can also give the bike a check-over to make sure that things are in order, and if they are not, can advise you what to do.

Trust me on this, as someone who has designed and delivered bicycle riding courses for adults (most of the participants were female in their late-40 to mid-50s)... Do NOT underestimate the importance of getting things right as far as fit goes from the start.

There are many people like you full of enthusiasm at the start who just cannot understand why riding a bike is so painful. In the end, they shelve the bike-riding plans and do something else. Others who feel comfortable right from the start keep on riding.

Lucille, you are so awesome.

I just began cycling last April. I read this site from 'cover to cover' and learned plenty. It took a while to get my bike comfortable. It was a matter of tweaking a bit at a time. Finding a comfortable saddle also took some time. At this point I can't think of a single thing that needs doing on this bike, hence the need for n=1.

Thank you. I'm going to wait until I'm competent. That may be several years :) My initial awesomeness has morphed into a sort of envy of youse guys that have got it down. As I will.

Hey Lucillle, your competent to ride with 10 wheels and his friends. You'll meet a couple of ladies that ride with him, that can give you a lot of help, if needed. I've rode with them and they are one of the best groups you could meet. If I lived closer I would be riding with them all the time. Anyhow welcome aboard, have fun with the new ride.

OK. So I look at the gear stuff and it makes more sense. Meanwhile, the rear tire gets a flat :( Maybe this bike is a lemon.
I will treasure and take up the offer to ride, 10 Wheels, but I got to fix the tire. Will research it, get the stuff, and get it done this weekend.
It would have been a beeyootiful day to ride a few miles, too.

Lucille,

Soon, a flat will be a five minute inconvenience, not a reason to miss a ride. Hang in there, it only gets better.

There are many people like you full of enthusiasm at the start who just cannot understand why riding a bike is so painful. In the end, they shelve the bike-riding plans and do something else. Others who feel comfortable right from the start keep on riding.
I am listening. I'm not going to shelve this. Went to the doc this morning, I got to exercise more and lose weight. And biking is a fun way to do it. I used to ride about 45 minutes a day, but that was ten years ago. I'm thinking I'll do a mile and conk out, the first time. That's OK, I'll do a mile plus 2 blocks the second time.

Lucille,

Soon, a flat will be a five minute inconvenience, not a reason to miss a ride. Hang in there, it only gets better.

Well, I have a wally world type bike, But I just don't want to ride it, I'd rather tame The Lemon.

Lucille, Welcome,
I would have loved having a mentor when I first started riding as an adult('79), I had to learn it all through books and experience--- the internet didn't exist then.
I started riding again('08), so much more advice and knowledge is available now. The internet is a wonderful resource, as is bikeforums

OK. So I look at the gear stuff and it makes more sense. Meanwhile, the rear tire gets a flat :( Maybe this bike is a lemon.
I will treasure and take up the offer to ride, 10 Wheels, but I got to fix the tire. Will research it, get the stuff, and get it done this weekend.
It would have been a beeyootiful day to ride a few miles, too.

I carry everything to fix a flat. No problem. I have had 60 flats in three years of riding.

I carry everything to fix a flat. No problem. I have had 60 flats in three years of riding.
I emailed you and my email got returned, maybe it's an aol thing. Will Walmart have flat tire stuff or should I go to the bike store?
I think I saw a tool over at WM to help get the old tire off.

Why so many flats?
That makes me feel better, I thought maybe somehow I accidentally did something to The Lemon.

I carry everything to fix a flat. No problem. I have had 60 flats in three years of riding.

Isn't that a lot of flats for that amount of time? I haven't had that many in all my seven (four of which I was car free) total years of riding.

Isn't that a lot of flats for that amount of time? I haven't had that many in all my seven (four of which I was car free) total years of riding.

37,000 miles 6 tours. I have had two periods of riding 3,000 miles each with no flats.
Glass and radial tire wires have caused the most.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=lurksmarvelous#p/u/74/YVT2H-9Jgzg

http://www.vintagecannondale.com/info.html Check this site, L.

37,000 miles .

Holy Moly. You are amazing.

http://www.vintagecannondale.com/info.html Check this site, L.
OK. But whatever it is, if I can take it apart, put it back together, and ride it good, I'll be happy.

37,000 miles 6 tours. I have had two periods of riding 3,000 miles each with no flats.
Glass and radial tire wires have caused the most.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=lurksmarvelous#p/u/74/YVT2H-9Jgzg

It is true then, what they say, it isn't the time, it is the mileage.

I still thinks flats are just Luck.

I first started riding with a group and went 3200 miles on $10 tires with no flats.
They had some on $30 tires.

The guy in the video with the purple bike had 8 flats one day.

Seat should go up, the stem should go down and the brake levers should be on the bend of the bars so they ( the levers) should come down about 2 or 3 inches.

Ok, ok, there are a lot of opinions in print about 'bar setup, and no clean way to sort them out. It's clear the bars are rotated too far forward. The bottom grips should be between horizontal and point toward the ground - pointing to the sky is never something that's recommended. For a tight-bend bar like that people often locate the brake levers so the tip of the brake lever is even with the bottom of the flat lower section of the bars. Others do it differently. But the first thing is to get them rotated.

There's an obsession many of us fall into called fitting - fitting the bike to our bodies. It's even worse than buying endless crap for bikes. You've opened Pandora's Box now.

The most critical thing is saddle height. It's important for power production and knee health. The power thing is important even for us 50+ers, not because we race (yet some of us do) but because we need to make the most of the strength we have. We do increase our strength, but we start with less than do the 20-somethings. Easiest way to check it is to put on a pair of flat shoes, put the bike in a doorway, and get on. Make sure you can reach the door way sides to hold yourself up. Put your HEELs on the pedals and pedal backwards. When you leg is at maximum extension your knees should just lock straight with no rocking of your pelvis. If you pelvis rocks it's gonna hurt, and if your knees don't straighten you could end up putting excess stress on your knees - could lead to a knee injury. We don't have time to waste healing knees or undercarriage chafings, so this is important stuff.

Lesson 2 later on ... if you like.

Lucille, welcome to the Forum and welcome to the game!

Yes Ms. Mouse, you have started a path that will probably lead to phrases likes N+1, shoes, peddles, seats, lights. Fun stuff! On cold or bad weather days it fun to figit with the bike. Hopefully you already have a good helmet and gloves?!?! :eek::thumb:

This is also a great group to hang with. Since your name is girlie sounding, drinking a glass of wine instead of beer is permissible. Pie is not an option. :)

Please, let's not corrupt the newbies! PEDALS, not PEDDLES. Pedals are the things you put your feet on, a noun. "Peddles" is a synonym for the verb "sells." One may peddle pedals, but it's illogical to pedal peddles.

Lucille, are you near Dallas? I used to live there. Half-Price Books has a number of good stores there - look for a copy of Anybody's Bike Book - it should cost around $6 used. For your bike, look for the second or third edition, but the first edition would be useful as well. It has really good and simple descriptions of what is going on in with bikes, what tools you really need, and how to do nearly anything that should ever be done. Nice line drawings of how to do things, as well.

The most critical thing is saddle height. It's important for power production and knee health. The power thing is important even for us 50+ers, not because we race (yet some of us do) but because we need to make the most of the strength we have. We do increase our strength, but we start with less than do the 20-somethings. Easiest way to check it is to put on a pair of flat shoes, put the bike in a doorway, and get on. Make sure you can reach the door way sides to hold yourself up. Put your HEELs on the pedals and pedal backwards. When you leg is at maximum extension your knees should just lock straight with no rocking of your pelvis. If you pelvis rocks it's gonna hurt, and if your knees don't straighten you could end up putting excess stress on your knees - could lead to a knee injury. We don't have time to waste healing knees or undercarriage chafings, so this is important stuff.


This is lesson 2. Lesson 1 is making sure standover height is OK, which we haven't progressed past yet.

But I agree with your methodology... this is a standard starting point for fit.

Lesson 3 will be reach and stem length...

Please, let's not corrupt the newbies!

Sho hope you are not implying that I am corruptable.....:)

Lucille, are you near Dallas? I used to live there. Half-Price Books has a number of good stores there - look for a copy of Anybody's Bike Book - it should cost around $6 used. For your bike, look for the second or third edition, but the first edition would be useful as well. It has really good and simple descriptions of what is going on in with bikes, what tools you really need, and how to do nearly anything that should ever be done. Nice line drawings of how to do things, as well.


There's a half price near where I live south of Houston, will look and thank you.

No, I'm not, but ... are you?

Lucille, are you near Dallas? I used to live there. Half-Price Books has a number of good stores there - look for a copy of Anybody's Bike Book - it should cost around $6 used. For your bike, look for the second or third edition, but the first edition would be useful as well. It has really good and simple descriptions of what is going on in with bikes, what tools you really need, and how to do nearly anything that should ever be done. Nice line drawings of how to do things, as well.

+1 Another good book for beginners is How to fix Your Bicycle by Helen Garvy.
It is a bit outdated for this day and age, however it does cover the basics. It was written with the assumption that the reader has no knowledge of bicycle repair. I also like the fact that she used line drawings as opposed to photos.

No, I'm not, but ... are you?

No. In fact I'm in a bit of a crisis mode. Quit my job about 10 days ago, they screwed up, then were saying stuff that looked like a coverup.
Don't mean to derail the conversation, but I enjoy honesty and real people, and have no use for lying and corruption.

The bike was my gift to myself to get my mind off of all that ****

OK back to bikes :)

Lesson 3 will be reach and stem length...

What's reach?

+1 Another good book for beginners is How to fix Your Bicycle by Helen Garvy.
It is a bit outdated for this day and age, however it does cover the basics. It was written with the assumption that the reader has no knowledge of bicycle repair. I also like the fact that she used line drawings as opposed to photos.


Thanks, I will go with the several titles and look, the internet is good but a well written book is terrific to have a reference.

Working your muscles IS a great way to handle such stuff, and a positive force to put into your life to counteract all that other .... well, we know.

I'm your age, no kids and married. I got laid off in March 09, and just started working again (brand new job!) August 2010. It can take a while. I never really knew why I was laid off, but bikes and cycling, along with music and singing, helped me a lot to just go past it. Due to my wife's job, finances were not an immediate issue, but it's better to work than not. I had 16 months of practice retirement. I lost weight, once I stopped listening to these folks here about pie!

Working your muscles IS a great way to handle such stuff, and a positive force to put into your life to counteract all that other .... well, we know.

I'm your age, no kids and married. I got laid off in March 09, and just started working again (brand new job!) August 2010. It can take a while. I never really knew why I was laid off, but bikes and cycling, along with music and singing, helped me a lot to just go past it. Due to my wife's job, finances were not an immediate issue, but it's better to work than not. I had 16 months of practice retirement. I lost weight, once I stopped listening to these folks here about pie!


I'm glad you got into biking and glad too that you found a new job.

I've heard the pie reference a couple times. What's with that?

Gad, you had to open that kettle of fish, didn't you, Lucille. :lol:

I'm glad you got into biking and glad too that you found a new job.

I've heard the pie reference a couple times. What's with that?

Thanks, actually I'd been biking for about 8 years already, I just spent more time at it.

Pie: something nice happens, have some pie. Finish a bike ride, have some pie. Stop for lunch on a ride, have some pie. et cetera. Rides are not real without pie. At least I think that's how it goes. We have some experts here, maybe one of them will chime in.

What's reach?

distance from (here we may have opinions) where the saddle supports your sit bones to where the center of the handlebar is. The farther you tend to lean down on a bike the longer the distance that the bike has to provide for you.

It definitely needs to be adjusted not before the saddle is set correctly. That will take a little while. Less if you take those other folks up on an offer to do a setup ride with you.

We have some experts here


We have PIE experts here?


Ya know, there's a LOT more to the place than meets the eye :)

They/We even have a ride with the express intent to eat PIE. (I believe blueberry is the official flavor) It is called the Pie ride, I think it is in September. I did my first one last year.

Then there's the age ride, where the number of miles in a ride is equal to your age.

Thanks, actually I'd been biking for about 8 years already, I just spent more time at it.

Pie: something nice happens, have some pie. Finish a bike ride, have some pie. Stop for lunch on a ride, have some pie. et cetera. Rides are not real without pie. At least I think that's how it goes. We have some experts here, maybe one of them will chime in.

Those are all great reasons for pie, as if pie needs any reason. I would add: something bad happens, have some pie. Couldn't get out for a ride, have some pie. The more pie, the more incentive to ride, at least if you own a scale or mirror.

Lucille,
Pay close attention to what these folks tell you about fitting your bike to yourself. Even people with lots of experience can mess this up and there are consequences. A couple of years ago I was rushing around getting ready to leave on a short tour that had a firm arrive-by date that I was going to be hard-pressed to meet. Just before I was to leave I broke my saddle. (If it is on a bike, it breaks. I've broken almost everything.) I got a new saddle and didn't pay close enough attention to how I set it up. After the first day of riding my knees were a little sore. After two days I was beginning to get saddle sores for the first time ever (I've ridden over 400,000 miles) and my knees were even more sore. Being a slow learner, I finally realized that my saddle was just a couple of millimeters too high. I lowered it, but endured slightly painful knees for the next week and saddle sores for a month.

Lucille,
Pay close attention to what these folks tell you about fitting your bike to yourself. Even people with lots of experience can mess this up and there are consequences..

Hi, Lucille, What Carfree says it very true. Our bodies are less able to adapt to poor fit than they might have been 20 years ago, and recovery can be downright lengthy.

I think we need a pie forum here on the site. And people could post the best pies and their reasons for consumption. I personally love Blue Bell ice cream and think I will have blueberry pie and Blue Bell vanilla to celebrate my first thousand miles.

How the heck does one break a bicycle saddle?

I think we need a pie forum here on the site. And people could post the best pies and their reasons for consumption. I personally love Blue Bell ice cream and think I will have blueberry pie and Blue Bell vanilla to celebrate my first thousand miles.

How the heck does one break a bicycle saddle?

Too much pie?
In a couple of months we celebrate pie day - March 14.

You ride some and then you ride some more, and if it doesn't hurt then great, if it hurts you change saddles and repeat as necessary until you find one that doesn't hurt. But if I'm right and that is a Brooks saddle that you have on your bike now then you most likely not have to much of a problem. Is there a metal tag on the back of the saddle that says Brooks?

I don't see how anyone could advise you to raise the seat without knowing how you fit on the bike. It may be perfect or it may need to be moved. Good riding and good blues to you. :thumb:

If you have to ride the bike with the seat slammed all the way down in the seat tube, then the bike doesn't fit properly. That's how I can say raise the seat.

If you have to ride the bike with the seat slammed all the way down in the seat tube, then the bike doesn't fit properly. That's how I can say raise the seat.

If the frame is too big then she would need to get a different frame, not raise the saddle. Leg length determines the correct saddle height. But if the leg reach is right, if she can straddle the top tube with her feet flat on the ground and if the reach to the handlebars is right, then the bike fits. Of those factors, I would put standover height at the bottom of the list.

I think we need a pie forum here on the site. And people could post the best pies and their reasons for consumption. I personally love Blue Bell ice cream and think I will have blueberry pie and Blue Bell vanilla to celebrate my first thousand miles.

How the heck does one break a bicycle saddle?

Well, I've broken them a couple of ways, but it doesn't happen often This particular one failed where one of the rails inserts into the rear end of the saddle. I had used it for about 100,000 miles with about 10% of those as the stoker on a tandem. That's a lot of pounding and what with all that pie...I have broken others, usually by reading the depth of a pothole by braille. They say the vision is the third thing to go after the memory and something I can't remember.

100,000 miles .


You are awesome