Introductions - 51 Years Old, Getting Back Into Cycling

Also a Clydesdale (5'10", 230 lb.). I have a 20-year-old Bianchi Volpe as a road bike, which seems to be a good Clyde-hauler, but am also looking at a mountain bike for some city riding and not-too-technical trails (see age in thread title :lol:). Whaddaya think? Large hardtail with a fairly stiff front fork? Any suggestions welcome.

Cheers,
Jim

Welcome to Bike Forums Jim.

welcome to the forums, cant help ya, I can relate to the age but I'm 185-190ish.

Also a Clydesdale (5'10", 230 lb.). I have a 20-year-old Bianchi Volpe as a road bike, which seems to be a good Clyde-hauler, but am also looking at a mountain bike for some city riding and not-too-technical trails (see age in thread title :lol:). Whaddaya think? Large hardtail with a fairly stiff front fork? Any suggestions welcome.

Cheers,
Jim

Howdy, your roadbike should be fine in the city. Just avoid the big craters, I mean potholes:)

I was not too far off from your height and weight a few months ago (dropped some weight since then.) When i started out, i couldnt get my legs over my old road bike. It was also very uncomfortable to try to ride my road bike (that is a little small for me) due to the posture. So after i got my old road bike tuned up, the bike mechanic had a 1995-ish steel framed hybrid bike (with no suspension) that was my size, for sale, that he had rebuilt. So i grabbed that before someone else bought it. From what i have learned since, for my needs riding on roads and sidewalks in city, and also for bike path use, a hybrid with 700c wheels is preferable to a mountain bike with smaller 26" wheels. I tried a hard tail old steel framed mountain bike to compare and while it was fun to ride, I did not find it preferable for long rides. So what i suggest is unless you truly intend to ride on unpaved trails, you would most likely be better off with a steel framed hybrid bike than an old steel framed mountain bike. If you have same experience i did, if you drop some weight and get more fit, then you will develop more interest in and comfort on road bikes and the hybrid bikes will start to lose their appeal (so its good not to spend too much on a hybrid.)

Hey Jim, gtrman423 here. May I suggest that if you do pick MTB as your drug of choice that you get a lock out fork or at least one that is adjustable. Also think about getting less aggressive tires. Make the bike more comfortable by adjusting seat post,etc. My MTB is not street friendly, I hate going to and from the woods. I am 59 and am trying to stay in the woods as long as this body will let me. I do around 3,000 miles a year on a road bike, and 500 MTB. I am a bike tech/salesman by trade, so I am passionate about this sport. Find a good tech in your area. Buy him a coffee. Get to know him. Fix your bikes. Read Cycling Mag. Drink wine. Read "The Power Of Now", The Tao Te Ching. Loose weight, sleep 8 hours. And most of all ....ride first, then do your the honey do list.

When I got into biking many years ago, about age 50, a hardtail MTB was my bike of choice. Slicker tires are a necessity, (Nanoraptors are one compromise), you don't want to be pedalling the big knobbies on the pavement. I did my first century on an MTB, though a little slow. MTBs are great fun in the city, they eat up potholes and ride over problems easily and you sit fairly upright. If I was looking new, I might pick a 29er instead, (a size down), or grab a good used Trek or Specialized 26er off of eBay. I still ride a MTB for commuting, though I'm a road bike guy. My street MTB either has the sus fork locked-out or I've switched to a Nashbar rigid fork.

I'm a road bike guy now, but I have two street ready MTBs in the garage...one for heavy touring, one for commuting, (+ a dedicated dirt MTB). Hybrids? Not interested, they appear too much of a compromise to me.

I commute to work. Started out with a scott 1991 Boulder MTB. I have since moved to a new Trek, Gary Fisher edition 29er. I was apprehensive about it at first, now I love it. You definitely want to be able to lock out the front forks on the streets. The bike rolls great, and on the lighter side I'm starting to loose weight. BTW, I'm 52. I'm about 210 lbs. You'll love the MTB, if that's what you decide. Enjoy.