Fifty Plus (50+) - Need to know does and don't as I begin my venture in bike riding in my 50's

I bought my basic bike in 2007 (Schwinn Sidewinder 26" Men's) but used it rarely, until last year I started to use it more often (monthtly, then weekly). Now I enjoy riding 3-4 times a week. My longest ride being 11.5 miles. So any input from you all is appreciated. I consider myself new at bike riding as an adult (50's).I like watch youtube clips if you know of good ones of cycling. Thanks

Do keep riding. Don't stop.

Do keep riding. Don't stop.
+1

I started riding in April this year after almost 25 years of not riding regularly. Keep riding! Hopefully you'll be blessed with the progression from riding to addicted to riding...at least if you have as much fun being addicted as I.

I also like the way my clothes fit now, and the fact that I don't get out of breath walking up stairs or up a hill.

+1 to all the above.

Keep riding.

go on your search and type in "you tube how to change a flat tire on a bicycle"

This you gotta know. Watch several of them. Front tire is way different than rear wheel with chain and gear clusters.

On some rides, you might not find a Good Samaritan to help you.

go on your search and type in "you tube how to change a flat tire on a bicycle" +1
Along with that, pick up a seat bag kit, maybe a pump, make sure you have some decent front and rear lighting (safety) and then just keep riding.

The one thing I learned back in the mid 1960s is that the better the bike the more pleasurable it is to ride. Good quality components work better from the get-go and are far easier to maintain in good working order. I learned this by accident while in college when I started looking for a used bike to get me from my apartment to the college. I only had around $100 available and my two choices were a Schwinn Varsity and an Italian made Fiorelli 10 speed bike. I didn't know didly about bikes at the time and chose the Fiorelli because it was a beautiful bike, weighed only 29 pounds, and it had entry level Campignolo components on it. It was a fortuitous choice because when I began to ride it, it was a lot of fun. All of the components worked perfectly. I had quit riding a bike (Schwinn of course) when I first got my driver's license. I dare say that had I chosen the very heavy Schwinn Varsity with its mediocre components, I probably never would have joined the local bike club and started riding seriously.

Your current bike is heavy. I tried to find out exactly how heavy but the only reference I could find is in a user review and that person stated it weighed 40 pounds. That's a lot of weight to push around. I picked up a similar Walmart Schwinn put out in the trash recently by a neighbor. It had decent wheels on it and I knew someone who needed a rear wheel. The rest of the bike I trashed because the components
weren't worth stripping off the frame. That said, while I was looking up the specs for your bike I came across a posting from a bike shop owner I have known since 1971 and his comment was that a lot of people buy this type of bike and ride it until the wheels fall off without having any complaints. Still, I'd suggest you look into buying a bike (maybe used) that weighs less and has better components. You will be amazed at how much further you can ride with the same amount of effort.

Still riding at 68 - a fine quality recumbent trike.

Keep riding. And look for opportunities to lengthen your rides. You don't have to kill yourself with huge ambitions. Increasing by about 10%/week is plenty. And if, on any given day, you don't feel like your ride is going well, make it a short one and don't beat yourself up about it.

Vary your routes - don't do the same out and back over and over again. Make sure the rides stay interesting and fun.

Before you know it, you'll be reminiscing about the days when you thought an 11 mile ride was long.

I rode 80 laps around the block when I first started.

go on your search and type in "you tube how to change a flat tire on a bicycle"

This you gotta know. Watch several of them. Front tire is way different than rear wheel with chain and gear clusters.

On some rides, you might not find a Good Samaritan to help you.


+1
Along with that, pick up a seat bag kit, maybe a pump, make sure you have some decent front and rear lighting (safety) and then just keep riding.

All of this^^^^^^^^^^^^

Keep riding.

Enjoy!

Edit: Welcome to 50+ forum!!

Very good advice from all the above.
+ Don't forget to pray before you go.

I started riding in April this year after almost 25 years of not riding regularly

You almost described my situation exactly. But for me it's:
I started riding in April this year after almost 30 years of not riding at all

Despite that, through regular riding and through pushing it HARD on every ride, I have completed 2 centuries at over 19 mph average, completed RAGBRAI, and ...


I also like the way my clothes fit now, and the fact that I don't get out of breath walking up stairs or up a hill.

:D

Note to Pastor Jim (the OP):

Join a club.

* They will show you the ins and outs, and the dos and don'ts

* They will encourage you

* They will have organized rides at various paces, and you'll be able to monitor your progress as you improve

* And the rides are usually quite fun, and you'll get to meet a lot of like-minded people.

Yeah man, I started back this Year after 30+ Years, its a joy I am glad to have rediscovered, got a couple of 8 to 10 miles loops I do after work... well after this week it may be to cold for a while. Ride on!

All roads are connected, be caseful once you venture out on the road, it is like a river and you may find yourself swept away, going on rides far farther than any you imagined.

(Paraphrased and Stolen for J.R.R. Tolkein)

Hi Jim,
I'm from NC also and am the oldest guy in my Ba. of Ministry classes. I also started with a Schwinn. It's a hybrid and I rode it for only a little while and really got hooked on the exercise before I picked up a used but almost new Trek road bike. Keep riding the Schwinn and if you hang around here long you will hear about the N+1 and soon enough you will be picking up that more appropriate bike others have eluded to.

Hoping you have great success with the biking.

Gary

Read this:

http://michaelbarry.ca/2011/11/the-group-ride-2/

It applies more to the more accomplished riders, but all riders should aspire to reach this level of riding. A group ride of the kind described here can be incredibly rewarding.

Interesting responses. My two cents: Don't take too seriously what you may be told you "must" do. The human body and psyche are incredibly adaptable. The most important thing is that your bike be comfortable. Other than that, learn to adapt, learn to enjoy, push yourself a little (and a little more and a little more). You aren't racing anyone but the Grim Reaper, and biking can help you stay ahead of him if you are careful.

Now, all that being said, it is true that a nice bike can be easier to ride farther and faster than a lesser bike. Road tires have less rolling resistance than mtb tires.

But all that being said, here is an anecdote to ponder. 35 years ago and more, when I was teaching high school, there was one student who loved riding. He was a sophomore when I met him, small in stature but seemingly wiry. We talked bikes occasionally because I'd just bought a Peugeot UO8 (bought on a teacher's salary and which I still ride) and he rode a Schwinn Varsity. One Monday he came to school all excited about a ride he'd done the previous Saturday. He and a buddy had spontaneously ridden from Richmond to Williamsburg, a total of about 50 miles. I was thoroughly impressed. Partly it was the sheer initiative they had. If it had been me I would have fretted over the route. I still don't know how they found their way other than maybe having a map and a good sense of direction and the ability to read signs. Partly it was because he'd done it on his Varsity. In any case, it was an epic trip.

The point is, all you need is a willingness to ride and the ability to adapt to whatever comes your way.

Enjoy the journey!

If you are doing it right, you spend 10% of your salary or pension on cycling. It is like the fundamentalist churches.
Some people focus on buying the latest gimmick. Others focus on buying the best of yesteryear.

Which ever way you go, keep riding.

Hi and welcome, especially back to biking

Rule #1 of forums: Take all advice with a grain of salt, including mine!

I think that most of the things to do have been covered, except using a helmet.

Don't get hung up on equipment. Ride the bike you have, and as your experience and skills increase you will know when something else might work better for you.

I met this guy and his son who were doing a weekend tour in Germany. The bike he is riding is a 1940's model. He was having fun, covering ground, and doing it quite well. He was not into classic bikes, that was just the bike he used every day.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy112/Doug64_photos/IMG_4405-1.jpg

The more you do, the more you can do.

Wear your helmet and keep pedaling. You'll be surprised how fast you build up and the distances you can travel on a bike. Get a speedometer and keep track of your miles. I bike to work every day 24 miles round trip and really enjoy it. When it starts to rain I just put on fenders and wear a rain jacket that I bought at REI. I bought a backpack that has a rain cover to keep my work clothes and computer dry, I change at work. Weekends I'll go ride in the morning before the family wakes up great fun and you meet a lot of people. I do about 3 or 4 century rides a year and have lost 20 lbs year to date (need to lose another 10). So what is their not to like about cycling. I just turned 60 this year I'm a cancer survivor and really encourage you to get out and ride that bike!

I started back to riding last Fall after about 15 years off the bike. First ride was about 3 miles and I felt like C R A P! Rode a century this Summer. Just ride. it will come. Don't get too hung up on "what others do". Personally I could care less.
Changing a bicycle tire/tube? Child's play. But it will give you some problems the first time you do it. Again, just do it.

Do keep riding. Don't stop.

But when you do stop, remember to put at least one foot down - hopefully on the same side that you are leaning...

I rode 80 laps around the block when I first started.

I rode to the end of my 400ft driveway when I first started, and that took me 3 tries too.

If you are doing it right, you spend 10% of your salary or pension on cycling. It is like the fundamentalist churches.

Candidate for the weirdest post of the week. Could that be why the pastor still only has one post to his name?

Just sayin'.

I had not been on a bike in about 20 years when we bought my kid a bike. On a lark, about a year ago we took her to a trail in the City and I rented a bike to ride a few miles with her. I found that I really enjoyed it and remembered that I enjoyed riding a lot when I was younger (in my mid 50's now).

One thing led to another and I bought a hybrid from REI. I began to ride on my own and also with my family (we bought my wife a bike too). By the middle of this summer, I rode 150 miles on the Great Allegheny Passage over 3 days. That was a little taxing for me, but I'm pretty comfortable riding up to 35 miles at a time.

Family rides for us are about 7 to 10 miles, but that's fun too. I'm looking forward to next spring and we've already got some family rides planned that are a bit longer. I'm trying to figure out how to build my endurance for longer rides (time commitments at work, Scouts, extra-curricular school activities, and church don't leave much extra time for riding longer distances). But I can squeeze in a hour or two here and there.

Enjoy your time on the bike. I find that I enjoy the solitude of a quiet ride on my own; time to actually think without a cell phone ringing or some other distraction. You've gotten some great advice and I really don't have anything significant to add other than to echo the sentiment to have fun and let cycling take you where it may.

I started riding again after a thirty-five year hiatus at the age of 55. Since May, I have logged 1,400 miles. My advice is to get your doctor to say it's OK before you begin, then keep at it. I had my first accident two nights ago...on a bike path of all places. The radius of the curve decreased and my tires are cheap with hard compond all across the tread, so I bit the big one. Road rash all over the left side of my body...fun. I will be back on the road soon, however. The scrapes are well worth the benefits I have received!!! Start easy and don't quit!!!

Wash your cycling clothes after every ride!

DO: Have fun!
DON'T: Share your pie!

Hey Brother Pastor Jim. I enjoy time with "the Lord" on my rides. But don't get so lost n prayer that you forget the traffic. Keeping riding and smiling. The improved Cardio vasucular exercise will also improve the speaking, if you do any of that.

Wash your cycling clothes after every ride!
Unless you need to ride before you get them washed.

Learn to BREATH while riding! This is what messes me up on a long climb. I get all wrapped up grunting my way up the hill I stop pumping oxygen into my lungs. A bonk is soon to occur.... (Bonking is running out of energy to keep going)

Learning to keep your blood oxygenated will be your ace in the hole as your climbing skills improve!!

Fuel up before a ride. Driving off on a near empty tank is bad mojo. This is the same for cycling. This includes making sure you are well hydrated before departure!! Keep food and water with you on your rides. Staying fueled up/hydrated will keep you moving forward without bonking.

Breath baby breath!

HEY-PASTOR JIM! Where did you go?

First, welcome to the 50+ Forum.

If I were just now starting out, I'd probably spend the time reading all of the posts in this thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/438160-For-the-50-newbie-rider

I hear ya David. Isn't it great health wise and to not be so winded so fast anymore :-)

I do agree with you on it being a heavy bike. I figure at some point I will like a lighter bike, but for now it is enjoyable and getting me out there riding so it is serving it's purpose. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Gary,
Thanks for sharing. I appreciate your input as well as many others :-)

I do agree with you on it being a heavy bike. I figure at some point I will like a lighter bike, but for now it is enjoyable and getting me out there riding so it is serving it's purpose. Thanks for sharing.

The first bike is never the right one-and neither is the last one.

But you have a bike- use it. If you have a goal in mind like weight loss or fitness then it will work.

However if you plan on doing Century rides then something better would be more suitable

Watch out for a few points to come up like the 10% hill for a mile should not be tackled for a while--Next weekend will be soon enough and if you stay around this forum then start saving for N+1 now and don't tackle the Pie rides till you can do the milage to work off the weoght gain.

Pastor Jim- I hope you are getting to enjoy cycling! As mentioned above, clubs can be a lot of help. So will N+1. My first bike , when I got back into cycling, was a Huffy, backed up by my trusty Murray.
Lighter bikes = more miles = more fun , Here endeth the reading , here starteth the fun...

What car is specifically mentioned in the Bible?

A - a Honda. For it is written: the apostles all left Jerusalem in one Accord....

It's the SMILES that count. 100 smiles per ride = a SMILE CENTURY!! :) :)

What car is specifically mentioned in the Bible?
A - a Honda. For it is written: the apostles all left Jerusalem in one Accord....

I thought it mentioned motorcycles... "David rode his Triumph through the hills".... :innocent:

What car is specifically mentioned in the Bible?

A - a Honda. For it is written: the apostles all left Jerusalem in one Accord....

It always amazes me how we can get from the OP's original topic onto something totally different - LOL - but i like it!

I do agree with you on it being a heavy bike. I figure at some point I will like a lighter bike, but for now it is enjoyable and getting me out there riding so it is serving it's purpose.

When Thomas Stevens arrived in Liverpool on his around-the-world bike ride, he was met by members of the local cycling club. Many of these fellows had ridden a century (100 mile) ride the fall before, and a few of them had ridden a double century.

This was in the spring of 1885.

Keep your Sidewinder lubricated and adjusted and keep the tires pumped up and it will be a fine companion for many, many rides to come.

On the topic of "need to know dos and don'ts", your local library should have a copy of this cycling book (http://mitpress.mit.edu/images/products/books/9780262560702-f30.jpg), or be able to get it for you on inter-library loan. Chock full of good information across the spectrum of cycling (you can pick and choose which sections are applicable to your flavor of riding.)

Oh, and about the much-maligned Varsity (http://sheldonbrown.com/varsity-shaddox.html)...

An important thing to keep in mind is that many of us ramped up our cycling with little more than a bicycle and the road. No internet, no fancy cycling food, no lights, no fenders, no helmets, no cyclocomputers, and not even any lycra.

What you need is a bike, the desire to ride, and the good sense to keep it fun. All the other stuff may increase your safety or your enjoyment, but are not must-haves.

Hi Brother,
I am mainly in subdivisions and paved/gravel trails so I too enjoy my time "with the Lord". I am excited about doing this and getting in better shape, the discipline, and being out among the Lord's creations, especially on the trails.

Jim