rydabent

IMO if you are new to cycling and 50+ I would suggest you look hard at recumbents. You will only be getting older, and aches and pains set in. Yes they do. So later in life comfort comes to the fore. Contrary to what hard core DF riders say, DF bikes will NEVER be as comfortable as almost any recumbent.

Then is you are fortunate like me, Im 78 and still ride 30+ miles every other day, you might even want to go for a trike. I have the best of both worlds, since I have both a recumbent bike and a trike. I ride the trike around town, and the bike out on longer rides on hiways.

AccuNeal

I fully agree with @rydabent. I, too, have a recumbent trike and a recumbent bike. I am 69 and ride 15-30 miles every day. Safety and comfort were my original reasons for the trike purchase 7 months ago. In those 7 months I have ridden almost 3,200 miles with never a sore butt and no falls.

Mark Stone

I'm 63 and nine-tenths, and agree with you @rydabent - except for one minor point. That is the "50+" assumption. I think the aches and pains of elderlyness (I invented a word!) hit us at different ages. Right now I'm more than comfortable on my lil' city bike. However, when I start feeling the aches and pains I will think about recumbent bicycles because they have a rep for being very comfortable. But right now I don't feel that much different than when I was in my 40s or so.

Beach Bob

I'm more concerned about when the day that my stability starts to go... then it'll be trike time....

moth54

You will get many answers. I would say that how you ride, is more important than what you ride.

Phil_gretz

on several factors that the 50+ person must honestly consider going in. How fit am I? How athletic am I? Do I maintain my core strength and do resistance work to supplement my other aerobic exercise? Do I understand the relationship between diet and general health? How are my genetics, relating my body type, sibling and ancestor life length, and disease indicators? How much ego do I have invested in my physical prowess and physique?


All of these, and more, should influence one's bike choice. For me, at 58 and fit, with a family history of heart disease and prostate cancer, I'm like a ticking time bomb. I intend to go "balls to the wall" until then, and then re-assess. So, DF for me and no looking back...


My two cents.

Wildwood 

To answer the titled question: 'Any kind of bike that encourages a body to ride. With a smile.'
Traditional, recumbent, or trike doesn't really matter.

Many recumbents are more problematic to transport given their length.
There's nothing like a strong out-of-saddle sprint on a DF to bring a smile.
Fat tires 35mm or bigger make the experience easier for newbies.

Carbonfiberboy 

No! Do not admit defeat. A road bike is how you become or continue to stay athletic.

I was a road bike rider in my youth, but put bikes away for career. One day, soon after I turned 50, I stumbled on my way to the mailbox. Stumbling was not part of my self-image. That week I bought a used road bike and started training on it. It took me all the rest of that summer to become fit enough to ride up the 500' climb to our local shopping mall. Not that I ever go shopping there: it was just a challenge for me. Once I could do that, I started riding some distance. Two summers later, I rode my first double.

Never give up. "Do not go gentle into that good night." Denial is not just a river in Africa. At 71, I've started skiing steep bumps again this winter. Cycling is really good for skiing and vice versa.

FlashBazbo

This is the correct answer. Ride what you like for so long as you are able!

I'm not surprised that our 'bent advocates are located in relatively flat terrain. A recumbent in my part of the country (Cumberland Plateau / Smoky Mountains) is nothing less than a slow-motion torture device. Flatland good. Steep climbs . . . very bad.

Wildwood 

Regularly Active (RA) is more important than athletic.
The right recumbent can be very fast.

eja_ bottecchia

Generally, I would say that a rider should ride whatever feels most comfortable and is safe for his/hers physical abilities.

I do, however, like your can-do attitude and refusal to surrender to old age.

I am with you and will continue riding my road bikes until the day when I cannot ride anymore.

I am planning on breaking that 105 yo Frenchie rider's record. If he can do it, so can I.

TimothyH

Why do people feel the need to convince the world that what works for them is best for everyone else or that what they have is what everyone else should have?



I know a couple of recumbent riders in North Georgia who would love the opportunity to teach you otherwise.


-Tim-

Carbonfiberboy 

Heck yes! I only have to train hard for 34 more years.

BobbyG

I will ride my DF bikes as long as possible. And when that is not possible I will consider a recumbent or a recumbent trike.

linberl

The bike you ride today will probably not be the last bike you buy. You are only 50-ish (I'm 67). Don't worry about what you might need later on....you want the bike that will put a smile on your face each morning as you think about riding it, and the bike that gets you to ride all the time.
At 65, I went from a 700c Trek flat bar to a lovely Bike Friday. The smaller wheels and lower center of gravity allow for more stability and easier stopping, but I can still keep up with everyone on their regular bikes. Also, it is great for travel! Yes, there are some aches and pains ... or rather, there WERE, until I had a professional bike fit. Everything is great for now.
Maybe at 72 or 75 or whatever, I will decide I need something different. Maybe it will be an electric motor add-on, or a recumbent or a crank forward. Who knows? Whatever it is, nothing will stop me from riding and making a change in my "tool" is not a big deal. Buy a quality bike, keep it in good condition, and you can offset cost by selling it.
There's an 83 year old doing triathalons with her Bike Friday - so maybe I won't need something else later on

And maybe you won't. Buy a bike for NOW, let tomorrow take care of itself. Make sure it fits you correctly so you don't have pain from riding (which will keep you off the bike eventually). And then just ride.

mpath

This.

Also, my roadbikes fit inside my Fiat, my Mini Cooper, and atop my Porsche.

Besides, a local rider I know came in 2nd last October in the crit at the World Senior's Games in Utah on his carbon roadbike. And I think 5th in the TT. He's 82.

wphamilton

People sometimes attribute to age what could be overcome with gumption and effort. I've been getting stronger since I started at age 48, and I'm not ready to start down that road of accepting limitations just yet. Sure, my power and lungs may be half what I had in my 20's, but as long as you're improving why look back? I have no aches and pains, no health problems, and my fitness is pretty good, and I attribute all of that to refusing to just slow down, take it easy, enjoy the ride with comfort as king. Oh sometimes I do that, but I'm really looking forward to more intense training this year and achieving new levels, and I enjoy that most on a road bike that doesn't hold me back.

That's nothing against the folks that like to mosey along, and by being moderately active they're doing exactly the right thing for their health. But we're not all them.

ClydeTim

Exactly! At 230 lbs, too many people said I was too big to ride a bike as most were 160. If I had listened to them, I'd be sitting on a couch eating popcorn.

20 years and 85,000+ miles later I am still riding and no way am I ready for a couch on wheels.

In 2016, at 53, I set faster times on local rides than I ever have. No way am I willing to admit defeat, as it has been called.

Try to convince me again at 65!

ptempel

Q: What type of bike should a 50+ rider buy?

A: Whatever they like and puts a smile on their face.

There doesn't have to be a single solution for all. There is choice. Now choose and go ride!

John E

Yes, that is the best answer. I hate single-solution, one-size-fits-all thinking.

For me there is nothing like a sports touring frame or a classic road frame with a somewhat relaxed geometry and generous clearance for at least 28mm, if not 32 or 35mm, tires. YMMV

FlashBazbo

Agreed. Although my primary road bike is a BMC SLR01, I've still got a gravel bike in reserve. Relaxed geometry, room for mega-wide tires, and very comfortable. I can't ride hard core gravel anymore (bad knees), but the gravel bike will likely be in the stable for a long, long time. It's bullet-proof and it's fun!

10 Wheels

Bought this when I was 69

Mark Stone

This ↑↑↑↑↑

A lot of the pains I'm feeling now as I'm getting older were there when I was young. Sometimes I forget that. But one thing I know, is that my body still reacts the same way to stimulus as it did when I was young, with the exception of a lower max HR. When I treat myself right, and challenge myself aggressively, I still have the speed, low RHR, low BP and happy smile I used to.

Mark Stone

Wait - you bought a person with a bicycle??!?

10 Wheels

Take another drink..