scottogo

Just passing this site on.

https://www.bicycle-riding-for-boomers.com/index.html

Pardon me if someone else has already listed it.

Has lots of info... including chainless recumbants!

lhbernhardt

Hmm, seems to be an assumption that boomers are now all geriatrics! I thought the thing that distinguished boomers was that they'd stay young forever. Fifty is the new thirty, and sixty is the new forty. Hell, I'm 60 and I don't even feel like I'm 50 yet. But then I have been 19 years old for most of my life.

I think that boomers who discovered cycling earlier in their lives have already discovered the secret of eternal youth. This biking for boomers site seems to have arrived too late for the rest of the boomers! Well, it's never really too late, I hope they latch on!

L.

scottogo

Here is another boom about bicycle lighting systems:

https://nordicgroup.us/s78/

Lots of articles and links.
Warning!: site contains some nudity, which may or may not be delightful.

Road Fan

Actually, this rather sickens me. It assumes boomers know nothing about cycling, when in fact, we WERE the great bike boom, starting in the late '60s (my dawning of interest) through whenever. There is some truth, in that if you've laid off for decade or three, you don't know how to navigate the market today, and the unfortunate assumptions made in most LBSs are just insulting.

It also assumes boomers are barely able to move. If we're the generation that would stay forever young (now why would we thing this is unique?), how can we all be toppling over? But again there is some truth ... we know who we are!

I see a lot about

you can cheat on an electric bike
you can roll slow but comfy on a converted mtb, a comfort bike, or a foot-forward,
recumbents are better than wedgies (the pejorative terms drive me crazy).

I see nothing about

one of the most popular things to do with your 50+ buds and budettes (not involving much beer) is to go out for a 40 mile ride together
good fitters know a lot about setting up road bikes so they don't hurt
gaining fitness gradually with riding (ride more!) still works even on 50+ers bodies
you can get cool gadgets to put on your bike to approximate what's in that Lexus
road bikes today are more comfortable than ever as well as fast
you can still have a beautiful, supple, long-lasting Brooks saddle
if you like the way the old ones looked and worked, you can still get one and ride it with proper setup
if you like the materials (LOWER CARBON FOOTPRINT!) of the older styles, you can get modern bikes in the same style and which can be maintained by the shop you bought it from, like a car.

What's that mandatory 401k distribution at 59 1/2 for, anyway? Go out and kedge!

BluesDawg

Seems like a decent site for a wide variety of people. It's not all about comfort bikes and such. For example, https://www.bicycle-riding-for-boomer...-bicycles.html

PaulH

Does for boomers what Stepin Fetchit did for blacks.

Paul

Shifty

This statement says it all:

"The days of bicycles being just toys for the young are long gone. Older folks are finding new bikes that are boomer friendly and new ways to enjoy them. "

Older folks riding toys!

wrk101

+1 No thanks.

DnvrFox

"Expert repair advise "

Can't anyone spell adviCe correctly. Sheesh!!

I don't qualify, being very much a pre-boomer. Anyone got a website for us? Oh yeah, that's right. The 50+ subforum at bikeforums.net. A neat site. They even have a 65-85+ thread.

stapfam

I work with 3 others that are over 60 and coming up for retirement. They look more like 70 in their looks and actions. They are not mobile- not as agile as their job demamnds and always moaning about the job getting physically difficult.

I just moan about the job- but I am over 60 and have earned the right to be a grumpy old git after 30 years of working for the same company.

trackhub

Interesting, and somewhat bizarre. We were the ones who brought about the bike boom of the 70's. This site does seem to assume that boomers know nothing about bikes at all. Think I'll pass.

bjjoondo 

So what age is a boomer?? I guess I've never thought about it enough to know what the term Boomer implies.

t4mv

I think boomers are loosely defined as those born between '45 - '64-ish, basically kids of WWII vets.

I'd say a good chunk of the boomers helped fuel the bike boom of the late '60s, early '70s, but maybe people just think those above a certain age gravitate to other activities (like channel surfing, getting fat, stuff like that..) and forget all about riding a bike, and therefore need a refresher.

robtown

Ok - the site isn't targeted for a typical 50+ forum member. Who said we were average? Your reactions are a bit harsh.
I only examined the site for a few minutes but it seems like an honest attempt to promote cycling. The "about" page describes the author as having cycled the last 15 years (sound familiar?).

Pardon me, I have to go take my fiber.

DnvrFox

Has anyone discovered a "contact us" page? I wanted to provide a link to this firum.

10 Wheels

I couldn't find one.
Looks like some pay to be on there?

Dchiefransom

"I love riding bikes but found it frustrating that everything I read about bikes was written from the perspective of some young Lance Armstrong wannabe and nothing was available of interest to millions of mature bike riders."

From the website. No surprise there. Maybe his site will get more people out riding. It's not always about drafting and pacelines.

davisstraub

I started riding in 1951 at the age of four. At 12 I took my first 112 mile ride one week after buying a Schwinn Continental. In high school I rode a thousand miles from the Bay Area north and west by myself. I took three thousand mile trips by the time I got out of college. I own four bike (three road and one mountain) and ride them all. One at least once a day, at least 15 miles a day, often forty or more.

What's the problem?

NOS88

Sometimes I think it's hard for those of us on this site to remember that we are in the minority. Most people our age don't do what we do. While there were parts of the site that were of NO interest to me, I can think of people I know my age too which many sections of the site would be appealing. It's tough to create a balanced site for a population as diverse as the "boomers". For me, if the site gets any other folks out there riding, then it's a good thing.

DnvrFox

Road Fan

and besides, we real boomers still need a Dad.

Road Fan

It's not so much that it doesn't address me very strongly, it's that it perpetuates stereotypes, the same ones that (I assume, I wasn't really here then) impelled Denver to start 50+. I think there are a lot of fellows in their 40s who would benefit from beginning to pedal, and have a need to start gently. It isn't only the boomers that need help and encouragement or information to get out on two wheels.

Now about that 401k distribution ...

DnvrFox

Ouch!!

Road Fan

Well, yeah, it should do some of our cohort some good.

Road Fan

Our neighbor across the street just passed away - 68, but acted rather older. In contrast, I went on my summer tour with my cousin who's 65 and a friend of hers who is 72. Both kicked my butt soundly. My cousin is the smoothest pedaler I've ever seen, and can crank out 15 mph all day on a skinny-tire Cannondale. Her friend is nearly as refined, but has a reserve of power that is just amazing - left me far behind at 18 mph versus his 20, trying to outrun a rainstorm.