Age and bicycling!
 

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=307830I have no advice whatever! but do offer my observations on the joy of cycling over the years.

Rode a Schwinn StingRay, in green, fat tire, when about 12, then was part of the early trend in 10 speeds when I was 14...had an Atala full campy bike.

Then mountain bikes, GT LTS 2.

Then my current mount....

A KONA UTE.

It is a weird bicycle, but I like that its long wheelbase makes it a smooth ride but has no suspension units, which are very hard to keep running like new after 3 years, the forks do not slide like new, and the rear units are time consuming to rebuild.

None of those problems with the UTE.

I don't wear a helmet ever, but ride about 7 miles per hour on bike trails. I look at rivers, sometime walk for fun.

I probably get more enjoyment than ever from the UTE, and like the new SERVICE bicycle category.

I ride pretty much year round, stopped only by deep snow.

Bike trails only, no roads.

And you?

I haven't decided yet,, on what bike or motorcycle I want to be put in the ground with,,,,,

Untill that day I'll keep riding my recumbents.
I doubt I will ride my MTB and my Harley into my old age but I will try.

Like you, I enjoy the bicycle more than I ever did as a child. Back then it was basic transportation, now it's fun.

I'm not afraid of roads, any level, but spend most of my time on the MUP, down by the Fox River Trail.

How old would you think you are if one's DoB was unknown. :-)

@ 65 I average around 100 to 130 miles a week and should double it this summer. I have been car-free for > 5 years.
At present I'm thinking of a cheap used Toyota to get to the nicer riding areas and be able to sleep in over-night if need be.


Most of my riding has been on hard-tail MTBs... with the forks properly set-up for my 210+#.
Wear has never been an issue for me if the forks are lubed with up-rated elastomers & springs.

My do everything bicycle is a Trek DS 8.6 with 63mm lock-out-able fork and 20mm of rear travel via flexable chainstays combined with a Brooks Flyer makes for a smooooth ride indeed, albeit a bit heavy @ 30#.

So looking forward to the coming of the disc brake road bikes as the required rims will support my 210+#. The BMC GF02 disc is tempting but at $2500 a bit much.

I wear a back-pack w/tools/pump/food/warm clothing/lights in the event I stay out late... my night vision is still good.

Cheers!

STill riding MTB technical single track (even though I carry a Medicare card). I know at some point I'll have to stop, hopping those logs gets tougher with age. But it's such a blast. I joke with some of the younger dudes, when I'm on the trail, I know who the oldest rider is. I ride MUPs and road too, but mountain biking is totally fun.

Glad you found a bike you really like.
I'm 68 and still enjoy my road bikes. :love:
Always rode in traffic in Atlanta and my wife always worried.

Now we live in Florida. I have my choice of several paved trails to ride (they're quiet and very scenic. :thumb:) and my wife doesn't worry anymore.
I also ride on quiet back roads with friends occasionally. :beer:

The great thing about riding a bike is the fact that it is low impact exercise. And I would also add that riding a recumbent is just about the most pain free exercise available.

And that's also the bad thing. High impact exercise keeps bones dense.

I can say much the same... (except that I stopped riding when I got my driver's license at 16, I always wear a helmet and I average 10 or 11mph)... But the essence is the same....

I ride as fast and as far as I want. And, I stop when I want...

I feel no reason or pressure to push myself faster, further or harder... I like to ride for the many benefits of the aerobic exercise -- but I do my best to be sure that I am enjoying it as well.

?
 

I have never ridden a recumbent, like to know what you think of them.

Like to know more specifics about the surfaces you ride on, and you bike.

childhood bike?

Now this is an interesting Post. I produce TV shows for PBS ( a new show I host) and write books, check out latest book...GUIDO'S LOVE.COM, I've been thinking seriously of doing a show on how people use bikes for everyday travel, eliminating or severely reducing the need for a car.

Anything you can share on this topic would be of great interest.

Hope you like the material on the book, there's a sample chapter, audio book chapter, reviews, 5 videos including eggplant parmesan recipe.

full name of book is Guido's Love...Ways of Loving & Raising a Family That Work!

Then all your riding is on trails?

Hmmm... how's the Fla. thing.

Actually I enjoyed all my bikes very much, fitting well into different times in life.

I far far far prefer the mechanical cable disc brakes over the pads on rims.

They work better in the slop and stop better.

recumbents
 

Interested to know more about your experiences with recumbents.

Just got a fully suspended bike after 22 years of a front only suspension MTB--and that makes a huge difference for traction but also for comfort it is like a magic carpet. The trails that I ride are very steep and very rocky at times. I do ride the road a lot more and for much longer but that may change with my new MTB.

May i offer this...any exercise which loads the bones with "stress" be that neuromuscular movements of the leg on a pedal or high impact will dramatically improve bone density.

You may be right that high impact does more good, but then you have the damage to knee and hip cartilege to factor in too.

Actually that is incorrect:

High impact exercise is very hard on the joints not the bones and stress fractures may increase with age!

However physical exercise with some intensity where the heart gets pumping is excellent for our old bones. Good blood circulation will bring the necessary ingredients to maintain strong bone density. (of course good nutrition as well)

Even walking is a great help.

I wonder how much difference there is between the Kona Ute, and the MinUte, with it's shorter wheelbase that "makes it look like a bicycle" according to the Kona sales blurb.

Long wheelbase cargo bikes like the Kona Ute or Surly Big Dummy fire up an urge for me to get one, just so I can go hauling major appliances home by bicycle!

Dang you!
I gotta NOS GT Sanction 2.0 still in the factory box that should be out in the day light (got it for $$).
But I need a cheap car to get to single track trails. Might sell it but it does keep a dream alive.

Circulation? I have taken 160mg of aspirin with breakfast everyday since age 40. Always taken with food.

Check Amazon for inexpensive collapsible trailers. Sure seem to store easy.

I want to be more like Ned Overend, two years my senior and someone who still wins mountain races against much younger riders.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=307914

Age is subjective.

Actually, it is weight bearing exercise or activities that are good for the bones. Cycling really does not do much for bone strength.

I always wear a helmet. A crash last summer produced 21 stitches and the doc cleaning out dirt and fine gravel that was packed in my ear. I was thankful for my helmet!

We ride on roads exclusively. MUP's are too dangerous with all the old people on them:) Really, we just don't have very many where we live. However, I feel the MUP's I have ridden on are more hazardous than the roads. I'd rather cope with motor vehicles that are supposed to follow rules of the road; than deal with pedestrians, mothers with baby strollers, inline skaters, racer want-to- be cyclists, and other cyclist that don't know or follow common sense rules.

As has been pointed out, weight-bearing exercise (pretty much everything except swimming and cycling) is extremely important for preventing bone loss as we get older. Many studies have shown that avid and competitive cyclists who do no other exercise have the bone density of someone decades older! Cross-training makes sense on so many levels.