!!Comatoa$ted

The stereotype shows a man reaching mid-life and buying a corvette, or some other really powerful car. But what do you do if you have chosen to be car free and are hitting mid-life crisis?

Is a motorcycle an option? What have some of the older men done that have been car free at this stage in their life?

Yeah I know this is not as important as some other car free issues but I thought some light-hearted stuff would be nice to throw into the mix.

So what do you fellows think you will be doing to try to regain that sense of youth that has disappeared while raising a family and climbing the corporate ladder?

Or is it that since bicycling is a childish thing to do that we are not men with little boys inside of us, but outwardly boys with a man looking to come out and drive off into the sunset. Or is it that we have always been youthful because of our cycling habits.

As well do you women have the equlivalent of a males midlife crisis, or is it that males are so buggered up that females just watch and have a good laugh?

Ok I am going to hide under my desk now.

kf5nd

When I hit my mid-life crisis at age 40, I dusted off my bike and got back on it. The pretty young women smile, wave, and hoot at me (I've always had good legs, they're better than ever now).

I love it. It does more for me than driving any fricking cage would.

My wife tells me I am not allowed to ever stop riding the bike. She likes how I look (and feel) now. BTW, I'm 45 now.

There, is that enough information for ya ?

tsl

When I began my mid-life crisis, I went for urban geek. I ditched the car for a transit pass, sold the house in the 'burbs and moved to a high-rise. That was eleven years ago. Since then, I've ditched corporate I.T. life for self-employment, I've grown my hair out (because, you know, I'm a creative web guy now), moved to a smaller, walk-up building and this year bought a bike.

I feel *so* much better with the exercise, and just plain riding takes 20 years off my state-of-mind. Puddles and riding in the rain takes another 20 years off it. I'm afraid that riding in the snow may return me to the womb.

Anyway, I'm headed for the equivalent of a flashy car. Next spring an upper-midrange cross or road bike, the year after that, whichever one I didn't get the year before, with a goal of owning a pair of Sevens with full Record (one cross, one road) in five years.

!!Comatoa$ted

Kinda puts it in perspective for me. One I get my degree and pay off my loans there will be many nice bikes in my future. Heck, it's not a degree it's a licence to get more bikes, yeah!

damian_

The equivalent around here seems to be a flashy road bike that weighs less than a sandwich, along with all the lycra you can muster.
Alternatively, a recumbent?

MediaCreations 

Unfortunately I can't afford a mid-life crisis but if I could it'd be all about blowing $10 000 on a new road bike.

tsl

Or, from some bicycling translations I found somewhere on the web (wish I'd also saved the URL):

"I'm on my beater bike"
Translation: I had this baby custom-made in Tuscany using titanium
blessed by the Pope. I took it to a wind tunnel and it disappeared. It
weighs less than a fart and costs more than a divorce.

I've thought about it. I have nearly enough gray hair. But I can't grow a proper beard to save my life, and I find wool socks too scratchy.

Seriously, it's enough of a challenge carrying a DF bike up the stairs to my apartment.

Cyclist0383

https://www.vanillabicycles.com/ seems to fit the bill!

!!Comatoa$ted

I think I am also going through mid school crisis as well. I have my heart set on getting a motorcycle. Unfortunatly I have to wait until next spring until I have enough money to get my license and a bike.

Roody

My mid-life crisis was a heart attack at age 45. That eventually led to all this cycling and so forth. Since I'm now in better shape than I was when I was 25, I'm hoping to hold off the next mid-life crisis until I'm 80.

nedgoudy

At 55 I bought a Rhoades Car.
It is out for delivery via UPS Freight
and due within the next two hours.

36 gears, dual drum brakes, suspension,
deluxe steering wheel, seat, and mirror
with Positraction drive in both rear wheels.

See my bike here: https://www.rhoadescar.com/4w1p-j.jpg

More pictures and a ride report
later today or this week.

cooker

How about a mid-life cross country tour?

genericbikedude

Bicyclists with midlife crises? Two words:

Alleycat Race

cerewa

I think a motorcycles can definitely be a midlife-crisis-mobile. I knew one guy who got to be 45 or so and then moved out of the family home (leaving his wife and daughter), bought a motorcycle, and found himself a new girlfriend. He was an environmentalist type, so a motorcycle makes sense compared to the car he drove before. And look at Harleys... most of them cost around $15,000 so their main market is people old enough to have lots of money to spare. (i.e. high-income folks who probably have a nice education to get that high income and who aren't still making student loan payments.)

The whole "midlife crisis" thing seems kind of selfish to me, when people spend money extravagantly in hopes of making themselves smile or feel comfortable. Not that people need a midlife crisis to be ridiculously extravagant.

But it's another example of how first-world consumtion has been able to get out of hand because of cheap electricity/gas/energy, while unequal trading practices keep a lot of the world from having access to basic services like clean water, toilets, and vaccines.

krazygluon

Get a rivendell. Nothing says old-guy-with-too-much-money like a $4000 custom fit hand-made lugged steel frame. then outfit it with top end campy components, and don't forget the lycra.

cyclezealot

When you start to look good, age is irrevelant. Driving a Corvette does nothing for a beer gut. Women like to fondle tight calves, not protruding beer guts.

tsl

I ran into a couple of guys on Sunday doing just that. Credit-card touring from Erie, PA to Bar Harbor, ME. And doing it a century a day. Yow!

brunop

i bought 2 independent fabrication bikes.

thatmattbone

I'd suggest a sexy recumbent from challenge. One if my favorites is this guy: https://www.challengebikes.com/html/i...selectie=fujin

mmm...I'm a poor graduate student, though, so will have to wait for my mid-life bikerisis. But with my beard and clip-on sunglasses a 'bent is pretty much a forgone conclusion.

gwd

I didn't think it was a mid-life crisis but I did get 'bent for an unsupported car free tour of Quebec. I went relatively high -end. Its fun, its like learning to ride all over again. The Quebecker Harley riders seemed to get off on it for some reason, they kept slowing down to look and the fat mamas on the back would smile and wave.

Mine came from :
https://www.hpvelotechnik.com/index_e.html

The newer models of the street machine seem better than the one I got in 2001.

dta95b7r

Funny to see this post just yesterday the girl i'm seeing said she thought i was going through a midlife crisis. Gave up the car for good live in lycra only 20 years old though so i don't think its a midlife crisis. IMO anything that gets you on the bike can't be called a crisis can it?