trmcgeehan

My Trek/Fuji LBS has absolutely no tact. He is a good guy, but about as diplomatic as a sledge hammer. He says I am getting really OLD, and need a touring bike for regular road use. I will be 68 in June, and have noticed my average speed on my 1995 aluminum Trek 1400 has dropped considerably in the past couple of years. My LBS says my old bones need a more forgiving, longer wheelbase steel bike with bigger tires and granny gears, such as a Trek 520 or a comparable touring aluminum model Fuji makes. I don't plan to do any touring, but what do you think about getting a touring bike for everyday road use? Will I be laughed off the road by the young lawyers on their $5,000 racing bikes who go out every other day and do 25 miles in a little over an hour? In 2005, I biked alone around 2,000 miles, much of it over steep back country Kentucky hills. This has been good for my spirit as well as my body. I do my best thinking/praying on my bike. My resting heart rate is 52, I'm 6'1", and I weigh 180.

baj32161

I think that you should get whatever bike that is comfortable for you to ride...period. I can understand the concern of your LBS with that, but it is your money. Also don't give the time of day to what those "young lawyers on their $5000 racing bikes" think or say. You are out there at 68 years old and, for what its worth, THAT is worth more respect and admiration than any $5000 bike or the hotshot that has a negative opinion about you.

Just keep on ridin'. That is what its all about anyway, isn't it?

Cheers,

Brian

fmw

It may be presumptuous for a young buck of 61 like me to give you advice, but I'd recommend you ride whatever bike turns your crank. I like race bikes even though I don't race. Heck, I just like bikes period. I like building them. I like riding them. I like owning them. I ride alone and it is good for my body and spirit too. I hear you loud and clear.

I can't keep up with the truly young bucks but I can outride most people my age. But I know riders older than me who can outride me very handily too. As long as you have your health, enjoy it and enjoy it on any machine that suits your fancy.

patentcad

The rest is just bike weenie static.

msheron

Ride what you like and feel best on! As far as worrying about the lawyers, (20 lawyers go sky diving...................what do you have? Skeet practice!)

Just kidding...............I have a few lawyer friends. I also have lawyer enemies. But being a LEO, you can't make everyone happy.

RonH

I'm 61 and used to have an aluminum road bike for my commuter. The streets of Atlanta are crappy and very hard on the joints, so in Dec 2004 I got a Jamis Nova cyclocross bike to use for commuting. The steel frame, carbon fork, and relaxed geometry are much easier on the joints. It looks and handles just like a road bike.

Here is the 2006 model.
Here is the 2005 model (my bike) before I put all the commuter stuff on it. The rack is for commuting and the LBS put it on before I brought the bike home.

Give a cyclocross some thought.

Dead Extra #2

I think he just wants to sell another bike. If its not causing you pain, you don't need to change anything. I have a friend in his 80's that rides a "racing bike".

The only age-related accessory he has (that I know of), is a t-shirt that says "This is what 80 looks like." Which is kind of funny because he has legs that most of us envy.

late

Hi,
there are several bikes out there that are fast but not rough.
The Trek Pilot carbon is perhaps the most famous. I love this one...
https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/habanero.html

blandin

Ok, even younger here at 55, but I think fmw nailed it.

BillyBob

I am 35 years old and my next bike will be a touring bike. I am a fitness rider. I rarely ride with others and want to ride longer distances. I rarely use my race bike anymore and ride my cross bike almost every day. I value comfort above performance.

My advice is to honestly assess your riding goals and then buy the correct type of bike to meet those goals.

foehn

What's that saying? "old age and treachery witl beat out youth and enthusiasm" every time.

It's not really what bike yer riding, but you are riding that bike. If you present bike is uncomfortable enought to make you slow down (which, yes, can come with age), get something else, or start modifying the bike you have to increase your comfort/strength.

Sorry, but I have to tell you that you probably are not going to get back into the 30year-old bicycling shape, but you can take advantage of what you have now.

And if you are one of those who ride like it is a war out there, well, remember the treachery part above. "All's fair in love. . . )

As You Like It

Man, my advice is the same as what I would give to an 18-year-old, which is to test ride everything that isn't bolted down, then buy what felt best. I know that's what I had to do to find my bike, and I am happy with the choice I ultimately made. The only person who can dictate your comfort and best performance is you, in the end. A savvy shop owner can point you in the direction of the most-likely good fits for your size and style, but it's your butt, legs, and shoulders which will have the final say-so.

Kabloink

Seriously, try a steel touring bike. They make for a much more enjoyable ride no matter what your age. Enjoying the ride is just as important as fitness.

Your worried about lawyers riding $5000 bikes? Ask your self how many of those lawyers will still be riding when they reach their 60s. Most of them will not be riding in year or two once they discover other hobby interests.

I do give your LBS credit in recommending a bike that they think your will best benefit from. Most LBS nowdays seem to be more interested in selling the most expensive bike they can get you to buy instead of selling one that suits your needs.

geneman

I just thought I'd tell you that I really like your sig. That is all.

Mark

Guest

Nah.

Ride the bike you've been riding, and incorporate strength training, building up to explosive movements (plymetrics) training, and throw in intervals. As you get older, your fast twitch muscle fibers slowly convert to slow twitch muscle fibers, but you can certainly train your slow twitch muscle fibers to contract faster.

This may seem a bit odd, but get a personal trainer if you've got the money, and find one who works with "special populations". There are certifications that personal trainers should have for special populations if they work with older adults.

Don't give up, as the fool suggests- you ought to go reward yourself with a blinged out Colnago, then ride over on the Colnago and visit him and let him know that the touring bike is out of the question.

Koffee

a77impala

I am almost 62 and have three steel frame road bikes that ride great, try one you may like it. I haven't ridden my alu frame mtn bike since I got my Trek 500 in Oct. i ride alone and have put on 3500 miles since May12th.

Retro Grouch 

Pull his membership card because he doesn't deserve one! To any real bike guy OLD means "over locknut dimension".

markwebb

You'll like the way the steel bike rides. I'm a mere baby at 50, but when I switched from aluminum to steel I felt MUCH better and stronger at the end of longer 50+ mile rides. My upper body was much less fatigued on a steel bike.

Steel does not = shame or nerdy or old guy. My Mercian looks every bit as fit and trim as the lawyers on their $5,000 bikes. So did my Viner and my Lemond. The Lemonds are very good buys.

The Lemond steelies and Mercians and Viners and such are not strictly long wheel-base tourers. They more Audax/long day ride bikes. Some are even racing geometry (I'd put a 90's Lemond Maillot Jaune up against most any new production aluminum bike). You can get a nice older Lemond (Zurich, Buenos Aires, Maillot Jaune, etc) on eBay for $500-$900. So don't think just because you go steel you are settling for something less. Quite the opposite. You'll just be able to stand up a little straighter and your back/shoulders/arms will feel a lot better after a long ride on steel ! You don't have to go to longer wheelbase tourer like a Trek 520.

Myself, now that I have the Mercian all built, I am thinking about buying something like a used Trek 520 for a daily beater/rain bike. But I get all the comforts of steel and good geometry out of my Mercian or Lemond or Viner.

kingsfan4life

like others have said...get whatever bike is comfortable

congrats on having more dedication on your bike than a lot of us

DocRay

go to Italy, those guys ride full race Pinarellos in their 80's...they die in the saddle, happy.

The Octopus 

One more vote for ride whatever makes you happy and whatever gets you where you want to go.

Locally, there's a dude in his early-60s who not only rides with the club "A" ride, but he takes more than his fair share of pulls. The guy who holds the course record on the Last Chance 1200K is 63 years old. And we all know plenty of 20-somethings and young lawyers who are way, way too out of shape to justify their titanium masterpieces, from a pure fitness/performance perspective. Juding what someone ought to be riding based on what their birthdate is seems silly and uninformed.

pinky

You're 68, thats more than 3 times my age. You're old, it happens. But so was this guy and at 92 he could still beat most non pro racers...
https://ridezine.com/Looking%20Backwa...ses%20Away.htm

2manybikes

Are you having some kind of problem with the aluminum Trek? Like bumps bothering your joints or something else? If you did not complain about your bike, it's an attempt to sell you a bike.