Blackberry

Awhile ago, an email was making the rounds stating the advantages of being over 50. Some of the "advantanges" included:

In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.
There's nothing left to learn the hard way.
You have a party and the neighbors don't even realize it.
You quit trying to hold your stomach in, no matter who walks into the room.
Your eyes won't get much worse.
Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.
Your supply of brain cells is finally down to a manageable size.

But seriously folks, have you come across advantages--such as being more aware of what's important in life? Or being less concerned about how fast you go and more into enjoying the ride? Have you actually acquired any wisdom? If so, how about sharing it?

DnvrFox

Well, I managed to live the first 65.5 years. Some folks do not have that advantage. What scares me is all of the folks in my high school graduating class who didn't. Yes, we have an update every 5 years by some good fellow students-at-the-time who keep track of those things. There is a pretty long list of those no longer around, including my two best high school buddies, and my dad who died at 61.

As far as wisdom, I still make the same stupid mistakes. (Again and again, the wife says!)

I guess having and raising two successful children in what at times have been rather "challenging" circumstances, and staying married to my wife for 41 years, are the two best advantages of being 50+.

jaws

This is from an email that came from a friend after a recent birthday of mine.


THE PERKS OF BEING OVER 50
1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
2. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.
3. No one expects you to run a marathon.
4. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
5. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
6. Things you buy now won't wear out.
7. You can live without sex but not without glasses.
8. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.
9. You have a party and the neighbors don't even realize it.
10. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.
11. Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.
12. Your secrets are safe with your friends, because they can't remember
them either.

Blackberry

I guess having and raising two successful children in what at times have been rather "challenging" circumstances, and staying married to my wife for 41 years, are the two best advantages of being 50+.[/QUOTE]

Bravo!

PaperBoy

Being able to forecast the weather better than the Weather Channel. If my left knee hurts, go find the umbrella!

Feeling and looking better than I did when I was 40 (except for that knee!).

netso

Not being able to chase young girls, they run too fast, and I do not have enough money to slow them down! This is actually an advantage!

Metro

Not caring about the "extra belly" that shows in your cycling gear. (Let 'em laugh. I'll show em how fit I am when I complete this century).

Dchiefransom

At about 50, it's like reaching the top of a long climb. It's time to shift to the big ring and have a little fun on the descent.

xray

Quote: Or being less concerned about how fast you go and more into enjoying the ride?

I have to disagree with this thought. Last week I went for a ride with 2 other guys who are 10 to 20 years younger than me. I beat them on both sprints of the day. So at 51 I enjoy the ride, but still llike to beat the younger guys in the pace line. I guess I'm not old enough yet. Maybe there's a difference between being old and being imature?

As for me, I may be getting older but last year I had my fastest times ever. The moral of this reply is, you can still be fast and 51! I for one am not ready to just enjoy the ride at the back of the pack. I like it just fine toward the front and still have a smile on my face from enjoying the ride.

RB

DnvrFox

Hmmm! Maybe we need a 65+ forum!

Rowan

Oi! I'm watching you!!

berny

You've taken the words right out of my mouth except that I'm a bit older than 50, i.e. 63 turning 64 next month.

slickrock

As the "old" guy in the bike shop where I work (part-time) I have the chance to educate customers in ways the younger guys (read high school kids) cannot. When I fit a helmet to a child, I teach the child and the parents about helmet fitting and safety. They listen to me. I can't tell you how often the parents tell the kids to listen to "the man" abouit wearing helmets when they ride their bike. Also, helping older custermers is easier for me because my silver hair (what little I have) imparts authority to the customer and they often open up to me. Besides all this, I raised two great children, who are my real trophies.

Rowan

And when you explain to the parents that the five minutes you've spent adjusting the helmet straps is all that's needed, they express... amazement. And the kids say: "That's feels... great." And this while you explain why a helmet shouldn't be worn way, way back on the head because end-overs over the handlebars common, and the forehead is unprotected...

Yes, the arrogant young bike shop jocks have a lot to answer for. And there are some money-grubbing LBS owners out there, too. Just ask me.

slickrock

Rowen--So what's your point? Profit is not a dirty word. After all, the money will follow the service if done correctly. My job is not to sell biking stuff. It's to instill and encourage a love of biking. I do this, and the store earns money. Sounds ok to me.

Rowan

Sorry I probably wasn't quite clear. It wasn't directed at you or profitability. I want LBSs to survive against the web because I like the immediacy of real-time shopping.

But when calculating bottom line, that five minutes you spent educating a customer doesn't even count in the eyes of some LBS owners. In my experience, there are some shops whose owners and staff have only one objective -- to sell a bike irrespective of whether it suits the customer in fit or suitability. Then there are those that pull little swifties such as installing lower level componentry in place of better stuff. It's notable that where I live, there is beginning to be a shift in attitude as we send bike course graduates away with much better knowledge of what they want in cycling and equipment.

You obviously understand that the love of cycling does not mean a love of racing. That everyone deserves a bit of attention. And you're right, the dollars will follow because of customer satisfaction.

slickrock

Rowan--What a great answer! I've worked parttime for 8 years and really like most (95%) of my customers. You're right that a love of cycling does not mean a love of racing. Most of my customers are young families who want to ride with their kids; something that I hardily encourage. Perhaps someday I'll be the salesman who helps you. Take Care and have a good ride.

hickok45

An advantage of being over 50 is that I don't really care what I wear when biking. Doesn't matter in the least whether I look like a racer. I wear whatever I happen to have on that day, except that I'll add a bright vest, and of course my Glock if I'm going anywhere at all.

MikeR

WOW you plan to live until the year 2100!!! What's your secret?

DnvrFox

Maybe he will tell you in 2101.

MikeR

One of the small disadvantages of being 50 + is you seldom hear anything that is poignant or profound, because the expression is so shallow or you have heard it before, but Dchiefransom, what you said was spot on, right! I’m going to remember that saying!

OldShacker

2 advantages of being over 50 in my case as a cyclist.
1. I am a competitive commuter. I ride very hard to and from work. I work on form and technique. My tempo is at around 70 rpm cadence. 25 miles round trip. Out of 300 plus employees I am the only one that commutes.
2. When the weather is above 50 on my commute days Monday through Friday I race home only to rest for about 30 minutes then load the tandem on the van and head out to one of many bike paths and ride with my wife for a brief 20 mile jaunt.
Sometimes we put in a really good workout keeping the tandem at 20 mph all the way. And other times we take notice of what we passed once before. I never did that when I was younger. We enjoy each others company. We do get a few compliments on how well we are doing as a team on the paths. That’s the kind of stuff that keeps us young.
Then on weekends the bike paths have a lot of cyclist. My wife and I have a complete first aid kit with ice packs (all kinds of stuff). I also keep a few various size tubes with me with a few set of patches. On Saturday and Sunday morning we do about 25 to 35 miles and we usually find someone that did not come prepared. We help them and talk cycling. A lot of people can’t fix a flat for some reason.

wpflem

Good Samaritans on the trail, now that is music to my cycle enthusiast ears! It is truly amazing how many people don't know how to fix a flat. Only in recent years have I learned that sobering fact. I thought everyone who had passed through childhood knew about fixing flats.

My wife attended a week of Barnett's bike mechanics classes this summer with one of her primary goals being to help her grade school children (it's a group of rather indigent children, primarily Navajo and children of Hispanic migrant workers) keep their bikes in order. And yep, to my surprise she had never even changed a flat prior that training.

Blackberry

Revealing my ingnorance (yet again) What is a "Glock?"

dbg

A young co-worker jovially gives me a hard time about all the things baby-boomers have ruined for his generation. This started after I bragged about setting a campus record of 28 kegs in one party where now they don't allow ANY keg parties on campus at all. We started a list that I'll post if I can remember where I put it.

How about the advantage of having lived through the 60's.

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"The older I get, the better I used to be" Lee Trevino