Originally Posted by Joe F

Just wanted to check in. First post. Really cool to stumble across this sub-forum. 62 here. Discovered mountain biking about 7 years ago and it has been life changing. I herniated L4/L5 and L5/S1 some years back doing some heavy lifting that left me with permanent numbness/neuropathy from the knee to toes on the outer side of my left leg. Thanks to that running is out as well as most recreational sports I used to participate in. Surprisingly, mountain biking has been no issue for my leg or spine. I clip in and let it rip. When I come out, my back feels great! I do wear a short (About 5" tall) sport lumbar support belt that is in tatters after several years. The company went out of business so if anyone has come across a good one, please share. Got a physical last week and received an outstanding report on all stats. Getting a CT Cardiac Calcium Scoring done next week due to a lack of family history (orphan), and the fact that two fellow riders in their 50s have died of heart attacks out on the trails around here in NC in the last couple of years. I ride a 2014 Trek Fuel EX-7 29er that I converted from 3x10 to 1x11. I do all of my own maintenance as well as restoring bikes for abused and underprivileged kids. I can't post the link yet as this is my first post, but if you are on Facebook, my page is: Uncle Joe's Bikes.

Anyway, howdy all. Looking forward to future discussions with my fellow "old timers".