Another Grandpa Checking In....
 

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".

Welcome Joe, what part of NC ? :thumb: on fixing up bikes for kids who can't afford new ones.

Thank ya! I am in Concord. I typically ride either Sherman Branch or Rocky River. I'm the one who takes so long I almost have to pack lunch!

Welcome Joe, I had just about the same result from a L5-S1 fusion several years back. I'm 63. Cycling has been a saviour for me for sure.

Cool!! I'm in Concord as well...I started out Mt Biking but after going over the bars a few times I started riding on the roads and haven't looked back. Have you worked on the new trail in Concord by chance?

A lot of my friends ride Sherman and RR.....Sean, Tina, John, Mark, Matt and Jerry who lead the building of them and still looks after them.

Been on the 50+ forum for quite a while. Graduated to the 65+ group a couple years ago. Really good people......I've been fortunate to meet and have been helped by a number of them.

Welcome Joe. I am 65 and love riding my full suspension bike on local trails, also ride lots of road. Frequently get spanked by riders (men and women) older than I am.

Ha! Cool. Yes I once had a bit of difficulty keeping up with an older looking guy that passed me. When I finally caught up with him (He was almost fully packed out in the parking lot), I said hello and asked how old he was. He said he was 72. I commented that he was pretty dang fast for 72. He told me he could be even faster if he got reckless, but had reached the age where to quote:
"I'm just too old now to risk falling!". :50:

Welcome to the gang. :)

Being a Grandpa is great -- I have two sons, and the elder one has two sons, now aged 4-3/4 and 2-1/2. My wife and I take care of the little guy on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...03488f52f2.jpg
They live near Legoland, which is convenient because they and their dad and their granddad are Legomaniacs. Here they are with the driveable(!) 1:1 scale Bugatti Chiron made almost entirely out of Lego Technics parts, except for the metal frame and some 3D-printed drivetrain components.

Henry has started bicycling, but Erik still rides in the Burley trailer behind my son's 1980 Peugeot PKN-10, which used to be mine, but is one size too tall and too long for me.

A Lego Bugatti! Who'da thunk it?

Thanks! You may be cross threading though. After 5 years I still love my old Trek Fuel EX-7 29er and am not looking to replace it. I've pretty much overhauled or replaced everything on it by now. All bearings, brakes/rotors, bottom bracket, Fox fork and rear Fox Float seal/oil kits etc... Since I converted it from 3x10 to 1x11 Shimano XT drivetrain with an 11-50 cassette out back, it's all the bike I need.....

For now. ;)

Whoops, you are right -- reading one post while responding to another. Oh well, the welcome still stands!!!

Spines are strange things.

I have always worked out and had to give up things as age caused more and more spine issues. First I had to give up running, then swimming and then even walking without a painful limp.

After decades away, I returned to cycling last summer. Started with a comfort bike hoping I could get in a few slow and short rides a week to get some kind of exercise but resigned to the possibility that I could not ride at all. To my great surprise I gradually saw improvement to my back and quickly went to a road bike and decent daily and weekly mileage.

As the cumulative miles increased my back continued to improve. Several close calls on my crowded roads caused me to switch to a MTB, and several crashes on the trails caused me to modify it into a sort of light tourer which I use on MUP's, rails trails, double tracks and the few miles of light traffic roads I have here.

Despite different types of bike geometry, types of riding, and riding surfaces my back has continued to improve. I had always heard cycling was bad for the back but I got lucky.

I wonder why my Dr's and PT's never mentioned biking for therapy.

Howdy!!! Years ago, I built up bikes from trash night piles for foster kids and such. Rewarding personally. I'm not in a position to do that presently,but the neighbor kids all know I work on their bikes too...

It was a bike wreck that has me fused T7-T12, and yet, riding is about the only thing that makes it feel PERFECT... CT Cardiac Calcium score is a great thing to know. Good luck. (mine a year plus ago was a perfect ZERO)...