AJW2W11E

I ride a 2016 Giant Defy and I'm a young 60er. I saw a 2019 Specialized Allez which has a more aggressive geometry. I'm thinking of buying her, but I'm trying to be realistic. I didn't starting bicycling until the pandemic, and every year I've gotten faster. I can still hold my own on the bike trail.There isn't a mom with a baby carriage that has ever passed me.​​​​​​​This past year I may have peaked. I'm down from four really long rides at a robust speed a week to three. I may have one more year of being able to outrun a dog walker with a 7 leashes.​​​​​​​What started this interest was I wanted a 15 pound Carbon Fiber bike, but with my Frugalian nature ,I couldn't justify it.Part of me says you only stay young by thinking young. Buy it! The other side of me says I'm avoiding reality , and that the Allez will turn me into a candidate for spinal fusion.​​​​​​​Do all people in our age group think like this when they buy a bike?

10 Wheels

Buy It.

Got this for my 70th BD

10 Wheels

10 Wheels

Bought This First just for the Indy 500 Mile Track Rides.

Jeff Neese

By "more aggressive geometry" do you mean the handlebars are lower? I'm 67 and still ride drop bars, but I do like them higher now, roughly about level with the saddle. What is your concern?

Kai Winters

I'm 67 and ride a 'slammed' Aethos...perfectly comfortable and I still make the 'kids' work hard.
Ride/buy what puts the biggest smile on your face. When you're 'pushing up daisies' it will be far too late and regrets won't matter.

RB1-luvr

I say get it while you still got it.

bruce19

I will be 77 in June. I've had C1 & C2 fused thanks to a crash in 2013. I'm still riding aggressive (?) road bikes. My "go to" bikes are a GURU Photon and a CAAD 12. It really isn't about your age. It's about how you feel. I wouldn't anticipate any infirmities. I'd just ride what feels right. When your riding days come to an end I don't think you want to be thinking that you never did what felt passionate but you made a "wise" decision. But, that's just me.

Bald Paul

(Your brain) "That super light, race geometry bike will certainly make you faster!"
(Your body) "No, not really."
(Your brain) "But think how fast you'll look riding it!"
(Your body) "Think about waking up the next morning, and feeling like someone was beating you with a ball peen hammer all night."
(Your brain) "But I really want it, and can afford it!"
(Your body) "Well, you make the decisions here. Go ahead. If you regret your decision, just remember I told you so."

I recently went from a 'race geometry' bike to an 'endurance geometry' bike. My average speed dropped about 0.1 MPH. A riding lawn mower engine in a Ferrari won't be much faster than the same engine in a Toyota. I do find I can ride further now, because I'm more comfortable. Just my $0.02

t2p

it should be as much (or more ?) about the type of riding you plan to do - as much as your age

skinny tire road bikes probably not an ideal option for multi purpose bike paths (if that’s what you are riding)

I rode the roads for years with guys in their 70’s - all with road bikes

but we used converted MTB’s and hybrids (etc) when were rode bike paths and similar

and good to see you are keeping the mothers with baby carriages in the rear view mirror ... but watch out for the ones on E bikes - they can be a challenge !

WT21

On the fence with this myself. One thought - I may go endurance because of some crappy pavement around here. I'm not going to race in real life, but I find Zwift racing to be a good outlet for going all-out -- Crashing is less an issue there -- and then use the endurance bike for the longer morning and zone 2 rides. Wind in your hair is pretty addicting, but as others point out, it's not a huge drop in speed from race to endurance in terms of speed. Aero is more the question maybe - what position do you like?

smontanaro 

I built a frame in Doug Fattic's framebuilding class last year. It goes out for paint in a couple weeks. We went back and forth about how aggressive to make the positioning. Doug said (paraphrasing), "I want you to be able to still ride this in ten years." (I'm 69.) I eventually relented, going with his admonition to add a bit extra to the head tube and steerer. I figured if I didn't like it I could always cut those extra chunks off, and if someone buys the bike from my estate, they could do the same. The only concession to my more gentelmanly setup is the 72º angles. I imagine the calculus is a bit different for a custom frame than for a production model.

Here's a pic of the front end. It looks a bit different now, a Paul Funky Monkey and actual aluminum spacer having replaced the bits in the photo.

Polaris OBark

I haven't read all of the responses, so apologies to other posters if this is redundant. My advice is this:

(1) Buy the bike that will compel you to do the most riding. That in turn will help prevent some of the aging symptoms.

(2) Pay for a highly competent bike fit, and choose the bike that fits you ideally now, with zero compromises. If it allows more spacers or whatever, that is great, but you can always sell the bike if you shrink 2" overnight.

(3) You owe no one an explanation or apology for riding a bicycle that is "better" than your abilities.

staehpj1

Buy whatever you most enjoy riding. No reason that can't be a racing bike if that is what makes you happy. It doesn't have to be your only bike if you also want something more laid back.

Iride01 

"Racing" is really a bad term to use describing a bike. If you look at the people doing professional road races, tours and grand tours, you'll see some road bikes with higher stack heights that advertisers choose to call a endurance bike and some with lower stack heights that get called a race bike. Although both bike geometries are in a race that usually involves 120 to 140 miles a day and frequently for 6 to 21 days of racing.

Buy the bike for the fit you prefer to have. If you don't know whether you might prefer a aggressive fit with a lot of bar drop from saddle to hoods or drops, then you'll just have to take a chance or keep the status quo.

But whatever you do, don't buy a bike with a low stack made for an aggressive fit for it great look and appealing aesthetics and then dork it up with weirdly angled stems and extenders to get the bars up where you might prefer them if a aggressive fit isn't for you.... unless of course you enjoy being known by others for that "eclectic" look.

Wildwood

If not now, when?
I have never regretted a purchase that got me outside exercising.
You are only 60 once, get ready for 70, 80 and beyond.

72 yo. Last year's purchase =

this is the newest in a nice group of road bikes. Not only is life good, it is tons of fun.

But to be honest, Italian bikes deliver more smiles....just sayin

....and classic smiles, to boot.

I-Like-To-Bike

IMO the only cyclists of any age who have this "dillema" are those concerned with "holding their own on the bike trail" with strangers, and would ask strangers to solve this personal choice "dillema" for them.

79pmooney

Dillema about buying a Racing Bike vs Aging

What's the dilemma? You are going to age. No dilemma there. So you simply have the choice; do you go into that advanced age wishing you bought that racing bike or do you simply buy it and ride it?

On a thread going around now is a painting of an old man climbing a mountain road on a race bike. Caption to the effect of "you're not old until you stop riding". (Worded much better but it was the first thread I opened pre-coffee.)

'Bout to turn 70. Bought a Pro Miyata set up with sewups. Like the bike I raced in the '70s only better. My plan is to ride it for the week long Cycle Oregon in September.

caloso

If you're thinking about getting an Allez, you might as well get a Tarmac. (I have a 2016 Tarmac that I love. If I could find a newer NOS rim brake frame, I'd get that in a heartbeat.)

Daniel4

I think somebody has a bad case of mid-life crisis.

I don't race on my bike. I get passed by a lot of people. I also pass people. I can still climb long distances and I'm still taking falls. People have told me to get a better bike. But I like riding the same 10-speed I bought when I was 17.

I'm retired and this is what I do.

caloso

My old training partner, who’s the same age as I am and still one of the fastest riders I know of any age, just bought a new Cervelo S5. He admits to a midlife crisis but said he doesn’t want a sports car or a boat or a 25-year old girlfriend. So he got a hot bike with the works. There are worse things you could spend your money on.

AJW2W11E

I cheat a little and raise my saddle a bit too high to get better times. It gives me a sore back sometimes. You can do that with a Giant Defy. I probably won't do that with the Allez.

AJW2W11E

I cheat a little and raise my saddle a bit too high to get better times. It gives me a sore back sometimes. You can do that with a Giant Defy. I probably won't do that with the Allez.

CliffordK

I'm in my mid 50's. I still like my road bikes, but find myself not spending as much time in the drops as I did when I was in high school.

I did like the upgrade to a 20+ year old carbon fiber frame.

A couple of years ago I met an older gentleman that lived at the top of a very steep driveway. He got the lightest road bike he could get with really low gears. Put it in low gear, and up he went.

As my father got older, he still liked his steel road bike, but had upright mustache bars put on it. New brakes, but kept the downtube shifters.

SurferRosa

Have I seen this one? Have you been hiding this one? Beautiful.

With racing bikes and aging, I've finally realized I need to ride a bigger frame in my range. Preparing the 55cm for sale. Replaced it this past week with this 57/58cm: