As someone who turns 73 next week, I get your issue. However, there are road bikes and there are road bikes. I have a venerable 1979 Motobecane Super Mirage that I have converted into a touring bike with front and rear racks, wider tires, converted 15 gears and a comfortable seat. It is fine for weekend treks and overnighters. I would not use it for longer. I also have a dedicated touring bike, Trek Verve that has disk brakes, dual racks, comfy seat and wide tires that give a very comfortable ride for hours at a time. I do not go particularly fast, not that I ever really ever did, and the reason for riding is the pure enjoyment of the trip. You may find that with the right bike, fitted correctly (and yes, you should have it fitted), you can do the 10-20 miles and probably more. Some ROUTINE stretches should be included in your riding. If you have a very old helmet, get a newer one. The technology has improved. If you are going on the road by yourself, you don't need to go fast. If you are joining someone else, establish what is OK for you in terms of time, distance and speed.
Good luck and keep the forum updated on your progress!

In 1997 I bought my Trek 1220 and rode that for twenty six years. it is nowhere near an upright ride but I was fitted for the bike by a professional at a bike shop so really didn't question whether there might be a more relaxed option. Of course in 1997 I was forty nine years old. Last July I decided to buy a new bike, something I should have done years ago. I purchased a Trek Domane AL 5. It is still a road bike but there are a few things that are different and immediately noticeable. The geometry is the first thing I noticed. Compared to the 1220, this frame almost forced e into a more upright position, with the distance from the handlebars to the seat considerably shorter. And believe me this is noticeable when I hop on the 1220 which is set on the trainer for indoor riding. In addition the tires are wider. They come with a 700 x 32 tire which has less pressure and a softer ride. On my first ride I noticed the smoother ride. Of course going from a 1997 to a 2023 bike there had to be differences, but still the AL 5 is very comfortable, and I can be comfortable semi upright with my hands on the hoods. My rides are usually between 18 and 25 so I haven't really done any long rides over thirty. But I don't think that should matter.

I bought the same exact bike 3 years ago and I’m 72 years old. Unlike you I am not a long term rider, I was a runner for many years and then when that became too difficult I started to row on an erg a few times a week. When COVID hit and everything went dark I pulled out an ancient hybrid I had in my shed and started riding on a bike path near my house on Cape Cod. I took a liking to it so I ordered the Trek had it fitted and I have been on it ever since. One caveat is 10 weeks ago I had surgery for a total knee replacement of my left knee and in 2 weeks I am having my right knee replaced as well, so much for running to stay fit. Obviously I haven’t been riding outside for awhile and won’t till summer I would think. Love the bike and ride about the same as you roughly 20-30 miles 2-3 times a week.

I am only 70. I let my bikes go one at a time until I only have my touring bicycle left. The reason for that is that it became the only bike I wanted to ride because it's the most comfortable. 26x2" inch tires and handlebars that are about level with the seat. Typically I ride 10 to 30 miles two or three times a week on rolling North Carolina roads. I average 10 or 11 miles per hour and I enjoy myself. I haven't ridden in a pace line in 14 years.

When I start out, I most often think, "It's too cold, or too windy, or too hot, or I'm out of breath already." But, by the time I get past the first hill, I always think, "I like riding my bicycle." I am blessed to have a bike that is comfortable.

Thanks for sharing this, Charles. I'm 67; I won't retire for another 2 or 3 years. Like you, I own---and need---only one bike. Like your bike, mine lets me sit almost upright. Heck, mine has a big fat seat and only 3 gears! Reading the posts by "bike collectors," I've wondered, "What's wrong with me?" Now I know: Nothing.

Like Popeye says: I am what I am.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...20a1dc5f2a.jpg
74 ... recovering from revision TKA (cement on femur prosthesis broke). Doc says can resume bike riding in 3 months. Current road bike only accommodates 23 on the rear. Thinking, would like 28s all-around.

Hi. I don't think I've posted on this string before, but I am sixty-six years old. I haven't yet seen any necessity of making any modifications to my riding or bikes. My bikes are same basic configuration as they were when I began riding at twenty-three years old. I do sixty miles on sunday in the summer, and a couple other 20-40 milers on the summer week days. I basically take the winters (6 months) off, riding just utility to pick up groceries. My pace is unimportant on my road rides. Riding is really my way to get out and enjoy nature. Yoga, foam roller, salt baths and plenty of rest keep me limber.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...17846f373f.jpg
May 29, 2022 on forty-miler

72. I'm still on road bikes with drop bars. Most of my miles, by far, are on roads not bike paths, and my roads have hills.

When I ride an upright bike or anything with flat bars it is only for a couple of miles or less; basically, goofing off miles.

Luckily for my body, I never worked at hard labor jobs.

edit: I would ride far less with only 1 bike. A dozen keeps it fresh, every ride.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...88834c37b.jpeg

I put my Trek FX3 hybrid up for the Summer. I now alternate between my Wabi Special Single Speed and my Bianchi road bike. I had been riding the FX3 exclusively the past 2-3 years. But after losing 64 lbs, I feel more comfortable riding the other 2 lately. Age 71.

If you have, when did you start to ride an e-bike? I'm 73 and still riding an "analog" bike. I haven't been able to find riding time often, and many I used to ride with are now using e-bikes. I'm fairly (maybe more than fairly) fit and it may be due to lack of rides this year, but just don't feel as "bike fit" as I have been (yeah, I know, years accumulate!). Still working to try and get my climbing legs and endurance up to my satisfaction, maybe when our rainy season ends. Gotta admit, an e-bike is tempting, but even though I may be huffing and puffing by the time I get to the top of the hill, there's a certain satisfaction I find when I get up the hill on my own (when/if I do!). Won't own both types of bike--might find it too tempting. If you have begun riding an e-bike, curious as to when/what finally had you take that step?

I am also 73 and had a weird winter weather-wise so I did my riding mostly indoors with a bike in my harem that is good for a trainer. You can get adequate, non-fancy, trainers for $100-160 which are stable enough for us old farts. The price below that either has fewer features or is junk or both. It helped keep my stamina up. I have not thought much about e-bikes other than to drool over some of the enticing advertisements.

I can see getting an e-bike if you actually had to get somewhere, but, other than that, what's the point? Guess I'm retro...

Talk about embarassing....I've always had a 'men's bike, even though I'm female because there seemed a time that all what we used to call '10 speeds' were male frame. But I've had a women's one for a while now and when it was getting repaired, I borrowed a friend's racing bike and couldn't get my leg over it! Something I've done THOUSANDS of times! (though not recently....) Still felt as fast as normal when riding but I had to lay it nearly on the ground every time to mount. Getting old sucks.

Swinging a leg over the top tube
 

I'm a 67yo man. In 2023, I bought my first bike in 43 years. I chose a stepthrough frame in anticipation of the problem you've described. I can get my leg over a top tube today. But tomorrow? Who knows.
I didn't expect to develop osteoarthritis. But last month, I did, in my left thumb.

I do errands, 'commute' regularly (to be at daughter/granddaughters home) and have hills (Cougar Mt) to climb late in every ride. Not everybody rides just for exercise/stress relief/fun.

But for me it is not either/or. :love: 8 vintage roadies (7 w/ DT shift), 4 modern roadies w/ Ergo10, 2 mtn bikes, + others, 1 e-roadie Class 1 (EU standard of 20kph max assist). The mtn bikes, beach cruiser, city upright do not get ridden, but every roadie, except 1, only needs air in tires. Esp those w/ latex tubing. :) :thumb:

I'm not a hater.
One car family, one less car.

May feel differently depending on how this TKA-revision goes- dealing with a lot of swelling that's keeping me off the bike...
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Sure would be an easy way to go, credit carding it down the coast doing the bicentennial bike route from Washington to LA...

At an advanced age, :thumb:, if cycling isn't as much about fun as exercise, :foo:, then it's starting to sound like work again. :rolleyes:. :(
Quote me on that, if you like.


edit: Want to keep it a genuine cycling adventure? Get a Class 1 ebike with EU 20kph max, with no throttle. Help where it is truly needed, none at cruising road speeds.

I understand your point. I want my bike ride to be physical exercise, not a motor cruise. What I found with my pedal assist ebike, however, is that it is insurance against the weather. I use the assist motor very sparingly, but if I turn the corner and find myself face-to-face with a strong wind, I just press a button and I can equalize the pedaling effort. I also find that getting across an hilly intersection after a full stop is much safer when I can boost acceleration to avoid traffic and cross the lanes.

Not as much as the alternative. I've been tilting my bike way over for years. I'm over it. And yeah, I go to the gym and do full range of motion heavy work, stretch, plank, and pushups every morning. It's only age, no big deal. We do what we can and try to take with grace what we can't, though that latter is an everyday struggle. I suspect that eventually we find that the struggle isn't worth it anymore. That part will remain a mystery until we get there.

Carbonfiberboy said it well for me. All but my lovely Italians have been heavily (freaky) modified for my mid 70's body with very high stems, largest tires that will fit, minimum drop handlebars with lots of gel padding, Selle Anatomica saddles, gloves that all day jackhammer operators use, etc. I just started the lean for dismounting and all together these let me get in a terrific 60 to 80 miles a week and join our kids and grandkids for rides.

I too got more into cycling in my advanced years. I actually had to do some stretching exercises to keep getting over a flat horizontal top tube. But in the last year, it has become easier. Assuming that my balance and strength are sustained into further aging, the plan is to get a step through as well. There is even a likelihood that that bike will be motor assist bike with step through.

My routines have allowed me to keep the same slammed -17° stem, 23mm tires, etc., as when I bought the Trek 5200 in '2000. I did put in a quill-less adapter so I could try out different stems and changed to compact bars, and of course put on ever lower gears as I got weaker. My wife and I joined our first gym in '79 to train for going salmon fishing in Bristol Bay. We've been at it ever since and I think that has a lot to do with keepin' on. It also has a lot to do with starting that in '79. I had to take a couple of pretty much zero years of aerobic work to deal with some heart issues. Trying to get that aerobic thing back has been like "maybe yes, maybe not." Doesn't take much now for it all to go blewey.

A question for those of you who set a daily riding goal:


Which goal best describes your goal?

1. I'll ride for N minutes.
2. I'll ride until I've ridden N distance.
3. I'll ride until I've burned N calories.
4. I'll ride until I've met whichever of these goals I attain first?
5. Something else?

I'm usually a "4": ride for 1 hour, or ride for 10 miles, or ride until my watch tells me I've burned 550 calories. But sometimes when I've met one of these, I'll keep going. Recently I began to reward myself with a shake at the local health bar if I meet all three goals.

Usually my butt cries "Uncle!" before my legs do.

I was in a Club that tracked Miles.
So I rode Miles.