The question is like answered is...flat, easy roads are not available.....I can't do the hills....whatsolutions are on offer...NOT....counting giving bike to charity shop....

Why can't you do hills? If they're a challenge then practice more or get lower gears.

I've only ever bought one bike..its a road ..mountain bike 'styled' bike....and have never tried riding lightweight bikes...how can anyone do that?...they don't let you test drive...its got 18 gears....but is really hard to ride uphill...for me.....I *think* a very light bike with good gears might make local steep hills easier...but ..how can anyone find out?! Position for riding etc must make a difference too...I don't see how it's possible to discover what works...

You can't test ride a bike before purchasing? Thats a new one to me.

It has never occurred to me to ask to try a bike....I don't live anywhere near any serious bike sellers, and can't imagine the reality...the huge sports superstores have indoor test areas..a hundred metres or so of carpet...I thought...for bike tests...perhaps not..That wouldn't be useful. I don't think it will work...
..... Hello, can I take aa couple of super light bikes home...(40 miles away).. to test run on local hills...and bring them back in a week?
...Is that how it works?...

You do test rides at the shop. Many shops will only let you ride a few blocks but most shops I've done business with let me do at least 5 miles. Before buying 2 of my previous bikes I did an 8 mile test ride. With the bike I bought a few weeks ago I did a 22 mile test ride.
It doesn't hurt to ask.

Arhh, Deez new fangled bikes is all marketing. Anything with more than 15 speeds is a waste of metal.
You'll never get cross-chained on a 10 speed. My road bike is 30+ yrs. old with 40 year old wheels &
pedals. Of course I don't use down tube shifters,(rheumatiz), And cottered cranks suck, but a 10 speed
cassette, get real! Index shifting is for the mechanically inept. If you don't have a feel for it buy a scooter.
Dat blamed whippersnappers, Gadzooks!

Yup, an 11T just doesn't make sense to me because I can maintain a higher cadence with less effort
on 15T when headed into a grade. Making bikes more complicated does not necessarily make them
better. My tour bike has a 50/34 with a 14/34 six, but I still prefer the 5 spd. Suntour Perfect, (custom),
alpine 15/34 on my roady. How many of those alloy or carbon wheels will still be on the road 40 years
from now? The vintage classics were built to last. It's how they got to be vintage.

A 10 speed cassette allows a cyclist to have a larger number of choices between the highest and lowest gear ratios. The greater number of incremental steps facilitates finding an optimal ratio for your cadence preferences. I too love classic vintage bikes & drivetrains but technology improvements continue to be made for good reasons and that also appeal to the buying public.

edit: If you disagree you should go to a gear ratio calculator (Sheldon's site has one) and plug in the numbers for a vintage 10 speed bike and a modern 22 speed bike and count the number of different ratios for each. The Truth will be self-evident. As to what will still be on the road in 40 years (question posed by rawly old) - the answer is easy - both, if well maintained. If you are still riding steel wheels, your stopping distance in wet conditions is hazardous to other cyclists around you.

I did that but on an 11-spd not 10 --e.g., what I'd like to have -- say, starting at 15T instead of 11 -- like this:

[TABLE="width: 240"]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl63, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"][SUP]Ring[/SUP][SUB]Cog [/SUB][/TD]
[TD="class: xl64, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]34[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]MPH (75 rpm)[/TD]
[TD="class: xl64, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]50[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]MPH (75 rpm)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl65, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]15[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"][/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"][/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]88[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"]19.6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl65, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]16[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"][/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"][/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]83[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"]18.4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl65, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]17[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"][/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"][/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]78[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"]17.3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl65, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]18[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]50[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"]11.1[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]74[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"]16.4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl65, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]19[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]47[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"]10.6[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]70[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"]15.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl65, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]20[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]45[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"]10.0[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]66[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"]14.7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl65, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]22[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]41[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"]9.1[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]60[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"]13.4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl65, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]24[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]38[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"]8.4[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]55[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"]12.2[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl65, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]26[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]35[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"]7.7[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"][/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl65, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]30[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]30[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"]6.7[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"][/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl65, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]34[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"]27[/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"]5.9[/TD]
[TD="class: xl66, width: 64, bgcolor: transparent"][/TD]
[TD="class: xl67, bgcolor: transparent"][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

It would be good for 16 fairly evenly spaced gears in a useable range with just a single but major double-shift (15 gears if you don't count the 1:1 just to have in reserve for sh*ts and giggles).

If commonly available cogsets don't work for you then chainrings smaller than 50/34 might be the answer.
I'm going to build a vintage 12 or 14 spd bike with 48/32 and a 13-28 cogset. If a 32 front / 28 back isn't tall enough of a gear, maybe I should be walking anyway. 75 rpm would be hard for me to maintain on any steep climb.
SRAM Apex road group handles a big cogset (maybe up to 34) with a compact double up front.

48x13 is 97 gear inches whereas 50x15 is only 88. 32x28 is 30 gear inches. -- same as 34x30. I think of a 1-to-1 gear (27") as a touring gear: it's easier I believe to pedal 1:1 uphill that to walk uphill pushing a bicycle with loaded panniers.

I also need a really low gear these days in order to tackle the occasional steep hill (or, in the case of a tour I did last summer, a whole day's worth of steep hills!). My old 105 triple with a 30-tooth small ring and 12-27 cassette was pretty good in the past, but since I rarely used the small ring anyway, I replaced it with a 24-tooth gear, giving me less than a 1:1 lowest ratio. I had to be really careful when shifting it and rarely dropped the chain; plus, I always shifted back to the middle ring ASAP since there was too much chain wrap to shift to the smaller cogs when on the small ring. But what I really liked about it was that, in the middle or large ring where I spend 99% of my time, I still had the close ratios of the 12-27 cassette (12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21-23-27).

My newer, lighter carbon road bike of course came with a compact double and the same 12-27 (10 speed) cassette. Great on the flats and most hills, but again I like to have plenty in reserve. So I changed to a longer rear derailleur and went to a 12-32 cassette. This gives me plenty for hills in most cases, but at the expense of the close ratios, meaning that in some conditions one gear seems a bit too low and the next feels a bit too high. What's more, I am thinking this winter of putting on a 12-36 cassette to gain that super-low gear for those short-but-steep climbs. With only 10 cogs, I'll again pay for this in gear spacing, but it'll give me a bit more confidence if I ever do a tour like last year's again.

I do agree that it would be nice to be able to custom-design a cassette. To be honest, I don't ride a bike fast enough even downhill to need that 50-12 high gear, and would gladly trade the smaller couple of cogs for a set with closer spacing in the normal riding range.

Ok, I'm in (65ish). Just rode my first Gran Fondo in Asheville, NC, and really enjoyed. Only did the 60ish mileage. Enjoyed the TT aspect. What was best was that a riding buddy was there. We kinda fed off each other's energy (and electrolyte pills). WE were able to keep cramping away until the six miler hill climb. Recovered and finished ok.
It's been 40 years since my dip into competitive riding. I'm stoked now to keep up the training mileage to go for the 100 in the next couple of years.

I was just reminded this week (as if I needed to be) about the joys of being retired. We had a run of several record-warmth days in a row, with temps in the mid-70s (normal highs are mid-50s) and the kind of cloudless skies that we rarely see at any time of year. My only decisions were what to do: run, ride a rail-trail with my wife, get the road bike out, etc., so I managed to do all three. I'm not a cold-weather rider and had thought that I was done for the year, but believe me it was worth it.

I was actually somewhat glad for a cool, rainy day yesterday so that I could recover from the unexpected late-season workouts! :)

I just cannot remember how I got to ride so much when I was working...... oh yeah... riding in the rain & at night. No more.

Made 76 Saturday.

Miles or years? ;)

Happy for you. I suspect it is years, BUT even km is quite admirable. I turned 67 in June and for 30 days did a 2700 km self-supported tour in Australia. More trips planned pretty well every year - including the 1000 km Munda Biddi "end-to-end" in 3 years...

Retirement? Nope - enjoying the interaction at work too much to stop it. :innocent:

I wear mine occasionally. It reminds me that I have been a Type 1 diabetic since 1964 :thumb:

There are symbols out there that have different meanings for different folks.
Congrats on 50 years and still doing well (I hope).

Hopefully I'll be wearing one of these sometime after Christmas - as a survivor. Surgery in December. Got my fingers crossed.

http://thepcap.org/store/wp-content/...400&w=600&zc=2

Years and pushups in a row.

Any of y'all Jiminy Crickets out there going to live to be 103? The Wells Fargo 401k calculator says my life expectancy is 92. Must be a software glitch. Fortunately my hardware seems to be in working order.

My financial guy says we'll run out of money when I'm ~110 years old. So I hope to live for a few more years. :)

Best of luck with your surgery. :thumb: :thumb:

Currently I consider myself a prostate cancer liv-iver. First focal cryo ablation was May 26th for G10 right side and Dec. 10th will be minor focal cryo for G6 left with immunotherapy injection following. Healthy diet, plenty of exercise, a humorous mental attitude regarding my cancer and an outstanding doctor will keep me bicycling on down the road.

Sorry to intrude in the 65+ realm, but I want to say that you guys that are fighting Prostate cancer are amazing! Your attitudes serve to make me, and I am sure others as well, feel like I can easily make it past my minor issues. Thanks, and prayers for each of you to conquer this disease.

Bill

My urologist told me the various options and we asked all the questions. My wife and I both have 30+ years working in healthcare so we try to stay on top of health related things. Don't want radiation because of all the side effects. We both worked in radiology and radiation therapy. He said freezing was not a good option. We decided on surgery (da Vinci robotics). Clean and simple and if the cancer has not spread into the lymph system then the cancer will be completely gone.

My urologist, from whom I received my diagnoses this March with 3 of 6 samples at 3+3 from left side and 1 of 6 at 4+3, 4 of 6 at 3+4 and one at 5+4 from right side began instructing us on options. I interrupted and told him I wanted a bilateral orchiectomy NOW and then proceed from there. Bi-lat was completed 2 days later after which follow-up visit was for inspection and future treatment options. I was told the oncology group would give me an appointment call, which NEVER CAME, but in the mean time I spoke with a fellow bicycling bud who had me contact my current cryo Dr., NOT A UROLOGIST or ONCOLOGIST, who he happens to tech for during the procedure and after initial consult we decided to go that way if he accepted me as a patient. He usually deals only with PCa patients FAR WORSE off than me. Had his own 3D Prostate Mapping Biopsy reveal G6 left BUT G10 right and even more involved. Day of cryo he asked if I would consider a cryo on right side leaving left alone for 6 months then do a minimal cryo plus his own immunotherapy. That next procedure will be Dec. 10th and he says that he wants to get me on the big T ASAP. Even with remaining G6 left side my blood work last week showed a PSA<.006. BTW, the bi-lat makes for great distance bicycling. :D

We each have to be comfortable with our choice of treatment.

Again, the best to you and your wife.