Welcome to the "old timers" section from west central Florida. :beer:
Why haven't you posted anything (introduction, bike pics, etc) in the Southeast Regional subforum? Lots of friendly folks there. We even have a few Jax folks.

Good question! My only excuse, and its a good one, is I had no idea that subforum existed! :p :lol:

I will introduce myself there tonight. Thanks for bringing it to my attention! :thumb:

Dang, I gotta lose the gut
 

Put a quick one hour ride on the freshly refurbed '81/82 AD.

Just get a recumbent and you'll match the stereotypical 'bent rider. Wish I could have downtube shifters on my bikes.

Not there yet brother, not there yet. But will be ready for a low-racer some day. Waaay too many vintage thrills to give up friction on the tube shifting.

At 67, having had serious traumatic injuries to both legs, I have discovered leverage,(eureka!)
I can go just as fast with 24/11 as I could with 39/18 using a good deal less effort. I do
however keep a motorized bike in reserve for when I hit 80....90?

in Tennessee you have to show your ID whenever you buy alcohol , even at 72

Maybe your new teeth make you look >20 years younger :)


Googled this (the exception that was passed effective May 15, 2015):


SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 57-3-406(d)(1), is amended by deleting the language “the adult consumer” in the second sentence of the subdivision and substituting instead the language “the adult consumer whose physical appearance does not reasonably demonstrate an age of fifty (50) years or older”.

First post. I'm new to Bike Forums. Looks like a lot of categories. I recognized this as one I fall naturally into — I'm 80 — so I'll start here. I ride about 3000 miles/year, down substantially from the 8000 I used to ride in my prime (60s). I no longer use carbon fiber road bikes, although sometimes I wish I had one. My main horse is an ER Gold Rush. This week I've also purchased a Catrike Expedition so my rolling stock is pretty well set to take me into my 90s. I notice this thread seems to exclude riders over 85 (all 17 of them) so what happens on my 85th birthday?

Start a new thread, I suppose.

Likes my Expedition.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...tles%20004.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...6.16%20010.jpg

New Home for you....74 y/o here

Recumbent - Bike Forums

That`s pretty much an identical gear . . .so the effort would be the same. Am I being too bloody clever? heh heh

Yes, the ratio is about the same. That's the point! The difference is the amount of leverage
one can apply to the smaller chainring is considerably greater.
Try it if you don't believe me.
Think of the crank arm as a lever & the outside edge of the chainring as the fulcrum. The larger
the chainring, the less leverage the crank has against it. It's basic physics.

Well, the official name of the thread is 60-85+, so you'll just become a "plus" member! ;)

As for your comment on the bikes, I'm 70 and just ordered a new carbon road bike -- a just-released Felt VR5 -- and I commented at the time that it would probably be my last bike of that type. I'm still a ways from any radical changes, but I'll admit that some of the new e-bikes are looking intriguing. I could probably ride quite a few more years with a bit of power assist on the tough sections.

You do know that riding a recumbent requires you to have a beard, don't you?;)

Hmm... I'd have to refresh myself on my old mechanical engineering classes, but I think that the increased leverage at the crank is offset by the decreased leverage that the smaller-diameter 11-tooth cog applies to the rear wheel vs. the 18-tooth cog (i.e., the leverage that the chain exerts on the gear). In the end, all that matters is the overall gear ratio.

A grey/silver beard, of course.

Guess I'm in ... sigh. 65 this month (9/11, sadly). Been in 50+ since joining BF.

Still riding my flat-bar road bike. I refuse to use the term 'hybrid'. Pic below; it's served me very well since '10. However, I'm contemplating a change next spring to the new geezer tech (Roubaix or similar), mainly because test rides confirm that my main problem with drop bars -- smallish/weak/arthritic hands having trouble with applying the brakes -- is resolved with the advent of road hydro discs.

.
It still won`t alter the force from your propelling legs but might well shorten the life o` the chain . . . but extend the life of your chainwheel (large one)

Yes. I got better drive chain life on our tandem when I started keeping it in the big ring (52) for everything over 54 gear-inches.

you're hopeless.

Look, suit yourself, But I know for a fact & utterly without a doubt that it iis easier
to pedal a 24/11 that it is to pedal 39/18. I have bikes on which I can use both arrangements
,and I have tried both! there is signifigantly less resistance with the 24/11.
I am not imagining it.

Celebrated my 70th birthday by buying a new road bike, a Felt VR3, although it won't be in stock for a few more weeks yet. I expect it to be a good all-rounder that can replace my current two road bikes, which I'll be trying to sell. One nice feature is the lower gearing that I'm looking for: it comes with the usual 11-32 11-speed cassette, but has a "sub-compact" crank with 46/30 chainrings. That should be all I need on the hills I'm likely to encounter!

In any case, I'm treating this as the last road bike I'll probably ever buy since in a few years I'll probably be looking for a trike or some sort of e-bike variant.

I would check up on your teeth. Now don`t panic, a visit to the dentists isn`t necessary . . .

[QUOTE=peterws;19090358]I would check up on your teeth. Now don`t panic, a visit to the dentists isn`t necessary . . .[/QUOTE

Not necessary, I still have all my teeth. most of 'em are in a little box on my desk.:lol:
The thing with running a 24t chainring, one does need to shorten the chain &
lower the derailleur. I'm trying to do the rest us aging geezers a favor. If you're
on a laden touring bike a 24/11 is a good general purpose gear for riding
longer with minimal effort. If you dispute that, all you need do is try it.

correction: 24/11 not 22/11 (senior moment, old address), I'm referring to a 42/34/24 crank set.

I'm almost 75. I am overweight by 40 pounds. My conditioning, well, sucks.

I live where a six mile circuit results in 1300 feet of climbing. I sometimes need all the gearing I can get.

Currently my two bikes have 22T front chainrings and 36T cassettes. My gearing varies from 17 gear inches to a little over 100. The 100 is okay since I coast downhill anyway.

This may seem strange to some of you leaner, fitter and younger folks, but: I look forward to fitting a 42T rear cog and getting a little less than 15 gear inches.
Because: --- I intend to do some traveling while pulling a trailer (Extra Wheel, https://www.bikeshophub.com/trailers...ers-c-140.html). I'll travel light, giving myself no more than 20KG for both trailer and gear. I'm pretty sure I'll use the gearing in the mountains.

Consider:
Too low gearing might be an irritation if you end-up not using it. However, Too tall gearing might actually hurt and reduce your touring happiness. And, happiness is what touring is all about.

Joe

And if the gearing is super-low, . . you topple! Solution - attach the bike semi rigidly to the trailer . .

[QUOTE=rawly old;19090566]I will try it! But have to admit 42/24/34 sounds better than 42/34/24. I might not be talking teeth here . . .:)

[QUOTE=peterws;19092637]Like my coffee, I'm getting old & weak, but I still ride every day & enjoy it. I have found though,
with this lower range, I can still make some pretty decent speed using a bit faster cadence yet
with less exertion. The main plus is that it's a lot easier on my gravelly old knees. If one is
relatively tall, pedals extensions can also be a real boon to your knees.

peterws:

Not true. -- JM