Welcome Brian,

Post often with your news & VIEWS

Welcome "Mate" (Dude) glad you are here, post often!

I have a very good friend in Wingate, is that close to you?

Rick 53
Colnago Classic, Pinarrello fixie, Trek 4500 MB
Multi-Vitammin
Yes, quite a bit
All my life, off and on.
Some weeks 0 days, other weeks 5 days, 3-4K a year

He doesn't ride but he needs to.

Do you follow Sunderland?
I follow Rugby. Magners

I do follow Sunderland, yes. It's character-building.

lol!

Chasm, you follow any Rugby?

What kind of riding do you do?

I hit 50 last summer, and 51 is getting close so I suppose it's time to add myself to this list. I live in Southern CA, and started riding again close to 5 years ago. I rode quite a bit in the 70's and 80's but like so many others have said, life got in the way for a while. Tired of the gym and with knees messed up in martial arts, I looked in the mirror and didn't like what I saw and remembered how much fun cycling used to be. At the time, I had a 1975 Peugeot PX 10 and a Trek 950 mountain bike which I started riding again, mostly the road bike. Now I weigh 25 lbs. less and ride more than I ever did before.



1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?

08 Trek Madone 6.5
05 Serotta CIII (steel)
75 Peugeot PX10LE converted to fixed gear
05 Santa Cruz Blur classic (just found on Craigslist)
06 Iron Horse Azure Expert (soon to go on Craigslist)
89 or 90 ? Trek 950

I ride all but the Iron Horse and Trek mountain bikes.


2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?

No. I've started a few times but never stick with it.


3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?

When I started again 5 years ago I had slowed significantly, but now I hang with the A group again. (as long as the climb isn't too steep)



4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?

All my life except for that 15 year break...


5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides.

Club rides (long and short), Centuries, individual rides. Never done a double or an official race. Would like to try touring but haven't taken the opportunity.


6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?

I try to ride at least 3 times a week and get in around 4500 miles a year, but also have participated in indoor clinics on rollers, trainers and ergometers 2 times a week October through February for the last two years. This has been a good week because I've ridden every day mixing between mountain bike and road bike (I promised the wife I won't ride this evening though...;))

For me, cycling has been a great way to get back in shape and stay pretty fit. I'll plan to continue for many years...


Jim

Welcome to the "old list" kid!

You got a long way to go before your old.

Ride, ride, ride and post.

I've been reading and enjoying forum posts for about a month now and felt it was time to introduce myself. Especially after I finally rode more than my age (54) yesterday!


1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?

2010 Specialized Roubaix Comp
2007 Specialized Stumpjumper
2008 Dahon Mu24 (for commuting)

2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?

Multi-vitamin and Glucosamine Chondroitin


3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?

Compared to riding when I was 20, I have slowed down. My average speed on the flat is around 16mph, I think when I was twenty is was around 19-20.

4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?

All my life

5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides.

Up until about 22 years old I was a road biker and did a couple of century runs. Then I moved on top of a hill and switched to mountain biking--going to area dirt trails. But 2 years ago I began commuting to work once a week (about 15 miles RT) and 2 months ago decided I wanted to get back into road bikes when I purchased my Specialized Roubaix. I'm having a great time and just yesterday completed a 60 mile ride.


6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?

3-4 times a week for a total of about 2500 annual miles.

Please tell us your age. 55 (I think.)

1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?
I ride an early 1980s Ciocc San Cristobal. All old-style Campy Super Record except for Modolo Pro brakes with aero-style brake levers and first-generation Look PP65 pedals. Cinelli bars and stem. Tires are Servizio Corse sew-ups mounted on Mavic GP-4 rims. Saddle is a new Selle SMP TRK. Photos of my bike below.

2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?
No, but I watch my diet more carefully and track what I eat at livestrong.com

3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?
I quit riding for about 17 years, but I've got my sprint back up to 27.3 mph. I'm not as fast as I once was, but I'm as fast once as I always was.

4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?
Got my first bike when I was seven - a Western Flyer. Started riding as an "adult" during the early 1970s "Bike Boom". Stopped riding in 1992 and returned to cycling in April 2009.

5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides.
These days I'm more of a recreational/fitness rider. In the late 1970s I was a USCF Cat IV road racer. In the 80s I was a club racer/time-trialist/long-distance cyclist.

6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?
I try to ride three to four times a week, although most of my after-work rides are 30 to 35 minute wind trainer workouts. I guess maybe 1,000 to 1,200 miles/year.

No one uses a "Flick Stand" any more.

I have two of them and they are great.

I know it's been a while since this thread was last posted to but I just saw it and it looks interesting

Please tell us your age.

51

1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?

1. An old mountain bike (Specialized Street Stomper) retrofitted with Shimano Nexus for winter riding (I have been using this since 1999 and I live in Canada).

2. A European-style city bike that an Ottawa LBS designed, assembled and marketed for a few years.

3. A Specialized Globe Sport hybrid.

4. A Burleigh Django recumbent.


I would generally agree with RonH about recumbents and I don't wish to make assumptions but there is the back pain we see addressed on Robaxocet ads and there is a completely different level that most people can't imagine. When my back first "blew up" I ended up on my hall floor for about 20 minutes and it took another 20 minutes to get upstairs onto a bed - any movement at all caused unimaginable waves of pain and I was stuck like that for a few days. After a few months of physio I was back on my road bikes and I thought that all was good until one day, after arriving at work, I started getting scary muscle twinges in my back. I can't afford to have a repetition of the front hall episode in the middle of an intersection at rush hour. Drop handlebars had to go.

2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?

No

3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?

A lot. When I hit age 47 I started having back and knee issues which changed everything from a cycling perspective. Before that happened I had a Cannondale road racing bike, an old Norco touring bike, a Bianchi Pista track bike, the same winter bike mentioned above, and the same city-bike mentioned above and I was riding approx 30 to 60 km daily. Because of the back issue, which I now carefully manage, I sold the Bianchi, the Cannondale, and the Norco (because of the drop handlebars) and bought the recumbent for longer distance riding. I no longer think of myself as a "cyclist" anymore - just a guy who bikes.

At almost the same time we moved from Ottawa to Halifax. Ottawa itself and the surrounding areas except the Gatineaus to the north, is basically flat which makes things easier on backs and knees. Halifax, on the other hand, is unavoidably hilly for people managing those problems. This forced me to buy the Specialized Globe for commuting


4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?

44 years

5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides.

Old days: commuting, errands, long training/fitness rides
Now: commuting, shorter rec rides


6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?

10 - 20 km per day

Velomont - Thanks for your info and welcome.

I just noticed this sticky.

Please tell us your age. 52

1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?

I ride a Felt F5 Team.

2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?

Vitamin D as per my physician. Nothing special for the bike.

3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?

LOL. Wow. A heck of a lot. But I've just started to ride again after a very long layoff so I really have no idea how much of my legs I'll get back. Right now I'm comfortable riding 17mph-20mph solo on the flats. The hills are what's killing me. That and my butt.

4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?

Rode my whole life up to college. Raced, raced, and raced some more. Burned out. Forgot about the bike for decades. Started riding again last month.

5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides.

Right now short rides to gain fitness and time in the saddle. Mostly solo, once so far with a friend who is five years younger and in the same boat as me, although he was a Cat 4 in the past.

6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?

I'll go 3 straight days and take a day off, but that may be too much. I'm trying to figure that out now.

I'm enjoying the stories, especially the ones about people beating life threatening diseases and health conditions. I started riding again because my cholesterol was too high and running was killing my knees and hips.

Take care,

Chris

Answers...
 

Please tell us your age: 50 y.o.

1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?

52" Schwinn Passage 18-speed I got for $150 on craigslist (with computer).
Raleigh Clubman I brought over from the UK in '99 (needs fixin')

2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?

No: not needed as long as you eat properly.

3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?

I just started again -- hard to say. But I have lower lung capacity than when I was 35 that's for sure.

4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?

Most of life but only for getting around -- now I'm interested in the challenge of an old guy getting around as fast as possible. I'm surprised how fast I can go (would a new Trek 1.2 help me go faster?)

5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides.

Mostly 10 milers local neighborhood whenever the weather allows plus commutes to my University (11 miles both ways -- no biggie). I'd like to find like-minded/bodied souls to help keep me going and maybe try some longer rides (charity?).

6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?

N/A at this point.

If you haven't already, perhaps you might indicate your age. It helps others to see that folks 50+ do great things.

Already at top (I'm 50 y.o. -- not senile! -- yet!).

Thanks for the contributions, slocoach and shovelhd.

I think most of us find that improving the motor is the most important issue in speed increase. Once the motor is fully tuned and conditioned, then a new bike might increase the speed a bit!! OTOH, a new bike is quite a motivation for motor tuning.

1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?
I have 3 bicycles. I really only ride the one anymore though. It's a touring bike, a Novara Safari with trekking bars and disc brakes. It's heavy but very stable and bulletproof. I really like it. I also own a Trek comfort bike which I didn't find so comfortable after I started doing longer rides, and I have a Terry Symmetry road bike that I bought used off of ebay and I think it might not really fit me but I definitely am not ready for riding in such a low position yet.


2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?
Just a multi-vitamin and calcium supplements.



3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?
I'm just getting in gear! I spent most of my adult life being sedentary and overweight and then I woke up one day and decided to get off my butt and get some exercise. I haven't felt this good since I was a kid. Still working on losing the weight. I'll be an Athena for awhile yet.



4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?
Well, I rode around the neighborhood as a kid but then dropped riding when I got to be a teenager. I started up again a few years ago. It's been the best thing I've done for myself in a long time.



5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides.
My rides are usually 15-25 miles. I'd like to start touring eventually. I need to find some cycling buddies first though. My husband is not as gung-ho about cycling as I am and I don't want to go alone.




6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?
I ride 4-6 days a week. I've been averaging over 3,000 miles a year for the last 3 years.




If you haven't already, perhaps you might indicate your age. It helps others to see that folks 50+ do great things.
I just turned 50 a few weeks ago.

I've been lurking on this forum for a couple years, now that I actually qualify for it I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Kathy. My husband is also a 50+ rider but he doesn't ride nearly as much as I do. I drag him out on the weekends whenever I can. We have two grown kids and a dog.

Welcome guys, post a lot.

Humidity / new bike?
 

Thanks DnvrFox. The motor needs a 120,000 mile service but the humidity/heat here in northern NJ has been killing me recently. I find it much harder to breath -- do other people find this too? What do you do in high humidity situations, just tough it out? I went for my usual 10-12 mile local rec. ride and was really exhausted at 7.5 miles, even though I was trying not to push it and stopped to rehydrate and rest three times.

n bikes: a lot of folks in here seem to have proper/nice/decent bikes: being too lazy/stupid/busy to go down to my LBS and test-drive one (I just know they'd talk me into a purchase), what difference would I notice twixt my Schwinn Passage and a new Trek 1.2 or similar? Would I be wowed?

A new, lighter and more modern bike never hurts, and can be a lot of fun. OTOH, it is not a necessity.

I started bicycling when I was 58 (almost 13 years ago) on a heavy mtn bike and within 3.5 months I had biked 1,100 miles followed by doing the Ride the Rockies 7 day ride over Colorado passes on that mtn bike. I was passed by just about everyone, and "on your left" became my mantra.

The next year I bought a real road bike - a Lemond Buenos Aires - and, yes, it is faster, easier, and more fun to ride.

The point being, you can do a lot on a heavier bike, but you can do more on a lighter bike designed for more speed. Lots of folks ride successfully on older, heavier bikes. Depends on your finances, goals and real interest. If you want to get in shape, you can actually get there faster on a heavy old bike than on a new one, providing the old bike does not discourage you from riding.

As to humidity, I live in a climate where 40-45% relative humidity is considered high, so I can't help you there. But, I believe that most folks living in high humidity simply "HTFU" and go out riding. It seems they get used to it after a bit.

Go to the the LBS - if you have the $$, it might be the best $$ you have ever spent.

And, yes, you might be wowed.

And, slocoach, 50 is NOT old. Sorry, you are not yet an "old guy."

Wait about 20 years, and you won't feel "old" either - if you keep in shape.

Got to go for a 30 mile ride now, then I will go swimming and do some weight lifting. :)

Thanks!! I'm off on my Schwinn right now.... to the LBS (only 4 miles).

OK, I may not be "old"..... but you have no idea how much lard I am hauling here (and I quit smoking a few months ago after > 30 years, can't have done me much good right?). Is "older" acceptable? OK, ok, I'm going to the LBS now....

Check out the Clydesdale Forum

http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...-(200-lb-91-kg)

on BFN where there are success stories after success stories of folks just like you who are now "in shape" after years as you describe them. Some started about 500 pounds, and now hike and ride centuries. This is a great support group and a wonderful forum, IMHO. Technically, at 207 lbs, I am a Clyde myself, and do sometimes participate there.

IT CAN BE DONE, and it can be fun while doing it.

Good job - stopping that smoking. Now you can lose some weight and gain some endurance.