Yes, it does.

Well, I don't consider it derogatory . . . and I thought you had to be 60 (not just 50+) to be a geezer.

But I could be wrong (probably am).

Rick / OCRR (A 60+ Geezer)

I am 61; so, I am a geezer and not just a 50+ member. I don't consider geezer as a derogatory term. I just used it to differentiate myself from the younger 50+ members.

I leave for a couple of months, and come back to find that the forum is discussing protocol once again. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.

How about curmudgeon? What's the age requirement for that?

I think I might be there.

Good question!

The head curmudgeon in our bike club is 60+ and also the webmaster, so I will check with him and let you know.

You can see his work on our website here: www.ocrebels.com



Rebel Curmudgeon photo above (click to enlarge), Santa Barbara, CA

Rick / OCRR

How so?

With this I very respectfully disagree.

There was a thread about members having high post counts and I asked what was the big deal because I truly can't see it. Some members like carpediemracing have a relatively low post count compared to patentcad. I find both to have opinions but if it came to conflicting opinions on bikes, bike racing or equipment I'll choose carpe's advice anyday. pcad is very entertaining but not necessarily helpful or thoughtful even though his post count is gigantic.

I admit I'm here mainly for the entertainment and virtual company. I joined these forums because I had a road bike question that was evidentially valid because I was answered on the road forum without any derision or disrespect. I found I liked the humor, rough as it was so I stuck around.

Since then I've learned a lot more about the members and their personalities than anything bike related. In fact probably the best bike knowledge nugget came the other day from an almost brand new member.

There are some members I've seen on another sub-forum with really huge post counts and I don't think they have a valid idea yet. I doubt they even ride a bike.

So chainstay length, will lighter wheels enable me to keep up with the club (your post) and fighting weight, glyuing sewups, is carbon fiber smoother are all 50 specific concerns? Okay!

Don't I wish.

Its simple folks. The vast majority of 50+ members enjoy the reduced rhetoric, badgering and name calling found in the 41 or 33. If you have to be a confrontational ass, take it to one of those. Leave this one as it was intended. Its more about the attitude.

I sense....confusion.

41 - road cycling forum.
33 - road racing forum.

Seeing Mr. Beanz post in this thread reminds me of this:

Have you noticed yet that Tony Hayward, President of BP, looks a lot like Rowan Atkinson, aka Mr. Bean?

Tony Hayward:



[IMG

Rowan Atkinson:



Mr. Bean:




Is this OK? My last BP thread got locked by the mods.

I don't remember now who it was but I am sure it wasn't you but thanks anyway.Encourage is ok brutal put down is not

I don't agree that these are not specific 50+ topics. The answer to many bike component questions is very genre specific. For example, the question of the right wheel has a different answer if you are in a touring group vs a race group. Even setting that difference aside, in the past folks have had less concern about asking basic questions here for fear they might get ridden out on the rails for being "so stupid". Or just getting endless debate and pontification from every know-it-all who actually spouts out bad information only to have it degenerate into personal attacks.

Said it better than I could. This is what I was trying to say when I referred to "the perspective & sensibilities of the 50+ crowd." Even if the questions are ones that could be asked in another forum, the ambiance here is more inviting. Plus I think a 50+er is likely to get answers more applicable to their situation from other 50+ers than from a bunch of whippersnappers (god, I think that's the first time I ever used that word-- am I officially a geezer?).

Only if you feel comfortable with the moniker. I think I earned my gray hairs and am proud to be a geezer.

Better a geezer than a wheezer is what I always say.

Years ago on this site, in another sub forum, I asked if someone could give me the name of a bike shop in California. This so I could buy a bike from that shop for a college student at a nearby school. The first reply came back:

"I would be happy to give the name of a shop but you misspelled the name of the city, so I'm not going to help you."

About a half dozen posters added their own wit to the thread, admonishing me that if I couldn't get the spelling right I didn't deserve an answer. And not one gave me a name, even though many were from that area. My only thought was, these people have way too much time on their hands.


I find the 50+ forum a welcomed relief from some of the other sub forms at this site.

+1

What about a wheezing geezer?

And here I thought we were the only forum picky about spelling...

I like to ride a bike, and I like pie. Plus I'm only a few months shy of being 50 (Nov). This sub forum seemed like a perfect fit to me. I have many of the health problems that older people suffer from, and probably more than many older folks in this forum have. Personally I don't think I could care any less about what bikes the rest of you ride, or how fast you can go, or how many miles you put on a bike in any given time span, or what type of tire and wheels and so on; other than to be gracious, or polite, and give credit where credit is due. If you are out there enjoying yourself, I think it's fantastic...

I guess what I kind of envisioned the 50+ forum is being a gathering place for all bicycle riders/cyclist from all the other sub forums, gathering together in the 50+ forum, with the only thing they have in common is the fact that they are 50 or older, and discussing the issues/problems that come with that distinction. But, of course I'll be the first to admit that I wouldn't want it to just become a forum where people just talked about there health problems all the time either.

I had hoped that all the my dogs better than your dog stuff would be left in the other sub forums... Leave us face it; there are fewer and fewer older bicycle riders every day. The plain honest truth is, the older you get the harder it is to ride, and the more likely you are to have health problems arise, both from age and sometimes from the riding itself. I had hoped that this forum would be a good source of information as to how to overcome some of these obstacles, and a good data base on what kind of equipment might work for any given situation. Not just what gets you from point A. back to point A. as fast as you can go... If I want to only know about that, I'll lurk in the road forum.

So... I guess in conclusion I'll say that there are no easy answers for a sub forum this complex, but then again I like to post in about 5 other sub forums also... and at the end of the day... I just like to ride my bike, if this web site fell off the face of the earth, it wouldn't change that fact.

I don't see this as a place where aging folks get together to discuss infirmities.
More like a place for folks who have a frame of reference related to being around since the 1950's-1960's. (or earlier) And probably having spent a lot of time since then on bikes. Or not. This is probably not the place to discuss what a great fixie an old Schwinn Continental makes but is the place to read that my '73 Conti really sucked as a bike but I learned to love cycling while riding it as a twenty-something. (No, I don't miss it)
The topics of discussion here may often be the same as in other forums except here the disussion is informed by everything that we have all experienced and are currently going through.
What gets this older fella down the road as fast as possible is a long wheelbase recumbent, by the way. YMMV

Yep. Another thing I notice is that 50+ doesn't appear to be ruled by a ...uhm..."hall monitor"... who gets his/her knickers in a bunch when topic discussions stray a little bit off target from the OP. Much of the time, the side conversations are just as interesting as the original topic. And the banter's not bad, either.

This.