Cycling for my Health - Which Bike?
 

Hi all. I am 60 years old and really enjoy everything about bikes and cycling. I have not been regular but I think it is an way of getting exercise that I enjoy and think I could really get into a routine.

I currently have a Giant Roam 1 hybrid and a vintage '80s Fuji Espree touring bike that is in great condition. My dilemma is should I concentrate on one bike and if so which one? The hybrid is newer and possibly a better bike but the Fuji is a real fun bike. Opinions and help are appreciated.

I don't see a good reason to avoid one or the other so long as they fit and are comfortable enough for the riding you use them for. I have a road bike and take it on my fitness rides as well as my distance/endurance rides. I use my hybrid on shorter rides, family outings, errands, commuting sometimes... they fill different purposes but are both accumulating healthy miles.

I started riding with a Fuji hybrid and an early 80's Cannondale touring bike 9 years. Around town and in higher traffic areas with more "stop and go" intersections I prefer flat bars. In open areas with longer stretches of pedaling I prefer the Cannondale for harder exercise. I find use both types as part of my "lifestyle."
P.S I'm 73. Now have 2 flat bar bikes, 1 cruiser bike and 2 drop bar bikes. It's contagious.

Seems like the answer is therefore obvious. Ride the Fuji.

Yes it is contagious. I enjoy everything about it. Working on them, riding, owning and everything. I love my bikes.

Ha ha. I guess I should've said I love the hybrid too.

Why decide, ride both, it's called cross training.

Working ones.

What health? The body needs the mind. Cycling should be enjoyable, you should love being out there. It's not a competition unless that's what you love.

Me, I'm more for the scenery and comfort. I sit quite upright and i explore. Think about what you want from your cycling.

You should concentrate on riding one ---at a time. Don't try to ride both at once unless you are exceedingly talented.

find some long unpaved rail trails for the roam

If you're in it for fitness, just ride whatever you feel like that day. Cycling more frequently is better for your health than stressing about which bike to ride. Most of us have several bikes we ride and as long as your fit on all of them us comfortable, all is good.
If it were me between those two, I'd be on the Fuji because I'm a drop bar fan and not really comfortable on flat bars, but that's just me and YMMV.

Just listen to the all time best cyclist Eddy Merckx: "Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride."

I like having more than one bike, so I can switch when I get bored with one of them. It always seems like I go faster on a bike that I haven't been riding for a while.

+1
I ride two, a gravel bike with drops and a Trek dual sport. In warm months I sort of alternate. In winter, the gravel bike is used on the trainer. I still have the hybrid for outside on passable winter days, which for me is no ice, snow and minimal winds. Two bikes give you options. I usually quit riding outside once temps were below 40F. I've done a recent ride in the upper 20's and liked it. So, I say stay with two ride whichever you feel like riding that day.

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I love riding trails in the woods. Easy trails.

I had no idea that was even a thing up until a cpl yrs ago. now I can't get enough of them & it's wicked fun just finding them!

Ride the one you like to ride the most.

The most expensive bike (no matter what it cost) is the bike sitting in your garage, unridden.

The best exercise you get from riding a bike is riding the bike.

So pick one out, and go ride it. Today. Repeat tomorrow. Then the day after.

You are the expert on you. Ride whichever you like when you feel like riding it. I have two bikes and I alternate between them a lot depending on what roads I'm riding, weather, and whether I'm carrying stuff, or sometimes just whim. The positions are different enough that I can feel some slight difference of which leg muscles get the most intense workout, and I figure the variety is probably good for me.

TL/DR: It's all good.

Yup. You're spot on. I'm constantly breaking my neck looking for new trails.

As long as both bikes are in good mechanical condition and fit you well, don't overthink it. Just ride.

For your health you want frequent moderate activity, not so much less frequent hard activity. Two to four 10-60 minutes bits spread throughout each and every day is about ideal (along with 2-3 minutes of at least walking around each hr). That said, if your thing is a 1-2 hr sweatfest every other day then that's much better than doing nothing.

And as said above, the best bike is the one you'll ride.

For me the best is riding to a local café each morning for porridge and a cappuccino (about 10-15 minutes each way). I work on my laptop for an hour or two and then ride back home or to somewhere else. We'll also ride to the grocery, pharmacy and other nearby places. This gets us about 70% of our activity goal with the other 30% filled out with gardening, water skiing or other stuff.

More: https://www.bluezones.com/2016/11/power-9/

Nearly all of my daily riding is on my Dutch Opafiets (City Bikes | LocalMile) and my wife on her Workcycles Gr8. I also have a Bakfiets for larger grocery runs or other chores. During winter I'll stick studded tires on a couple of extra Omafiets that we keep for guests and we'll ride them if there's snow or ice on the bikeway*. Because they're comfortable and easy to ride any time in any clothes these bikes overwhelmingly get the most trips now. We do also have road and mountain bikes but the extra effort required to ride them and that they're much less comfortable means they get many fewer trips.

* Outside of the U.S. guys frequently ride step through omafiets style bikes and even though we're in the U.S. I do so and enjoy it. This fear of riding a 'womans' bike is really kind of silly.