Will be turning 65 next month and want to get back into cycling.
 

I’ll post this in the senior group but want to ride with some of our local big boys so I thought I’d start here.

I sold my Specialized Tarmac years ago, bad move, and would like something similar in weight but slightly more upright, but still fast. I still have a need for speed even at 65.

I know there have been some changes since I sold my bikes (had a Rivendell also) so this is the first step in my research. My budget is about $5K but I can go a bit higher depending on the wheel set.

Any tips for an old guy in good shape that wants to get some of his mojo back? Thanks in advance guys, and watch out, those years creep up on ya’ pretty darn fast. 🤷🏾‍♂️

With a $5k budget, there are almost limitless choices of really good bikes. I would suggest going and test riding ones and comparing major differences, such as endurance vs. racing geometries, shifting; electronic vs. mechanical, etc. Think about the roads you'll ride on, and how you'll use the bike and choose accordingly. Since you've ridden in the past, i suspect you'll quickly narrow down at least what style bike you want and major features.

Trek, Specialized, and Cannondale all have various types of active suspension, which is nice for really poor pavement and I would recommend riding one or more of those if you think it may be beneficial on the roads you'll be riding. Roads in my area are abysmal and I really appreciate the Specialized Future shock system, especially on long rides.

Another consideration is maintenance. If you do your own, you want something you feel comfortable working on. If you will use a shop, you may want to focus on brands that are carried by shops you are comfortable with.

Good luck with the search. Make sure to post pics when you get one.

5K? Save your money. Get two more or less older bikes. One Road and one Ravel. Then ride, Ride, RIDE...

After a few months you will know exactly what you are looking for.

But of course... You know this...

Agree you will get much better bang for the buck if you get a gently used bike. Suggest "endurance" geometry like a Specialized Roubaix or equivalent. You might even want to get something aluminum and 5 years old for $1000 and ride it for a year, and if you really are getting into it spend the big bucks next year for something fancier and relegate the older bike to rain rides/trainer rides.

I'll take a different approach and encourage you to get the new shiny bike that you can afford so you won't be jonesing for a new bike in 6 months. It'll be more fun, and you won't look back regretting the purchase.

I'm 66 and have only been riding road for the last 3.5 years. I have a 2020 Domane (my first road bike since my college days), and a 2023 Emonda, both with 12-speed Di2. Love those bikes, but find myself more on the Emonda than the "comfort" geometry. You are not too old for a sporty new bike!

And, since you live in the sunny south (like I do), I wouldn't worry about having a rain bike since there are plenty of sunny days to ride, unlike a friend who used to live the PNW and had to ride in the rain if he was to ride.

When I was 62, I got myself a Canyon Endurace, with a CF frame, disc brakes, and 11 speed 105. With it, I ramped up my annual mileage from the 1000-1500 range up to over 6000. It's an Endurance bike, but it's always the fastest bike I own, so you don't necessarily have to give up speed for comfort. With your budget I'd look at something like the Endurace CF SLX 8 Di2, which will give you 12 speeds with electronic shifting. But, you know, I'm a Canyon fan boy. ;)

Yes get an endurance bike. Minimal speed loss, maximal comfort gain over a TdF bike. There are lots of amazing endurance bikes out there, Canyon is a great deal and I like the suspension on my Specialized Roubaix a great deal.

I've loved my Felt Z for the past 15 years or so (I'm 70). I don't even know if they market a Z nowadays, but I'm pretty sure they have an equivalent. It didn't slow me down one bit from my Cannondale CAAD8 back in the day. There's a lot of bikes with more "comfort" geometry, aluminum, carbon fiber, titanium, steel. But, look beyond Trek and Specialized, please. It's a big world out there with many great options with equal or better value. They can be built up as light as you want, certainly 15 pounds in a rim brake bike is pretty doable if that's your goal.

If you're looking at used bikes, don't have tunnel vision towards disc brakes. For road riding - in my personal experience - discs don't add anything to the performance of the bike. Not worth getting obsessed over. I have one - a titanium gravel bike, and it's fine, but my rim brake bikes work perfectly all the time too.

I would have said take a look at the Canyon Endurace, but others have already said the same :)

Yeah, as above, the least important thing is the bike. How long a ago did you quit riding? At least you know your size and fit. Just get something used, something you can have now. You provide the speed, not the bike. You might be able to use the same fit as always. I'm 78 and still have a slammed -17° stem. When your good bike comes in, sell the used or, better, keep it as a spare. It's good to have a spare bike.

If you are having to ask for advice here on what bike to get and what fit you want for that bike, then perhaps you need to get a less expensive bike. If you want a new bike, Many brands make bikes with the same frame as the ones going for $5000. However they have less expensive components on them. Sora, Tiagra and even some 105. Wheels will usually be of a appropriate tier level for the component level of the bike.

Once you yourself know what things you particularly do and don't like about a bike, then you can spring for the more expensive bikes. You might even treat yourself to one of the 10K to 18K bikes. But you need to know for sure it's what you want.

If your current budget allows you to toss the bike away, then sure, look for a bike at that price point. If you really get back into cycling, the bike you need right now probably won't be the bike you need when you get to a high level of cycling fitness.

I would seriosuly consider a gravel bike like the Trek Checkpoint with a spare set of wheels & road tyres. Generally more relaxed geometry, still fast, versatile, great components at the 5k level.

If you have a lot of miles behind you, and know pretty well what you want ... test-ride. Every company makes similar bikes ... racier bikes, aero bikes, gravel bikes, "endurance" bikes .... ride a bunch, find out what sort of riding position you like (remember that the more you ride, the more your body will adapt to riding .... and that any frame can become a different frame with a stem of a different length and angle (or simply flipping a stem ... )

I am inclined to suggest an endurance frame, but I don't think yo need much advice, yo need test rides. Once you are a little more firm on what you want, then you can go online, compare geometry charts, and decide which bikes, with which stems/bars, will suit your comfort range and budget.

Mainly ... super for you to be getting back into riding. You have probably added years and have certainly added joy with this decision.

I just turned 65 and got back into riding last year after a 25 year break. Was a serious cyclist in the 80’s and 90’s but kind a quit cold turkey. Went from zero to 60 pretty fast and last year did 7000 miles. I wanted a quality steel bike but ended up getting a canyon endurace cf8 and while i like it i regret getting it and wish i would have bought a nice steel bike. I am not sure what fast is as i ride solo but i did 3 100 milers averaging 18-19mph and really am shooting for a sub 5 hour 100 miler this year. Something about steel just looks right.

If you possess a lot of past experience, you likely have a good idea of what works for you. Spend $5000 if you want to, but it surely is not necessary. Endurance/gravel type bike with a more relaxed geometry is a good choice for versatility. If you just do a specific type of riding, maximize the bike for that, or, split your budget and get 2 bikes. I have been a cyclist most of my life, but I really got back into it in 2014 at the age of 61. In those 10 years I have put 50,000 + miles on my bikes, and acquired the tools and knowledge to work on them myself. This past year I got in 6500 miles, despite some time off due to medical issues. Cycling is a very big part of my life. Now I am heading into the reduction mode. Curiosity, what size bikes are you looking at?

I was in a similar situation…..nice road bike from mid 90s sold and getting back into cycling 30 yrs later at age 67. I wound up getting a GREAT used bike from The Pro’s Closet, a 15.5 lb Kestrel Legend SL from 2016, $3K. I’ve put a few hundred bucks into it with upgrades and I can’t fully express how much I absolutely love it!

Older bikes weren't designed to fit larger tires. They might be limited to 25mm or so. The new 28mm-32mm tires on wider rims are just as fast as the narrow, high pressure tires. Probably faster on rough roads, and more grip in the turns too. And way more comfortable.

You have the time, you have the money; go to a great LBS, test ride a few bikes and go for it.

Since you have had some pretty nice bikes, you obviously know what cycling is all about. Enjoy, I am assuming, your recent retirement!

Iirc, at about 50 I bought a nice bike and told my wife it was my last expensive bike. The forever bike.
LOLOL
At 63 I'm at n+8ish from that day, with no end in sight.

Test ride some bikes, buy the one that makes you grin. Repeat.

True. The used 2016 Kestrel I bought had 23mm tires on it. Because of frame limitations, the widest tire I can fit on the bike is 28mm. I made the switch and this allowed me to run at about 25psi lower tire pressure without sacrificing rolling resistance. Cornering and comfort were both noticeably improved with this change. If I were to get another road bike in the future, it would be one that would be compatible with even wider tires.

What equipment makes a difference?

Frame - One that allows the rider to get into the most aero position. I like the look of the new bikes with the integrated stem and hidden cables and etc. With that type of frame, one needs to get the fit right. The fit can be changed later but it is more difficult to make adjustments. I would suggest a more aggressive fit unless there is an actual physical reason not to.

Tires, tubes and wheels - I like tires that have suppleness along with puncture resistance. I ride Conti GP5000 with latex tubes. For wheels, I like Roval 50 with 28 mm tires and Fast Forward 45 with 25mm tires. Roval 50s and FF 45s are expensive but one can go for something similar but less costly.

Shifting - I ride electronic shifting and after riding Shimano and SRAM prefer the SRAM electronic shifting.

Riding with the local big boys is all about the engine but setting up the bike with marginally faster / better more aggressive fit plus wheels, tires, tubes and reliable fast shifting may help and certainly will make you feel more fabulous when you are on the bike.

Edit: And one can go tubeless and theoretically improve rolling resistance with less flats per mile. Although, tubeless presents its own unique set of pros/cons. There are several threads on BF about tubeless tires.

The discussion of not being able to fit anything larger than 25 hits me kind of funny. I stopped paying attention to new cycling trends along about 2009 or so. At that time, I felt like a fat lazy slug for running 25mm tires on my bikes (at 120 psi, of course), and having one bike with a 50/34 x 12-25 - such small gears! "Serious Cyclists" ran 23s at 120-130, and 53/39 x 12-23 drivetrains. I kept on riding for a decade, missing all the cycling trends, just buying new 25mm tires and pumping them up to 120 psi.

Along about the end of 2019, I started visiting BF again, and boy, had things changed! Nobody ran 23s anymore, 25s were the practical minimum, and more people were starting to run 28s! And definitely people weren't running 120 psi! 50/34 and 52/36 cranksets had taken over, as had 11-32 cassettes! And of course, disc brakes, so you weren't limited to what you could jam between the pads.

I mention all this because if you stopped riding in the era of 23s at 130 psi, 25s at 90/95 psi (what I mostly run) will be a revelation. I have one bike with 28s (the Canyon mentioned above), and while, yes, it is cushier than my other bikes on 25s (about the maximum most can fit), they are generally WAY more comfy than anything I rode before 2019. So, I wouldn't necessarily limit myself to bikes that can take larger tires. Just get GOOD tires and run them at modern, lower pressures, and you'll be amazed.

100 miles solo at 18-19mph is fast. With a few aero tweaks (body position, clothing, wheels, aerobat clip ons), it shouldn't be hard to go from where you are to a 5-hour century.

But you chose a good bike for going fast and long. Steel would have made you slower.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f2b2d3dd97.jpg
one of those 100 milers was on a steel bike with 26" fat tires and mustache bars. it weighs about 28lbs....so not sure a nice 20lb steel bike would make me slower . don't get me wrong I don't dislike my Canyon but I don't look at it and think dang that is a nice looking bike.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c8ac411b42.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3c3aec9e86.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8f999a290.jpeg

Show off. :)

The Canyon will make you faster still. What do you want, good looks or speed?