The “60 yr old riders” thread has proved popular in this forum so why not see if there’s interest in 70+. Yeah some of us geezers (I’m 77) are still having fun on mtbs. Who’s out there? @elder_mtber ? @Velobike ? What’s your story?
I’ll kick things off with some “Then and Now” pics (no memes, please!)
Then - About 35 years ago I was lucky to meet someone who shared many of the same interests/passions/goals. Somehow I convinced her to tie the knot, so I’ve had a great partner for riding as well as other activities. The photo below shows us on one of a number of bike tours we took in the early ‘90s. We were stoked with our new 1989, “state-of-the art” Fisher mtbs: a CR7 and a Paragon. (note the stylish roadie kit)
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Now - 30 years of family life and work meant less time on bikes but included a variety of other fun rec activities and adventures. Over the years strength and stamina have waned of course, and both seem to be dropping off more rapidly recently. I probably need to add more resistance and interval work. In any case we continue to enjoy riding, and retirement gives us additional time to do things. These days the wheels stick closer to the ground and the mountain biking is more chill - smelling the cliff rose and appreciating the scenery. Here in southern California we’re fortunate to be able to ride year-round, and when we travel we take our Sprinter van for comfort, shelter, and much needed showers (our roughing it days are over). The van also makes it easy to head out on short excursions (annual trips the desert in winter, Mammoth Mtn and Lake Tahoe in summer) as well as multi-week pilgrimages to Utah and Colorado. The pics below are from our Spring trip to Utah this year. (I don’t have many of me so you get to see the more photogenic mrs levity on our rides)
heading to the MORE FUN section
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“Ramblin” along slickrock
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good times
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Despite injuries most of the body is managing to hold together, but knee issues (osteoarthritis) have made hiking more difficult. Fortunately cycling is OK thus far, but knee replacements are looming in the future. We’ve been riding e-bikes in addition to our regular mtbs the last few years, and pedal assist will probably become more the norm at some point. The e-bikes are a hoot and allow us to link multiple long days or to recover (at least somewhat) from sessions on the non-assist bikes. The pics below show the new scooters we took on this year’s Fall trip to Utah:
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Occasionally we leave the mtbs behind and head out on road/gravel rides. Here are a couple of shots from Death Valley Natl Park last March:
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Keep ‘em spinning!
(Three years from now I hope to be able to post in a ”80+ riders” thread ;-) )
I’ll kick things off with some “Then and Now” pics (no memes, please!)
Then - About 35 years ago I was lucky to meet someone who shared many of the same interests/passions/goals. Somehow I convinced her to tie the knot, so I’ve had a great partner for riding as well as other activities. The photo below shows us on one of a number of bike tours we took in the early ‘90s. We were stoked with our new 1989, “state-of-the art” Fisher mtbs: a CR7 and a Paragon. (note the stylish roadie kit)
Now - 30 years of family life and work meant less time on bikes but included a variety of other fun rec activities and adventures. Over the years strength and stamina have waned of course, and both seem to be dropping off more rapidly recently. I probably need to add more resistance and interval work. In any case we continue to enjoy riding, and retirement gives us additional time to do things. These days the wheels stick closer to the ground and the mountain biking is more chill - smelling the cliff rose and appreciating the scenery. Here in southern California we’re fortunate to be able to ride year-round, and when we travel we take our Sprinter van for comfort, shelter, and much needed showers (our roughing it days are over). The van also makes it easy to head out on short excursions (annual trips the desert in winter, Mammoth Mtn and Lake Tahoe in summer) as well as multi-week pilgrimages to Utah and Colorado. The pics below are from our Spring trip to Utah this year. (I don’t have many of me so you get to see the more photogenic mrs levity on our rides)
heading to the MORE FUN section
“Ramblin” along slickrock
good times
Despite injuries most of the body is managing to hold together, but knee issues (osteoarthritis) have made hiking more difficult. Fortunately cycling is OK thus far, but knee replacements are looming in the future. We’ve been riding e-bikes in addition to our regular mtbs the last few years, and pedal assist will probably become more the norm at some point. The e-bikes are a hoot and allow us to link multiple long days or to recover (at least somewhat) from sessions on the non-assist bikes. The pics below show the new scooters we took on this year’s Fall trip to Utah:
Occasionally we leave the mtbs behind and head out on road/gravel rides. Here are a couple of shots from Death Valley Natl Park last March:
Keep ‘em spinning!
(Three years from now I hope to be able to post in a ”80+ riders” thread ;-) )
