REVIEWS DEALS BIKESHOPS TRAILS

Old Guys 60+

44586 Views 144 Replies 86 Participants Last post by mtbnutty, Oct 11, 2020

Maheoway

Discussion Starter · Jun 15, 2011

Rewards, Challenges, Advice to share
I took this up at 62, 3 years ago, hadn't spent any time on a bike since a kid. Bought a 26er on ebay, didn't like it, got a GF Mt Tam 29er, was hooked. Riding a Pivot 429 now in central TX.
Curious how many other old timers are doing this. It's a young world out there, lots of good riders, not hard to find better riders to ride with. I've run into a few my age, with considerably more experience. I've managed to become an intermediate rider.
Age comes with physical challenges, healing time, nerve, vision, to name a few, and more. The rewards are worth the trials, and it's heartening to be tolerated by the younger guys.
They seem to appreciate the fact they will still be able to participate in this great sport in 20, 30, 40 years.
Any other old men out there having fun way over their heads?

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mtbbob48

· #41 · Jun 19, 2011

Glad to see all these old guys still have fun

den haag said:
i suggest looking up don mclung. in my world, he is THE OLDEST SINGLESPEEDER. and a great framebuilder. he works in salida, colorado. and he is a HAMMER! backyard bicycles. i will be 60 soon(enough),59+.

I'm 63 San Antonio Texas rider ride mostly 29ers last two years ti hard tail and this week I got a fs salas spearfish. 32 years of riding Mtb hoping for many more

ric426

· #42 · Jun 20, 2011

Well, finally a club I belong in. I'll be 59 in a few months and have been mountain biking for 25 years. I've got the scars and such to prove it. Last year I wound up with a herniated disk and pinched nerve that caused intense pain and progressing weakness in my left arm. It looked like I was heading for cervical fusion surgery and I knew if I kept my mountain bike I'd end up doing something permanently harmfull, so I sold it and figured I'd stick to road riding. Later I found a surgeon who was able to fix my neck without fusion, but I find that my road riding position aggravates other existing disk problems and now I'm shopping for a new mountain bike. I'm looking at a FS 29er to make the ride as comfy as possible and minimize the potential jarring. I may even be buying a bike tomorrow if all goes as planned.

clw

· #43 · Jun 20, 2011

The bike in post #16 is the easiest on the neck. That's my fall back if my cervical radiculopathy comes back.

griffinjay

· #44 · Mar 18, 2014

Time to revive this thread. I started mountain biking about two weeks after the last comment. I'm approaching 65 years old, feeling like I'm 40, and am pretty much addicted.

But I'm wondering: Why aren’t there more seniors mountain biking?

It seems to me that relatively few of my recreationally-active, age-related peers (AARP crowd, baby boomers, seniors) are mountain bikers. I just don’t see many out on the MORC trails in the Twin Cities area where I mostly ride.

Skiing seems to be a close cousin to mountain biking, with elements from both cross country and downhill skiing. And when I’m XC skiing or snowboarding here in the Midwest, I see plenty of seniors.

Is it fear? Cost? Areas to ride? Image?

fruitafrank

· #45 · Mar 18, 2014

I think finding senior riders depends on where you live/ride and how active the seniors are not just mtn. biking. In the summer I stay in Summit County Colo. and there is a large group of seniors riding 2 to 3 days per week. There is also a good size group of senior mtn. biking in Grand Junction/Fruita. I'm sure there are many other gathering spots for active seniors.

DianeWong

· #46 · Mar 18, 2014

Until I broke my collarbone back in December of '08, my riding style was fast and fearless. Now, at the age of 62, I,m a bit more aware of " the penalties of failure", and tend to size things up more than I used to. My riding partners, here in sunny San Diego, range in age from late twenties to 62 (me!). I keep up just fine,but, I pace myself, eat right, hydrate, rest and recover.
Being retired with my children grown and doing well, I can keep a stable of very nice bikes. This is my compensation for aging!
Ride on'
- George

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Gasp4Air

· #47 · Mar 18, 2014

griffinjay said:
Is it fear? Cost? Areas to ride? Image?

Cuz it's freakin' hard. And sometimes dangerous. It's a level of exertion most people never to get to at all, much less seniors. As I push 64, I find it getting harder. And I too am more wary of drops and speed than I used to be. Old is not just about the bones and muscle, but a state of mind as well. I'm gettin' there. And hope to stay a while.

EddyKilowatt

· #48 · Mar 18, 2014

57 here and riding my first full sus, a.k.a. the Luxury Liner... riding for about 5 years previously on a hardtail 29er. My age concession is I took off the 42 chainring, kept the 32 and 22... I still like to go fast, but the consequences of a mistake get more severe and I don't want to miss weeks of family and work time, let alone wind up unable to ride. Friends know me by my motto "I'm just here for the scenery"...

Old Ray

· #49 · Mar 18, 2014

Let's just say that I've been 60 for so long that nobody even asks me if I want the Senior Citizen discount....they just give it to me.

I gave myself a 29er for my last birthday...an Ellsworth Evolution. It's what I call the 'Tennessee Walker' of mountain bikes....a bike to make an old man look good. (I heard that about TW's from a septugenarian riding one once. He was also leading a mule. A biter.)

Burt4x4

· #50 · Mar 18, 2014

I think MTBR needs an OLD FART fourm!
ALOT including me are fighting Father Time via MTBing. I'm lucky I am only 46..if I can get my bones and mucels tuffer now..cut back on the substance abuse..RIde RIde RIDE!!
I feel WAY better sence I bought my bike..

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Old Ray

· #51 · Mar 18, 2014

Burt4x4 said:
I think MTBR needs an OLD FART fourm!
ALOT including me are fighting Father Time via MTBing. I'm lucky I am only 46..if I can get my bones and mucels tuffer now..cut back on the substance abuse..RIde RIde RIDE!!
I feel WAY better sence I bought my bike..

Hey....needless to say, mountain biking can be a form of 'substance abuse' itself. I've broken more bones and had more orthopedic surgeries since I started this than I needed from 40 years worth of martial arts training and teaching!

Although, I have to say not quite as many head injuries from the mtb, so there is that...I plan on riding until I die. In fact, I wouldn't mind at all if I died WHILE I was riding.

Burt4x4

· #52 · Mar 18, 2014

^^ Ha! Mee too Bro, ride tell I die ~ I guess all hobies can be "abused" lol

lilsanch

· #53 · Mar 18, 2014

Hats off to the older ladies and gentlemen in here. I'll never forget feeling full of piss and vinegar my first time on the trails at 19, and getting lapped TWICE on a four mile loop by a group of gray hairs. I humbly give my respect to anyone who is still churning the pedals at that age. Health willing, I will be too.

H0WL

· #54 · Mar 18, 2014

Maheoway said:
Racing. In Texas the age is 50+ except for the pros, not enough participants 60+. There are a lot of 50+ racers that are badass, tough category. Seems racing would be good to get out of your comfort zone, winning, not a reality.

Hey, Maheoway, good to see you yesterday at Pace Bend.

re: racing
Cat 1 is where the 60 + age group shows up; Crusty (Mr. June Bug) races in this group. There are usually from 10 to 20 age 60+ Cat 1 guys at the start line for most TMBRA series races. Honestly, in a few years, there will soon be enough Cat 1 guys who are 70 or older to start requesting a separate 70+ category!

The guys who have just aged out of the 50 to 59 group are wicked fast; other guys are not as fast, but race for the love of the sport.

Category 1 racers age 40 or over race only 2 laps; the younger punks knock themselves out with 3.

I would really like to see more older women out riding and racing mountain bikes, but so far, not too many.

Velobike

· #55 · Mar 18, 2014

Burt4x4 said:
I think MTBR needs an OLD FART forum!...

Great idea. +1

Amazing thread resurrection too.

I'm still riding rigid and singlespeed. My pace is down a bit, and the hills have got a bit steeper and higher, but my endurance is still ok. (69 now)

I moved over to fatbikes about 2 years ago and have hardly ridden my 29er since.

My fatbike weighs easily twice what my Ti 29er does, yet in a 24 hour solo race I do each year (StrathPuffer 24 hour) I've done an extra lap over what I usually manage. The fatbike USP is they are great skill compensators, just ride straight over stuff that would otherwise knock your wheel sideways. That helps when your reactions aren't as sharp as they were.

The traction is brilliant, they climb like goats. They're not just for snow!

Anyhow, I'm entered for the World Solo 24 hours this year. Anyone else from here going?

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jeffreyjhsu

· #56 · Mar 19, 2014

At age 68 I've been riding mountain bikes since 1985. I still enjoy it as much as ever. Though I'm slower than I was 10 years ago. Age has made my handlebars higher, my stem shorter and my wheels are now 29rs. Oh! My grin has gotten bigger and more frequent too.

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Centurion_

· #57 · Mar 19, 2014

Would any of you guys care to share training and recovery tips unique to us old guys?

I raced on the road and did a lot of weight lifting into my early 50's, then took a decade off to nurse injuries and get fat. I am now 64, have lost most of the weight I put on, but am having trouble getting the fitness back. I use Joe Friel's book Cycling Past 50 as a guide, but determining the level of activity I should be doing is eluding me. I feel strong on my rides and have good weight sessions for two or three weeks, but then fatigue hits and I have to back way off for a week or two.

Are any of you experiencing this?

(Another +1 for an Old Farts Forum).

Old Ray

· #58 · Mar 19, 2014

Centurion_ said:
Would any of you guys care to share training and recovery tips unique to us old guys?

I raced on the road and did a lot of weight lifting into my early 50's, then took a decade off to nurse injuries and get fat. I am now 64, have lost most of the weight I put on, but am having trouble getting the fitness back. I use Joe Friel's book Cycling Past 50 as a guide, but determining the level of activity I should be doing is eluding me. I feel strong on my rides and have good weight sessions for two or three weeks, but then fatigue hits and I have to back way off for a week or two.

Are any of you experiencing this?

(Another +1 for an Old Farts Forum).

Hey Centurion, yes recovery time for us older warriors is not to be overlooked. The old, "That which does not kill you, makes you stronger" line is found by us to be an utter canard...besides, look who said it...a philosopher who was an inspiration to Hitler, and died in a nuthouse from terminal brain-siphyllis.

I have pretty much let go of the weights altogether. I just like to ride my bike, so ride it I do, 4-6 days a week, 2-2.5 hours each time. Yes, the upper body is slimming down, so much that old friends see me and immediately get that "oh my god you must have cancer" look.....but I can't help it. Right now, I just like to ride, so, that's what I do. I ride fat tires on the road and the trails too. And mostly I ride my 29er.

The older I get, the more I go with my instincts.

And yes, a BIG plus 1 from me for an "Old Farts" forum, either in Passion or OC or the 29er forum, or a new forum all by itself. There's probably enough of us to roll a forum completely on our own!

John Kuhl

· #59 · Mar 19, 2014

In San Diego where I live there are a lot of us
+60 riders. The best thing is being retired we
can ride during the week, and often we have
the trails to ourselves.

Hostilemonk

· #60 · Mar 19, 2014

Training tips?

Centurion_ said:
Would any of you guys care to share training and recovery tips unique to us old guys?

I raced on the road and did a lot of weight lifting into my early 50's, then took a decade off to nurse injuries and get fat. I am now 64, have lost most of the weight I put on, but am having trouble getting the fitness back. I use Joe Friel's book Cycling Past 50 as a guide, but determining the level of activity I should be doing is eluding me. I feel strong on my rides and have good weight sessions for two or three weeks, but then fatigue hits and I have to back way off for a week or two.

Are any of you experiencing this?

(Another +1 for an Old Farts Forum).

68yrs old, trying to do endurance events (not these, to me dumb, DH enduros), but looks like I need a new knee so I'm hardly riding at the moment

. As get older power is reduced, flexibility is reduced, endurance is also reduced but the main issue I find is recovery. So whatever ride/exercise I do, recovery is my prime focus as soon as I finish.

Hence I have recovery food pre-prepared. Typically liquid in the form of either low fat chocolate milk (google it as recovery drink

) or milk and a protein carbohydrate mix, and/or some form of pasta/noodles (low fat) - pre-prepared so I can drink/eat within 30 minutes of finishing ride/exercise. Prepare own as it cheaper. Within 30 minutes is seen as the crucial period. Then continue to eat good food with protein and carbs - including fruit for the next few hours. Guidelines are on the web.

Also I use an 'adaptation' training sequence. That is I have at least two days off a week where I do very little or no exercise but stretching. Then every 4th week is an adaptation week. (Google "adaptation training"). If there is an event coming up I time the adaptation week for the days immediately before an event.

I also use Tabata or interval training on a turbo. Typically warm up for 10 mins, then 6*30 second maximum sprint 'on' session, with between 60 to 180 seconds as the 'off' session, depending on how I'm feeling, then 5 min cool down.

For events I try to ride equivalent/similar distance and terrain (climbing, average grade and max grades). Building up to the distance about 3 to 4 weeks before the event.

Light weights two times week but not slavishly, so miss a few. Main 'gym' type work is stretching, use some Yoga but really it is just stretching, prefer to use dynamic than static stretching. Many good sites indicating appropriate stretching for the 'older' athlete/riders. Main advice seems to stretch immediately after exercise and do it warm.

HTH. FWIW.

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