Five Changes Over Fifty
I turned 54 last month. That means I’ve been riding bikes bigger than BMX bikes for 40 years now. Crazy! Well, here’s my list of five things you will start to notice over age 50 (or anyway, these are things I have noticed).
You’re not as fast This is a hard one to face. I think I finally started noticing it in my mid-40s (though it probably started a lot sooner than that). Hills start to seem harder. The big ring doesn’t get used as much. Just compare your Strava times to folks younger than you. Reality bites.
Your position changes I used to ride road bikes with relatively slack seat tube angles, add a Campy record post and then slam the seat all the way back. Nowadays I’m on a Thomson zero setback post with the saddle a lot more centered on the rails. My bars are higher, too (though I haven’t gone full Rivendell yet).
Your old racing seat isn’t as comfortable I started riding on Concor saddles when I was 15. A lot of people thought I was crazy. The seat probably would have gone out of production if it wasn’t for Lance Armstrong, who favored it as well. In any case, about two years ago the Concor suddenly didn’t feel so good. I switched to a wider, softer WTB Volt. Much much better.
You need to resist the urge to become a retrogrouch I was an early adopter of clipless pedals–I bought the first Look pedals that came out in 1985. I’ve been a bit slower to come around to some other things that have come along since then–STI, aheadsets, etc. Now it’s dropper posts, tubeless tires and disc brakes. Again, I've been a bit slow to get there, but when I did, I loved it.
You appreciate it more Cycling has a pretty steep learning curve. But once you have gotten the basics and made all the mistakes, it gets a lot easier. Over time you become bombproof and pretty unflappable. Plus you’re just happy to still be doing the thing that put a smile on your face decades earlier. Bikes make you feel like a little kid.
Comments
I'm Kate, an average mom homemaker, wife. Grew up watching boys riding bmx's, me on a purple princess w handlebar tassles and a basket for my doll. I remember asking once if i could try riding one of theirs; got yelled at and chased off. Never asked again and didn't care i was told no. Fast forward 3 decades & 2 grandkids.... a guy i barely knew left his bike at my house; a chrome bmx that looked oddly familiar to me. Turned out it was a 1980's "Ripper" and i had no idea how to find the guy so i decided I'd hang on to it until i could locate him to give it back. Curiousity and nostalgia lead to me taking it out for a little ride down the block; just to the corner and back. No big deal right? Haha, right. Didn't make it 50ft; heart started feeling weird, legs started pumping faster and faster and for the life of me I could not stop smiling! I was smitten, twitterpated, and by the end of the block it was true love. I'm not 51yrs old, I'm 15 and can fly when I'm standing on the back pegs of my '83 chrome mongoose with the vintage hard blue grips with the holes (exactly like the ones in the movie "Rad") that i built myself with a little help from a cpl YouTube videos and that was just the 1st one. I now have 5 in my collection, most i built myself. 2 Gooses, 2 Redlines and my masterpiece; a chrome Haro w 3 piece cranks and custom Haro pegs that is so fast and rides so smooth it's unbelievable. My kids wish they were as young and hot as i am and their 18 gear bikes they thought were so great look like a station wagon looks sitting next to a '63 Corvette roadster... I'll stop riding my bmx's when I finally grow up and get old. Pretty sure even in my wheelchair there'll be a 30yr old hottie getting a ride on my pegs....lol, 50 is the new 20 honey; and I'm living it well having a blast. My kids think I'm crazy but i know they're impressed as hell their Mom rocks her awesome bikes and they hope they turn out to be just like me...4ever2wheelz! Keep calm and pedal on people, ur never too old to be a kid again.
I'm Kate, an average mom homemaker, wife. Grew up watching boys riding bmx's, me on a purple princess w handlebar tassles and a basket for my doll. I remember asking once if i could try riding one of theirs; got yelled at and chased off. Never asked again and didn't care i was told no. Fast forward 3 decades & 2 grandkids.... a guy i barely knew left his bike at my house; a chrome bmx that looked oddly familiar to me. Turned out it was a 1980's "Ripper" and i had no idea how to find the guy so i decided I'd hang on to it until i could locate him to give it back. Curiousity and nostalgia lead to me taking it out for a little ride down the block; just to the corner and back. No big deal right? Haha, right. Didn't make it 50ft; heart started feeling weird, legs started pumping faster and faster and for the life of me I could not stop smiling! I was smitten, twitterpated, and by the end of the block it was true love. I'm not 51yrs old, I'm 15 and can fly when I'm standing on the back pegs of my '83 chrome mongoose with the vintage hard blue grips with the holes (exactly like the ones in the movie "Rad") that i built myself with a little help from a cpl YouTube videos and that was just the 1st one. I now have 5 in my collection, most i built myself. 2 Gooses, 2 Redlines and my masterpiece; a chrome Haro w 3 piece cranks and custom Haro pegs that is so fast and rides so smooth it's unbelievable. My kids wish they were as young and hot as i am and their 18 gear bikes they thought were so great look like a station wagon looks sitting next to a '63 Corvette roadster... I'll stop riding my bmx's when I finally grow up and get old. Pretty sure even in my wheelchair there'll be a 30yr old hottie getting a ride on my pegs....lol, 50 is the new 20 honey; and I'm living it well having a blast. My kids think I'm crazy but i know they're impressed as hell their Mom rocks her awesome bikes and they hope they turn out to be just like me...4ever2wheelz! Keep calm and pedal on people, ur never too old to be a kid again.
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