Touring (Ageing?) Compromises

[katekosar]

I've been thinking some lately about trade-offs which one might make for becoming a happily fully-loaded elder tourist.  (Well ... eldering, not quite elder yet.)  I've made quite a few.  I've traded 700C for 26-inch, skinny slick tires for wider knobbier ones, aerobars for butterfly bars, speedplays for MKS touring pedals, carbon fiber for steel lugged, tob tube for step-through (this to accommodate a hip replacement issue), and added racks, panniers, lights, bells, front suspension, a heavier leather saddle ... you get the idea.  The relatively fast biker is officially leaving the room.  The initial observation is that the touring bike is waaaaaay slower but by far more stable ~~ a mule as opposed to a thoroughbred.  I enjoy smelling the roses at my snail's pace.

I'm wondering about group rides ~~ do you guys still haul out your fast bikes on group rides, or do you stick with the pack mule?  I'm pedalling and puffing and sweeping on my dinky little 20-mile group rides whilst riding my pack mule, but I think it's still a good idea to get used to the bike in traffic and around other bikers in a touring mode.  Whatcha think?

Bike strong ~~
Kate

[staehpj1]

How old is aging?

At 58 I prefer to ride my road bike pretty much any time I am not on a loaded tour.  I would probably even use the road bike if I was doing self supported touring without cooking and camping.  I don't even bother to train on on the touring bike before a tour.

[johnsondasw]

At 61 I'm sticking with my fast bike (CF)  for day rides and tours.  I use a trailer on self supported tours and the same skinny tires, etc.  For long selfsupported tours, however, I'm thinking of bringing my old Bianchi Eros out of retirement.  I'll get a sturdier, less sensitive ride with more durable wheels anbd less chance of a serious breakdown.  I just love the CF ride and the super light, responsive ride, so I haven't changed yet.

[whittierider]

I'll get a sturdier, less sensitive ride with more durable wheels anbd less chance of a serious breakdown

You could just put the more-durable wheels in the CF bike, right?  Or if they're not the same size, get another pair made?

On age though, Jeannie Longo keeps showing us what a semi-old woman can do, at nearly 51 years old.  She just won the Chrono des Nations women's 20.9km (13-mile) time-trial race in under 29 minutes.  Second place was 30 years younger than she, and over half a minute behind.  http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/chrono-des-nations-1-1/results

[paddleboy17]

You can never have too many bikes...

I have a lugged steel Paramount Series 3 race bike.  She weighs in at the very low 20s, but since she has radial laced wheels (not original), she is plenty fast and a joy to ride on smooth pavement.  If I still did club rides, this is what I would ride.  I trot the Paramount out for day trips.

I have lugged steel Waterford heavy touring bike.  Yes, this one is a pack mule compared to the Paramount.  The bike is slower, and can go almost anywhere.  This is the one I ride on long trips or really hilly day trips.

I have an old Reynold 853 Voodoo mountain bike that weighs less that my ride buddy's aluminum mountain bike.  This bike can go anywhere, and somehow I have acquired multiple wheel sets for it.  I have a road tire wheel set that use when I ride on pavement or rail trails (one friend I ride with only has  mountain bike).  I have wheel set with trail slicks on it for riding off road on firmer trails.  My third wheel set has low pressure Hutchinson's on it.  I don't like riding them, but they do well on soft trails (sand, wet clay, etc.).  My wife is getting my studded tires for Chrismas and that will go on the 3rd wheel set.  I am going to ride through the winter again this year, and I will need the studs to ride safely.

So keep all of your bikes and ride all of them.  Buy more if you can afford to.  Buy more stuff like wheel sets and tires.  Make your local bike shop's day.

[hmoore71]

As an elder I don't do group rides as I have not found a group slow enough. But I ride the bike that I get the most enjoyment out of and that is by far a road bike. Today I took out my 700c tourer with 40mm tires to check out the set up after moving it back to drops and bar ends. The 33 mile ride was not nearly enjoyable as with the road bikes. It was a good stable comfortable ride but the thrill was gone.

[bogiesan]

I've traded 700C for 26-inch, skinny slick tires for wider knobbier ones...
[/i]
I'd go for wider slicks but that's just me.

I enjoy smelling the roses at my snail's pace.[/quote][/i]

This is an entirely different mental and attitude position than riding for distance or speed or endurance or thrill. It's my main motivation.

[/quote]I'm wondering about group rides ~~ do you guys still haul out your fast bikes on group rides, or do you stick with the pack mule? [/quote]

Depending on your market size, you should be able to hook up with other riders in your attitude zone, forget looking for people your own age. Here in Boise, there are a couple of non-competitive, no-drop groups.

david boise ID

[Westinghouse]

Ar sixty I figure I have about 70 per cent of the power and strength I had at thirty. I am not aware of what equipment changes I should make to accomodate my slowly decreasing strength and resiliency, and I haven't tried any. I just keep on keeping on. I have taken up a long regimen of sports stretching. Right now I am seriously considering doing the ST beginning after Christmas. Some people say I am crazy for doing the ST in winter. Well, I must have lost all my marbles then, but to me winter cold that far south is preferable to the summer heat. I have done different versions of the ST in summer and winter already.

I stealth / free camp most nights. I like it okay except for one thing mainly, and that is having to go days without a shower. Sometimes it is possible to pay a few dollars for a shower at an RV park. Some people can be quite rude in their refusals. State parks often have showers for the price of gate admission. Beaches have showers outside and inside sometimes. On average, and I have never really averaged it out to see, I use motels about one day in every five or six, and then it has to be the absolute cheapest I can find, but not a crummy dump. Sometimes cheap motels have small and simple
rooms that are nice and clean. I think I have overnighted in only three motels which were really dumpy, crummy, neglected, dirty places. In those cases It was a kind of command performance. It just had to be. One such place burned down the night I was in it. Some social service transferred me to Howard Johnson. HoJo was a much nicer place. It was immaculate, carpeted, with AC and  heat, cable TV, a clean new coffee maker in the room, with a plastic card electronic key to enter and leave. That was San Angelo, Texas. I have nothing against staying in motels. If I were to win the lottery, I would probably stay in one every night on tour. It was hotter than hell on those Texas farm roads. I was drinking 2 1/2 to 3 gallons of liquid daily while being unable to urinate for three and four days at a time. I was soaked all day long. The water was passing out of me as fast as I was taking it in.

[johnsondasw]

Ar sixty I figure I have about 70 per cent of the power and strength I had at thirty. I am not aware of what equipment changes I should make to accomodate my slowly decreasing strength and resiliency, and I haven't tried any. I just keep on keeping on.

I'd say the %'s you gave are about right.  I am still learning to just go at a comfortable pace and take longer to get there than I may have years ago.  I actually like it better than ever now (at 61) and get excited about touring just planning it.

I camp, use motels, whatever.  However,  daily shower is required!  I've even jumped in half frozen lakes to rinse the sweat off.  Very occassionally, of course, it's impossible, and then I have trouble sleeping, being all sweaty, sticky, etc.

I use a lot of other exercises, or I think I would "seize up" from biking only--stretching, weights, rock climbing, hiking, x country skiing, tennis.  Jogging ended after the 3rd knee operation.  I was told to quit it if I wanted to keep the knee.  Duh, no brainer!

[Westinghouse]

I used to do a lot of jogging and weight lifting. Lately I have not been doing either. I should be doing both because I always feel quite a bit better in every way when I lift weights and run. I like showering every day, with steam, sauna, and jacuzzi too if I can get it. For me, long tours are quite expensive. I keep costs down.

[trout]

Interesting topic, and I've enjoyed reading the responses.
I am soon to be 52. I still pull the light-weight, fast and sleek road bike out for my regular thing and as always I just love the thrill of the ride. I routinely ride with someone who is 20 years older than me and can still kick ass. We live in the mountains of W. North Carolina, so this is no easy ride. My group ride usually consists of folks around my age, but anyone may show up.
I don't try to keep up with the 30 year olds, hell sometimes I don't try to keep up with the 60 year olds, I just enjoy riding.
BTW, I also mountain bike and do fully loaded touring. The only thing I don't do is commute by bike, but only because it's too far 25 miles one way, and I work 12 hr shifts.

[John Nettles]

My father-in-law has us all beat.  He is 94 and still rides.  His last tour was about 3 years ago in Europe.  He rides a stock Bike Friday due to not being able to swing his leg over a traditional DF bike anymore.  His kids are insisting he get a trike (Greenspeed or Cat-Trike) this spring as he is starting to lose a bit of balance.  I have ridden with him since he was "only" 63 and I would guess he is about 40% of where he was at age 63.  He has ridden actively for the past 70+ years and has toured quite extensively (I would estimate over 100k miles).  It just goes to show that, assuming your body stays healthy, you can keep riding.

As far as riding with others, he only goes out with a couple of friends who are careful to let him set the pace (about 8-10 mph on rail trails).  He gets a tad nervous when a pack of riders blow by him but he still enjoys riding immensely.

I hope to be riding as well as he does when I am his age (if I should be lucky to be that healthy!).

[DaveB]

I'm 67 and as I get older, I want a lighter bike, not a heavier one.  I have a Litespeed Ti road bike I use for both my daily and group rides, including supported tours.  For credit card touring I have a Co-Motion solo road bike that I use only because it had eyelets for mounting a rack.

Nothing on these bikes is "stupid light" and the wheels are 32H. 3X but I don't see any reason to handicap my self with extra weight or rolling and aero resistance that only detract from the ride. 

As always, no matter what your age, there will be riders who are faster and riders who are slower than you.

[johnsondasw]

I'll get a sturdier, less sensitive ride with more durable wheels anbd less chance of a serious breakdown

You could just put the more-durable wheels in the CF bike, right?  Or if they're not the same size, get another pair made?

  You are right.  I tried my old bike out and realized within 5 minutes I'm not going back to steel or any other bike but CF.  I do have a set of other wheels that are sturdier and I will use them on tours.