Originally Posted by RH Clark

Hey everyone. I'm 51 and have lost 145 lbs in the last year. I'm getting pretty fit and just started riding a bike again after 25 years of being too fat to sit on one. I bought an old Trek 820 Single-track with steel frame. I'm 6'1 and 180lbs with a 32" inseam and this Trek is 17" from the crank tube to seat stem tube top. I put a 5" riser so my handle bars are even with my seat. Point being I will soon buy a bike that fits me.

Now to the main question. I've put over 100 miles on this bike so far, just enough to maybe start knowing how I like to ride. Most of my rides are on dirt roads and I find myself exhilarated by speed. At first I could barely run on the low side of the gearing on my rides and just use the 1-7 on only the low side. Now I find myself always in the high side and mostly in 7 wishing for more pedal.

I won't be doing any significant jumping and I won't be trying to get hurt at 51. I ride some rough hillsides but the bigger bumps cause my hands to hurt bad for days if I really get into the rough stuff, thus my style is mostly smoother track but fast as I can go, which isn't likely fast by most standards but I've only been riding again for about 2 months.

I live within 2 miles of old dirt roads and logging roads where I could do 30 miles or more without repeating a trail. There are no bike parks designed for riding close to me but plenty of forest gravel roads and trails. Point being I'll never ride a lift to the top of a mountain just to ride down fast.

I think I want an XC bike as light as I can afford, but I want something comfortable enough that I enjoy riding it every day, so a lighter hard tail trail bike is also a thought.

Any of you older guys ride an XC bike? Do you ride light trails with it also?