Troul 

maybe meth was at play? Did you catch the condition of there teeth?

Moe Zhoost

And so you turn around and do the exact thing that I cautioned against: Made a statement based on your frame of reference that appears to have only a single observation.

I wasn't there so perhaps it wasn't an e-bike at all, she was just faster than you. How old do you think she was anyhow?

indyfabz

Cut off its food supply.

rsbob 

Father is 88 and mother is 87 and neither are cyclists. Hey boomer, hope to make it to be an octogenarian too, but with cycling, may squeak it to 90.

Herzlos

I think money and time are big factors - younger folk are more likely to be working physical jobs and anyone who has retired likely has lots of time. So I think it's mostly a case of boomers are more likely to be able to buy a bike and find the time to ride said bike than any other factors.

Most of the cyclists I see here are middle aged towards elderly men on leisure rides, but I'm quite rural. In the wider urban areas it's a much better mix.
I do see a few kids on MTBs occasionally though and bikes are still popular Christmas presents.

It could just be that it's hidden - you don't really see the boomers who don't move from their couch because they never move from the couch*, yet you see more millenials/X/Y's out and about but on busses or walking or whatever.

*Anecdotally, my boomer parents wouldn't walk to their car if they could avoid it, whereas I'd never dream of a short drive if it was avoidable.

ZHVelo

The world's pension funds would prefer if the answer is no.

bmcer

Pretty much like every other generation that's ever been, those that pursue a healthy lifestyle will likely out live those that don't.Actuaries describe populations, not individual people.

philbob57

Another over-generalization, I think. At 76, I'm slow, so I may look like I'm on a leisurely ride, but my heart rate monitor says I work hard on the bike, nevertheless.

rydabent

No doubt that the baby boom generation will live longer, because they seem to be willing to exercise and stay active. OTOH, I have little hope for their kids or maybe grand kids. All they do is SET inside and poke buttons on their smart phones!!!!!!!!!!!!! They will end up with really strong thumbs, and their neck stuck in a downward slant.

70sSanO

Not sure about boomers overall, but access to health care and taking advantage of that care in the form of regular check-ups and screenings probably go a long way.

One other thing I have noticed that seems to impact the enjoyment, and perhaps longevity, of the retirement years; how much one’s life was defined by one’s employment. And some re-live former glory days of their youth.

I hear less of it these days, but when I was younger I recall older people talking about what they did or what company they worked for. When people define their lives, and perhaps their value by something they used to do, it is a slippery slope when that activity ends.

I think those that are active, in whatever they enjoy, are defining their lives by what they do. I’ve thought about a time when I can no longer continue my exercise based hobbies. I am hoping that when I can no longer put one foot in front of the other, literally, I will continue to look for something to do and not at something I did.

However, for the time being I’ll relish the moments of victory, even if it is blowing past a kid on a razor... “Eat my dust.”

John

afm199

I'm 75 in ten days. I'm amazed at that! I still ride several times a week and work out with weights and floor exercises. A 25 mile ride is my idea of a fun thing to do. I live in Oakland, so that's nice long ride from house to the Bay Bridge, across the bridge to Yerba Buena Island, and then back, with some side trips as well. Great way to kill time. I was riding motorcycles on the race track up till 2019, but at the end of 2019 I broke my neck and figured it was time to quit. I also was an instructor and still turning pretty decent lap times, fast enough to be able to teach the kids. Still had my expert race license then. That is something I am truly proud of, being able to turn good lap times at that age. However, the amount of effort was just staggering. I needed three days of rest for every track day.

I look forward to more bicycling. Been doing it since 195X and still love it.

rydabent

I take it then that the Bay Bridge has some sort of hiker biker lane? Is there a toll?

afm199

Yes, it has a bicycle/hiking lane separate from the roadway, I think it cost the taxpayer a couple hundred million, lol. No toll. In the day you can leave the bridge and ride to Treasure Island/Yerba Buena island, great ride. Bring earplugs the bridge traffic noise is shocking.

afm199

LMAO, thanks for the laugh. I'm 75, and just quit instructing motorcycle riding and racing on the race track, where my laptimes were faster than about 98% of the other riders. I weigh the same thing I weighed in high school. I was a good runner years ago, but never close to Olympian, and I did apply myself. I know quite a few guys like myself.

HarborBandS

Those "hipster types" you saw 10 years ago are now over 40. It's the same people. It's amazing how middle age looks and family responsibilities erase any semblance of "hipness".

HarborBandS

I had the same thought about that rant of a post. We're talking about people who are now 41-56 years old. I'm in the younger half of "Gen X" (mid-40s), and I spent nearly every day of my childhood outside. And I didn't get a smart phone until I was well in to my 30s.

As far as I can tell, the most defining characteristic of "Generation X" is a nearly complete lack of parental supervision when we were growing up.

caloso

I’m in the older half of GenX (‘67), and yeah, I totally agree about the benign neglect.

indyfabz

Pfft. I’ll turn 56 next month. I didn’t get a cell phone until around age 39. I didn’t get a smart phone until age 52. And yet I somehow managed to ride across the country and then some at age 34. You whippsersnappers are spoiled.

Wildwood 

Human life expectancy down by a year over prior year's numbers.
The statistics must have gone viral?

coffeesnob

younger folk are more likely to be working physical jobs................not unless a smart phone of laptop does the work for them...

Herzlos

I know you're replying in jest, but by leisure rides I mean going for a Saturday morning ride in nice weather for the fun of doing it, rather than riding to work at 7am on a cold rainy Monday.
I'm only 36 and my activity tracker certainly doesn't think I'm on a leisurely ride (it's all hills here so I work hard)

Sure, but generalising here, you're more likely to find a boomer in a laptop/smart phone job (office work) than a millennial. How many 50 year olds do you in working behind the counter in McDonalds compared to the number of 20 year olds?

KPREN

By the time we get old we have experienced much of life. We either get tired of life or keep pivoting into something new as we age. Perspective has a lot to do with who we surround ourselves with and what our ideas about demographics are. At 65 I am a middle baby boomer. My father is dead from emphysema at age 90 my mother is still very active with life at 92. The apple does not fall far from the tree.

Most of my high school friends and many of my college friends are already dead from excessive lifestyles. I have watched how my parent lived and largely copied it. Works good so far. Most of my current friends are survivors with great outlooks on life. Over half are stage four cancer survivors. Most have comorbidities. All of them have active lifestyles. I lose a few of them every year. Average age of our bicycling group is about 75. These things inspire me, not discourage me. I have built 10 ebikes for various members of our group. Most are now in e bikes; The length of rides has stayed about the same in the group but members are riding much more outside the group. From my perspective, I am burying a lot of friends that are both boomers and older but that does not mean much nationally. That is only from my perspective.

Because I am much more able than many of my friends I have two very different bike trips planned for this year. One is a ride back to Ohio from Tucson AZ with as much remote dirt riding as possible with a life long friend. The other bike trip is using my diesel trawler as a sag wagon for an Erie Canal bike path credit card trip for most of my less abled friends. Pivot is the name of the game.

Someone in another thread said these types of threads are a sure sign of nearing springtime and just want to talk about biking or anything for that matter. That might be true for most but I don't pay much attention to seasons. I just do my thing.

I might not live as long though if I keep making divots in the snow like this one yesterday. Ain't none of my friends nuts enough to participate but they love the stories. The one's that would have are dead.

rydabent

I dont think it is any stretch of the imagination to think that cyclist that ride well into their 80s and some even longer will far out live couch potatoes.

Again--------------if you set you rust.

Troul 

whether you keep physically active or mentally active; just maintaining one of those [if not both] will drive a longer lifecycle.

coffeesnob

Thats not physical work. I'm talking about regular 7 to 3:30 back breaking jobs. Younger folk don't want that. They are even having a hard time of getting people who want to drive semi trucks.