terrymorse 

I think that’s my typo. Should be 20-34.

t2p

I got into night off road riding in the early 90’s - late fall through early spring

( at the time there were basically two good light systems : Nightsun and then Niterider … with NiCad batteries that were actually fairly advanced at the time )

we typically rode two times per week - one night at the same location and most times rotated to a different location on the other night

when there was snow on the ground many then rode some of the parking garages in the urban areas but I did not join them

night off road riding is still one of the most fun things I’ve done - motorcycle and snowmobile riding included

enjoyed it so much it sparked the interest of some of the older members of our small road road riding group - guys in their late 60’s to early / mid 70’s - so they got lights to do night rides on some of the area paved bike paths and adjacent roads

they enjoyed it immensely - and I joined them a number of times

just recently got out the bike I used for a good part of that night riding - it was buried / shoehorned in the garage for 20+ years untouched … still has the lights installed and a set of 26 x 1 Specialized Turbos installed I tried for a short period before it was retired … hope to have it in better shape next year and put some miles on it

big john

Does that fork still have the elastomers? I had an old Manitou years ago and I put springs and a damper kit in it. Don't know if any of that stuff is still available.

I did a bit of night riding in the 90s. A local bike store had a bunch of beater mountain bikes and he would set up rides. One ride we did would take fire roads over the hills to a pizza place with outside seating. The bike shop guy would have a motorhome with trailer parked near there and after pizza (and beer for some) we would get a ride back to the start. So much fun.

seypat

Probably. Good question.

PeteHski

So I wonder why there are so few in this age group?

t2p

the elastomers ‘melted’ and then hardened in the bottom of the fork legs … have another similar fork that is same condition … might look into a spring / damper conversion if I can find one - but probably going to replace the fork with the original OEM rigid fork

our old Mag 21 and Judy forks do appear to be in much better condition than that Manitou fork … relatively speaking (?)

the Manitou 2 fork on the Schwinn Paramount in the picture is the first suspension fork I had - traded a set of studded off road motorcycle tires (Trelleborg)

Alan K

On the topic of this thread: I always enjoyed bicycling with my family members at a leisurely pace to accommodate our children’s pace. For longer sessions of bicycling, I prefer to do it alone. In my younger days (at the approximate age 15-25), it was fun to go with close friends and push ourselves. But beyond that age, I didn’t really care about going in groups and having to deal with a few control freaks - in my limited experience, there were always a few or at least one in every group.

Setting my own pace and stopping or not stopping anywhere on a given day became increasingly important and enjoyable over the years and it remains so today.

t2p

does sound like fun

our rides were a blast - and often we would hit a local bar / restaurant after the ride

maintenance on the bikes was not a blast however … went through a set of rims in little over a season … chains, chainings, cassettes did not last long … mud was so thick in some spots you could dismount and bike would remain upright

a new group formed at that time that I was a member of : PORC - Pittsburgh Off Road Cyclists … great bunch … one member was Maurice Tierney (Dirt Rag magazine)

initially we were forced off the trails at night in one local park by the park and county police - but later were permitted to ride after subsequent meetings with the authorities

today that trail network is expanded and sees a good amount of use … two thumbs up

pdlamb

Just a guess here: In the 20-34 group, you're only going to get dedicated cyclists (racers and some who are in training for, well, whatever). Why spend money on cycling GPS and Strava subscriptions when you want to pay rent, save for a house, spend time with children or significant other? Be honest: how many people are going to post a Strava ride with your 6-12 year old kids? Do you want to be KOM or Tortoise of the Mountain (TOM)?

As children leave home, more people have time for things like bikes and associated toys. Even if you're not going for a Cat 4 crit next spring, you may have some spare cash and spare time you can invest in coaching and serious training. May as well post those.

By the time grandchildren come, for most riders it's back to KOM or TOM rides. Many people become more frightened riding on roads with motorized vehicles, or decide the P.T. and/or knee or hip replacements aren't worth riding off-road.

TBH, most of my posted Strava rides are to tilt the heat-maps so local planners will see, hey, somebody's riding these roads a lot. Maybe that'll tilt road maintenance, plans for shoulders, etc. just a bit to make my riding more comfortable.

terrymorse 

My Mt. Hamilton participants by Age Group 2023 graph was missing the 25-34 age group.

It has been corrected, above.

PeteHski

Ah, thst makes a bit more sense now. I would say we have a similar age spread at UK sportive events. There are always a lot of MAMILs around!

Mike_Z

I'm 59, and about 6 months into getting back into riding, and really only serious about it the past three of those months. I do mostly road rides with a little gravel, and do it all on vintage bikes. I'm not opposed to club or group rides, but I think I have a lot of fitness to build before I'm up to it. Most of my friends who are into riding are pretty advanced and are on modern road and MTBs.

jlaw

Cool bike.

Keep the fork.

AirPhantomPhoto

Hmm, as a new member here, & the fact I'd be considered a "recreational" rider, I'd call this snark. But then again text is wierd with conveying sarcasm & feelings so maybe this poster didnt mean it to sound the nasty way it did?

Now thats out of the way, I havent rode a bike since I was stationed in Germany in 1991, but my sis in law decided I needed a bike for my 57th bday. And BTW I'm an Athena, not that should matter in this discussion.
But since I havent ridden in so long I'm still getting used to riding again so theres no way I would ride with the local club that seems only interested in speed trial type of rides if I understand their website correctly. Heck, we only have 2 bike shops downstate, one in Dover thats out of business & maybe 1 upstate. Even the local womens ride that meets at the shop I got my bike from, the lady who sets it up admitted to me the women are a bunch of speed bikers too. (facepalm)

So, I ride the local rail trail alone, the backroads alone so I dont hold up traffic, & looking into (now summer touron season is over) riding in the local state parks. Just need to avoid Gordons pond with the Sec.Serv when a certain <coughcough> is in town. I can ride when I want & feel up to it, stop & take pics when I want, puke up my guts without worrying splattering others (LOL), etc.

bruce19

I should have been more specific. We are all recreational riders. The problem I have is with the riders who are ignorant but do not seek out assistance in understanding how to handle their bikes and/or ride in a group. As a motorcyclist before I got into cycling I learned how to take the "racer's line" and "flatten a corner." If you approach a corner with the typical newbie on your wheel the chances are they will see you go wide at the set up and dive under you. Needless to say this can be a disaster when you then try to hit the apex of the curve. They are not trying to hurt anyone they just don't know. And, they don't know that they don't know. In a small group you can address the issue fairly easily but in a large group (I'm thinking a dozen riders) it's not easy. When I ride with my ex-racer friends I am always asking them to point out my flaws or make suggestions. Most new riders in my club.....not so much.

AirPhantomPhoto

See Bruce, this is what I meant by you maybe not meaning that comment to come across the way it did to me.
My aunt & uncle used to ride big arsed touring harleys (I guess thats the best description of them, being a kid I didnt pay much attention) & they taught my brother & I to do things like you mentioned. Would I still remember that today? Probably not. Would I ask the speed racers club that? Nope Why? Because nowadays I get nervous in bigger groups/crowds anyways so I try to avoid riding in packs.

I get that BF is "rec" riders I know its not a pro forum, & I've also been lurking for awhile now here. Wanting to post some stuff made me realize I should join & your comment got me too

Thank you for responding, folks no matter the mode of transportation or not gonna do folks things. --> “People are complicated. Kimchi is easy.”

Classtime 

I have been a member of clubs that have regularly scheduled and very casual rides. Most of my riding these days is solo but I don’t do anything casually — including my posting on BF.

pelirary

75 year old here. I ride 100% solo. Rode once a week with a club for many years in my fifties but had to take a year off of riding and never went back. Now I look at their site for rides to see if I want to join again and see that their rides are longer than my usual rides. I ride between 18 and 25 each outing and most of the club rides are in the 30 to 40 mile distance. Maybe next summer when I am 76. LOL

JoeyBike

I worked retail most of my live from 15-55 with a few breaks. Dealing with the general public on a daily basis, for me, requires some "Me" time without conversation. As H.D. Thoreau wrote: "I've never met a companion so companionable as solitude". That said, I have enjoyed a handful of A++ cycling companions over the years in my 20s and 30s. They all got families, fat, and tired. So this just left me and my thoughts.

My mother used to tell people that I was the child most comfortable with himself she had ever come across. I agree. No second opinions, politics, compromises. Heaven.

One last note. I am a fairly strong cyclist. Not strong enough to keep up with the fastest groups, yet faster that the "B" groups. So on group rides I was alone anyway.

rsbob 

I find the drop from 64 to 65 rather shocking but that is also on a hill climb. There could be a number of reasons, like sarcopenia - or just people choosing to age-out of cycling. When I am cycling mid-day, I see a few men, and very few women, in the 45-70s. On the weekend, their numbers are reduced (grand kids?) or are drowned out my the 44 and under. On Strava, I follow a number of mid40 YOs and one said that they hoped they could be as proficient as me (I consider myself dedicated but mediocre).

cyclezen

Not sure if we're over-represented, but cycling does suit being an introvert, or just prefer reliance on 'self' as do many other activities which are also 'singular'. Cycling is one of those activities for which you are 'singular', even in a group.
Not a dig, but some of the difficult aspects of team sports/activities is that not everyone may not be on the same 'page' when it comes to objective, method or commitment, which can create frustration and contention. A hard thing to find a balance for both the 'group' as well as the individual in the group.
As with most all things, introvert/extrovert is rarely an on/off switch (binary). Most of us are our own unique mix of intro/extro-vert... Or so it seems to me...
With that
I ride a lot solo, but I do really like group rides as well. They challenge to not always be in my own little bubble. To adapt and adjust with the flow of the group...
like swimming (as a fish) in a school of fish, or being a starling swirling and wheeling in a murmuration... Riding in a large peloton is an amazing thing.
'Casual' can be taken a number of ways. There's 'casual' as referring to no obvious goals or destinations or method - yet that same 'casual' ride might be 'dedicated' to riding whenever possible.
Then there's 'casual' as a reference for someone without a strong drawing to cycle - take it or leave it - do it whenever...
The 'Technical' side to cycling, the 'numbers' side is much easier to post a thought, opinion or 'My How To' /method. So these types of threads/post would seem dominant true in many other activities. Posting more esoteric threads about the feeling/emotional/psychological side of cycling/riding the bike, becomes much harder to generate some common ground as a basis of discussion.
It's always great when a newer BF member becomes drawn into more involvement.
Ride On
Yuri

Garfield Cat

The aging boomer:
group rides = pacing.
group rides = planned stops.
group rides = start times.

Do I need to elaborate?

rsbob 

you might want to consider earbuds or bone conductive devices which will allow you to listen to podcasts or music. I ride solo and listen to music and educational features.

ofajen

My kids went together and got me Shokz bone conduction phones for Christmas. I much prefer them over either earbuds or headphones for running, cycling, other exercise or casual listening at home or in the car. They stay on better than earbuds and are more comfortable for all activities than either alternative.

It also makes such a difference to be able to hear ambient sounds and voices clearly. Obviously they won’t replace professional headphones for audio production purposes, but other than that, they are the thing.

Otto

PeteHski

It’s also worth noting that some of the modern noise cancelling ear buds have a “transparency” mode that actually enhances ambient noises and voices, so that you can hear them clearly over the music. I don’t ride in them, but I use them on my indoor trainer and I can easily hear things like the doorbell while playing Metallica!