Dillema about buying a Racing Bike vs Aging
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05-29-23, 07:05 PM
#52
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I take extra special care of my core.
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05-31-23, 10:23 AM
#53
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I ride a 2016 Giant Defy and I'm a young 60er. I saw a 2019 Specialized Allez which has a more aggressive geometry. I'm thinking of buying her, but I'm trying to be realistic. I didn't starting bicycling until the pandemic, and every year I've gotten faster. I can still hold my own on the bike trail.There isn't a mom with a baby carriage that has ever passed me.This past year I may have peaked. I'm down from four really long rides at a robust speed a week to three. I may have one more year of being able to outrun a dog walker with a 7 leashes.What started this interest was I wanted a 15 pound Carbon Fiber bike, but with my Frugalian nature ,I couldn't justify it.Part of me says you only stay young by thinking young. Buy it! The other side of me says I'm avoiding reality , and that the Allez will turn me into a candidate for spinal fusion.Do all people in our age group think like this when they buy a bike?
05-31-23, 10:53 AM
#54
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One's medical condition is not to be ignored, but if you have no medical signs of herniation (I'm not a doctor, so don't take this too literally!!!!, but it's worthwhile to get an assessment) or other health issues and your existing road bikes still seem comfortable, don't go talking yourself into a wheelchair just because some unknown folks say "Uh oh, you're gonna get a hernia!" That's about as useful an allegation as is the proverbial "Careful, yer gonna put yer eye out!" I just took a good look at the clearances on my 1984-ish Mondonico and found it might be worth while to try a pair of 30 or 32 mm wide tubulars on it, for a $300 investment versus $5k for a fancy new Specialized Roubaix or similar.
If you have a drop bar which has been comfortable and you are concerned about the future, take out your wrenches and a good tape measure and raise your stem one cm, line it all up again and secure the bolts. Note: if your stem cannot be raised due to how the steer tube is trimmed, I would suggest shopping for a stem with an adjustable degree of rise. I would expect an improvement in comfort and perhaps an improvement in performance. If so, you may have just saved yourself $5000 in a new bicycle and $500 in extended fitting sessions. Whether you had an improvement or not, you can reverse this change relatively easy, if you didn't have fork trimming to deal with. Ideally you just have to make a stem bolt adjustment, or remove the adjustable thread-less stem and put your old one back on, if you haven't gotten all excited about the dollar signs and sold it already!
If you have a drop bar which has been comfortable and you are concerned about the future, take out your wrenches and a good tape measure and raise your stem one cm, line it all up again and secure the bolts. Note: if your stem cannot be raised due to how the steer tube is trimmed, I would suggest shopping for a stem with an adjustable degree of rise. I would expect an improvement in comfort and perhaps an improvement in performance. If so, you may have just saved yourself $5000 in a new bicycle and $500 in extended fitting sessions. Whether you had an improvement or not, you can reverse this change relatively easy, if you didn't have fork trimming to deal with. Ideally you just have to make a stem bolt adjustment, or remove the adjustable thread-less stem and put your old one back on, if you haven't gotten all excited about the dollar signs and sold it already!
05-31-23, 08:26 PM
#55
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I wondered something similar when, two years ago at age 71 I bought a Cervelo Caledonia. It's not really a racing bike, but a drop bar road bike. Not an "old guy" bike, I was thinking. How long would I be able to, or want to, ride it? So far, so good, and while I know the time will come, I don't really foresee wanting something tamer. As long as you can afford it, buy the bike you want.
