Tomm Willians

At 62 I’m still more than capable of hammering out a century + but I can feel time crawling up on me every time I ride. One thing that’s keeping my attitude on the positive side is all the great advances in E gravel bikes!
Some of the models and specs by Orbea, Scott and Specialized have me almost excited to get older🤣🤣🤣. If I had not just bought a 6k+ Diverge Carbon Expert I’d probably be buying an e-bike but I’m not ready to surrender just yet.

obrentharris 

I'm 70 and still happy just to buy a cassette with a couple more teeth every few years.
Brent

Maelochs

I used to do a spin class with an 82-year-old guy who told me that his performance level stayed pretty high until he hit 77 or so, when his recovery times started getting longer. He was 30 years my senior and still easily outperforming me.

If I can't make it without help, I will get an e-bike, no hesitation. If I cannot handle roads, I will ride MUPs. If I cannot balance, I will get an e-trike.

So long as I enjoy riding ... why not?

cyccommute 

I got ya by half a decade. There is no E-bike on the horizon for me. In the summer of 2021, I did a 4 week, 1200 mile loaded tour around Lake Michigan. Last year I did an overnight over Weston Pass (11,885’) that included about 4 miles of riding on an abandoned railroad track. Then for good measure, I did Schofield Pass (10,850’) which was lower but harder than Weston. Planning something for the Square Tops in Colorado and for Grand Mesa (two different trips) next year.

79pmooney

About to hit 70. Not in cyccommute's league but I just celebrated the Super Bowl riding 70 easy miles. Yes, time is taking its toll. For this I paced myself all day. Never let my wind come up. It was cool but I dressed for it and refused to ride fast enough to stay warm; instead stopping a lot to add clothes. Still the final hills (really just bumps) hurt.

I succeeded at my goal of riding Cycle Oregon fix gear last fall but I pulled a groin muscle in June trying to muscle a hill in the big gear and had to spend the summer juggling the training I had to get with the need to baby that pull. Cycle Oregon was hard! I was burned out by the finish. I won't do it on the fix gear again. (Sad, that was number six.)

My mom rode until she was 86,

No boasting on the fix gear. I had gears and changed them a lot. Fix gear because every cog was fixed so I didn't coast all week but my gear range nearly rivaled a regular bike. However, the changes were not free. I always had to stop.

50PlusCycling

I had ski lessons with my daughter in Hokkaido a few weeks ago, our teacher was 80 years old. He was a hell of a skier. I then noticed that about half the ski teachers were over 70, which is a consequence of living in Japan, where most of the young people move to the cities. The climate in Hokkaido is fairly demanding, with winter taking up about half the year, but it seems to be good for one’s health, people in Hokkaido live longer and healthier lives than people in the more temperate parts of Japan. Good food, clean air, lots of snow shoveling, and lots of nature, I’m tempted to move there myself.

PeteHski

I’m definitely going for an e-bike once I deem myself to be too slow. But will probably ride both anyway if I still can. Often I see old guys seriously crawling or walking their bikes up hills and can’t help thinking they would enjoy it more on an e-bike. I know I would anyway, so that’s what I’ll do when the time comes.

A few years ago I met an old couple riding the forest trails on e-MTBs (when they were much less common) and they were having a blast. Riding at the pace of the youngsters while still getting the same workout. What’s not to like?

GhostRider62

If you can afford an e-bike and want one and have the storage space, get it. Why not.

I have a few years on you and can relate. Recovery is lousy when you get older. I spent last year recovering from an accident to regain very good power and climbing only to contract Covid over 2 months ago and still dealing with it. If my power does not come back, I could see myself getting an e-bike or more likely a velomobile with removable motor when I get old. At the moment, I am still fighting.

Champlaincycler

I'll be 70 in a few months. I see the value in e-bikes but for me at least, they would be for touring the countryside and smelling the roses. Ride hard on a human powered bike in the mornings, take a spin on the e-bike on all the local dirt and back roads with head up late afternoon. I see getting one to use more like a moped than for exercise, but that's me at least for now.

Chuck Naill

I was passed while hiking by a couple of young guys ascending on our local trails and heard a buzzing sound. Maybe that was why they seemed to be riding effortlessly. These trails here are steep and rocky. Maybe a motor to keep momentum is for safety.

BobbyG

If you're gonna go kickin' and screamin' you might as well put a bike between your legs and enjoy the ride.

staehpj1

At 62, I was definitely not ready for an ebike at least not as an aid to keep me riding. Not too far back, I had a long stretch with little to no riding and was wondering if the years were really catching up and maybe an ebike might be in my future to keep me riding. I started riding daily again and after a while really started to enjoy it again. The joy came back, the fitness came back, and the e-assist would add no joy at this point (age 71) for my regular riding. Just maybe I'd use one for transportation around town where I currently take the car.

If your riding is about riding with others that you no longer can keep up with an ebike might be a solution. If it lets you go on rides with your kids and or grand kids that you otherwise couldn't keep up with that is solid gold. If it keeps you able to ride with a spouse or good friend that is great as well.

1989Pre 

Have you written anything else on this Cycle Oregon experience? It seems like it is worthy of a short story.

terrymorse 

At 65, I am having zero thoughts about an e-bike, nor am I cutting down my riding time or intensity.

Studies suggest that masters athletes are able to maintain most of their fitness, as long as they keep up their training volume.

So I'm riding 12-14 hours/week currently, ramping up to 20 hours/week in spring/summer. Nothing but time on my hands (retired), so why not ride?

Good nutrition and lots of sleep help, too.

downtube42

I'm also 62 and riding well. I'm not seeing e-bike in the foreseeable future.

I know I'm one injury or serious illness away from being unable to ride; I tend to focus on enjoying today and planning the near term, and deal with whatever arises.

LeeG

I ebiked my ClemSmith as it was simply not possible for me to ride up the steep ridge we live on. But after cleaning up my act and losing 30 lbs it’s possible but I’m still going to mid drive my LHT for distance riding. No way around it, I’m in a different stage of life than 20 yrs ago. The fun part now is getting the grandkids kitted out. We’re ten miles from a small town so eventually they’ll have 20 mile rides under their belt.

jlaw

A bit off topic...how do you like your new Diverge?

I bought a 2022 Diverge Sport Carbon and now that I have changed some components I feel like it's really dialed-in. Very plush with the front stem suspension and big tires.

Re: the idea of an ebike...I took a nice 20 miler yesterday on the Diverge through the local countryside and encountered a 10-person bicycle chain gang going the other way at a pretty fast clip. I had to chuckle as there was one 'grey beard' giving it everything he had to barely hang onto the back of the pack. I thought 'that would be me unless I had an ebike!'

big john

I'll be 69 in a couple months and I always enjoyed semi-fast club rides but I was never one of the fast climbers. The last few years I worked were very hard on my fitness and I considered an e-bike then but after retiring some fitness came back. A couple setbacks since then had me thinking electric again but still haven't done it.

I did a 77 mile ride with 4K feet of climbing this past Saturday and I was not the slowest one there, so that was encouraging. Definitely takes longer to recover than years ago, though.

I do know some guys over 70 who are fast but they have their issues, too. One of them has had a knee problem and we haven't seen him for months.

zandoval 

I can see it... But really... Is this a Bicycle?

Biker395 

I've done CO four times (looong time ago), and I'm not sure what last years route was, but doing it on a fixie had to be difficult! A bud of mine did RAO on a fixie a few years ago. That was impressive.

No ebike for me for a while yet. My fitness ebbs and flows, and right now I am trying to claw my way back into shape again. When I AM in shape, climbing, while not effortless, is enjoyable, and I don't seem to have any trouble keeping up. There really is something about feeling your body working hard, but feeling good doing it.

Honestly, I don't see myself going to an ebike until I conclude that there really is no choice if I want to keep riding. The reason is I think ebiking will do to my cycling what racquetball did to my tennis game.

rossiny

Very interesting, they have great respect for age I read . I need to renew my passport from the Italian counsolette since I'm still permanent resident , not citizen since I just never get around to applying. Id love to travel a bit , but i just get a bit of anxiety traveling out of the country . So I guess it Wisconsin touring for the spring . It always amazes me reading about bikable cities, different food, life styles, etc

Nachoman

I'm either regularly pedaling with a bunch of ex-racers and a bunch of 30 year olds,
or I'm getting really slow . . . or both.

Random11

I'm 72 and have no desire to get an e-bike. I've wondered how much longer I'd want to ride my current bikes, but so far they seem ideal. I bought a Cervelo Caledonia a year and a half ago and pondered at the time how much longer I'd want to ride a bike like that, but it seems perfect for the riding I do now. I know father time has his eye on me, but right now I feel like I can continue my current riding regimen indefinitely. I don't feel like I'm slowing down, but that's likely because I've only been riding five years, so I don't have the experience of having been young and fast.

jon c. 

I expect I'll get one some day if I live long enough. I'm hoping I don't find it necessary until I'm an octogenarian. I think a motor to propel my golf cart up the hills may come sooner.

79pmooney

I look hard at the elevation profile which CO so nicely includes in their presentation early winter. Key points I am looking for are - how steep for how long? How many climbs per day? Can I feasibly ride the day with few stops to flip the wheel or screw on a third cog? Also, are there "rest' days. (Yes, we have Rest days with optional rides but I always ride the options; that's much of why I am there. What I am looking for are days that are easy so I can recover as I roll. First CO I did fixed had 4 consecutive days of 5000'+ of climbing. I "oops'd" day 1 from 9000' and 90 miles to 10,00 and 100. I was a basket case starting the long climb that 4th day. This year's "rest day" was day 5. Just campsite to campsite. One big hill. I rode it easy (except I rode the big gear from the top all the way to camp. Fun! Except the three "bumps". Bump number three I was going to walk but my pride had me riding up it on the 42-12. In camp by 2 and did laundry. Managing those resources while other rode to the Painted Hills - the highlight of the week.

I spent one CO day fixed on the Oregon coast Never again! Hills were possible on the flat ground gear, both up and down, but every 3 miles? Or stopping every mile and a half to flip the wheel? Then there are the occasional flat stretches so you really want all three cogs, the 17 flat ground, 20 something to go up and low teens to go down. At the midpoint of that day, my crotch was hamburger and legs spent. Fortunately there was relief. The afternoon option was a long steady climb into the coastal mountains, then a many mile descent. Half dozen miles of coastal h*** and onto camp.

Riding with the right gears for that long up, then longer down? Pure bliss! And funny, the next day was the very long multi-thousand foot climb to Bear Camp then down into the valley. I loved it. No flats I had to curse and spin out. Just this climb I was geared perfectly for. Sit and power spin. Steeper, stand and do the dance. I could have gone another hour when we passed the Camp. (Another of those zen moments.)

Crater Lake - a really fun three cog ride. Biggest, smallest and that 17. Did it twice on CO. Leave camp on the 17 (well Diamond Lake on the big cog). Then miles and thousands of feet on the big one. At the top, unscrew the 17 and put the 12 on. 6 changes to do the 23 mile loop and all you need is the little gear and the big one. Then the fun ride down! North entrance on a 42-12 fixed is sublime!

CO is best done with enough fix gear experience that you know your limits very well. It's a week of managing your resources. Legs, food, clothes, sleep, your hands, your butt, your attention ... Yes, what everyone else has to do but your day is 25-33% harder. Everything is closer to the edge. One thing that limited me big time my first 5 COs was the minimum gear. 42-23, then 24 when I found one. Smallest a velodrome standard drivetrain will do (at least that I ever heard about). Last fall I rode my Mooney with its "short" regular Campy horizontal dropout. To have the wide CO gear spread, I set it up as a triple in front and two or three cogs in back that lined up with their respective chainrings. That allowed me to go as low in front as a 110 BCD crankset would take me. (I ran 36.) The "easy" gear setup on the Mooney used a 21-17 double cogset on one side for roughly the same low as my other bike's 42-24. And it gave me all three gears on the bike at once so I could simply wheel flip all day. Fun! But when I screwed on the 24, I lost the 17. I did several 24 worthy hills on the 21 to spare the stops. My legs and body paid.

So, why? Well there were sublime moments that week. Some descents on the tiny cogs that were as good as it gets and on a silent, rooted to the road fix gear. Can't get that any other way. And to do that and be in the magic of the best of Oregon ... Each CO I've done fixed has had it's moments of being the most wonderful miles of this lifetime of riding. And there's the mountain climbed. The "I did it" that I don't say to others because they won't get it. But I know.