|   Am I NUTS?.........? | s-rocket
Sep 29, 2001 5:25 PM | | HI all! I'm Dave.....I've been on this board for maybe 3 years. I don't post much, only when I feel I have something worthwhile to say. Well, I need some input now. I'm 55 yrs old and have been riding seriously for about 10 yrs. Here's the deal! I keep getting hurt while riding. First, it was a seperated shoulder, then a fractured hip socket. Now I have been trying to improve my skills (riding downed trees, realy narly root sections and trying to master the wheelie). Well, I've done it again......went over backwards while attempting the ultimate (for me) wheelie. I'm so sore I don't want to ride. A bit of road rash.....and a sore collar bone area. My wife of 30 yrs thinks (doesn't ride) I'm acting like a kid, Yahoo!!!!!!! Is it time to realize I'm not 20 anymore? I just don't like doing what many 50+ year olds do. Every ride I find exciting....keep going hard/slow down and remember I/m 55?
Thanks,
Dave TCM#54 NADS#55 |
| sepArated nm | sp
Sep 29, 2001 5:57 PM | | |
| Calculate your RR ratio... | DeRanger
Sep 29, 2001 7:05 PM | | ...that is, recovery:riding - are you spending more time recovering from your injuries than actually riding your bike?
I like to nudge my limits ("push" is too strong a word for my riding style...), but I'd much rather ride regularly than wreck spectacularly.
So, you wanna ride, or compare scars?
DeR |
| keep it up, avoid serious injury, live life. This is the best | ol-crank
Sep 29, 2001 7:18 PM | | health plan for us older guys. I started four years ago at 56 and have separated a shoulder, split a helmet, but am racing tomorrow, and am starting to enjoy tomorrow right now. I try and keep it more in an endurance/conditioning thing than technical. I'll never drop off a 10 ft drop, but tomorrow I'll beat 600 or so riders, (out of mayber 800) most a lot younger than I. It is still interesting if you are jumping 12" logs instead of 30" logs. Your a lucky guy to be able to do what you are doing, as you say look around you at other guys your age. |
| No you're not... | Red Ascent
Sep 29, 2001 7:58 PM | | Crashing is part of the game, but learing how to fall (i.e. the tuck and roll) will keep the injuries to a minimum. I've had my share of serious wrecks, especially while learning off-road skills, but having the tuck-and-roll come to me instinctively (I learned when I was 14 and started road racing) has saved me many times.
Phil |
| No, you're 50 something! | Russ-Ale
Sep 29, 2001 9:17 PM | | The mind and body age differently. You need to cater to both.
Just so ya know, I wheelied over backwards just like you nearly 2 weeks ago. My body is just about completely healed, but it's taken this long at age 28. We're all bound to get hurt once in a while and we all need time to heal. Mtbing can be a balancing act of risk vs. reward. Only you can determine what you're willing to risk. May I suggest practicing wheelies in the grass. |
| Some suggestions: | radair
Sep 30, 2001 3:33 AM | | First off, don't be doing full 'balance' wheelies ('walking wheelies' as we called them as kids) with your feet clipped in. Practice on grass with sneakers on, it'll be much more fun. Either that or you should change to flat pedals. Keeping a couple fingers on the rear brake sounds good, but I've found it's hard to pull the brake lever in time to keep from going over.
Second, get some armor. I bought knee/shin and elbow/forearm armor because I found that I was beating myself up on night rides. I also went to a Giro Switchblade helmet, even though I infrequently use the full face piece. I often bring the armor along if I'm riding where there's a gnarly descent or dicey stunts. It gives you mental protection as much as anything, and it does help when you auger in. Padded shorts would be nice - let me know if you find some.
Practice on easier stuff. Set up some logs, planks, etc. that put you at low risk if you blow it. Get comfortable doing wheelie drops off curbs and small objects and gradually go bigger. Get the technique down first and you'll find it easier when you're suddenly faced with an obstacle on the trail.
Check your bike fit. You may want to play with your seat height - a little (or a lot) lower is better for technical riding. Make sure your pedal tension is not so tight that you have trouble getting out (assuming clipless here) - it seems some of the most painful falls are the no speed Laugh-In type (I call them Artie Johnsons - you're old enough to understand this, right?).
Keep riding - it'll keep you 'young' and make life interesting. Try to stay in control. |
| aren't we all??..... | Crazy Dave
Sep 30, 2001 5:18 AM | | I'm an AARP member also, and another Dave. Riding seems to be the one thing that can free my mind from the daily grind. Hard to think about anything else while trying to keep your butt(& other bodily parts) from coming in contact with a rock garden you're trying to ride across! No, you're not crazy, just not ready to join the sedementary croud of over 50's who's idea of exercise is cheering loud while downing beer at a sports event. |
| I'll say this..... | Blue 'Goose
Sep 30, 2001 6:12 AM | | It makes me feel good to see so many of you are still riding into your fifties and later.
I'm 38 now and was reading an article about a guy my age who was contemplating
quitting riding mountain bikes due to the problems he was experiencing with pain
and such.
I think I'm very lucky. In riding mountain bikes (and road bikes) I've lost weight
and though I do have some pain after some rides, it's not so bad that it makes me want
to quit. I've had a few crashes, but in each case I was very lucky to land in such a
way that I didn't get too beat up.
Personally, I ride on flat pedals mainly because the bike came with them and I've just
not switched to clipless since I'd rather get a new bike then spend my $ on shoes and
clipless pedals. Someday though I'll give it a try. |
| I hear you... | DeRanger
Sep 30, 2001 4:02 PM | | ...at 36 I am very aware of changes in my metabolism, recovery rate, and so on, but looking at the number of riders in their 40s and 50s still grinding it on the dirt is encouraging.
Makes me wonder if it'll be time to START a race career at 40.
DeR |
| Yeah... | Rock
Sep 30, 2001 3:45 PM | | Yeah you're nuts, so what???? Join the club.
Life is to lived not watched.
Sometimes we fall, more times we grin.
Rock |
| re: Am I NUTS?.........? | s-rocket
Sep 30, 2001 5:00 PM | | Thanks all! I guess I needed to hear that it's ok for me to do what I want. I do try to balance the fun factor with the "ouch" factor. I do find sometimes that my "yahoo" level comes at a slower speed.
Ride hard.....
Dave |
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