Gonna leave mountain bikes in my past!

[mr.cycleplane]

Wise choice @mr.cycleplane. I'm not too far behind you in age and it seems things I used to do with no worries or thought is getting harder to do, and with more risk. Playing it safe and cutting down the risk is what us old farts have to consider in just about anything we do throughout the day! And all the old sayings come into play in our later years, better safe than sorry!

Sometimes it's not the years but the mileage!

 

[cyclingday]

Yeah, nothing gets any easier the older we get.
The key, is to never stop riding that discipline.
I hadn’t ridden my mountain bike in about 15 years, then got invited to join in on a group ride, with a bunch of old veteran riders.
They said it was going to be about a twenty mile ride that was mostly downhill all the way, and would end with a catered bbq at the bottom.
That sounded great, so I figured I’d better get the old bike shod with some new tires and tubes.
Ha!
Yeah, good luck trying to find decent 26” mountain bike tires these days.
The guy at the bike shop was baffled when I stated my request.
Fortunately, he dug deep in the inventory, and found an old set, that hadn’t been asked for in years.
So, I got the bike all in shape for the ride, but unfortunately, my body was not quite ready to go.
One thing those guys neglected to mention, was the four mile climb that got you to the downhill portion of the ride.
I started out with great vigor, like I had been able to do in my twenties, but by the time I got to the top, I thought for sure, my heart was going to burst out of my chest.
That’s when I realized, that I wasn’t that twenty year old kid anymore, and that I’d better take it easy, if I wanted to live to see that catered barbecue at the finish.
We had a blast that day, but I put the mountain bike away when I got home, and haven’t touched it since.
I guess, some things are just best left in the rear view mirror.

 

[GTs58]

Sometimes it's not the years but the mileage!

Mileage, the roads traveled and how many accidents also play a big part in the equation. After a three story fall, having my guts taken out and put back in twice has definitely slowed me down more than I care to admit. One of my favorite sayings is, "The older I get, the better I was."

 

[mr.cycleplane]

Ehgads! A walking talking autopsy!

Mileage, the roads traveled and how many accidents also play a big part in the equation. After a three story fall, having my guts taken out and put back in twice has definitely slowed me down more than I care to admit. One of my favorite says is, "The older I get, the better I was."

 

[ccmerz]

I have deer run out in front of me almost every ride in my neighborhood...

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I didn't realize the devil on the handlebar was the new St. Cristopher!

 

[Rusty72]

My passion is early antique bikes but I love mountain biking once in a while.

 

[1817cent]

Tyler, i also have had the rattlesnake experience while on Mountain bike sailing down hill. Also, last year a couple of riders outside of Snoqualmie (where i used to live) surprised a mountain lion and one of the riders ended up as lunch. Not good, and he was the first person killed in the state by a cougar for over 60 years! I have come upon a bear or two on my rides but thankfully i rode faster and they left me alone. Now i ride just one speeds and stay close to roads. Much safer for my old body...

 

[49autocycledeluxe]

I converted my purchased new in 1996 mountain bike into old man use by adding a shorter stem, higher bars and slicks. last time I took it off road I got a flat and the old tires turned to dust as I walked it to a level spot to fix the flat. can't do the hills like I used to, but if I were to get to the top of one I would not think twice about bombing down the other side.

converted my 2001 LeMond into old man use with Mustache bars and a short stem as well.

I've bunny hopped over a few snakes back when I rode offroad, saw a huge rattler on the side of the trail once. never saw a mountain lion, though I saw a Yellow Lab once with the sun in my eyes as he crested the hill I was climbing which scared the devil out of me.

 

[mr.cycleplane]

The local mt bike crazies like to go riding on warm evenings. They tend to ride in a pack when they do this. I keep warning them someone is gonna run into a hungry mt lion-I'm not so worried about the bears. The trail cuts across my property down the hill and when we sit out there on the balcony-many times we have had to tell hikers to go back as I bear is up ahead. the smart hikers bring a dog to flush them out or scare them off. Dogs picking up the scent go crazy.

 

[mr.cycleplane]

Rarely will you actually see a mt lion-they hunt at night and are very cunning. You may see them in open terrain. You may not see them-but they see you!

Yummy...meals on wheels!