Too old for Mountain Biking?

Where are my stabilisers?

My sincerest apologies. That was pretty thoughtless. I was thinking about myself as young bloke, rather than a young bloke. If you know what I mean.

Don't worry, I get what you mean and I'm not that easily offended!

I'm 32 and my biggest regret about mtb is that I stopped riding through my teens and uni - I missed out on some excellent "young" riding years, so I ain't giving up any time soon!

pilsburypie

I'm 33 and the older I get the fitter I get and the harder I ride. Hope this continues.

welsh trebor

I'm 55 and have just ordered a new bike, so Im determined to carry on to get my moneys worth.

mac_man

You know... reading through this post is an inspiration.

It's brilliant to hear these stories of 60+ baby boomers giving the young uns a run for their money. It makes me realise I've still got another 20 or 30 years yet.

freeagent

I'm 38 and bought my mountain bike last year after a 10 year break from cycling.
my only regret is giving it up in the first place...
I'm sooo much fitter than this time last year, and although the weight loss isn't quite working out as it should (lost a stone but still getting on for 17st!) it seems to be a bit more muscle than fat...
I rode for 4 hours at Swinley last Sunday and managed to keep up wiith a mate who is a serious roadie..

I've got big plans for my MTB riding.. want to buy a full susser and hit the Alps or Morocco at some point!

Fudgie

I'll be 65 in a few months and I've just ordered a Canyon Nerve XC I've got a couple of nice hardtails in the garage and get out for a 20 mile hack round natural trails about 6-8 times a month depending on work and weather.

I'm not a fitness freak but I can cope with any hills that the bike can cope with! My riding ability is as good as it's ever been so no signs yet of slowing down. I do eat healthily - most of the time - and only drink 15-20 units a week. I'm a bit of an old woman on the downhills, though. A bad break might take too long to repair and I might never ride again!

My body will slow me down eventually but then I'll just take the biking a bit easier.

oldguynicebike

Im 65 this year,still riding 12 to 15 hours a week on and off road and working full time so whats all this fuss about age?

reyrol

I ran a sub 5 min mile when i was fifty bought a mountain bike shortly before i retired at 65 am now fast approaching 67 and ride mainly c/c but usually get up to Lee & Cragg quarries at least every fortnight.Great fun keep going i say.

turpinr

53

SpiCan

55
Did 120 k on my road bike this morning.
I live in the south of France, and the stupid stuff they ride down on the mountain bikes freaks me out.
Give them a run on the uphills if there’s not too much portage.
Got round the 45k rando of the “Offroad PACA” near Marseilles a few weeks ago, after not riding the mountain bike for six weeks.
Working in Venice Italy at the moment so mainly road riding.
40k of flat over a really steep hill and 40k back.
The locals are realy fast on the flat, over 40 kph sometimes get in a group but if you lose a wheel your off catch the next lot.

Hawmaw

I'm 45 and only got into mtb about a year ago , giving up motorcycling cause of the state of the roads , cost of petrol , speed cameras and the danger of death or serious injury!

Cycling seemed like a nice safe pastime for a guy with young kids and a mortgage.

I've had more cuts , bruises and ass clenching moments on my mtb than I ever had on my motorbike , but what a hoot.

I'll go on as long as I can.

JohnMartin

48 and i have to slow down some times for my 33 year old mate.

Anonymous

I'll only stop when I'm dead or someone insists I have to and makes me stop.

Interesting thing with the statistics is there may be fewer in their 50s and 60s more because mountain biking is a relatively new activity. I firmly believe that when I get to that age, the numbers will be higher.

Still probable that the peak will be around the 30s. More to do with activity levels and having money to buy the gear.

Mrnorris

When I was 42 I thought I was fit. That was until one day at Nant yr Arian, powering my way up the leg burner climb, thinking I was climbing like Armstrong, I was past, as if I was standing still by a gray haired, wrong end of sixty, whippit. Back to the drawing board on the training front,

FSR Si

40 next week
Rode my 1st mountain bike in the troodos mountains in cyprus in 1989 and loved it so much i never stopped, Hopefully got another 20 years riding left in me as well

wheezee

Weeelll... Laying in the dirt on Friday morning with painful grazing to my shoulder, elbow, hip and knee, and a sprained thumb rapidly turning purple, I was thinking to myself Am I really not old enough to know better? Then I thought of all you old fools out there and was comforted by the fact that at least I'm not alone. Mind you, I work with my hands and I'm self-employed, so smart it definitely ain't.

I'll be back as soon as I can grip the bars again.

getting_on_a_bit

54 going on 12 when I'm on the bike

Rich Hcp

nicklouse wrote:

I will be in my Coffin.

Yes, I can't imagine a time when I'm not cycling, one way or another

Crazybear

Though the booze and broads may fail you, your bike faithfully awaits its masters call.
It only gets better with age.

OH NO Dan

There's a guy I keep seeing at Cannock on an Orange Five in green, Fox forks. He looks about 60 and allways comes tearing past me

He is my hero and I hope I'm still riding at that age.

wheezee

OH NO Dan wrote:

He looks about 60

So do I after chuffing up some of the hills round here. This may not be an accurate gauge of his years.

SpiCan

deadkenny wrote:

I'll only stop when I'm dead or someone insists I have to and makes me stop.

.

:?

I'll have to be be dead before some bu**er insists and makes me stop.
Or they will be. :evil:
One foot in the grave, but the other will be firmly on the peddle 8)

Rich Hcp

Five of us were out cycling about, having a laugh and dragging ourselves upthe hills.

The youngest was 45, he's a month younger than me.

The oldest is 50 this year.

We were talking about it over a beer and decided that we've got a good 30 years of cycling ahead of us. :twisted:

97th choice

I took mountain biking up at the tender age of 38 (now in my 40's)when I decided I was too old for surfing, and couldn't be arsed with all the wasted driving when it was flat anyway. Wish I had taken the damn sport up 20 years ago.

Started hitting bigger and bigger jumps recently, and loving every minute of it. The guy I mostly ride with is 43 and i reckon we are as fast as most people round our local tracks. In fact we have noticed more and more younger guys in high end gear with no real clue at all, they know all the names of the runs from internet research but don't appear to ride that much.

A another good friend is 57, not overly fast downhill but a machine on the climbs, and he still surf kayaks.....

I hope I'm still on my bike in 20 years time.

tubaonwheels

It makes me chuckle a little reading 35-40 year olds on here thinking they are old for this stuff
When I was running I was at my peak around that age (probably at my endurance best around 39/40), and still now there are top fell runners winning big races in their 40's.

I took up mountain biking a couple of years ago (at 55) due to dodgy knee, and have never looked back. I'm still pretty poor technically (must do a skills course!) but my desire to keep fit - the fitter I am the more I enjoy the riding - means I soon catch up after 'carefully' negotiating difficult sections
My distance running background probably helped me to complete the Gisburn 12 hour solo and the kielder100 last year.
Another big off recently (ribs/shoulder) has knocked my confidence again but it will soon be forgotten.

I do sometimes feel a bit old for it, when I see what some of the younger guys do! But I just get pleasure from riding my way and not worrying about getting off my bike at times rather than risk damage to my old bones

reyrol

tubaonwheels wrote:

It makes me chuckle a little reading 35-40 year olds on here thinking they are old for this stuff
When I was running I was at my peak around that age (probably at my endurance best around 39/40), and still now there are top fell runners winning big races in their 40's.

This strikes a cord with me i ran competatively from age 38 to 53{ including fell races] until a knee injury put me out for 12 months, afterwards i ran to keep fit & it was not until i was 65 that i decided it would be more fun on a mtb.When i ride my local trail centre {Cragg quarry}
i sometimes start the loop behind groups of riders aged 30-40, not wanting to slow them down
but end up passing most of them by the end. The nature of the course: ie a steep downhill is followed by a corner and a steep uphill means fitness is as much a factor as skill or an expensive bike.The point being that a lot of riders could see more improvement in riding by working on their fitness rather than spending money on lighter bits for the bike