Posted by: xy9ine
i imagine nearly everyone that frequents this forum (or pretty much any internet forum these days) would qualify as old. at least that's what my kid would say.
but yeah, bought my first mountain bike in 1984; still going hard on a regular basis. gotta keep at it as long as the body permits.
if you've been riding since 84 you've seen most, if not all of the evolution. and to ride the Shore for 36 years is pretty amazing. my body hurts just thinking about it.
30km ride in the slop last night, reach in the fridge for the post-ride prize
Posted by: Ned
haha, there's chrono old... there's body worn out or too damaged old... there's lie around and lick yourself cuz you're too lazy old... there's "I only got so many years left so better get after it" old... pick any one or combo
I am mostly in the last category. None of us knows how much longer we will be riding, but at 60 there's a lot less riding ahead of me than behind ( been riding on the shore since 1985). I am having just as much fun as ever. It helps to have a bunch of younger, faster friends to chase around.
that's inspiration right there skooks, and agreed, sorta like there being more and more young people around, it's just that you're getting a little older :-D
20mi dirt loop last night after an earlier 7mi walk. 6mi walk today and a 14mi slow sunshine ride afterwards on the classic road bike. ride more bitch less or so they say.
You're an inspiration for all of us. I spent the last 2 days in my pajamas, FFS.
Posted by: Ned
that's inspiration right there skooks, and agreed, sorta like there being more and more young people around, it's just that you're getting a little older :-D
20mi dirt loop last night after an earlier 7mi walk. 6mi walk today and a 14mi slow sunshine ride afterwards on the classic road bike. ride more bitch less or so they say.
That's impressive. I went for a 25 km MTB ride yesterday in the glorious sunshine. Today I am eating, drinking, and laying on the couch most of the day 🙂
Posted by: Ned
Posted by: xy9ine
i imagine nearly everyone that frequents this forum (or pretty much any internet forum these days) would qualify as old. at least that's what my kid would say.
but yeah, bought my first mountain bike in 1984; still going hard on a regular basis. gotta keep at it as long as the body permits.
if you've been riding since 84 you've seen most, if not all of the evolution. and to ride the Shore for 36 years is pretty amazing. my body hurts just thinking about it.
having experienced first hand the birth (at least as a relatively mainstream, commercially available product) & evolution of the mountain bike - from fully rigid, friction shifting, cantilever braked contraptions - to the amazingly refined bikes we ride today, has been quite the ride unto itself. not to mention trailbuilding evolution (especially the impact of the north shore) & skill progression. it's wild, in retrospect. loved every moment, no matter how janky.
Posted by: Stuminator
You're an inspiration for all of us. I spent the last 2 days in my pajamas, FFS.
I'd imagine you've lit a fire under more than a few people's backsides over the years. A couple days in the jams is a privilege you've earned, or you're sick in bed.
I got told a few years back that I should probably not expect to ride a bike anymore... them's are fingernails-chalkboard words... bzzzzt, you couldn't be any more wrong was my response although in my mind I was saying to myself they don't make a bag big enough for all the f%^& you I have for you right now. Was cool to get back on, be scared sh$$less for a while and progress back to the old ways, though very mindfully.
Posted by: xy9ine
Posted by: Ned
Posted by: xy9ine
i imagine nearly everyone that frequents this forum (or pretty much any internet forum these days) would qualify as old. at least that's what my kid would say.
but yeah, bought my first mountain bike in 1984; still going hard on a regular basis. gotta keep at it as long as the body permits.
if you've been riding since 84 you've seen most, if not all of the evolution. and to ride the Shore for 36 years is pretty amazing. my body hurts just thinking about it.
having experienced first hand the birth (at least as a relatively mainstream, commercially available product) & evolution of the mountain bike - from fully rigid, friction shifting, cantilever braked contraptions - to the amazingly refined bikes we ride today, has been quite the ride unto itself. not to mention trailbuilding evolution (especially the impact of the north shore) & skill progression. it's wild, in retrospect. loved every moment, no matter how janky.
You're a walking museum by the sounds of it and I'd love to hear more from an original. Please have at it as you see fit.
My momma always encouraged me to ride a bike, got me my first one and many thereafter. She made it to almost 88 but her time came last year. She was an early proponent of mtb riding and watched it grow over the years and eventually, once the bottom of Seymour near her home was plugged full of cars with bike racks, people in battle gear sporting big format bikes, she uttered "looks like mountain bike riding has become the new golf" in her sardonic way. A hot pistol she was... so much so that I sport a little pic of her on the top tube of my death march bike (pic in 1st post) to remind one's self that when feeling like a ball of flaming wreckage to not give up and to keep on going. They call that being a survivor....
Is that the old pic that was posted previously where it looks like the front wheel is taco-ed?
Haha, good memory, it certainly is. Those 2 pics are about 25yrs apart, time-wise. The 2nd one was sitting at Caulfield Cove 14mo ago, we were looking eastward at the power lines on Seymour talking about the trails, in fact. Hadn't considered that until now... very fitting picture to put on the bike. Old guy is old... but still mostly riding like a young guy, except a lot smarter.
Dropped into Boogie on the weekend right behind a young buck. Kept up to him for a couple of minutes but then had to let him go. I'm not young anymore, lol.
... but chances are you'll never slam again given you wisely chose to dial it back a notch. Meanwhile junior ahead of you might have been feeling lucky but inevitably the day comes when luck runs out. Live to ride another day they say.
And today, banged out a 40km dual sport style full moon loop on my Honzo - a newly minted route that glues 4 different local trail systems with a few slices of pavement. Also, in process of investing into next year by scouting and developing a couple other new routes in the industrial forest treeline east of the city... will be bicycle-able and moto-able. When the playground doesn't exist you sometimes have to take matters into your own hands :-)
I've been out scouring this land in the east SeaTown treeline for the past while, most recently aboard the spark plug bike (way over on the right in the bushes) to get some research and land inventory work done fast and efficiently. Got a lot more work ahead but it's looking promising for some new off-the-radar screen material for 2021.
How about old guys that still build? Or in this case clean?
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