New Discussion Group for Low-Impact Cyclists

I couldn't resist starting this discussion group for "the rest of us"
cyclists; those whose days of speedometers, odometers, and state-of-the-art
bicycles are behind us.

We're over forty and we just like to get around and see the world on two
wheels.

If all goes as planned, this group will be about nothing else but great
rides -- whether we're talking rail trails, county bike paths, or
low-traffic roadways. No debates about LBS bikes vs. XMart bikes (we
already know which are better and we don't care) and no soapboxing about the
best way to carb up before a century. If anything, this will be the place
to find out where to get a beer or an ice cream cone after an afternoon
riding with the family.

Please join us, and please stay on topic. All spam and flamethrowing will
be immediately deleted.

Thanks, I hope to see you at:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...sual-Bicyclist

New York Rides

www.geocities.com/NYRides

"NY Rides" wrote in message
...
I couldn't resist starting this discussion group for "the rest of us"
cyclists; those whose days of speedometers, odometers, and
state-of-the-art
bicycles are behind us.

We're over forty and we just like to get around and see the world on two
wheels.

If all goes as planned, this group will be about nothing else but great
rides -- whether we're talking rail trails, county bike paths, or
low-traffic roadways. No debates about LBS bikes vs. XMart bikes (we
already know which are better and we don't care) and no soapboxing about
the
best way to carb up before a century. If anything, this will be the place
to find out where to get a beer or an ice cream cone after an afternoon
riding with the family.

Please join us, and please stay on topic. All spam and flamethrowing will
be immediately deleted.

Thanks, I hope to see you at:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...sual-Bicyclist

New York Rides

www.geocities.com/NYRides


No offense, but I'm quite a ways beyond 40, and my days of "speedometers,
odometers, and state-of-the-art bicycles" are definitely not "behind
me"...although, you probably are :-).

GG

In article ,
GaryG wrote:
No offense, but I'm quite a ways beyond 40, and my days of "speedometers,
odometers, and state-of-the-art bicycles" are definitely not "behind
me"...although, you probably are :-).

That's what I was thinking. Over-40 cyclists tend to be more hard core
than younger folks. Their lives are more stable, the kids can take care
of themselves, and they've focused on cycling as one of their main hobbies.

No offense, but I'm quite a ways beyond 40, and my days of "speedometers,
odometers, and state-of-the-art bicycles" are definitely not "behind
me"...although, you probably are :-).

Probably...but I'm having a better time on the bike than ever.

I'm not really as slow or lazy at it may seem, by the way. I still do at
least one multi-day/multi-state ride per year, and 75 mile rail trails don't
scare me (although I usually find them kind of boring after a mile or two).
But, at 42, I'm feeling kind of out of place on the mainstream newsgroups
that are full of cross country tour logs and mudslinging arguments about
which seatpost is better than another. I still enjoy reading these groups,
but I find that I don't have a whole lot to contribute, as most of my riding
these days is with my wife and our friends and usually ends up at an outdoor
pub somewhere. Plus, usually when I post looking for information about a
ride that might be suitable for my wife (strictly a weekend rider) I don't
get any responses, except for the ones that bash my wife for not being a
seasoned cyclist.

Anyway, your remark is taken with the tongue-in-cheek attitude I'm sure you
intended. To anyone else who misinterpreted my comments to mean that ALL
over-40 riders feel a certain way, rest assured I was describing a certain
type of bicyclist personality, not speaking for the whole generation.

"GaryG" wrote in message
...
"NY Rides" wrote in message
...
I couldn't resist starting this discussion group for "the rest of us"
cyclists; those whose days of speedometers, odometers, and
state-of-the-art
bicycles are behind us.

We're over forty and we just like to get around and see the world on two
wheels.

If all goes as planned, this group will be about nothing else but great
rides -- whether we're talking rail trails, county bike paths, or
low-traffic roadways. No debates about LBS bikes vs. XMart bikes (we
already know which are better and we don't care) and no soapboxing about
the
best way to carb up before a century. If anything, this will be the
place
to find out where to get a beer or an ice cream cone after an afternoon
riding with the family.

Please join us, and please stay on topic. All spam and flamethrowing
will
be immediately deleted.

Thanks, I hope to see you at:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...sual-Bicyclist

New York Rides

www.geocities.com/NYRides


No offense, but I'm quite a ways beyond 40, and my days of "speedometers,
odometers, and state-of-the-art bicycles" are definitely not "behind
me"...although, you probably are :-).

GG


My sentiments, exactly. what's the address of that website?
rec.bicycles.freds? rec.bicycles.whiners?

"You're not a nice person 'cuz you ride too fast. You're supposed to ride
at 12 mph like the rest of us." Whine, whine, whine.

Naw ... seriously, I wish them all the best. I just don't want to hear from
any of them telling me how I'm "supposed to" ride.

I guess this will get their discussions going.
--
Bob C.

"Of course it hurts. The trick is not minding that it hurts."
T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia)

That's what I was thinking. Over-40 cyclists tend to be more hard core
than younger folks.

Please see my follow up post. I wasn't speaking for all "Over-40"
cyclists -- just those of us who have mellowed into a different type of
cycling. In my lifetime, I, personally, have proven myself to be a very
adept rider, capable of achieving pretty decent speeds, covering many miles,
and climbing some huge hills. These days, a ride to the drug store is
enough to get me off.

Please don't turn this into a bash fest.

"C" wrote in message ...
In article ,
GaryG wrote:
No offense, but I'm quite a ways beyond 40, and my days of "speedometers,
odometers, and state-of-the-art bicycles" are definitely not "behind
me"...although, you probably are :-).

That's what I was thinking. Over-40 cyclists tend to be more hard core
than younger folks. Their lives are more stable, the kids can take care
of themselves, and they've focused on cycling as one of their main
hobbies.

My point exactly. What the hell are bicyclists so angry about that we can't
carry on a thread for more than two responses before it deteriorates into a
barrage of personal attacks?

I'm going to say this one more time and then I'm retreating to my new sissy
whiner fred group...I wasn't speaking for all Over-40 riders, just those of
us with a different attitude about cycling -- not a better one, not an
inferior one -- just a different one. We know who we are and I'd like to
invite anyone who shares the same attitude to join the new group. If you
don't want to come, you can stay right here and you can ride as fast and as
recklessly as you'd like, my friend.

Thanks. I will not respond to any more posts in this thread.

NY Rides wrote:
That's what I was thinking. Over-40 cyclists tend to be more hard
core
than younger folks.

Please see my follow up post. I wasn't speaking for all "Over-40"
cyclists -- just those of us who have mellowed into a different type
of
cycling. In my lifetime, I, personally, have proven myself to be a
very
adept rider, capable of achieving pretty decent speeds, covering many
miles,
and climbing some huge hills. These days, a ride to the drug store
is
enough to get me off.

Please don't turn this into a bash fest.

"C" wrote in message
...
In article ,
GaryG wrote:
No offense, but I'm quite a ways beyond 40, and my days of
"speedometers,
odometers, and state-of-the-art bicycles" are definitely not
"behind
me"...although, you probably are :-).

That's what I was thinking. Over-40 cyclists tend to be more hard
core
than younger folks. Their lives are more stable, the kids can take
care
of themselves, and they've focused on cycling as one of their main
hobbies.

I could not keep out of this thread even though I decided to become a
lurker instead of a poster. I think your idea was great. What is it
about aging that makes our older sagging skin crawl? Biologically you
are losing muscle tone, like it or not. Look at how rich the plastic
surgeons are becoming with this obsession with youth. If you are 40
you are twice as old as you were when you were 20 and twice as smart
hopefully. Are we frightened of looking and feeling old because it
reminds us that we're mortal? So we are over 40. We are not
biologically capable of doing all we did in our twenties. What makes
people, especially the 40's 50's and so on of this american youth
culture run in fear from age or run to the X games to prove a point. 50
is a scary number but I am getting used to it. Age 40 scared the crap
out of me so bad that I decided to act like a damn fool. What makes
people lash out at someone for even the mere hint that some people over
40 like more relaxed sports. My friends who played football in high
school and college, are not playing football now. Most of them are
having surgery on their knees.

Maybe cycling is a sport you can participate in until you drop dead and
do it with intensity, but that does not stand true for many other
things. If it did, I would not see so many viagra ads running during
the football games on TV. Just the commercials alone which are geared
toward the baby boom generation remind us of the effects of age.

That was a good idea to have that group. There are many people who
would love a discussion group like you suggested and it was really
fabulous that you thought to put it out there.....and get abused.

I think there are people who will thank you for your effort. Of course
you will be abused for the suggestion that over 40 is not just as vital
and full of energy as a 20 year old.

My 22 year old can stay up all night long and then go to school and
work...he can do it for a few nights in a row. If I tried that, I would
be dead.
Maggie (who is supposed to be lurking)

"I'm very pleased with each advancing year. It stems back to when I was
forty. I was a bit upset about reaching that milestone, but an older
friend consoled me. 'Don't complain about growing old - many, many
people do not have that privilege.'
Earl Warren (1891 - 1974),

On Tue, 25 Jan 2005 18:34:27 -0500, NY Rides wrote:

If you
don't want to come, you can stay right here and you can ride as fast and as
recklessly as you'd like, my friend.
^^^^^^^^^^

NYRides, it's not the fact that you want to ride at the speeds that
you want to ride at, it's your choice of words. The first time it
sounded like you were speaking for the entire population of cyclist
over 40. Now it seems that you think anyone who rides fast is
reckless. Either broaden your view of the world or narrow your mouth
as it's getting the rest of you in trouble.

BTW, I actual will wish you luck with your group. I know a number of
riders from various clubs who ride at what suites them best. I myself
wave to the folks doing the passing or the folks being passed. I'm
somewhere in between and I'll probably stay that way. But that doesn't
mean that I don't want to ride the Tour route. It just means I'll
never ride it as fast as the slowest rider on the Tour.

--
Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry
http://home.comcast.net/~ncherry/ (Text only)
http://hcs.sourceforge.net/ (HCS II)
http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog

On 25 Jan 2005 15:46:46 -0800, Maggie wrote:

NY Rides wrote:
That's what I was thinking. Over-40 cyclists tend to be more hard
core than younger folks.

Please see my follow up post. I wasn't speaking for all "Over-40"
cyclists

I could not keep out of this thread even though I decided to become a
lurker instead of a poster. I think your idea was great. What is it
about aging that makes our older sagging skin crawl? Biologically you
are losing muscle tone, like it or not. Look at how rich the plastic
surgeons are becoming with this obsession with youth. If you are 40
you are twice as old as you were when you were 20 and twice as smart
hopefully. Are we frightened of looking and feeling old because it
reminds us that we're mortal? So we are over 40. We are not
biologically capable of doing all we did in our twenties.

I can honestly say I'm in better shape now than when I was in my
twenties. I may have a spare tire but I tended not to weigh anything
(I weighed 98 lbs when I graduated HS, 5'7")! Though I may not be as
fast as a twenty year old I can ride further. I know a bunch of older
riders who reqularly kick my butt on rides (I = 43, they 60+). I was
promptly embarrassed by a 72 year old lady who rode my butt into the
ground. OK, she was the Senior Master champ, but she looked like some
Grandmother, with fine pearls et. al. she had as much style as Jackie
Kennedy!

"I'm very pleased with each advancing year. It stems back to when I was
forty. I was a bit upset about reaching that milestone, but an older
friend consoled me. 'Don't complain about growing old - many, many
people do not have that privilege.'
Earl Warren (1891 - 1974),

I've lost too many friends and I have no intention to go out quietly!

--
Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry
http://home.comcast.net/~ncherry/ (Text only)
http://hcs.sourceforge.net/ (HCS II)
http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog