Are you too old to mountain bike?
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2016
- Can you be too old to start mountain biking? Well if you assume that being old means being unfit, then yeah you can be too old to do a lot of things, but of course we know that's not the case.
Just like people of all ages vary in fitness, bike trails vary in difficulty. So if you're fit enough to ride a normal bicycle around town, you'll be fine riding a mountain bike on novice trails. But what if you want to take it further?
I didn’t start riding with Steven until around 12:30, and by then he had ridden the whole morning-after pedaling here from his house. Someday, when I get older, maybe I’ll have as much endurance as he does. Steven is an XC or Cross Country mountain biker. Like Cross Country Skiing and Running, his focus is on endurance and speed. While today’s XC mountain bikes can take the sting out of bumps and drops, they’re stiff and rigid compared to trail bikes. They also have a geometry which puts you in an aggressive, forward position. Steven rides his XC bike over the most difficult trails here, keeping low over jumps and drops to maintain his speed. In the ridiculously humid, midday heat of South Florida, I almost ran out of water trying to keep up with him.
So how long has Steven been mountain biking. (clip) You heard right, Steven started mountain biking at age 55. He was riding the dirt fire road with his son, and was forced into the trails because the path was blocked. The rest is history. Now I don’t consider 55 or 62 to be all that old, but I get emails from people in their 40’s who are wondering if they can start mountain biking. Well, stop wondering, and start riding.
Richard is very well known here at Markham Park.
Besides having a hand in building almost every trail here, Richard tests all the features himself, from rocky descents, to drops, to jumps... especially jumps.
This new table top and berm are pretty easy to session by looping around part of the trail. I saw a lot of people ride this feature today-and here comes Richard.
Richard and I have a very similar riding style, in that we’re not content with just pedaling through the trails. Anything that’s possible to get rad on is fair game. Richard has the right bike for the job too. While Steven’s bike is meant for XC, Richard rides a trail bike with a dropper post, and plenty of suspension travel.
Having ridden motocross for the better part of his life, Richard just can’t stop jumping around. Considering how hurt you can get riding motocross, mountain biking is actually a less risky activity, but that doesn’t make it any less physically demanding. I’ve seen guys my age walk some of the features that Richard pedals right through.
Both Richard and Steven are here at the trails almost every weekend, and indeed there are plenty of people in their age bracket competing at local races. For anyone who participates in action sports this wouldn’t be too surprising. Mountain bikers, surfers, rock climbers, and everyone in between know a handful of people twice their age, out there doing the same thing.
So, besides entering the play area at McDonalds, or being tried as a minor, there aren’t many things you can be too old to do. An activity like mountain biking is a great way to keep your body and mind young. It’s something you can improve at rapidly, and use to benchmark your fitness and agility. So getting back to our original question, I think that you could be too old to not start mountain biking.
Thanks for riding with me today, and I’ll see you next time.
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I'm an overweight 68 year old women who has just started mountain biking. I have fallen/ crashed many times and am usually covered in bruises. I spend a lot of time on the street in front of my house practicing balance skills. Having a blast.
76 here and still mtn biking. Not good at roots, rock gardens, but have fun!
I started mountainbike racing at 68 years old. I have now won the M60 class in more than 30 races plus five provincial championships. At almost 71 I am still winning. Dont wory about age....just get on with it!!!!!!
My dad started at 64, he's still riding his Santa Cruz at age 83.
I am 55 and I love mountain biking. At this age, if you want to feel good, being active is everything, and the fun factor of a mountain bike will help keep you motivated. Throw away the cigarettes, stop buying all the damn booze, get off the lazy-boy chair & Netflix and go biking!
I started at 32, I wish I had started sooner. I was a bit of a couch potato and a home body for most of my 20s. My wife would always bug me to go camping or do something outdoorsy and fun and I'd rather stay home and play video games. I then started working a second job on top of my full time job which energized me enough to not want to just sit around, there was so much to be done. After I hit the goal I was trying to reach, I quit the second job and we just enjoyed our time more because I wanted to go out and do things, travel, etc. I still wasn't big into camping but was more open to it. 3 months after I quit my wife found a lump in her neck. She got it checked out and had a biopsy, it turned out to be Hodgkins Lymphoma and she would need 6 months of chemo at age 28. She got the news on my 30th birthday and it still is the worst day of my life. I was devastated, probably more than her lol, but also felt guilty in a way like I let her down by being a lazy turd not wanting to go out and enjoy life. She took chemo like a champ, the cancer was gone before her treatment even ended and thankfully has stayed away. But there is nothing like going in for a scan every 3 months to possibly get bad news to energize you get out and enjoy life. We picked up jet skiing as a hobby, did some traveling with those. When it got too cold we tried biking and I got way in to it. My wife had a bad experience by falling into a ditch full of disgusting runoff water with sewage that had leaked in…so she backed off for a while lol. When she was ready to try again she herniated a disc in her back (Oh chemo, you ruin things down the line). 6 months later she’s finally feeling like riding again.
Whenever I go to a mountain bike race I'm always impressed with how GOOD the old dudes look. They're in the 50+ or 60+ category and they look at least 15 years younger. Keep riding and stay young!
And here I am at 29, saving up for a bike, wondering if I'm silly for trying to get in at this point.
My hero is a 59 year old gentlemen named Mike. He started riding bikes a little over three years ago. Mike's story is of inspiration. 3.5 years ago Mike had a heart attack and weighed 402 pounds at 5'11". His wife was already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and was on a pile of pills with no results. He walked into our small local bike shop and asked how to get in shape so as never have to fill his first prescription. Cory our bike shop owner refused to sell him a bike until he was below 285 pounds. He drew up Mike a diet and exercise plan which started with just small walks around the block. It took nine months for him to reach weight and he purchased his first 29r. Just to ride on the street and paved trails at first. Then he purchased a rd bike and trainer for the winter. We did spin classes 3 nights a week all winter long and was able to watch him turn into an amazing athlete. He is now 168 lbs. This year he has entered several rd and mtn bike races and has placed well. He also purchased his first real mtn bike this spring a Transition Scout. We were in Kellogg Idaho last weekend and he did his first black diamond section. As of today my knee tendons are killing me. Yesterday Mike took me out and we did 55.8 Mile rd ride. He kicked my ass and stayed with me and encouraged me the whole way.
i'm 71 and have been mtn. biking for 30 years you're never too old to ride. i was just riding on the trails at maston (in central oregon ) yesterday
Definitely agree that you're never too old to start. I got my dad into Downhill at 60, probably not the best idea for an older guy but hey, he has fun. So why not?
I took up mountain biking when I was in my late 40's, 58 now and still love it, I also did Trans Provence in 2010, 1 of the toughest enduro races in Europe, I think I am the oldest female competitor ever to have done this race.
I'm 49 and riding with guys 20 years younger than me. It seems I can still continue for a while... :)
I'm 66 now and started mountain biking 3 years ago. I travel from WI to the Southwest to ride all winter long carrying my bikes (road and Mtb) in my Sprinter van. Better shape now than I was 5 year ago.
Agree wholeheartedly. I am 61 and got into mtb in Alice springs , Central Australia last year. In spite of the some hot days and flies (you can ride away from them temporarily) I am hooked. Re-built an old cheap mtb recently and plan to build a new one in 2018 sometime. Its great to be a kid again. its not age its attitude! Go for it.
Thank you for the encouragement! I'm 41 and just starting to MTB with my husband. I have that feeling that I am too old but I love it so much I'm willing to risk looking silly. We appreciate all of your videos and have learned a lot!
Hey dudes, I am 62, had open heart surgery in 2002, a 4X bypass and 3 stents about a year ago, I still blast around on my 2016 Focus Raven max SL hardtail hooked up with DT XRC 1200 carbon wheels, MCFK bars, etc. 20.6 pounds with pedals. I don't let hills get me either, I see plenty of people half my age walking the hills I ride up
My dads 63 this year and he has been riding for as far back as I can remember. He does the Sydney to Wollongong ride every year as well.
Thank you for this video! I started road cycling at age 12 and continued as my main sport until my mid 20's when college and job took too much of my time and I stupidly hung up my bike. Now in my mid 40's, my youngest child (12 years old) has shown a huge interest in MTB. So, I used that as an excuse to purchase a nice bike and start hitting the trails with him. We have about 20 acres in NE TN that we are going to use to make our own trails. Should be tons of fun!
My stepson let me try his mountain bike 3 years ago. I was hooked at age 67. Now 3 years and 3200 miles later I still love it. I wanted to celebrate my 70th birthday week in a unique way, I did my first 70 mile week. If you enjoy it just go out and have fun!