You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
My Dad is now 84 and still gets out on his gravel bike. Mostly road riding, and finds the size and shape of his gravel bike a good fit and comfortable.
I've been out with him a few times around the fire roads of Hamsterley and he's got the stamina to keep going, but his mobility is a bit of a worry.
Insists that the road type single sided pedals are good enough (too stubbon to change parts that are not broken/beyond use), but these do make starting off tricky, and really limit him if it's an uphil start. Stopping/getting off is a bit of a hit and miss affair too.
I reckon a change to dual sided pedals and using a dropper post would help a lot. I don't do drop bar riding, so know little of such things on G'Bikes.
In the true spirit of STW, what pedals are you all using? I even think flats would be fine for him TBH.
His bike has a port for an internally routed post, 31.6mm. Without breaking the bank, what do we reckon I should try and find for him? A short drop, no more than 100mm would be suffucient.
I just use MTB SPD's on all my bikes. They're fine for me and my shoes are interchangeable.
I also have a dropper on my gravel bike. It's as Brand X one from CRC in the fire sale so can't recommend that. However, it's the lever that's a bit more tricky because road handlebars have a larger diameter than MTB ones. In the end I got a second hand Fox one that mounts neatly next to the left hand brifter, but a nice gravel dropper lever is nearly the same cost as the post.
Fair play to your dad mind, mines not 80 yet and has had to change to a step through frame for his main bike a couple of years ago.
I use Crank Bros Candys for road and gravel. Double sided, so they work a treat. They also allow the use of a proper sole - you, know, one with tread and stuff. I'm not much of a fan of road cleats and they're definitely less than ideal for walking on any sort of ngravel surface when the need arises.
TBH I don't really understand why anyone who's not a complete weight weenie uses shoes without recessed cleats.
Time ATACs on all my bikes and have done upwards of 350km days in them. MUCH easier to use than road clipless and because you use MTB shoes, you can actually walk in them. Still slippy when it’s wet.
There is a specific 1x drop level for GRX11 810 but I used a dropper lever specifically for drop bars when I did it so that I could still use 2x 11.
TBH I don't really understand why anyone who's not a complete weight weenie uses shoes without recessed cleats.
Depends. My road riding is south of peebles into the borders. There os nothing to stop and walk for.
I much prefer road pedals than mtb i would happily use them on a mountainbike if I didn't need to walk. So why would i choose a pedal i like less when there is no benefit?
I have no idea what they weigh if it helps?
Have a look at the Ascend dropper posts, they do a lever for drop bars.
I have used spds and Mtb shoes forever on all my road bikes.
It's nice to be able to walk around off the bike, and I always thought that if I had a stiff,carbon soled shoe, then there was no real advantage in using road pedals. Turns out I was wrong, proper road pedals are a far better platform for road riding.
I am not going to change over now, but if I am still cycling at 84, it will be on something with flat bars and flat pedals*.
I also suspect it will have a motor 😊
I'll shoe horn him into new pedals first. That means no significant changes to the bike. I have a pair of XT's, the ones with a bit of a cage around them, I hope that'll convince him that better pedals will be a start.
Hashtag just saying: many elderly people don't recover from smashed hips.
I'm not suggesting he stops riding, rather reinforcing your concerns and they should be addressed in order to make things easier for him.
TBH I don't really understand why anyone who's not a complete weight weenie uses shoes without recessed cleats.
They tend to wobble along the axis of your foot.
They create pressure points if you ride long enough/far enough.
They are (slightly) more prone to pulling out when they get slightly worn.
why no suggestion of flat pedals & five tens?
I have Look Deltas on my two classic bikes, but both MTB's and the Cyclo Cross bike run dual sided SPD's. I'm looking to buy a used high end, more modern road bike, but I'll shove on SPD's rather than road pedals because they are much less faff.
I've just smashed my hip at 55, and don't plan on doing it again - it is a killer - 7% mortality and high rate of life limiting complications. Just glad I'm still younger and fit.
I use Time Atac Freeriders and have a PNW Rainier dropper (27.2mm).
For an 84-year-old, however active he is, I would indeed suggest flats and Five Tens - just because the results of an SPD topple could be a broken hip.
And maybe look for a dropper with a lever under saddle. The drop-bar mounted ones are a bit shit.
WRT fitting a dropper lever, you could use an accessory mount of MTB diameter to mount it off the bars (eg Thorn Accessory Bar T Shaped 55 mm Extension). Or use one of the devices available to fit Rohloff shifters to a stem - some ideas listed in the second half of this article: 23 Ways to Run Rohloff Shifters with Road Drop Handlebars - CYCLINGABOUT.com
I have a dropper on my gravel bike and because it was a Wiggle close down offer didn't come with a drops-specific lever. I've mounted it on the tops, next to the stem and for 90% of its use that works well. Mind you, half of that is for dropping the saddle to get on the bike (I'm not quite as old as the chap in question, but not too far off in terms of flexibility I guess) and the other half is dropping it a tiny bit when I'm off road as that feels much more comfortable. Those times when I'm already into a descent and I decide I need to use it, so make a grab for it, are the nearest I get to a tumble.