Feeling Old and Decrepit

[brumby33]

I spent a lot of time looking at my computer screen before writing this not knowing how to write this but this morning I went on a ride from Padstow Station (Sydney metro) where I met a couple of fellas from an old Bicycle User Group I used to ride with about 15 years ago. Anyway One fella was around my age (60) or could be older not sure but he sure was a heck of a lot fitter than me. the ride was supposed to go to Brighton Le Sands via Arncliffe Stn (Syd Met) and I just couldn't do it.
The ride was about 40kms long but I could only complete around the 12kms up to Bardwell Park Station said my goodbyes and sorrys and got the train back to my closest station.

I haven't been riding much over the past 7 Months with the fires and Covid and now Winter although occasionally i'd ride the 4kms to work and 4kms back. In January I had a left hip replacement and on the bike I feel good, no pain coming from hip region which is good but my cardiovascular region is deplorable. I only see a hill and start puffin' and panting like an old steam train. I just felt bad because i was holding the other 2 back and eventually told them to keep going and i'll pull out.

As much as I love riding, I just can't get out for regular rides and when I do go with a group, I'm left feeling like a regular Grandpa.

I want to do rides with others as I like the social aspect but feeling rather self conscious due to my lack of fitness so the only thing i can see for me to do now is either get out on my own which I don't really want to do or just sell the bike and give up....that's how I'm really feeling right now.

It's not the first time either, going for a weekend touring ride when i first went back to Sydney about 3 and a half years ago now and rode from Windsor station to Wiseman's Ferry, I was a bit loaded and didn't know untill I showed up that most of the riders were young enough to be my kids....eventually I got left for dead and left to fend for myself, it ended up being a 35C hot day, I tried to catch up with the others but no chance and when i did get to Wisemans Ferry, most had eaten and was making their way towards the night's camping spot...I had nothing left in the tank and didn't think I would even make it to the Camping area 8 K's further up the road....after a feed and a few well deserved beers, I didn't know if I wanted to go camping at that point, called up a mate who lived in Windsor, he came up with his ute and picked me and bike up and we went back to his place and I shouted them dinner...turned out A good evening....but i was really bummed with myself and that came back today.

Why am I writing this....i don't know, I had aspirations of doing some bicycle touring some time down the track and is why I bought this VWR but now feeling I've well and truly missed that boat. It's something I really wanted to do, I've read about it, dreamt about it, watched just about every bloody Youtube video about it, but feeling that i just want to hang my bike up on the wall...for good.

I'm so decrepit and out of condition, I really don't know if I should be pushing this 60 yr old bus driver body this hard....I came back home later in the morning with my tail basically between my legs and my wife just shook her head and gave a chuckle at my expense.......might sell the Vivente and buy an E-Bike

I've read through this post and wanted to delete it many times....might still do....

brumby33

[warthog1]

You need to build some regular riding into your schedule.
The body won't improve without exercise and it is making it regular that is most important imo.
I am no spring chicken either at 51 but I still love getting out on the bike.
I have tried meditation in a half hearted manner a couple of times and failed miserably.
Cycling is to a large degree my amateur approximation of it.
Doing lots of solo ks in these covid times and enjoying being out on the road thinking about naff all and just pedaling.

I had a crash recently and was off the bike for a bit over 2 months.
My mood and mental health suffered.
My wife was initially scared and unappoving of my return to cycling.
She has mellowed though.
I am running the mental health line and she can apparently see that it stacks up.

My body came good fairly quickly on return and feeling great on the bike now

[Uxxo]

If it makes feel any better, I am in my 40s and I feel old and decrepit because I am unable to keep up in a group
My solution is either to ride solo or ride with a few selected friends on the same level as you.
I actually learned to enjoy my solo rides, road, gravel, and also some offroad bikepacking - feels awesome!

One thing I learned the hard way is not to push your body over your limits just to keep up with a group that is way above your fitness level. You are not gojng to get any fitter that way, and you will likely end up with some nasty joint/ligament/muscle/knee, etc injury that will keep you off your bike for months.

[Daus]

You know Brumby33 what the problem is 4km rides won't help your fitness so plan to start doing something about it today. Don’t set yourself up for failure by taking on a ride above your current fitness level choose to do something for yourself maybe start with 10 to 15km rides and increase the distance as you feel fitter. You know that your body will thank you and as mentioned previously your mental health will improve and you will be even more motivated. Have you considered mixing up your training and walking around the neibourhood for 30mins maybe the missus could be convinced to accompany you.
All the best in your effort to get moving, you had it before and can do it again.

[cyclotaur]

Brumby33....

Don’t let it go. You have an aim, a target, a bit of a dream wrt to your bike touring. I’m guessing you’re still working so don’t be too hard on yourself. Time is a big problem for working folks.

I didn't really START cycling seriously until I retired (65 this year) and I never expected to do the kind of riding I can do now. Having the TIME in your day to ride is crucial to fitness and improvement.

60 yo is young (relatively speaking ) so be patient. For now just try to stay healthy, maybe lose some weight if needed, ride casually and avoid comparing yourself to anyone younger, stronger or fitter than you are now until you can realistically commit to some improvement.

[brumby33]

Thanks for the replies fellas, yeah I was really reluctant to post this here today as I knew deep down what I need to do and after the ride today and coming home with only a quarter of the ride been done, was feeling very deflated and very well past it....

Yes I think I need to go exploring on my own so I'm not under any real pressure, I think at this stage is the only way to go for me but it won't be as much fun talking about the ride....

Cheers

brumby33

[nemo57]

Yes, you ARE old and decrepit! And yes, you can do it!
On 14 Jan 2018 I rode up St Georges Road and back from home. It took an hour to do that 19k, going as hard as I could manage the imperceptible incline involved. Two days later I couldn't ride 4k. I was turning 61 and 94Kg after a lifetime on the gaspers and piss. Couple of weeks later Gordon Hill eased me round the foothills of the Dandenongs: hand in my back as I struggled up 3% grades fixin' to die.
On the Round the Bay day 10 months later I did 210k, climbing about 1000m. Not fast, but I couldn't understand why one group passed me 6 times, very serious in their all-black stealth-wear on their all-black stealth-bikes. Cue conspicuous coughing by strangers as I lit up a Camel on the cruise into Albert Park.
If you're at all like me, apart from age and appalling lack of starting condition, you'll never go as fast as you'd like. But we can chip away at it, imagining how good we might be (or have been) if we were truly committed. As Daus says, 10k at first is an effort; after a month it's become 40k; before you know it that 40k feels barely warmed up. Time in the saddle spinning the legs to make them beautiful seems to be the go. No need to injure yourself.
And tomorrow I'm fitting my brand new 13-34 Suntour Ultra 7-speed freewheel to the '76 Hillman and riding up a hill somewhere. And then I'll drink beer and eat a vanilla slice, maybe not in that order. A root may be out of the question, but we'll see.

[foo on patrol]

Thanks for the replies fellas, yeah I was really reluctant to post this here today as I knew deep down what I need to do and after the ride today and coming home with only a quarter of the ride been done, was feeling very deflated and very well past it....

Yes I think I need to go exploring on my own so I'm not under any real pressure, I think at this stage is the only way to go for me but it won't be as much fun talking about the ride....

Cheers

brumby33

Pfffffft, I'm 63 and haven't done 700klms yet this year and need to be doing 6000klms a year, to even stand half a chance at giving the 40yrs+ younger riders that I race against any stick. I want this year over n done with, as I it has been one kick in the gust after another. Just go and do your own thing for a couple of months or do what I do = start off with my group and stay there for as long as I can and then say get stuffed and do my own thing.

Foo

[nickobec]

Brumby33 at our age (I am 60 in a couple of month) fitness disappears quickly and is very slow to regain.

I worked from home for 3 months, stopping my regular training on the commute to work, didn't race and avoided group rides (high risk group, got a few health issues).

Went back racing a couple of weeks back and I just struggled to hold the bunch in D grade (3 years back I was winning C regularly).

It is going to take me a long time and effort, just to get back to the pointy end of D. It is all about pushing yourself, but just enough to improve and then taking time to recover. So 4km, then 8km, 15km, 25km, 50km etc.

[P!N20]

+1 for everything said above.

I had a mate who inspired me when I was starting to take cycling seriously, who used to tell me on long rides it was important to detach your mind from the goal, just enjoy being on your bike in the moment, and you might find the finish line comes sooner than expected. It's helped me in the past when turning the pedals has been a bit of a struggle.

[LateStarter]

I know how you feel Brumby33, I had a bad accident at the end of February, (police report is headed cyclist vs truck !), more broken bones than I knew existed, 6 weeks in hospitals, no memory at all of the accident or first week in hospital, it's hard to come back, mentally and physically but there is only one way, you set your goals and work on them, incremental and achievable, short term and longer, write them down and commit to them, don't compare yourself to anyone except the you last week and the week before and...

Cycling is supposed to be enjoyment too so ride in nice places, plan your routes to initially avoid difficult hills or difficult traffic sewers , catch the train to pleasant start points but also plan to stretch yourself each ride by distance or ascent and bit by bit you get better and better.

The Vivente is a great vehicle for going long or high (maybe not fast), I did my first 20 x 200km Audax rides on mine and I didn't start till I was 60, My goal is a 1,220km / 90 hour ride from Paris in 2023 (finishing the week before my 71st) and that calls for 200s, 300s, 400s, 600s, 1000s (training & qualifying) from now till then. After the accident I had 3 months off the bike and have worked my way up to 80 kms and am now almost ready for my first harder (hillier) 100, might have to be tomorrow to avoid the coming bad weather.

Good luck with your goals and plan.

[brumby33]

Crikey......I've just read all your posts after I've had my self doubting whinge and am dumbfounded at the age that some of you are and by comparison i'm still the spring chicken at 60 and here I was thinking I'm well and truly past it......after reading what you guys have posted in response to my thread, you all have my upmost respect and thankyou for sharing your stories, I'm now feeling more optimistic although I have a long road ahead but i really do want to tour somewhere different before i leave this world.
Late Starter, sorry to hear of your accident mate, glad you're back on the bike getting back up there. Yeah where I live, near the Intersection of King Georges and Stoney Creek roads (AT) Beverly Hills Sydney is one of those traffic sewer spots, one of the heaviest and noisiest intersections in Sydney and it's a real challenge sometimes to work the intersection to get across. Also happy to hear from another Vivente owner. My Bike is strong, well equipped....just needs a stronger motor (me)

Pin 20, yeah mate, I'm trying to keep the enjoyment happening. You guys inspire me too.

Nikobec, yeah I've heard many say due to the lockdowns and working from home that it's the exercise getting to and from your normal day that takes it's toll. I've been lucky in that sense that being in essential services, I still had to go to my workplace to fullfill my duties and therefore sometimes I rode in and sometimes when the weather is crap I drive although the actual difference between the ride and drive is only about 6 minutes and theres both secure car and bicycle parking onsite.

Foo, yes I've been reading on another thread that you've been having a few challenges lately and hoping for a favourable outcome. for you. I see some of the KMs some of the riders here do in a year and here's me thinking I wouldn't do that much in a lifetime

Nemo57, like you I was a long term smoker which i believe is one of my issues now with lung capacity although I gave up only a few short years ago, it just took me so long to say I'm fed up with them, like since I was 15.
It wasn't the cost, it was just the taste of them, they just never tasted as good as they used to. I think if i was still on them, i'd be lucky to ride the 5kms now let alone 12 kms. I can't believe you smoked Camel...I thought those were filled with the stuff they left behind just kidding

You have all given me renewed optimism tonight knowing that I'm not the only old fart here, that many of you are still getting over an injury or condition to get yourselves back where you were before. I've just began my 5 weeks of annual leave although some of that will be taken up with a trip to see my aging Mum in Hospital up in Grafton (Covid19 permitting), I might throw the Vivente in the car and do some riding up there too. In the meantime I'm going to take a lot of your advice and do some easy enjoyable riding to strengthen my endurance levels. I will also organise with my Doc to give me a good health check early next week so see how I'm travelling, might even suggest a stress test for the ticker and everything. I do need to lose weight, probably at least 15kg. was doing it with the Manshke but couldn't get lower than 102kGs now back up to 108 so I might have to get back on the shakes for a bit.The shakes helped me reverse my pre-diabeties levels of 12 Months prior so they do work.

Again...thankyou for sharing your stories and helping me see the light.

Cheers

brumby33

[warthog1]

I do need to lose weight, probably at least 15kg. was doing it with the Manshke but couldn't get lower than 102kGs now back up to 108 so I might have to get back on the shakes for a bit.The shakes helped me reverse my pre-diabeties levels of 12 Months prior so they do work.

Again...thankyou for sharing your stories and helping me see the light.

Cheers

brumby33

It may or may not be for you and I am dobbing another member in here but "Nobody" has investigated diet and nutrition fairly thoroughly based on some health issues he has had.

Have a look at the diet thread if you are interested.
Anyway I've gone vego for a few months now and have had some help from him and people I work with.
Feeling great and it is good for weight control if done healthfully imo.

Diet is a good thing to argue over unfortunately.
Not interested in that, just an idea that has worked for me if anyone is interested.

[brumby33]

I do need to lose weight, probably at least 15kg. was doing it with the Manshke but couldn't get lower than 102kGs now back up to 108 so I might have to get back on the shakes for a bit.The shakes helped me reverse my pre-diabeties levels of 12 Months prior so they do work.

Again...thankyou for sharing your stories and helping me see the light.

Cheers

brumby33

It may or may not be for you and I am dobbing another member in here but "Nobody" has investigated diet and nutrition fairly thoroughly based on some health issues he has had.

Have a look at the diet thread if you are interested.
Anyway I've gone vego for a few months now and have had some help from him and people I work with.
Feeling great and it is good for weight control if done healthfully imo.

Diet is a good thing to argue over unfortunately.
Not interested in that, just an idea that has worked for me if anyone is interested.

G'day Warthog, yes I often read some of Nobody's posts in regards to nutrition and I think he does a good service to the members here for doing so.
I can't see myself going down the full on vegan path but I do try and partake in a lot of vegetables in my diet and there'd be a rare vegetable i wouldn't like. Not a huge fan of cauliflour but love Broccoli even though they are related and I ever love the often misunderstood brussell sprouts, especially grilled with miso paste and bonito flakes on them....wow you gotta try that Warthog. Love me tators both white and sweet, pumpkins both Kent and Butternut, in fact when i'm cooking on the BBQ, vegetables would probably make 65-70% of the meal however where I fall down is portion size and I like a couple of beers while it's all cooking. I usually drink Kirin Megumi which is a very low carb but full strength beer and usually have no more than 3, depending what I cook.
On saying that though, I'm not a huge alcohol drinker, I go weeks and even Months without a beer, a carton would last me a long time and I might partake in a few glasses of wine now and then, no spirits or anything of that nature.
Another thing for me is dairy, i simply love dairy, full cream milk is always used, yogurts both plain Greek and also the fit30g Protein Yogurts are in my lunch pack.
For convenience at work I take a frozen Lite n easy pack of whatever the choice of the day may be or I buy the Mansized McCain frozen meals.
Breakfast is usually 4 weetbix Hi-bran with some honey & chia and linseed mixed in and an instant coffee, I usually have breakfast at 4am on a workday, my main meals are usually eaten in my break at around 10am (read frozen dinner packs) and I finish work around 2.30-3.00pm usually, come home and have a coffee and a couple of biscuits.
I often sometimes just have a manshake at breakfast with some plain oats mixxed in for fulfilment instead of weetbix and sometimes I just have a bowl of porridge.
I don't eat much takeaway but occasionally partake in KFC , Thai or Japanese.
For my usual dinners I'll have a Manshake as it's not heavy before going to bed.
I don't get to kickstart the BBQs much, maybe once or twice a Month in Winter and double that in Summer...used to be every night.
I was at my heaviest at 118KG 3 years ago, at 107 now and couldn't budge below 102.

I know the diet isn't the greatest but I don't consider it the worst either, I've fought with my weight for most of my life, not just now.

Cheers

brumby33

[warthog1]

I am no expert either Brumby, your diet sounds better than most but I am no position to judge.
I don't drink milk as it doesn't agree with me. Drink enough and spray paint later
Probably good that it does. It is the baby food of another species that grows to 700kg. Doesn't seem a good food to eat with weight control in mind as an adult with 2 legs.
Anyway I'll shut up and good luck with it.

[brumby33]

I am no expert either Brumby, your diet sounds better than most but I am no position to judge.
I don't drink milk as it doesn't agree with me. Drink enough and spray paint later
Probably good that it does. It is the baby food of another species that grows to 700kg. Doesn't seem a good food to eat with weight control in mind as an adult with 2 legs.
Anyway I'll shut up and good luck with it.

Yeah I probably do consume a bit more dairy than I should but it's preferable to many other types. I'm concerned that going too much soy might make my man !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! grow double the size as they are now
I don't mind rice milk either although the commercial varieties only have about 3% rice milk in them and the same with almond milk. so it's either water or other stuff to fill up the 1 litre bottles they use.
I tried making my own almond milk using a nutbag to drain them but it's very messy and time consuming.
Skim milk has too much sugar and so does lite milk. I've tried to cut my sugars down a heck of a lot.

As for comparing us to cows, well they do bugger all except eat, sh!te and moo

brumby33

[LateStarter]

The "elephant in the room" is of course the weight issue, especially for cycling up hills. But the good news is that it is entirely addressable without radical interventions and can be addressed at the same time as becoming great on the bike, in fact they are complementary. I have known many people who have reduced their weight by 25 - 30 kgs (and maintained the reduction) over a comparatively short time (maybe a year) just by watching (lets be realistic, reducing, perhaps halving!) their intake and increasing their exercise. You can achieve a large (encouraging) reduction fairly quickly but the difficult part is maintaining and continuing the reduction. Don't be obsessed but do be disciplined and systematic in a continuous (weekly) reduction of weight.

So it is more planning, goal setting & monitoring and adjust the plan & goals accordingly but has to be done in a systematic, serious way.

PS: The pros spend hundreds of hours training to gain a 1% power to weight ratio increase and you have the opportunity of getting 25% by shedding a little bit of weight.

Good Luck, start today.

[RobertL]

Brumby, could you get a bit more riding in regularly by just stretching your commute ride? Do the usual 4km to get to work, but come home "the long way". Add another 5 or 10km to your trip, and that will soon add up to some useful distance.

[warthog1]

Yeah I probably do consume a bit more dairy than I should but it's preferable to many other types. I'm concerned that going too much soy might make my man !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! grow double the size as they are now
I don't mind rice milk either although the commercial varieties only have about 3% rice milk in them and the same with almond milk. so it's either water or other stuff to fill up the 1 litre bottles they use.
I tried making my own almond milk using a nutbag to drain them but it's very messy and time consuming.
Skim milk has too much sugar and so does lite milk. I've tried to cut my sugars down a heck of a lot.

As for comparing us to cows, well they do bugger all except eat, sh!te and moo

brumby33

I am not comparing us to cows, just pointing out it is the baby food of another species that grows quite large.
It would be reasonable therefore to assume that it is designed for growth and weight gain.

Been on the soy for 20 years. No man b00bs
Currently aldi organic. Cheap and tasty.
Cows milk all tastes off to me now.

The swear filter for b oo b s wt?

[baabaa]

Mate, sometimes you need to leave the back door unlocked at night.....
Well chill about it a bit if you can. We all have our own issues and plenty of people have just that now. Re the food stuff, I wish I could put on some weight! Have always had a problem just keeping at a certain weight and the older I get the worse it is. It really does spook me sometimes.

Re the biking. I went though much the same when I turned 45. No fun in riding so I dropped out of most of the riding the look fast and fancy, but they really are rubbish to ride 1990s bikes and bought a single speed. A first edition, extra ugly On-One Il Pompino full steel cx hack.
It was just built from bits so it was big geared, but it slowed my riding and way of thinking. All the marketing hype was telling people that bikes can go this much faster well, because of this bit or that frame.....Marketing 101 and it has got worse since then.

Instead of doing get on the bike and must do xyz distance, I opted to do no rushed 90 minutes outings ( other than commuting). I would stop when I saw birds or trees or.... it became fun again and the more I slowed, the more I wished to bike.
I would throw this bike in the back of the car for work trips and do the same in various towns or just swing down to the beach in thongs.

So maybe Just making biking fun may help?
I now have a use a much upgraded over the On-One ss, way too good for me, but an extra easy to ride bike as it fits, drop bar 29er which is still the first bike I choose to ride. Still has an always in the wrong gear 36/18 so, I walk up hills if steep and down if extra rocky as while it hurts going up, coming off going down is nasty and it now takes too long to heal.
I just don't need to sweat and /or sweat about stuff when out, so sometimes take a camera. No like strava stuff which logs any of my my rides now. The SS always works and I "work" better on the bike and yet I don't even think I am riding when I am riding, unless it is a nasty head-wind. ( does that even make sense?)

The whole a bike looks good, power meter this, hydro that and I will look good riding it with all the fancy bits still just makes me giggle.
I also like it here as you have people always saying how good the bikes must be. Better than what? I often wonder what people who start out biking now will consider a good bike in 2, 6, 10 years time. Bet they will just want very simple beasts. Really so many modern bikes are rubbish to ride slow so if you can get away from that way of thinking....it becomes less hobby and more fun again.

My thoughts, if it helps, is just try tp make your bike time more an outing than an event. Even The Clash put out slow songs. Basic biking is still pretty damn good, free and some of the best riders I have ridden with are old blokes who seem to do this very well.

[nemo57]

[brumby33]

Mate, sometimes you need to leave the back door unlocked at night.....
Well chill about it a bit if you can. We all have our own issues and plenty of people have just that now. Re the food stuff, I wish I could put on some weight! Have always had a problem just keeping at a certain weight and the older I get the worse it is. It really does spook me sometimes.
Jeez baabaa, I wish I had this problem and if i could offload some of my beef to you, it'd be a pleasure to help

Re the biking. I went though much the same when I turned 45. No fun in riding so I dropped out of most of the riding the look fast and fancy, but they really are rubbish to ride 1990s bikes and bought a single speed. A first edition, extra ugly On-One Il Pompino full steel cx hack.
It was just built from bits so it was big geared, but it slowed my riding and way of thinking. All the marketing hype was telling people that bikes can go this much faster well, because of this bit or that frame.....Marketing 101 and it has got worse since then.

Yeah it's kind of lost on me

Instead of doing get on the bike and must do xyz distance, I opted to do no rushed 90 minutes outings ( other than commuting). I would stop when I saw birds or trees or.... it became fun again and the more I slowed, the more I wished to bike.
I would throw this bike in the back of the car for work trips and do the same in various towns or just swing down to the beach in thongs.

When I was living up around the Newcastle area only three and a half years ago, I was really enjoying to get out on the bike even on my own and see where I ended up, I grew up in Newcastle till I was just on 17 but as a kid, wasn't allowed to ride into the town so I wasn't able to do a lot of exploring. But as an adult I really enjoyed exploring my hometown. Due to the State Government privatising to a new Employer, I transferred back to Sydney very reluctantly and whilst I'm not afraid of riding in Sydney, driving buses here made me realise what D Heads are on the roads and the attitudes behind the steering wheels, especially from Tradies, they scare the bejeezus out of me in their utes.
There's been a lot of development lately due to Covid19 of pop up bicycle ways and that's ok if you live near the city but out in the burbs like the St George area where I live, bike lanes, bike ways or paths are very few and far between. I really need to take my bike to the train station and go somewhere to enjoy the ride, in fact riding in the Eastern Suburbs and Sydney City is so much more easier and safer than riding in the Beverly Hills and Penshurst areas of Sydney suburbs.

So maybe Just making biking fun may help?
I now have a use a much upgraded over the On-One ss, way too good for me, but an extra easy to ride bike as it fits, drop bar 29er which is still the first bike I choose to ride. Still has an always in the wrong gear 36/18 so, I walk up hills if steep and down if extra rocky as while it hurts going up, coming off going down is nasty and it now takes too long to heal.
I just don't need to sweat and /or sweat about stuff when out, so sometimes take a camera. No like strava stuff which logs any of my my rides now. The SS always works and I "work" better on the bike and yet I don't even think I am riding when I am riding, unless it is a nasty head-wind. ( does that even make sense?)

Love my Vivente Touring bike, I've always loved touring bikes, I'm not a competitive racing dude and even though these bikes are a bit like tanks to ride, they also feel so solid on the pavement and never had make me think the wheels were going to go out from underneath me. I also love the Utility look and feel of the touring bike, don't really care much if it weighs about 20kgs with panniers. I feel even though I am not really bike fit, but have reasonable control on the bike, knowing how to work the gears to enable steady spinning cadence even with bar-end shifters.
You mentioned taking a camera, awesome suggestion thanks baabaa, last year I went and bought myself a new Nikon DSLR5600 with a twin lens kit after I sold my motorcycle, I wanted to teach myself about digital photography as I used to dabble a fair bit during the film days, digital is almost a whole new learning with some familiarities thrown in. Whilst I need a lighter tripod, I could strap my large aluminium one to the rear rack, just have to find a way to pack my camera in the panniers without risking damage. I''ve been wanting to combine the 2 hobbies.

The whole a bike looks good, power meter this, hydro that and I will look good riding it with all the fancy bits still just makes me giggle.
I also like it here as you have people always saying how good the bikes must be. Better than what? I often wonder what people who start out biking now will consider a good bike in 2, 6, 10 years time. Bet they will just want very simple beasts. Really so many modern bikes are rubbish to ride slow so if you can get away from that way of thinking....it becomes less hobby and more fun again.

When it comes to bikes, it's very personal really and like the old saying, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and that's how I feel with Touring style bikes, they are absolutely wonderful useful machines, mine just needs a new Motor overhaul I do like pretending i'm on tour when i'm on a ride, I wish I could do it for real.

My thoughts, if it helps, is just try tp make your bike time more an outing than an event. Even The Clash put out slow songs. Basic biking is still pretty damn good, free and some of the best riders I have ridden with are old blokes who seem to do this very well.

If there's only one thing I wish for, is to have a riding buddy who is as slow and tuckered out as I am so I don't have to feel so bad but still have someone to share the experience with.....I'm not expecting much

Cheers Brumby33

Thanks baabaa for your post, you've instilled me with some new perspective

Thankyou also warthog1 for writing your post, I very much appreciate it......Moooooo

brumby33

[Derny Driver]

Some really excellent advice in this thread and I dont have anything to add except to wish you luck mate, you know there are some really amazing caring people on this forum and we all want the best for each other and don't like it when someone is suffering. Stay positive mate and try some of the ideas that have been suggested. Im rooting for you but not as per the last line of nemo's post

[brumby33]

Some really excellent advice in this thread and I dont have anything to add except to wish you luck mate, you know there are some really amazing caring people on this forum and we all want the best for each other and don't like it when someone is suffering. Stay positive mate and try some of the ideas that have been suggested. Im rooting for you but not as per the last line of nemo's post

Thanks Derny, yeah I was feeling pretty low when i wrote this yesterday, wondering if I was just kidding myself and my ambitions of being a touring cyclist and when all I could manage was only 12 kms (although there were a few challenging uphills) I didn't want to risk putting myself under too much pressure. As I said at the beginning I was reluctant to post this thread, I kind of felt like and I really overthinking it or over feeling it...I don't know but then many of you came in with your stories and suggestions and great input and the boat just got smaller and smaller and I realise I wasn't alone and I didn't realise many of the challenges that many here have faced, even recently.

I may not be the most technical or mechanical person out there but I know now why I love this forum so much, so much experience, so much knowledge, I thank you all. The advice you have given me has given me so much more hope now than you can imagine........maybe i will be out touring one day...just maybe and taking my time to smell the roses.

Cheers guys

brumby33

[Grog]

OK, here's some questions for you Brumby33.
Why do you ride? What made you start riding? And continue to do so?
Think about those things and hold onto those if they still have meaning to you.

re: your work life and it's impact. From the threads I read there are a more than a few here that do driving for a crust. I think it's Foo, Fat&Old, yourself and no doubt others. I've done a bit of truck driving myself in my earlier life and I suspect you guys, like me, find it isn't a case of just sitting down all day and cruising along, like a nice cruise in the family car. It's probably a long day of sitting down and being constantly intently alert, dealing with numpties on the road, right? End of day all you want to do is put the feet up, switch off and have a beer.
I found the length of time sitting down is physically demanding AND encouraged me to not want to be active. I had to almost force myself to get active. But the effort really did help as once I got going on a bike I was a lot better mentally and felt heaps better after a ride (still stuffed, mind)

Baabaa above also highlighted the trap of must go fast, be ultra fit, latest bling, mindset. Not a bad thing IF your goal is to be fast, ultra fit or really want the latest and greatest equipment. But if you want to ride because you like it, or ride to keep a moderate level of fitness, or just like the social connection with mates, then probably not that necessary.

I'm in my late 50s and have mates I meet up with for social rides semi-regularly. Some older, some younger. Most (not all) of them can ride rings around me BUT we all have fun riding together. No egos or one upmanship, it's the social interaction that means the most.

My riding tends to fluctuate a bit, primarily due to being time-poor with the work hours I do in my current work. I won't ride in the local suburban area as I'm sick of dealing with the aggression on the road here which means heading out of town, not always an option. My solution has been to go onto smart trainers and apps. I'm now doing more time on the bike, fitter than I have been in 20 years and able to fit it in with my lifestyle. And when I do meet up with mates in the real world it makes it that bit more special. AND enjoyable.

Anyway, that's been my approach to it. Bits of what works for me might help, or not. Finding what works for you and fits in with your lifestyle / interests / etc
Whatever you do, remember you have a great community here. (Just look at the number of thoughtful responses from the others above!)

My 2c