# Turned 50, bought my first FS bike!



## ballistic_ken (Sep 3, 2009)

I finally get to hang out with the cool kids!

Turned 50 in January. Due to work issues I hadn't ridden much in a few years but I put that behind me. To celebrate I passed the Giant revel on and picked up a new aluminum framed Specialized Camber for a good price (I think so anyway, it gets complicated).

I am focused on rebuilding my cardio from a few years of slackery. It is fun to be back on the pedals, more excited to ride it than my dirt bikes!

Just wanted to reintroduce myself and thank everyone for the good info in a great subforum.

ballistic_ken


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## fredcook (Apr 2, 2009)

Welcome! Now stop wasting time in a forum and RIDE!


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## ballistic_ken (Sep 3, 2009)

fredcook said:


> Welcome! Now stop wasting time in a forum and RIDE!


I'm on it!


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## TheBaldBlur (Jan 13, 2014)

Welcome back to the trail Ken! You sound like me a few years ago - I resumed riding when I turned 50 and my daughter was born. I bought a used HT 29er just to see if I'd stick with it and then bought my first FS bike when I fell back in love with riding.

One note on rebuilding from someone who's walked the path you're starting: Give yourself time and don't expect to pick right up where you left off. I used to be able to slack off a bit and then put in some hard time on the bike for a week or two and get it all back. That was in my 20s and 30s. It doesn't work that way in your 50s. I spent the first couple riding seasons struggling. Hard. Last summer at 55 I was riding better in some ways than I was when younger and felt strong on the bike. 

Short version: don't rush it, take your time and the endurance/strength will come back. 

As for the dirtbike - yeah it's a different kind of fun but the cool thing is that mtb makes your dirtbiking better and vice versa.


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## escrowdog (Oct 26, 2018)

Same on the dirt bike! I just turned 52. I have a 2010 KTM 300 XCW that pretty much sits these days. All our regional trails in KS and MO have been destroyed by 4 wheelers and SXS's. The mountain bike trails on the other hand...WOW! Miles and miles of pristine singletrack! 

I bought my YT Jeffsy last Sept and started riding with a buddy (who had been back riding for a year and kept sending me pics of these kickass trails). Was blown away at how much better the bikes are, how much better they climb and how pedaling sucked a lot less than before. We even flew our bikes to AZ in Nov and rode Sedona, Flagstaff and the valley. 

I bought Peloton bike in mid December after my wife was bugging me about one, after bugging me about getting a treadmill. I was hooked after the first ride! Thank God as we had a real winter in KC this year. I ride 45 to 90 every day now regardless of weather. I've done 210 rides since I bought it. The powerzone endurance training is real. My outdoor rides are a non event from a cardio standpoint, just all fun. I can and will blow it up outside sometimes if I'm by myself. Rode 2.5 hours virtually non stop and ran out of water. Could have ridden another 2 hours. Blown away at how far I've come. I freaking HATED pedaling on my previous bikes.


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## jpc111 (Jun 30, 2004)

Welcome. My feedback is to make sure you focus on having fun. While I am in good shape, I have had to reset my expectations of what riding "fast" is. Some days I'm on it and some days not. Recovery is a big thing at this age. I also find that doing year-round strength training helps my joints feel better and gives me some extra muscle to survive the occasional crash.

I have been riding a FS bike for the last several years and enjoy how capable they are. Rocks, roots, and bumps just seem to disappear.

I too am an ex moto head. I started racing Enduros in 1976 and ended in 1991.

I recently built a HT to use to pull my trailer while doing trail maintenance. While it is a great bike, I took it for a ride without the trailer and was reminded of how much I love FS!


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## edubfromktown (Sep 7, 2010)

Welcome to the over the hill gang.

I've had a mix of rigid single speeds, hard tails and a full suspension bike for a number of years. I'm just shy of 53 and still grab a rigid SS more often than others with some form of suspension. Depends to some extent on what trails I am riding of course... I tend to hit the rocky/rooty technical ones with the FS bike.


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

Welcome and enjoy! The FS is easier on the body....


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## Outrider66 (Jan 30, 2018)

Crankout said:


> Welcome and enjoy! The FS is easier on the body....


Yes, they are. Most of the jolts and jarring absorbed before they get to your body is a good thing.

At almost 53, with a body that has been beat to hell and back, I recently got my first FS bike. And I can say without a doubt that I will never buy another hardtail. I also like the fact that my rear tire can do its job better when it stays connected to the ground more.


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## mysharona (Apr 15, 2019)

I demo'ed a couple of emtb's from the raleigh booth: the kodiak FS vs the raleigh tokul hardtail, a couple of weekends ago while at Sea Otter. Even though the tokul has 2.8" tires, the kodiak was far more compliant. Bigger tires are in no way shape or form a substitute for suspension. 

Interestingly enough, the kodiak was probably the funnest emtb I rode that weekend, and it was probably the least expensive. If it had more standover clearance, it would've been a lock to buy (if I had close to $6K).


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## TheBaldBlur (Jan 13, 2014)

Crankout said:


> Welcome and enjoy! The FS is easier on the body....


Like the OP, my current ride is my first FS bike after previously pledging my undying fidelity to HT. What's funny is resetting the travel indicators on the front and rear shock and then descending a piece of technical trail. Then at the bottom, check the travel rings of both shocks and consider what that same trail would have done to your body _without _FS.

:eekster:


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## babybabe (Dec 24, 2017)

Congrats! I agree: take it easy, come back into it slow, and have a blast.

BTW, Like you, I bought my first FS two summers ago at 53, when I decided to get back into riding after more than several years off. I doubt I will ever buy another. I just don't like the feel as much. Like the other guy, I reach for my SS rigid more often than not. I bomb the same rocky stuff I bomb on the FS and my body sucks it right up. It's all about the technique and being active on the bike. But I'm sure glad I bit the bullet on the FS or I'd have never known. Happy trails!


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

4 years on a SS hardtail and the last 14 months rigid.
Now on a geared full suss as well as the interesting trails here are getting more boney and my body is starting to feel it a bit too much. Especially in the arms.


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## bachman1961 (Oct 9, 2013)

Congrats !
Nothing like a new bike to get fired up and rethink the adventures.
Post 4 good advice, don't try to push things hard too fast. 
For me, f/s would be a few chapters of learning beyond biking re-entry. 

I'd suspect that new bike is going to demonstrate nuanced features and technology like a good book, it'll reveal itself over time. Double the fun exploring the bike and the trails!


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

at age 57, having rear suspension is a nice addition. i rode a poorly set up santa cruz superlight years ago and just recently got back on a dualie.

i'll second what another post wrote about recovery time--back to back rides aren't as easy to pull off as they used to be, (for me) even at age 50.

one thing i will add, however is i think my mileage total for the year at 50 was the most i can remember riding in a twelve month period.

congratulations and have fun!


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## metalskool (Feb 6, 2019)

ballistic_ken said:


> I finally get to hang out with the cool kids!
> 
> Turned 50 in January. Due to work issues I hadn't ridden much in a few years but I put that behind me. To celebrate I passed the Giant revel on and picked up a new aluminum framed Specialized Camber for a good price (I think so anyway, it gets complicated).
> 
> ...


Hello and welcome to your 50's! Nice bike, happy trails!


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## metalskool (Feb 6, 2019)

babybabe said:


> Congrats! I agree: take it easy, come back into it slow, and have a blast.
> 
> BTW, Like you, I bought my first FS two summers ago at 53, when I decided to get back into riding after more than several years off. I doubt I will ever buy another. I just don't like the feel as much. Like the other guy, I reach for my SS rigid more often than not. I bomb the same rocky stuff I bomb on the FS and my body sucks it right up. It's all about the technique and being active on the bike. But I'm sure glad I bit the bullet on the FS or I'd have never known. Happy trails!


I just got my FS at 54. They say people who learn on a hardtail develop different skills than a person who starts on a FS from day 1. Happy trails and enjoy that hardtail!


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## Fuse6F (Jul 5, 2017)

i have been hammering pretty hard on my fuse ht. Its lots of fun. But the low back doesnt like it on long rides. 

Turned 50 this spring and just bought a stumpjumper. Im amazed how nice it is to sit and pedal. But feel like im being lazy since im not standing all the time. As you ss guys know. Nothing like a ht to teach good technique. 

observations so far: Man can you go fast on a fully!!! We have alot of rooty stuff and its now so easy. Though pedal strikes are my new enemy!

put over 60km/36miles of real trail on it these last 5 days


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

Love my StumpJumper.
Sounds like it's the direct opposite of yours though.
Fully rigid gravel ripper.

Built it up not long after I turned 50. Just after the last race of the CX season of course...


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## Radium (Jan 11, 2019)

At 65, A chronic inner ear condition has kept me fatigued and off the bike for a few years, resulting in a complete loss of my cardio conditioning. Several aborted starts over the prior years. Now I'm back at it again, and I'm chunking the training down to easy to accomplish segments. Currently, I am doing a ride that is only 8.5 miles long, but involves two significant climbs, a steep one and a gradual but continual one. As I repeat it the ride takes less time: currently it takes me 45 minutes as the time gets shorter, say down to 30 minutes, I will add on a few more miles of rolling terrain. The idea is to change when improvement is consistent and then add on to it. I'm looking at 6 month time blocks here. 

I've also been going to PT twice a week to stabilize my shoulder, which has no supraspinatus muscle left, so I can regain my upper body strength. It too is a long haul project. Then again, I have the rest of my life to work on it.
The key is to not push anything. Improvement comes when it comes, and reinjury is not an option for me.


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## ballistic_ken (Sep 3, 2009)

Thanks all! GF took a spill this weekend riding with me, she's sore as hell with some bruised ribs and scrapes. This weekend was spent nursing her back to health.


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## sportylx (May 20, 2020)

Hello, another new 50 year old this year joining the club. I have a 2006 Giant Iguana that has been great. I took several years off from riding and just started back four months ago. My body just cant take the 2 hour rides over roots and rocks like it use to. So yesterday my wife and I ordered 2 new Santa Cruz 5010's for each of us. I feel like a 8 year old kid waiting for his new bike to get here. They say it will be August. I will keep riding the Giant until it gets here.


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## Psycho Thriller (Jun 8, 2020)

51 y/o here, sitting on the couch I still feel like I'm still 25 but once I start moving I definitely feel closer to 51  Took a break from biking for a couple years, just got busy doing other things, back at it now. 

In my 20's and 30's my friends were always jealous because I was a good 'off the couch' athlete. After a long break I could pick up whatever sport it was and get right back at it like I hadn't missed a day much to the dismay of my buddies who had been training. Now, um yeah, not so much. 

But the nice thing about being a little older is I don't feel I have to prove anything. Not trying to be better than anyone else, not trying to set a land speed record, not trying to jump higher, further or do anything more extreme than anyone else. Just out to have fun and push myself at my own pace. 

Another great thing about being 51; Now I can afford all the expensive toys my parents would never (rightfully) buy me as a kid or I never could afford in my 20's. Problem is I no longer have the fitness or skill set to match those expensive toys. The great irony of life, but it's never too late to have a happy childhood! But I'll never forgive my parents for not buying me that FS $4000 tricycle when I was 4 years old. I'm convinced all my life's problems are because of that.


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## sportylx (May 20, 2020)

Damn that’s me to the T. But I feel 18, until I get really moving. I’m 50. I watch thes guys on instagram slashing about and think, I can do that. But really I’m taking a mediocre fast drive through the woods. I still enjoy it though.


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## Outrider66 (Jan 30, 2018)

I was 52 or 53 when I got my first FS bike. I am on my 3rd now, at 54.

A few things this cranky old curmudgeon will never do again:

1) Own a hardtail mountain bike.
2) Own any 26" bike.
3) Own any bike without a dropper seatpost with a remote.
4) Own any bike with a 2x or 3x front.
5) Own any bike that does not have hydraulic disk brakes.

Not saying I wouldn't buy a #3 or #4, but if I did, it would be converted before I rode it beyond my driveway.


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