The Old Guy Bicycle Blog

Last Updated: November 1, 2025 Night cycling can be peaceful, cooler, and surprisingly practical—if you set up for visibility and predictability. I ride plenty of pre-dawn and post-sunset miles myself, and the rules below are what actually keep you safe. Quick Take: For senior cyclists, safe night riding = bright lights (front ≥700 lumens + steady rear), reflective coverage that moves as you pedal, clear-lens glasses, layered clothing for temps, familiar routes, and predictable riding with legal signals. Tell someone your route and carry a charged phone + mini repair kit. Lights: Your Primary Safety System Front light: minimum 700 lumens for unlit roads; 1000+ lumens makes rough surfaces and potholes far easier to read. Angle it slightly down to avoid blinding others. Rear light: a steady (not only flashing) rear light is easier to track for drivers. Daytime-visible models are a plus at dusk. Side visibility: reflective ankle bands, spok...

Quick fixes that keep you rolling. Last updated: November 7, 2025 Quick Answer: You don’t need a mechanic for every squeak or skip. With a few basic tools, these five simple fixes will solve most common ride stoppers and save you time and money. Disclosure: I may earn a small commission from links on this page at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 5 Bike Repairs You Can Do Without a Shop Visit These are the fixes I actually perform on the roadside or in my garage. They’re simple, repeatable, and don’t require a full workbench. Learn them once and you’ll ride calmer, farther, and cheaper. 1) Fix a Flat Tire (Tube or Tubeless) Carry the basics: two tire levers , a spare tube , a patch kit , and either a mini pump or CO₂ inflator . Tube setup: pop off one bead with levers, remove tube, check the tire for thorns/wire, install new tube with a little air, re-seat bead, inflate. Tubeless: spin t...

Last updated: November 10, 2025 Readers’ all-time favorites — stories, tips, safety, and gear. Top 10 Most Read Posts on The Old Guy Bicycle Blog Quick Take: Based on StatCounter entry traffic. No homepage, no duplicates — just the posts readers keep coming back to. Bookmark this page. I refresh it whenever the leaderboard changes. Cycling for Seniors: Smart Tips for Riders Over 60 Practical, low-risk ways to ride more, hurt less, and actually enjoy it after 60. Should a 70-Year-Old Ride a Bike? Straight talk on safety, fitness, and how to keep cycling into your seventies. The Feeling I Get When I Ride My Bike on Rainy Days Why some wet rides become core memories — and how to do them safer. How Riding a Bicycle 100 Miles a Week Changed My Health ...

Quick Answer: Long rides aren’t about escaping boredom—they’re about finding space to think. The rhythm, the solitude, the sound of the tires—cycling gives your mind room to breathe, reflect, and reset. What Cyclists Really Think About on Long Rides People ask me sometimes, “What do you think about out there?”—usually with a curious look, as if pedaling for hours must feel like watching paint dry. But it’s not like that at all. The longer the ride, the more my mind opens up. The road doesn’t bore me—it speaks to me. It quiets the noise of everyday life and lets the thoughts that matter most rise to the surface. The Warm-Up Thoughts At first, it’s all about the basics: breathing, cadence, terrain, and weather. How do the legs feel today? What’s the wind up to? Those are the mental check-ins every cyclist knows well. But once the rhythm sets in, those practical thoughts fade into the background. The road becomes a moving meditation. The Journey Back Through Time That’s when m...

 Cycling Gear I Recommend: Real picks from 150,000+ miles of riding. I choose gear for safety, comfort, and durability—not hype. If you buy through these links, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Safety & Visibility Helmet: Giro Fixture MIPS II — reliable fit and protection. See options Rear Radar: Garmin Varia — game-changer in traffic. Check availability Lights: High-lumen front + daytime-flash rear. Front lights | Rear lights Reflective Ankle Bands: Cheap, light, very visible. My go-to style Comfort & Contact Points Bib Shorts: #1 comfort upgrade for long rides. Men | Women Ergonomic Saddle: Pick shape that matches your sit bones. Popular choices Suspension Seatpost: Smooths rough chip-seal. Solid options Gloves: Gel padding + proper fit to prevent numbness. Shop gloves Data, Training & Navigation ...

Quick Take: Age isn’t the stop sign. With steady miles, a dash of intensity, and honest recovery, cyclists are pushing strong into their 80s and 90s. Last Updated: November 4, 2025 Age Is No Limit: How Cyclists Are Defying Time and Pedaling Into Their 90s Let’s cut the fluff. Yes, VO 2 max drifts down over time. Recovery takes longer. Muscle doesn’t hang around for free. But cyclists who keep showing up—riding often, sprinkling in smart intensity, and actually recovering—are staying shockingly strong well past 70. A growing number are still turning pedals in their 80s and even 90s. Not unicorns—just consistent riders who refuse to hand the keys to the calendar. What the Evidence (and Real Riders) Actually Show Use it, don’t lose it: Aerobic capacity and strength decline mostly when you stop training. Keep riding and you preserve a surprising amount of top-end. Immune & independence benefits: Regular cycling is linked with more robust immune markers ...

Quick Take: Planning gives structure. Spontaneity gives joy. The best cyclists do both—track miles when it matters and wander when it feels right. Last Updated: November 1, 2025 A cyclist looking at a map—choosing between structure and freedom. Every cyclist has a rhythm. Some riders map every turn. Others roll wherever the wind—or the legs—say go. I’m somewhere in between. When I’m training for an event, I want a handle on mileage and effort. But my favorite days are the ones that just unfold—no fixed destination, just the road and a hunch. That freedom is part of what makes cycling special. The Case for Planning Your Ride Structure works—especially if you’re building endurance or getting ready for a long-distance tour. Planning keeps you honest and makes your progress visible. Hit weekly mileage, tempo, and climbing goals Balance hard days with real recovery Track event readiness with data you trust Explore new areas with fewer wrong turns I’ll often ...

Last updated: October 16, 2025 Pumpkin Spice and Pedals: Embracing Fall Rides Quick Take: Fall might be the best season to ride—cooler temps, golden views, and simple layers. With bright lights, a little extra tire grip, and a pocket snack, autumn rides are pure joy. There’s something magical about cycling in the fall. The blazing heat of summer fades away, the air turns crisp, and the trees begin their slow-motion fireworks show of red, gold, and orange. It’s when the road quiets, your jersey finally breathes, and every mile feels like a deep inhale. Why Fall Rides Hit Different Cooler temps = longer rides. Less sweat, less sunburn, and more comfort in the saddle. Nature is peaking. Leaf tunnels, morning mist, and golden-hour light make even easy miles feel cinematic. Coffee stops are elite. That first hot sip with slightly cold gloves? Perfect. Good headspace. Ideal for long thinking rides, short resets, or the last training block before winter. ...

Quick Answer: You don’t need fancy training plans to get better. Ride often, keep most rides easy, and stack them—one on top of another—so adaptation compounds. Last Updated: October 26, 2025 “Stacking rides” is simple: you add frequent, repeatable rides so your body adapts before those gains fade. It’s momentum, not masochism. A five-mile spin becomes ten. Two rides a week become four. Before long you’re stronger, leaner, and calmer on the bike—without white-knuckle training blocks. What Stacking Really Means Stacking isn’t grinding yourself into dust. It’s controlled consistency. Each ride lightly stresses muscles, lungs, and heart; riding again (before the effect disappears) tells your body to build back a little better. Skip too long between rides and the effect resets. Keep the rhythm and the gains compound. Why It Works (and Beats Occasional “Hero” Rides) Consistency > intensity: A week of steady, easy rides usually outperforms o...

Last updated: October 22, 2025 Quick Answer: Some days the wind just won’t quit. But after enough miles and conditioning, it stops being the enemy. The key isn’t chasing speed—it’s learning to stay steady when the wind hits from every direction. Cycling in Windy Conditions: What Years of Riding Taught Me Today’s ride was twenty-five miles—my next-to-last before heading to Albuquerque for the Day of the Tread. The weather couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. Somewhere between cool and warm, with that strange, swirling kind of Lubbock wind that refuses to pick a direction. North? South? No—just everywhere at once. It was one of those rides where you keep your head down and just pedal. You’re never really getting a tailwind, but you don’t stop to complain either. Every turn, it shifts again. It’s not dramatic—it’s just relentless. A test of patience more than power. Years ago, I used to dread this. I’d look outside, see the trees bending, and think, “Forget it.” But not any...

Quick Take: After 5,000 miles this year (and ~ 8,000 since July 2024), my 11-year-old knee replacement started hurting again. I was scared the implant had come loose. Bone scan says it didn’t: it’s soft tissue . I took four days off (which I hate), and I’m starting softwave therapy . I’m not quitting—just riding smarter, especially on hills. Last updated: October 17, 2025 I’ve been pain-free on this artificial knee for 10 years . They told me it would last 10–15 years . I nodded like a good patient and then did what I always do— ride my bike a lot . Since January 1st, I’ve put down 5,000+ miles . Since July of 2024, about 8,000 . That’s lovely… until this year, when the knee started barking again. When you’ve got a replacement and pain shows up out of nowhere, your brain goes to the worst corner: “It’s loose. The clock ran out.” I went for a bone scan . The result I didn’t dare hope for: the implant is fine . No loosening. The pain is soft tissue . Relief washe...