The Old Guy Bicycle Blog

Published: December 24, 2025 Quick Take: At 70 years old, I’m riding stronger than ever—not because I’m chasing speed records, but because I’ve leaned into organized events, smart training, and a few key gear upgrades. If you’re a senior cyclist (or want to be one), this is what’s working for me and how you can build your own cycling life after 60. There’s something poetic about flipping a calendar page. The calendar turns, but the road remains the same. The asphalt doesn’t care how old I am, what month it is, or whether the wind favors me or tries to break me—it just waits. Looking back on 2025, I can see just how much this past year shifted the way I ride. For decades, I was a solo tour guy. I’d pack up the bike, head out alone, and let the days unfold one mile at a time. But 2025 was different. This was a year of single-day events, multi-day rides, and shared roads with other cyclists chasing their own stories. And honestly? It was one of the most rewardin...

Last Updated: December 2025 Quick Take: The best bike lock depends on how you ride. Commuters need fast and tough. Tourers need light and flexible. Road cyclists want compact strength. MTB riders need reach. E-bike riders need maximum anti-theft protection. Here are the best budget, mid-price, and premium locks for every type of cyclist. The Best Bike Locks for Every Cyclist: Budget, Mid-Price, and Premium Picks As a 70-year-old long-distance cyclist who’s parked bikes everywhere from Texas to Florida, I’ve learned one truth: thieves always attack the weakest lock. This guide makes it easy to match the right lock to your riding style — and choose a budget, mid-range, or premium option that fits your bike and your reality. Why Your Lock Choice Matters Different cyclists need different locks. Your choice depends on: How long you leave the bike unattended Whether you ride in a high-theft city or low-risk area How valuable your bike is ...

Before my San Diego to Las Cruces tour, I was seriously thinking about getting a new bike. My Specialized Diverge had served me well for over 20,000 miles—maybe closer to 25,000—but it was never designed as a pure touring bike. I’d been eyeing a Surly, the kind of bike built from the frame up for long, loaded journeys. A real workhorse. Something that could haul gear, chew up the miles, and shrug off the punishment of the road. But then came the mishap. A rag got pulled into my derailleur. One small mistake, and suddenly my tour plans were sitting on the shoulder with me—a ride-ending breakdown in San Diego . The kind that makes your stomach drop, because you can feel a dream slipping away in real time. Standing there beside my disabled bike, I called my wife. She didn’t hesitate. “Keep going,” she said. “If you have to buy a new bike in San Diego, then buy a new bike.” It would’ve been the perfect excuse. A dream justified. I could’ve walked into a bike shop...

Last Updated: December 2025 Cycling “Nuts and Bolts” Books: Repair, Training, Fit, and Touring (Commonly Recommended) If you want the practical side of cycling — fixing things, training smarter, riding pain-free, and doing longer rides with fewer surprises — books can beat random videos. They’re slower, clearer, and they don’t disappear when a platform changes. Important note (honest + simple): I’m sharing these as well-regarded, widely recommended cycling reference books — not as personal “I used this exact one” endorsements. Use this list as a strong starting point, then pick the one that matches what you’re trying to learn. 1) The Park Tool Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair A classic home-workshop repair guide. This is one of the most commonly recommended “start here” repair references because it’s structured, visual, and step-by-step. 2) Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance Frequently recommended for road cyclists who want a deeper, more detailed maintenance...

Last Updated: November 28, 2025 Quick Take: Cycling isn’t my escape—it’s my confessional. The road knows the version of me no one else sees, and every mile strips away everything but the truth. Cycling Is My Mistress Some people chase hobbies. Some chase goals. I chase the road. I always have. Not because I’m running from anyone—and not because I’m unhappy. My wife knows me better than anyone alive. She knows I love her. She also knows there’s a part of me she can’t compete with, and I don’t say that lightly. Cycling is my mistress. Not in the way people whisper behind closed doors. In the way something calls your name, long after you should’ve outgrown it. In the way a quiet obsession becomes a second pulse. She’s the one who wakes me before sunrise. She’s the one who pulls me out the door when logic says “not today.” She’s the one who knows the version of me no one else sees—the tired, hurting, stubborn, grateful, alive version. My wife sees the man. Th...

Last Updated: December 8, 2025 As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Quick Answer: No — cycling does not raise testosterone. Light riding has little effect, and long-distance endurance riding can actually lower T by increasing fatigue, stress hormones, and calorie deficits. Saddle pressure doesn’t reduce testosterone, but it can cause numbness and ED symptoms that make riders think it does. Here's what a 70-year-old long-distance cyclist has learned the hard way. Does Cycling Raise Testosterone? Short answer? No. Cycling doesn’t raise testosterone. If anything, the more miles you stack up every week, the more likely your testosterone is to dip. Long-distance cyclists — especially men over 50 — tend to see lower testosterone for two reasons: High training volume spikes cortisol, and cortisol suppresses testosterone. Many cyclists under-eat, and calorie deficits lower hormone levels extremely fast. B...

Last Updated: December 25, 2025 The best cycling bib shorts for long rides offer a mix of comfort, fit, value, and support—especially for senior riders. Here are the top bib shorts worth considering. Quick Answer: The best cycling bib shorts for long rides combine comfort, fit, and long-distance support. Top choices include the Assos Mille GT C2, Pearl Izumi Attack, Velocio LUXE, Castelli Espresso, and SUGOi Evolution. These options offer a range of budgets and comfort levels suitable for everyday riders and seniors who want to stay comfortable in the saddle. The Best Cycling Bib Shorts for Long Rides (Chosen for Comfort, Value & Senior Riders) When you reach a certain age—and especially when you’re riding thousands of miles a year—comfort becomes non-negotiable. A good pair of bib shorts won’t make you faster, but they will keep you riding longer, reduce pressure points, and prevent the chafing or saddle discomfort that can derail a ride. This guide uses ...

Last Updated: December 2025 These 10 cycling books have stood the test of time. Whether you're a new rider or a 70-year-old cyclist like me who has spent decades on the road, these books offer the best mix of stories, adventure, history, humor, and hard-earned wisdom you'll find anywhere. 10 Timeless Cycling Books Every Rider Should Read I've ridden more than 150,000 miles in my lifetime, and these are the books that have stayed with me. They’re the ones cyclists still talk about decades later — because the writing, the stories, and the truth inside them never wear out. The Rider — Tim Krabbé The greatest cycling book ever written. A deep dive into the mental game of a single race, told minute by minute. Every cyclist eventually finds this book — and it changes how you see the sport. French Revolutions — Tim Moore A hilarious, brutally honest attempt to ride the entire Tour de France route. He suffers. He laughs. You laugh. It’s cycling mis...

Last Updated: November 24, 2025 Cyclling’s Bad Rides Suck Factor Guide Quick Answer: Every cyclist has bad rides—but some hit harder than others. I use a blunt 3-level “Suck Factor” rating to describe how far off the rails things went: from tough-but-manageable rides… all the way to the ones that end with a walk home or a rescue truck. Why We Need a “Suck Factor” Scale If you’ve been riding long enough—especially as a 70-year-old senior cyclist—then you already know this truth: not every ride is magical . Some are fine, some are irritating, and a few are so miserable you question every life choice that got you onto two wheels. Instead of pretending every ride is sunshine, I started rating my bad rides using a simple, brutally honest 3-level system. Here’s how I measure how badly a bad ride really sucks. 🚲 Suck Factor 1: The Ride Just… Sucks This is your garden-variety “something’s off today” ride. Nothing catastrophic. Nothing dramatic. You’re jus...

Last Updated: December 2025 Quick Answer: Yes — you can lose weight riding an e-bike. You burn calories every time you pedal, and most riders go farther and ride more often on an e-bike than they do on a regular bike. The key is using lower PAS levels, staying consistent, and tracking calories. Can You Really Lose Weight Riding an E-Bike? If you're a senior cyclist — or someone getting back into riding after years away — the idea of losing weight on an e-bike may feel almost too good to be true. I get it. I’ve been riding for decades, and even I used to think e-bikes were “easy mode.” Here’s the truth: an e-bike still requires effort. You are pedaling. Your heart rate goes up. Your legs work. And because the motor helps when you need it, you end up riding longer, more often, and with far less joint pain or discouragement. That’s why e-bikes are exploding in popularity — especially for older and heavier riders who want real exercise without suffering thr...

Last Updated: November 28, 2025 Quick Take: Some people write poems with pens. I write mine with pedal strokes. Long rides strip the noise away, leaving the kind of clarity you can hear in your chest. These are the verses the road gives me. How Poetry Found Me on the Bike Some people write poems with pens. I write mine with pedal strokes. I didn’t set out to be poetic. I set out to ride. But somewhere between mile 30 and mile 70, between sunrise and sunset, I started hearing the road differently. Not just as terrain, but as verse. The hum of my tires was meter. The climbs and descents, line breaks. The miles, stanzas. Sometimes the words come on the ride itself. Sometimes they come when I’m lying in my tent or sipping juice the next morning. But they always come. Because long rides strip the noise away. What’s left is what matters. Against the Wind and With Myself Here’s one I heard once, rolling solo through West Texas: No music but b...

Last Updated: December 2025 Quick Answer: E-bikes are exploding among senior riders because they offer comfort, safety, and real power without strain. New step-through electric bikes—especially affordable online options like Cybervelo —give older cyclists the ability to ride farther, climb hills, and stay active without paying $2,500+ at a bike shop. If you can handle basic assembly, buying online saves hundreds of dollars. Why Seniors Are Turning to E-Bikes in Record Numbers Seniors aren't “slowing down”—they’re adapting. In 2025–2026, the fastest-growing age group in e-bike sales is riders over 60. And honestly, it makes perfect sense. A modern e-bike gives older riders freedom, fitness, and confidence without the strain that keeps many people off traditional bicycles. Hills become easy. Pedal assist erases the dread of steep climbs. Headwinds aren’t deal-breakers. Even a gentle assist makes tough wind days manageable. Longer rides feel possible again...

Last Updated: November 19, 2025 As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This doesn’t affect your price. Quick Take: Cycling is fantastic for fitness, but it won’t magically melt fat. I once rode 5,000 miles in a year and still weighed 230 pounds. The real key to losing serious weight wasn’t more miles — it was understanding my daily calorie needs, tracking what I ate, and using a few simple tools that kept me honest. Here’s exactly how I finally dropped the weight and kept it off. A lot of riders secretly believe this: “If I just ride my bike enough, the weight will fall off.” I used to believe it too. I was a 5,000-mile-a-year cyclist who still stepped on the scale and saw 230 pounds staring back at me. That was the year I finally had to admit the uncomfortable truth: riding more miles wasn’t my problem. My eating was. Once I stopped treating cycling like a magic fat-burning machine and started treating my body like a real math proble...