[MarTay6]

I just joined this site yesterday- just discovered it- and I'm looking for some advice for my wife.
We're older, she's in her 50's- I in my '60's, and we're just getting back up on two wheels after many years of not having ridden... as in 35 or more!


She has a Schwinn 3 wheel trike she's been riding, and is up to over 3 miles at a time on it now, which is pretty good considering where she started. But it's heavy, and you work to go on it! The goal is to get back to a two-wheeler. She has a Schwinn High Country womens MTB she bought about 10 years ago and rode briefly. She's had a back injury since then- and has put on some weight, one of the reason's we're doing the bike thing- to try to get our old bodies moving again.
She tried getting back on her two wheeler this afternoon, and wobbled down about one house distance and got off it, not feeling comfortable enough to go any further or try more at this time.
My current bike is also a mountain bike- an Ibex Alpine- and when I got back on it for the first time in about 10 years, it felt awfully wobbly and unstable. It still feels twitchy to me, moreso than I like, but its a mountain bike- and it's geometry is naturally going to be less stable than a road bike or a cruiser.
I feel that she'd be better off trying to get back up on two wheels on a cruiser type bike, something that's more stable than her MTB. I think it'd help her feel more stable to start with, and give her the stability and confidence she needs to get back up on two wheels.
A major factor for hwe is a fear of falling. With her bad back, she does NOT want to go down. I don't blame her. That in itself is a big factor. I can relate- I had a knee replaced 2 years ago, and I do NOT want to fall on it! That was a big fear of mine. Heck, I'm 63, and I just flat don't want to go down period!
Opinions and advice would be most welcome!! Get a cruiser to get back on 2 wheels??
Wes

 

[Industry_Hack]

First, make sure your doctors sign off on this. Next, can anything be done to the trike to improve performance? A change of gear ratios, perhaps higher pressure tires? You can't change the weight, but if you can make it more efficient, that would be a good place to start. Beach cruisers are comfy, and slow-steering, but they are heavy as well.

 

[joemorreale]

After getting clearance from your doctor you need to make sure you are properly fitted on the bike. It doesn't have to be a pro fit, find a local cyclist to help you. The bike wants to be stable. If you are not properly adjusted tit will wobble and become unstable and uncomfortable. The bio mechanics in cycling when improper can cause a variety of muscle and joint problems.

 

[wild]

I did get back to you on your PM I like the Fuji Absolute. I am 67 and only started back rideing about 4 or 5 years ago. I think some miles on a spin type bike will get your pedeling smothed out and that will make the bike more stable. You have to give the arss a chance to tughen up allso, befor you put on long miles . Rember spin spin spin, don't mash.
Have fun
my ¢¢

 

[photosbymark]

First of all does the mountain bike you tried have a suspension? If so that may be were the bulk of what you call that wobbly feeling comes from. Remember momentum is your friend. Those wheels work like gyros as they want to stay stable once you are up to speed. Many times when someone says it feels wobbly, its often their confidence that needs a boost. Two wheels is something you CAN do. I wasn't off the bike quite as long, but it was at least two decades. Get the dr ok, but you can do it.

As far as you have to work to get it to go. What tires are you running on that trike? Usually the higher the pressure of the tire, the easier it is for the tire to roll. A thin high pressure tire is going to work better on pavement than a fat low pressure one. Fat tires do far better on dirt. Those skinny high pressure tires just sink in. The other thing is does the trike have gears? Many of the ones I have seen are one gear only. That makes it harder. Gears are your friend and do not let the fact that you may or may not have experience with them stop you. They give you a mechanical advantage that is impossible any other way. Working too hard? Shift Want to go faster?? shift Gears give you options.

I am sure you have tons of questions and ask away. Its a good group of people here, many with tons of experience and some that have been right where you are now. No one on this group flames a newbee, and if they do they are not here very long or get flamed themselves for being a jerk.

The most important piece of advise I can give though is to simply have fun

 

[Slowhead]

Good for you and your wife getting friendly with the bicycle again. Not much has changed in the cycle world or anywhere else. A little determination and patience will go a long way months from now.
If balance is an issue, start to ride (2 wheel) in a large empty parking lot. High School track fields are usually empty also during off hours.
If it turns out that cycling is really something you and your wife really enjoy together, they now make "flat foot" technology bicycles. It's a different animal and many find that style bike easier to navagate. Most of these bikes look similar to a crusier type bike.

 

[SixtyPlus]

" Its a good group of people here, many with tons of experience and some that have been right where you are now. No one on this group flames a newbee, and if they do they are not here very long or get flamed themselves for being a jerk."

Martay6, no truer words could have been spoken! My wife and I were in the same situation just a short while ago. Neither had been on a bike (non-motorized from Milwaukee, that is) in a long, long time! I found Two Spoke and have learned a lot and gotten some very good advice just from quietly reading the posts on topics that I was bashful about asking the questions! We are now happy road bikers and she and I both look forward to our rides. Both of us have overcome the jitters from getting started again, but the enjoyment and the exercise value are positive encouragement for us to do it again. Stay at it, relax, get a good fit on your bike and before long you'll wonder why you weren't doing this all along!

 

[Industry_Hack]

Milwaukee, Missouri...