What Cycles do the Elderly and those with Impaired Health Ride?

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: What Cycles do the Elderly and those with Impaired Health Ride?

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Why wait - I rode a ‘bent trike for a decade before I needed to.

Meant I already had one when the need became urgent
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Carlton green
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Re: What Cycles do the Elderly and those with Impaired Health Ride?

Post by Carlton green »

cyclop wrote: 30 Jun 2021, 7:24am I love these tales of older riders determined to keep riding until they keel over.My old cycling pal,Neil,has a condition affecting balance and speech,slowly worsening.After a series of accidents he gave up .A few years later,he got an ice trike and has just done his first century,brilliant,a new lease of life.I had a tryout on it and felt at home straight away,great fun.......can,t wait until my balance/hearing or whatever goes. :wink: :wink:
It’s good to hear about the issues that people have faced and how they have worked around them.
[XAP]Bob wrote: 30 Jun 2021, 8:31am Why wait - I rode a ‘bent trike for a decade before I needed to.

Meant I already had one when the need became urgent
Quite. If anyone else fancies a Trike then, assuming they are able to, why not get (and enjoy) one soon rather than wait until one becomes necessary?

Will I ever have a Trike? Well I’m currently gathering information and whilst my plans are for the long term I think it likely that I’ll eventually get one to both try out and provide variety. I’m not sure a ‘bent Trike would suit my needs local ‘touring’ needs but a Tadpole with a box at the front might make a good Utility bike for transporting shopping and loads of other stuff. Whatever style makes you smile is good.
Last edited by Carlton green on 30 Jun 2021, 9:05am, edited 1 time in total.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
tatanab
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Re: What Cycles do the Elderly and those with Impaired Health Ride?

Post by tatanab »

Carlton green wrote: 30 Jun 2021, 8:35amQuite. If anyone else fancies a Trike then, assuming they are able to, why not get (and enjoy) one soon rather than wait until one becomes necessary?
Quite right. I got my first trike 51 years ago at the age of 17. Picture is somewhat more recent. I have had bicycles all that time, but a trike is much more fun.
temp.jpg
Back to the theme of recumbent trikes, a very different beast (I hate it that so many people assume trike means recumbent) - about 10 years ago I was on tour in the Vosges mountains of France, on the trike, where I met a chap on a heavily loaded recumbent trike. We had both just been over the Ballon climb, and he asked how long it had taken me (about 40 minutes) before saying it had taken him 3 hours and adding "I ride a bit, pause a while, look around, I am 86 and I am enjoying myself".
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Audax67
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Re: What Cycles do the Elderly and those with Impaired Health Ride?

Post by Audax67 »

Elderly? That's other folks, I'm only mid-70s. These days I'm still riding the Trek Domane 4500 I bought in 2015. I'll confess to thinking of electrics these days, though, towards the summits when my pulse rate heads into forbidden territory.

<eBike quandarizing>
EBikes are all so damned heavy, though (apart from Ribble's carbon one, which would probably crumple if I clamped an SQR block on it - I spoke to them and they were aghast at the thought. And anyway, Brexit), so what happens when my battery's flat 150k away from home? And half of them want a bottle mount for a backup battery. Not bloody likely, I need my two bottles. Anyway, how does an eBikemotion charging point like a hefty dose of Isostar?
</eBike quandarizing>
Have we got time for another cuppa?
Jdsk
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Re: What Cycles do the Elderly and those with Impaired Health Ride?

Post by Jdsk »

Audax67 wrote: 30 Jun 2021, 10:11amEBikes are all so damned heavy, though (apart from Ribble's carbon one, which would probably crumple if I clamped an SQR block on it - I spoke to them and they were aghast at the thought.
I was very impressed with the low mass of an Orbea Gain D20.

Jonathan

PS:
Audax67 wrote: 30 Jun 2021, 10:11amAnyway, how does an eBikemotion charging point like a hefty dose of Isostar?
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Sid Aluminium
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Re: What Cycles do the Elderly and those with Impaired Health Ride?

Post by Sid Aluminium »

The late Monsieur Robert Marchand riding with his bike club on the occasion of his 107th birthday:
Monsieur Robert Marchand @ 107.png
Carlton green
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Re: What Cycles do the Elderly and those with Impaired Health Ride?

Post by Carlton green »

Sid Aluminium wrote: 1 Jul 2021, 1:00am The late Monsieur Robert Marchand riding with his bike club on the occasion of his 107th birthday:
Isn’t that simply wonderful :D .

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_ ... _(cyclist)

This thread has certainly pointed out that old but still not particularly frail riders continue both very happily and indefinitely on their road bikes, and that’s encouraging to know. Of course not everyone enjoys good health in old age ... and if someone doesn’t have good health then them being aware of alternatives to keep them Cycling is definitely a boom.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: What Cycles do the Elderly and those with Impaired Health Ride?

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Carlton green wrote: 30 Jun 2021, 8:35am Will I ever have a Trike? Well I’m currently gathering information and whilst my plans are for the long term I think it likely that I’ll eventually get one to both try out and provide variety. I’m not sure a ‘bent Trike would suit my needs local ‘touring’ needs but a Tadpole with a box at the front might make a good Utility bike for transporting shopping and loads of other stuff. Whatever style makes you smile is good.
A box at the front of a tadpole is an odd concept.
I have carried a couple of greenhouses home on the rack, and towed a pair of kids all over using a kiddie trailer.


Back to the theme of recumbent trikes, a very different beast (I hate it that so many people assume trike means recumbent) - about 10 years ago I was on tour in the Vosges mountains of France, on the trike, where I met a chap on a heavily loaded recumbent trike. We had both just been over the Ballon climb, and he asked how long it had taken me (about 40 minutes) before saying it had taken him 3 hours and adding "I ride a bit, pause a while, look around, I am 86 and I am enjoying myself".
Yep - I admit that I default to what I know (bent trikes) when I hear the word trike, but I have owned an upright trike in the past, and wouldn't mind doing so again at some point.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Carlton green
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Re: What Cycles do the Elderly and those with Impaired Health Ride?

Post by Carlton green »

[XAP]Bob wrote: 1 Jul 2021, 12:21pm
Carlton green wrote: 30 Jun 2021, 8:35am Will I ever have a Trike? Well I’m currently gathering information and whilst my plans are for the long term I think it likely that I’ll eventually get one to both try out and provide variety. I’m not sure a ‘bent Trike would suit my needs local ‘touring’ needs but a Tadpole with a box at the front might make a good Utility bike for transporting shopping and loads of other stuff. Whatever style makes you smile is good.
A box at the front of a tadpole is an odd concept.
I have carried a couple of greenhouses home on the rack, and towed a pair of kids all over using a kiddie trailer.
Maybe I’ve misunderstood the term ‘Tadpole’, isn’t it two wheels at the front and one at the back?
When I ‘Google’ Tricycle Cargo Bike I see many Trikes with a box at the front.
This type of thing: https://www.cargobike.co.uk/product/tamar-cargo-trike/
I don’t really need to carry that much and perhaps comments should really be on the Pashley Trike thread.

Whatever, I suppose it’s not that important and it is thread drift.
Last edited by Carlton green on 1 Jul 2021, 2:23pm, edited 1 time in total.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
Blondie
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Re: What Cycles do the Elderly and those with Impaired Health Ride?

Post by Blondie »

tatanab wrote: 30 Jun 2021, 9:01am
Carlton green wrote: 30 Jun 2021, 8:35amQuite. If anyone else fancies a Trike then, assuming they are able to, why not get (and enjoy) one soon rather than wait until one becomes necessary?
Quite right. I got my first trike 51 years ago at the age of 17. Picture is somewhat more recent. I have had bicycles all that time, but a trike is much more fun.temp.jpg

Back to the theme of recumbent trikes, a very different beast (I hate it that so many people assume trike means recumbent) - about 10 years ago I was on tour in the Vosges mountains of France, on the trike, where I met a chap on a heavily loaded recumbent trike. We had both just been over the Ballon climb, and he asked how long it had taken me (about 40 minutes) before saying it had taken him 3 hours and adding "I ride a bit, pause a while, look around, I am 86 and I am enjoying myself".
I could caption your photo as the lengths people go to avoid an uncomfortable saddle. But of course you are leaning that way for a corner.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: What Cycles do the Elderly and those with Impaired Health Ride?

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Carlton green wrote: 1 Jul 2021, 2:11pm
[XAP]Bob wrote: 1 Jul 2021, 12:21pm
Carlton green wrote: 30 Jun 2021, 8:35am Will I ever have a Trike? Well I’m currently gathering information and whilst my plans are for the long term I think it likely that I’ll eventually get one to both try out and provide variety. I’m not sure a ‘bent Trike would suit my needs local ‘touring’ needs but a Tadpole with a box at the front might make a good Utility bike for transporting shopping and loads of other stuff. Whatever style makes you smile is good.
A box at the front of a tadpole is an odd concept.
I have carried a couple of greenhouses home on the rack, and towed a pair of kids all over using a kiddie trailer.
Maybe I’ve misunderstood the term ‘Tadpole’, isn’t it two wheels at the front and one at the back?
When I ‘Google’ Tricycle Cargo Bike I see many Trikes with a box at the front.
This type of thing: https://www.cargobike.co.uk/product/tamar-cargo-trike/
I don’t really need to carry that much and perhaps comments should really be on the Pashley Trike thread.

Whatever, I suppose it’s not that important and it is thread drift.
So what I've managed to do is fall into exactly the trap I said I fell into, and do both of those in the same post...

:lol:

That's a pretty standard cargo trike layout - Christiania being one the most famous brands.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Sid Aluminium
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Re: What Cycles do the Elderly and those with Impaired Health Ride?

Post by Sid Aluminium »

[XAP]Bob wrote: 1 Jul 2021, 12:21pmA box at the front of a tadpole is an odd concept.
Kendrick, late 1930s.
kendrick.jpg
kendrick.jpg (53.66 KiB) Viewed 720 times
Carlton green
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Re: What Cycles do the Elderly and those with Impaired Health Ride?

Post by Carlton green »

Yes, the Kendrick and the Christiania (preferably small box / platform) are the types of things I had in mind. The Kendrick probably makes more sense for just shopping (stick a pannier rack on the back and a basket on the front) and it had an informed following too: https://oldbike.wordpress.com/1936-appr ... -tricycle/ . An ‘interesting’ arrangement for the brakes, wonder how effective it really was in use.

Roman Road Cycles do something along the Kendrick lines but sportier: http://www.roman-road.co.uk/ .

I can’t think that, even secondhand, any decent Delta and Tadpole Trikes be ‘economy purchases’ though and perhaps that’s one reason (pricey) why so few are seen out and about.

Edit. Many months on I wonder if a cargo bakfiets type bike might work for some elderly riders, to give them local mobility. Some dual front wheel trikes are less bulky and less heavy than others, and electric assist changes much. Low speed stability should be excellent but I’m not so sure how good they are at normal two wheel speeds and cornering could be ‘interesting’.
Last edited by Carlton green on 16 May 2022, 3:00pm, edited 1 time in total.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
Grandad
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Re: What Cycles do the Elderly and those with Impaired Health Ride?

Post by Grandad »

Are Roman Roads still trading?
rmurphy195
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Re: What Cycles do the Elderly and those with Impaired Health Ride?

Post by rmurphy195 »

At 70-plus I use the same type of bike as I always have - a tourer with mudguards, rack, and a 3x8 gear set that gives me a 22" granny!

Plus a 6-speed Brompton - step-through is handy sometimes around the shops! (See my signature for a clue)
Brompton, Condor Heritage, creaky joints and thinning white (formerly grey) hair
""You know you're getting old when it's easier to ride a bike than to get on and off it" - quote from observant jogger !
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