Do I even like this anymore?

I think all of us "older" riders have gone through a loss of motivation when it comes to riding.
I am now back at riding again and finding my groove again.
I think even hiking helps me anyway clear the work demons out anything to be outside is good.
You might just need to find a fun place to be outside to start as John said it does take a while to start to see progress.
The one dude I ride with said it is like starting all over again he is right...
Good luck, remember even a crappy day in the woods is much better then a good day at work.
Unless you are "Scrooge McDuck" and can dive into piles of gold coins....
 
zmartene said:
are you grumpy about other parts of your life?
Click to expand...

I will go ahead and say this is a rhetorical question. I don't know the OP, but in reading the post it sure struck me that other stuff is also making you not happy. You, the royal you, the OP, not you zmartene.

I am 53 now, and shit just hurts more than it used to. The past year I have certainly started to feel more my age than in the past 10 years. I guess this is normal, they say aging comes in bursts. Well I got a burst this year.

Shit happens.

Thing is, I know that if I stop and do nothing, it'll get worse. I don't want it to get worse.

I personally still enjoy all of it, probably more than ever because IDGAF how fast I go anymore. I will never be as fast as my cat 1 self was around age 40. That ship has sailed, gone past the horizon, and sank. Now I have a rowboat. Again, shit happens.

You can try the eBike, you'll probably like it. But go back to the core question of...is something else truly making you unhappy? Are you a Jets fan by chance?

Anyway, good luck. What town do you live in?
 
stb222 said:
Since you mention weight, i would venture to say that an ebike wont be as satisfying for the scale in the long run.

There is a reality when you pass on buying an ebike and not be an ebike hater.
Click to expand...
Not to start the whole Ebike debate again but you can lose weight exclusively riding an Ebike. When my health and fitness were at their worst I would quit a ride at CR after 6 or 7 miles. I wouldn't ride the hilly trails up North and would only consider a Hartshorne ride on my most motivated days. With an Ebike, doing 18 mile rides anyplace is not a chore. My scale says even if I'm not working quite as hard, riding for two hours several times a week still takes off weight.
 
Ha, at 81 years old I just glad to be able to get out and ride and enjoy the outdoors.
I saw my friend Elinore yesterday riding through Wawayanda, I don't see her that often.
She is a year older than me and can outride me any day! She was walking the hill because
it is too tough for her to ride, but she is out there. I compared stats with her.
average weekly miles her 187 me 108, elevation her 9408 me 6992, hours her 11 me 10.
Her no e-bike me e-bike amazing.
Elenore
elenore3.jpg
 
Norm said:
I will go ahead and say this is a rhetorical question. I don't know the OP, but in reading the post it sure struck me that other stuff is also making you not happy. You, the royal you, the OP, not you zmartene.
Click to expand...

This. I should have been more clear, I wanted to stimulate some thinking, not necessarily get a reply to this question.

We all got baggage. The journaling comment earlier was great - it can be a bit time-consuming, but it's sort of a free self-therapy.
 
stb222 said:
54 is a spring chicken, just not as springy as you used be.

Just need to decide if hitting the easy button and getting an ebike will be as satisfying as putting in the work. Since you mention weight, i would venture to say that an ebike wont be as satisfying for the scale in the long run. But like @Robin dont compare to your former self.

There is a reality when you pass on buying an ebike and not be an ebike hater.
Click to expand...
You can get an ebike and put in the work, it's wrong to think either or. 15 minutes into the ride you won't care at all if it's "cheating" anyway.
 
Norm said:
I will go ahead and say this is a rhetorical question. I don't know the OP, but in reading the post it sure struck me that other stuff is also making you not happy. You, the royal you, the OP, not you zmartene.

I am 53 now, and shit just hurts more than it used to. The past year I have certainly started to feel more my age than in the past 10 years. I guess this is normal, they say aging comes in bursts. Well I got a burst this year.

Shit happens.

Thing is, I know that if I stop and do nothing, it'll get worse. I don't want it to get worse.

I personally still enjoy all of it, probably more than ever because IDGAF how fast I go anymore. I will never be as fast as my cat 1 self was around age 40. That ship has sailed, gone past the horizon, and sank. Now I have a rowboat. Again, shit happens.

You can try the eBike, you'll probably like it. But go back to the core question of...is something else truly making you unhappy? Are you a Jets fan by chance?

Anyway, good luck. What town do you live in?
Click to expand...
Haha I am, in fact, a Jets fan. I live in Hillsborough
 
Thanks everyone for the great suggestions and insight.

I have considered an e-bike but I’m not sure funds will allow it right now (at least not a good one), but it’s definitely on my mind.

For now, I will reset my expectations as others have suggested and just focus on getting out there.
 
The Kalmyk said:
Lift weights and focus on proper strength training. The mind is your amp and the muscles are your speaker. The music is trapped.

Just riding bikes is a half plan as we age.
Click to expand...
The weights is a really good point, it doesn't have to be full on body building in the gym, but I saw my best fitness improvements on a bike ever just doing a kettle bell and body weight routine at home. I was really impressed with how much a little bit of work paid off there, that and losing some weight.
 
I'm in the same weight range as you. I'm 67 and at 145 now, but was close to 165 at some point in my 50s. Low carb diet worked for me for the weight and new bike provided motivation to ride. I've never even tried an e-bike. Still riding mtb and gravel semi-regularly. Still fun. I never feel unhappy on the bike unless it's after a crash or something's wrong with the goddamn bike. I also pin 0% of my happiness to how any pro sports team is doing.
 
BPaze said:
The weights is a really good point, it doesn't have to be full on body building in the gym, but I saw my best fitness improvements on a bike ever just doing a kettle bell and body weight routine at home. I was really impressed with how much a little bit of work paid off there, that and losing some weight.
Click to expand...
Bodyweight exercises are great because recovery is minimal. Here is a website with a ton of movements…

Workouts

Largest range of field-tested, free bodyweight and equipment workouts in the world. New ones added every week.
darebee.com darebee.com
 
Possibly unpopular take incoming.

I'm late to cycling, having started 14 years ago (I'm 56, btw). Started road, now MTB and gravel as well. I'm a clyde, currently hovering around 205, my summer riding weight.

Your lack of cycling didn't cause your weight gain, and it won't cause your weight loss; it will only contribute to it. Your diet is going to lead the way here, hence why I mentioned my summer weight. Better weather and less obligatory holiday type stuff directly contributes my weight in the form of better diet and more opportunities to ride. I recognize that and do not allow myself to be frustrated as a result as I go up 15 pounds in the winter. Instead I say "Ok, well that pie was delicious, as was the pasta" and that enjoyment offsets the disappointment over the lack of opportunities to ride that may have helped mitigate the tighter clothes. That said, I could deprive myself of that and work harder to ride in the "offseason" but then that comes across to me like....work. Which sounds like what this has turned into for you.

Strike a balance and enjoy what you're doing. I make that choice every day.
 
The Kalmyk said:
Lift weights and focus on proper strength training. The mind is your amp and the muscles are your speaker. The music is trapped.

Just riding bikes is a half plan as we age.
Click to expand...
This is good advice. I've found my happy place is riding to ride - for the fun of it and as often as I can. I supplement that with scheduled walking (or treadmill) and calorie/diet monitoring. This is the only way I can effectively lose weigh. I don't lose anything just on the bike.
 
I know that feeling! Aside from what everyone else has said, try to embrace your current self as is. Focus on positive internal dialogue, it really matters. Congratulate your body on what you CAN do, and not what used to be. I fell out of love with MTB for a while (because I am slow, things hurt, etc) so I did some hiking, some stretching, CrossFit. Then I got an eBike which brought the joy back fast. I realize that for me, MTB shouldn't feel like punishment. Now I alternate what I do, sometimes I ride my regular MTB when I am not stressed about being slow and taking my time. Sometimes I ride my eBike, and those are the times I would have just bailed completely before, now I don't bail, and I have fun, get outdoors and see friends. The eBike actually made me want to ride my regular bike again. That for me is the biggest difference. You have to ignore the hate though, especially on this forum. You don't need to "swallow your pride" to get an eBike, if that is what you end up doing, you need to do what makes you happier.
 
Ebike. Get a Commencal or slightly used one. Keep the assist setting on eco. Bump up to trail mode on steeps.
It really does take the edge off of riding.
On days where you might feel groggy and not in the mood to go beat yourself up, the ebike is just so easy to jump on and go. All those worries just disappear and you can actually enjoy it.
 
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