I lived and coached in Boulder, CO for 24 years. I took about 100 clients to the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine (BCSM) for bike fits by my good friend Andy Pruitt and his staff. Andy founded the BCSM. He’s the dean of bike fitters. He’s fitted riders in the pro peloton, causal riders and everyone in between. I took one 50-year-old client to see Andy. Andy measured the client’s power output, fitted the bike correctly and re-measured the power output: five percent more power!
You can read about Andy fitting one of my clients on my website.
1. Get a current bike fit
Our bodies change as we age and as a result bike fit is dynamic. In my ultra racing days I was six feet tall. Now I’m five feet 10 inches, which changes the saddle height and the position of the handlebars on my ultra racing bike and my touring bike.
Cross-country ski season is about over and to celebrate my 72nd birthday I skied 90 days. I also stretched daily. I just got on my touring bike for the first time this year. Because I’m more flexible the handlebars are too close.
2. Fit the bike to you.
Don’t try to fit your body to the bike. Because our bodies change over time your favorite bike you’ve been riding for years may no longer be the best bike for you. If you have a frame that’s about the right size you can adjust saddle and handlebars to the correct positions. If your frame is the wrong size or design then invest in a different bike. For example, a racing frame is stiff so more power is transferred to the wheels; however, because it’s stiff it also transmits more vibration and bumps from the road to you,
3. Saddle height.
The correct saddle height depends on your riding and physiology. Both your type of riding and physiology may change over time. In general, the lower the saddle height and the sharper the angle of your knees, the more power the rider has, but also the more stress on the front of the knee. A higher saddle height is better for endurance. But if your saddle is too high this may cause pain on the back of your knees. Also if your saddle is too high your hips will rock side to side as you pedal, which will increase friction in your crotch and may cause saddle sores. To check if your saddle is too high pull up your jersey or shirt so the top of your shorts is visible. Ride with someone watching you from the rear. The top of your shorts should be a stable line. If each side rises and drops as you pedal then your saddle is too high. If one side drops more than the other then you have a shorter leg on the side that drops more and you’ll need a shim in your shoe.
4. Saddle choice.
One rider had a very light racing saddle on his bike and complained his butt hurt. Andy pointed out that with a more comfortable albeit heavier saddle he could ride more, have more fun and get fitter.
Most of your weight should rest on your sitz bones. The width of the sitz bones varies among riders. If your saddle is too narrow or too wide your weight will be on your crotch – you know how that would feel. Good bike shops have a tool to measure the width of your sitz bones as a guide to choosing a saddle.
A lightly padded saddle may help; however, too much padding increases friction in your crotch and may result in saddle sores.
I wrote a column about 10 tips to prevent saddle discomfort.
5. Handlebars position.
If your handlebars are too far from the saddle or too low you’ll be stretched out on the bike. You may be more aero; however, the stretched position often causes neck and shoulder pain. The next time you ride pay attention to which position of your hands on the handlebars is more comfortable for your upper body. If it’s most comfortable with your hands on the top of the bar near the stem or on the curve just outside the top, then your bars are too far away and you need a different stem. The most comfortable position should be with your hands on top of the brake hoods.
I wrote this column on 4 things to do to prevent upper body fatigue.
6. Gearing.
No matter how diligent you are, your legs are less powerful now than 10 years ago. In my 20s my bike had 52 and 42 tooth chain rings and a five speed 14-24 freewheel. In my 30s and 40s my ultra racing bike had 53 and 39 tooth chain rings and an eight speed 12-28 cassette. In my 50s I changed to triple chain rings to get lower gears and a nine speed cassette. Now in my 70s it’s time to retrofit smaller chain rings.
Here’s a good column on What’s the optimal cadence?
7. E-bike.
If lower gears don’t allow you to ride comfortably or on the kind of terrain you’d like to ride it may be time for an e-bike — I’m considering one.
I wrote this column on Anti-Aging: e-bikes, fun and fitness.
Where to Get a Bike Fit
Trainers and mechanics trained at the BCSM by Andy Pruitt founded Retül, which does bike fits and advises on equipment. Bike shops around the world have personnel trained by Retül.
Anti-Aging 12 Ways You Can Slow the Aging ProcessMy 107-page eBook explains the physiology of aging and how to assess your current fitness. It includes exercise programs for cardiovascular health and endurance, training with intensity, addressing muscle atrophy, getting more flexible, improving your balance and slowing bone loss. It includes a dozen stories by Andy Pruitt, Gabe Mirkin and other riders aged 54 to 82 about their personal experiences.
Stop Cycling’s ShowstoppersA showstopper is anything that interferes significantly with your riding. My 65-page eBook has 10 chapters about how to prevent showstoppers and what to do if one of them afflicts you. In addition to bike fit and comfort on the bike, I cover proper training, optimal nutrition, environmental issues (heat, cold, rain, wind), ailments (cramps, indigestion, heartburn, nausea and diarrhea), riding techniques and injuries. Stop Cycling’s Showstoppers is a workbook. Each chapter includes a checklist for you to evaluate your riding and what you need to work on.
Coach John Hughes earned coaching certifications from USA Cycling and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. John’s cycling career includes course records in the Boston-Montreal-Boston 1200-km randonnée and the Furnace Creek 508, a Race Across AMerica (RAAM) qualifier. He has ridden solo RAAM twice and is a 5-time finisher of the 1200-km Paris-Brest-Paris. He has written over 40 eBooks and eArticles on cycling training and nutrition, available in RBR’s eBookstore at Coach John Hughes. Click to read John’s full bio.
Thanks for your article on older riders. I’m 76 and have been cycling for over 30 years. I went from Steel to to Aluminum, Ti. Carbon frames. I just bought a Specialized Creo eBike. The first time I went up a steep hill I was sold. The e assist is so much fun. If you are considering buying an eBike, do it. I feel like a 12 year riding his first bike.
Coach Hughes: I’m a 71-year-old life-long roadie and a long-time fan of your newsletter. (I was never a racer, but I rode with my club’s fast bunch when younger.)
Back surgery (successful) at age 69 required four months off the bike, I returned to cycling in my 70th year and discovered I could not get a base. Even taking it easy, I’d be tuckered out after 18 miles or so.
And then came the pandemic. I reacted badly to it, becoming sedentary, eating too much, and drinking far too much alcohol. I recall a column marking your turning 70 where you mentioned that one of your concessions to age was that you were giving up alcohol. That made a huge impression on me. I’m aware of how destructive alcohol is even to robust young people — to septuagenarians, regular consumption of booze greatly reduces their chance of becoming octogenarians. Your declaration motivated me to stop alcohol too, but not until quite recently.
Ten days ago, totally sedentary but fully vaccinated, I decided to see if I could get my fitness back. After more than six months off the bike I was starting from scratch, and I had 30 extra pounds to make the hills miserable.
As I said above, part of my game plan was to emulate you and quit alcohol completely. (Already I fee hugely better..) Doing that would help me with lose that 30 lb. I’d gained. I’m not in a big hurry to do that — but want steady weight loss as I train to build my base. (I know what to eat and what not to.)
My goal is quite specific:: to gain sufficient endurance to ride up to 40 miles or so at a respectable pace. Right now, I can barely make it up the 3 1/2-mile hill (6% grade) at my back door. It used to be my warmup, and now it’s my whole ride!
My question to you is, do you have a program for the older rider whose overarching goal is endurance? I don’t mind being slow on the hills and I do not want to engage in interval training or anything like it. I know I have to push myself, but I’m eager for some tips about building a base most efficiently, given my age and cycling goal.
Do you have anything specific I can purchase or read that deals with my situation — building a base with the goal of gaining endurance?
Just so you know, along with resuming riding I have gone back to my daily floor exercises: stretching, push-ups, and planks all round., I feel better the instant after I do them!
I miss that wonderful “glow” I used to get when I was really fit and am determined to get it back. The seventies is for most people where old age sets in. Being a fit cyclist can offset that terrible event for several years, maybe even more. When you think about it, this decade of lie is more important for being fit and healthy than any previous one.
I look forward to your guidance.
John, this is so pertinent. 72 years old, two bikes, one that was customized for me when I was 18 years younger, one when I was 8 years younger. The geometry changed, as did the gearing. I’m still able to do the hills with either bike, but by the end of the ride, I’m completely finished regardless of which bike I ride. I feel blessed to be able to finish the rides, but regardless of which bike I use, regardless of the geometry of either, regardless of the gearing, I still wonder whether 72 years old is 72 years old. The good news is that I’m still doing hilly rides, which I love to do. The bad news is that it takes me at least 45 minutes to warm up. The further good news is that of my riding buddies, every one of whom is younger, some have developed age-related problems that have disabled or limited them from riding, and I can still do a 50 mile ride, even if I may be slower that I was 20 years ago. The best news is that not only have I outlived both my grandfathers, I have done it in a way that both of them would have found inconceivable had I been able to tell them what I am doing age 72.
You raise the point that has given me pause about re-committing to serious riding: How fit can a 72-yo get? Fit enough to do the kind of riding he most enjoys?
You can stay on the climbs with your younger companions but after the ride are “:completely finished.” Usually when I feel that way I know I’m overtraining. After today’s ride, I feel pleasantly tired — and encouraged, because it’s the first of several where I felt stronger while riding.
Like you, I do not aspire to equal my speed of 20 years ago. That would be folly. But to complete a 50-mile ride at a reasonable pace without bonking is an accomplishment I aspire to. Maybe the whole summer will go by before I can do it, but I can’t think of a better way to spend those months.
I was born in Canada in 1950. (I now live in the Bay Area.) The life expectancy of a Canadian male born in 1950 was 67 years., I was quite astonished to read that. But then, we boomers smoked and drank like there was no tomorrow, at least in our youth.
I too have outlived my parents and grandfathers. But both my grandmothers surpassed 100 years! My goal is not to live longer, but to push back the geriatric stage of life, with accompanying dementia, as long as possible. From my reading about endurance athletes, and also having known two who died in their 80s, older athletes remain spry and alert into their 80s, and when the end comes, it is usually pretty quick. That suits me!
You can also find a solid list of very experienced bike fitters through the International Bike Fitting Institute at ibfi-certification.com
Retul is a bike fit technology and process owned by Specialized. There are many excellent fitters who do not use Retul, and many who do – but complement it with additional expertise.
Awesome article. Also great comments so far.
I just turned 69 and am set to ride across the US riding/camping solo on the transAmerica bike trail starting next week. I’m not quite sure what to expect but I am eager to find out.
Training will consist of getting on the bike and starting the tour…