QUESTION: Road cycling has been my primary activity for exercise and fun for more than 50 years, and I have loved it, but now I’m 82, and I’m wondering if it’s time to give up the bike. I fell recently while dismounting — something I don’t remember ever happening before. I wasn’t hurt and my bike wasn’t damaged, but I think the fall was because I’m not able to lift my right leg as high as I used to to swing it over the rear wheel. And I have been noticing that for a while, especially toward the end of a ride, when I am tired. Do you think the fall is a signal that it’s time to quit cycling altogether? —Harry R.
RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: It could be, particularly if it continues to occur, but I personally wouldn’t make that call based on a single fall, especially if I was still enjoying cycling otherwise. It may be time to take the bike to a more forgiving surface, such as your lawn, and practice getting on and off while leaning the bike a little farther toward you than you have in the past.
You should also consider whether the fall was due to a one-off error, such as being on a slippery surface or not getting completely unclipped from your pedal. If that’s the case, just be more attentive when dismounting.
It’s also a good time to consider whether accessories you have on your bike add to the difficulty of mounting and dismounting. For example, if you have a rear rack with a trunk bag on it or a large under-the-seat bikepacking bag, they may hamper the swing of your leg over the rear wheel. Possibly you can get along without those accessories or replace them with a handlebar bag.
Another equipment change you might benefit from is a dropper seat post you can lower and raise with a lever mounted on your handlebar. These are more common on mountain bikes, but if you can find one to fit the diameter of your seat tube, it should work on your road bike. This would get the seat out of the way for mounting and dismounting but enable it to be quickly raised for riding.
If the fall is due to an ongoing physical limitation, as you suggest regarding not lifting your leg as high as you used to, it may be possible to work with a physical therapist or sports coach to mitigate some of the limitation. But it may be enough to do some stretching exercises. Here’s a video that shows three useful stretches that can be done daily and don’t require any special equipment or a lot of time.
Here’s a suggestion that can assist you in certain locations: When a raised curb is available, turn your bike so that the curb is on your left. To mount, place your left leg on the curb before swinging the right leg over the bike. For dismounting, do the same maneuver in reverse. This technique will also work when on uneven ground or on roadway where the crown of the road is higher than the road’s edge. Position your bike so that the higher side is on the left of your bike.
As a man, you can also avoid having to dismount and remount every time you need to urinate, particularly when you are riding in low traffic areas where you can relieve yourself at the roadside. Just stand over your top tube, lean the bike enough to not interfere and fire away.
Like it or not, aging, particularly in the ninth decade of life, often requires some accommodation for continued participation in activities that came easy to us when we were younger. There are bikes that are easier to mount and dismount, such as recumbents and those with step-through frames, but before making such a switch, stretching and practicing getting on and off the bike you have may be sufficient to keep you on the road a while longer.
Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.
As I approach 84, I have a similar problem and lean the bike more to get the saddle lower as I mount/dismount. I ride a maximum, on good days, of 40 miles. I use my 2004 Santa Cruz Blur Mountain Bike for the reason that it is a softer ride than my Litespeed with 23c tires. As my eyesight fades, it is more difficult to distinguish potholes from shadows and MTB tires and full suspension absorb a lot of the shock. I was never a race participant and my maximum speed on the Blur these days is 18 mph.
lean the bike over!!
My dad, now 98 is still riding. He switched to a recumbent tri. In the last two years he added an electric assist, and has kept on pedaling! He and mom, who has passed on switched to recumbent tris in their 80’s because of balance and strength difficulties. It was a great choice.
At 67 I have given up my clip in pedals as I found I am not as stable on my bike as I was even 5 years ago. Now when I have to come to a stop my foot can slide right off the pedal to the ground. When I dismount my bike I do lean it over a little more than before and go more slowly just to be safe. As my mom would tell me “Getting old isn’t for sissies” but I’m trying to do things that still allow me to ride into my 80’s if possible
I have found leaning my body against something solid as i dismount prevents me from losing my balance.
When nothing solid is around I do all the other suggestions mentioned before.
I’m 88 years old and still ride a lot.
At 77, after 50+ years of racing and riding, I changed to a recumbent trike. They are safe, fun, comfy and offer a great workout.
Electric trikes are available if one likes an assist up a hill. Plus, I find traffic gives us a lot more room. Try it, I love it
I agree with the other posters who have said to lean the bike down as much s possible so you don’t have to swing the leg as high to get off the bike (or get on). And move slowly and deliberately, paying close attention to where your feet are and where the next step needs to be landed.
I would recommend to practice the leg swing needs to get on/off the bike as part of an exercise program. Nothing like repetitively practising a specific movement to build/maintain a skill. Even top athletes (from quarterbacks to prima ballerinas) practice practice practice the movement.
There are bikes with a much lower top tube, like the Rivendell Platypus, that are more of a step-through frame design. A second thing I know some people have done is move to (comfortable, not racer style) recumbents and specifically for balance reasons, recumbent trikes (although those do look a bit challenging to get on and off of, but while you’re on them no balancing is required. .
It could also be useful to look for places to get off the bike beside a wall, fence, or post that you can use for support. Or a friend!
My father switched to a step-through frame at 83. It has enabled him to mount and dismount much more safely.
N+1. Time for a new bike. Keep riding, but ride what you can. As I get past 60, I’m a little excited about my future bikes that are age/ability appropriate.
If I had quit riding when I first fell over during a dismount, I’m not sure I would have made it out of my 40s! In my experience, falling over while dismounting is primarily an issue of not paying attention to what you are doing. As a result, I probably fall over like that every other year or so. And I stumble and wobble several times per year. At 76, I know things will continue to get more challenging, but avoiding the embarrassing dismount fall is mostly about focus and technique. And yes, lean the bike over more.
Thanks for all the comments and advice.
If using road clipless pedals, its a good reason to switch to MTB recessed-bolt shoes. Even though nearly all of my riding is on the road, I switched to MTB shoes after a few years because I got sick and tired of almost breaking my freaking neck getting on and off the bike (from my feet slipping).
I saw a method the other day that I never would have come up with on my own. Stand next to the bike with your feet about shoulder width. Lift up the front of the bike to make it vertical. Now bring the rear wheel back between your legs. Make sure the seat comes up behind you. When you’re done with this move you should be straddling the top tube and ready to go. No leaning over, no kicking your leg back. I’ve tried it a few times and it works.
It seems to me that a dismount fall is a symptom, not the problem. At age 81, it has been two years since I have been on my bike after a crash due to a very bad piece of road resulting in a few minor broken ribs. I never had dismount problems. Now my daily workout is on an indoor rower. I would like to get back on the bike, but my worry about a more serious crash has kept me just rowing. But I am rowing about four million meters per year.