Suggestions on bike for 60 year old.

PB Forum :: All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country
Suggestions on bike for 60 year old.
  • Previous Page
Author Message
flag Beecee336
Posted: Oct 9, 2017 at 18:24 Quote
Looking for some suggestions for my father in law who wants to go riding with me. He just turned 60 and he is very active. I ride a transition covert. We will mostly ride mild trails and mild climbs. Trestle a couple times a year. Any suggestions are appreciated.
flag jmartinbiking
FL
Posted: Oct 9, 2017 at 18:48 Quote
look at commencal's trail bikes
on budget and great spec
flag theblaze
O+
Posted: Oct 9, 2017 at 20:41 Quote
Beecee336 wrote:
Looking for some suggestions for my father in law who wants to go riding with me. He just turned 60 and he is very active. I ride a transition covert. We will mostly ride mild trails and mild climbs. Trestle a couple times a year. Any suggestions are appreciated.

I would probably consider a full sus with 27.5+ tires. It will probably be much more comfortable.
flag Martron12
Posted: Oct 9, 2017 at 22:00 Quote
Full sus xc for sure. Not too hard on pedaling but soft on the body. Giant trance or to that nature. Sure you could find something decent pretty easily used too
flag zsandstrom
O+
Posted: Oct 10, 2017 at 13:04 Quote
Martron12 wrote:
Full sus xc for sure. Not too hard on pedaling but soft on the body. Giant trance or to that nature. Sure you could find something decent pretty easily used too

Actually, if I were picking from the Giant lineup, I'd probably go for an Anthem if you want full sus XC, maybe a Stance if it's techy XC.

To the OP: I'd pick whatever you think he's going to like the most, honestly. Motivation can be a tricky game for a beginning rider (as we all know), and having a bike that you look at and go "Damn I want to ride that thing" is just as much a factor as the ride quality itself.
flag Hiller28
Posted: Oct 10, 2017 at 14:10 Quote
You know what's easiest on the body? Sitting on the couch.
Old people benefit from pushing themselves. Just because someone is old doesn't mean they need the cushiest ride possible. Otherwise you might as put him in a motorized scooter.
flag zsandstrom
O+
Posted: Oct 10, 2017 at 15:23 Quote
Hiller28 wrote:
You know what's easiest on the body? Sitting on the couch.
Old people benefit from pushing themselves. Just because someone is old doesn't mean they need the cushiest ride possible. Otherwise you might as put him in a motorized scooter.

Yeah I think Pivot makes a really nice motorized scooter.
flag dkidd
O+
Posted: Oct 10, 2017 at 15:40 Quote
Beecee336 wrote:
Looking for some suggestions for my father in law who wants to go riding with me. He just turned 60 and he is very active. I ride a transition covert. We will mostly ride mild trails and mild climbs. Trestle a couple times a year. Any suggestions are appreciated.

I assume you're not looking for specific bike brand suggestions, but rather suggestions for bike style or setup?

Think of your first few times mountain biking. Now think of all the tech that you enjoy today, and how it could have benefitted or hindered your first few rides.

Some things that'll go over really well:

Plus tires- they might make the ride a bit more boring, but they're great for upping the confidence.

Wide bars- stability is key

Good brakes. 203 rotors front and rear, and brakes set up with lots of modulation (Like the SRAM Guide or Level). It's easier to go faster if you're confident that you can stop.

A dropper post is going to be pretty important. Your first instinct is going to be to set the seat up low for the guy to lower his center of gravity. A low seat is really hard on the knees though, and at 60 he's probably pretty concerned with knee pain. A long travel dropper will allow him to have a good pedalling position (30 degrees of bend at the knee) and still descend comfortably.

Riser bars. He's not going to be blasting up technical climbs on his first few rides, so you don't need to worry about his front wheel losing traction. Take the pressure of his lower back, core, and neck, and let him sit more upright.

Invest in a saddle that isn't a hatchet.

1X drivetrain. Oh lawdy, get him a good SIMPLE drivetrain. He probably doesn't need a crazy low range like you'd get with an Eagle cassette and a 30T ring (as he'll lose balance going that slow anyway), but only having one shifter to worry about is a huge benefit.

Short travel and slack. An enduro rig is going to feel inefficient even under a new rider, but the angles are very forgiving. Find something with a slack head tube angle and a low bottom bracket, probably in the 130-150mm range. There are lots of options, and it won't feel like he's riding a marshmallow.

Things you probably don't need to worry about:

Efficient tire pressure. Low and slow is the way to go if he's just getting into the sport. Tubeless, and 20psi will take the edge off the bumps and give him cornering confidence. Maybe take 10% out of the suspension as well, and crank on some extra rebound damping front and rear.

Overall weight. Did you care about weight the first time you rode a mountain bike? Probably not. Unless you put him on a 50 pound tank, neither of you should stress about a few extra pounds.


Hope that helps!
flag Beecee336
Posted: Oct 10, 2017 at 18:04 Quote
DKIDD thank you, that is exactly what I was looking for. I want him to "want" to go riding like i do and still feel the same way after were done riding and not be beat to hell.
flag dkidd
O+
Posted: Oct 10, 2017 at 18:56 Quote
Beecee336 wrote:
DKIDD thank you, that is exactly what I was looking for. I want him to "want" to go riding like i do and still feel the same way after were done riding and not be beat to hell.
No worries man. If you're not totally sure he's gonna want to commit, you could find a spot that rents high end MTB's and set it up like that for him. Might be even better to try him out on an e-bike, if you don't think he'd take that the wrong way. (A Levo would be set up pretty perfectly).
flag DonLopez
Posted: Oct 11, 2017 at 10:51 Quote
I am 53 and have two Rocky Mountain's. My 1999 Element was good when I was in my 40s, but if I ride it hard on the trails now my lower back and wrist get sore. I upgraded to a 2014 Altitude 770, and with 160/150 travel, it smoothly rolls over the bumps. So I second the motion of getting him a good full suspension bike with more travel than you think he needs.

As for 1X, maybe you can get a better deal on 2X10. I like my 1X on the Altitude with XTR clutch derailleur on the trails, never dropped the chain and no slap. But, my 3X9 on the Element has more range and is fast on the road with the 44t chainring. I ended up switching the 32t to 36t on my Altitude, but I live near sea level with small hills. If he is going to ride at altitude and mountains, consider 2X10.

I considered fattie tires, but am very happy with the 27.5X2.4 on the Altitude. They ride much better than the 26X2.1 on the Element, so maybe 2.5-3.0 may be a good choice for him....Don
flag Derickh
Posted: Oct 12, 2017 at 17:58 Quote
Beecee336 wrote:
Looking for some suggestions for my father in law who wants to go riding with me. He just turned 60 and he is very active. I ride a transition covert. We will mostly ride mild trails and mild climbs. Trestle a couple times a year. Any suggestions are appreciated.

I'm 60:

I like having a dropper seat post.
Nice bike shorts are a must.
I like having elbow pads and knee pads.
Full suspension is nice.

I'm still riding my old 2003 Trek Fuel 90. The only upgrade I've added is a RockShocks Reverb dropper seat post.
I need a new bike.
flag half-man-half-scab
O+
Posted: Oct 13, 2017 at 21:50 Quote
kona hei hei or trek fuel ex
flag singltrk
Posted: Oct 14, 2017 at 9:44 Quote
I bought a Giant Trance 1.5 LTD for my 64th birthday. Nice specs and specifically wanted 2 by. I ride the North Shore and am loving the bike. The only change I made was to take off the Nobby Nics and put on Maxxis DHF and DHR2 tires.
flag wallydog
Posted: Oct 19, 2017 at 11:34 Quote
65 here. Get him all of what dkidd suggested. A 27.5 plus bike in a short travel full suspension will blow his mind. Salsa Pony Rustler comes to mind. At his age a full carbon frame with Eagle 1 x 50 for plenty of low gears. He deserves it. If you want to really blow his mind get a light set of carbon wheels and he will pass you on the ups. Just do it.
  • Previous Page

 


Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv65 0.012726
Mobile Version of Website