Cycling after 50
Don’t let your knees stop you.
There’s a line in Baz Luhrman’s song ‘Sunscreen’ that goes “Look after your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone” and it’s knees and hips that older riders complain about most when we discuss eBikes that might suit them.
Knees
You can talk to a younger person about knee pain until the cows come home and they just won’t understand the problem. Pain behind the kneecap, pain from tendonitis, arthritis… the list goes on and this inconvenient truth has stopped far too many people from riding a bike - until now.
Today’s eBikes allow mature riders to sit on a comfy seat, in an upright position and to spin up hills letting the motor take most of the effort out of the experience. If you haven’t tried it, you can’t imagine just how much easier an eBike makes hills.
If you want to put some effort into your cycling, turn down the assistance level and press on; the gift that keeps giving is the relief you can enjoy on the hills. Let’s not forget that the combination of your knee pain and your bogey hill is what stopped you from going for a ride last time.
So, if you want to ride a bike this spring and summer but were put off last year when it seemed like too much hard work, get in touch and test ride an eBike at Fully Charged Silverstone. You’ll surprise yourself.
Hips
It’s not comfortable to admit it but sadly there comes a time when getting your leg over is just a memory.
Swinging a leg over a bike saddle was what everyone did when we started riding bikes but that was then.
When balance isn’t quite so reliable and it may have been a while since you last rode a bike, the uncertainty that creeps in when thinking about getting on and off one is unfortunate but not uncommon.
Happily, in recent years the UK has begun to see the sense in open frames (called ladies bikes once upon a time) or step-throughs.
Pragmatically, stepping through a bike is so much easier to do once hip flexors start to tighten up. You can do as much yoga as you like but, it’s these muscle connectors that suffer from a lifetime of sitting and driving.
Stepping through a low-step frame makes the whole prospect of riding a bike so much easier and we often see an ‘eye-sparkle’ moment when mature riders realise this for themselves.
What this all boils down to is that eBikes are made to extend cycling careers and help to introduce non-riding partners of cyclists to the activity.
Non-weight-bearing, aerobic exercise is so important for health reasons and eBikes are an answer we’d recommend you consider.
To repeat myself, if you want to see if riding a bike this spring and summer might be something you can do, when it might have seemed like too much hard work last year, get in touch and test ride an eBike at Fully Charged Silverstone. You’ll surprise yourself.
