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Other/Mixed BMX for old man

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
jayjo

jayjo

Level 6 Valued Member
Unfortunately I cannot swing kettlebells and clubs all day long. Also with some lingering back issues I can't completely max out or exhaust myself either.
So...I got a BMX bicycle. And because I am a full-sized man, not a slender teen, not even close, I had to get a tall seat post.
Reason for BMX is the single gear for simplicity and the smaller wheels for inefficiency. I want to put in more effort and go less distance.
I love it. I got some new tools and one day, maybe, I can do a bunny hop. Then grinding rails?
 
jayjo said:
Unfortunately I cannot swing kettlebells and clubs all day long. Also with some lingering back issues I can't completely max out or exhaust myself either.
So...I got a BMX bicycle. And because I am a full-sized man, not a slender teen, not even close, I had to get a tall seat post.
Reason for BMX is the single gear for simplicity and the smaller wheels for inefficiency. I want to put in more effort and go less distance.
I love it. I got some new tools and one day, maybe, I can do a bunny hop. Then grinding rails?
Click to expand...
Bonus is that it's low to the ground, for when you go over the bars. ;)
 
Enjoy your BMX!

I would say a fixed gear bike would provide more torture especially when pedaling up steep hills... and extra element of danger when going down because of the fixed gear, so the BMX may the more sensible choice.
 
When I was in the army I always felt sorry for the big guys. Doing a bayonet assault course at 72kg nearly killed me and some of them were 100kg plus. (Plus they always got given the heavy stuff to carry, like the machine gun.) I wonder if that’s what those skinny little teenagers on their BMX bikes think when they look at you - a mix of awe and pity
 
GovernorSilver said:
I would say a fixed gear bike would provide more torture especially when pedaling up steep hills... and extra element of danger when going down because of the fixed gear
Click to expand...

Oh, I wouldn’t go there. I am a long-time fixtie rider and it’s certainly not for everyone, and especially not for someone who’s not an experienced cyclist. Maybe it’s ok if you live where a “hill” is a highway overpass and it’s otherwise flat, but even then …

-S-
 
I grew up around the corner from a BMX track in the 80’s. I was King of the track and the surrounding bush tracks and jumps. Legit BMX bandit ( lol )

If I did that now I’d break my face 100%, but it’d be fun while it lasted.

Go for it!

Extra style points for Spokie Dokies and/or a playing card pegged to the spokes. Oh, and white or blue tires
 
Bike commuter here

Just because I had so many crashes as a kid, I played safe and use a hybrid and a mini velo for my short trips
 
Mark Limbaga said:
I ... use a hybrid
Click to expand...

A hybrid bicycle can be a wonderful. I still have my Trek 750 from the 1990's - it's had a straight bar, it's had drop bars with aero bars, it's had road, hybrid, and off-road tires on it, a rear rack and not, etc. And it's still going strong.

-S-
 
jayjo said:
Unfortunately I cannot swing kettlebells and clubs all day long. Also with some lingering back issues I can't completely max out or exhaust myself either.
So...I got a BMX bicycle. And because I am a full-sized man, not a slender teen, not even close, I had to get a tall seat post.
Reason for BMX is the single gear for simplicity and the smaller wheels for inefficiency. I want to put in more effort and go less distance.
I love it. I got some new tools and one day, maybe, I can do a bunny hop. Then grinding rails?
Click to expand...
That was my daily driver throughout highschool. I was 280lbs when I did a bunny hop vs olly competition, I made it to 35" . I think timing has the most to do with it and your own ability to jump off the ground. I also did gap jumps and drops up to 7'

I had a racing front sprocket and would sprint up hills with it, my mom clocked me at 27mph going up hill once, but maybe she was just inflating my ego.

Only down side was that since it was a 1/4" wheel axle the rear hubs would need to be replaced every year or sooner.
The 14mm axles now are much sturdier and the rear cassettes are much stronger, but I got that bike for $140 when I was 13.
 
Steve Freides said:
A hybrid bicycle can be a wonderful. I still have my Trek 750 from the 1990's - it's had a straight bar, it's had drop bars with aero bars, it's had road, hybrid, and off-road tires on it, a rear rack and not, etc. And it's still going strong.

-S-
Click to expand...
Yes and the model I use is foldable so perfect if it rains, I just go in the shade and haul a grab (the SE Asia equivalent to Uber)
 
inefficiency. I want to put in more effort and go less distance.
Click to expand...

I just thought of another idea for a fun, wheeled vehicle that makes you put in more effort for the same distance than a geared bicycle, that's even more challenging than a fixed-gear:

Unicycle!

I talked some cyclists at one of the meetups for the local bicycling association. They bought unicycles and started messing around with them. These guys were much better conditioned than me for cycling, having put in many more years in the saddle. They said their quads burned like never before from the unicycle riding.

Another option might be pedal-assist electric bike with the pedal assist turned off. Those tend to be quite a bit heavier than svelte road bikes that can be carried with your pinky. Couple of hill repeats on those bad boys - with power off!!! - should give you a workout.

I commuted by bicycle for several years myself, mostly on a Breezer Uptown 8. My colleagues who commuted on light, skinny road bikes teased me for choosing such a relatively heavy, ugly looking bike, but that sucker took quite a bit of punishment - lots of falls and scratches partly because I didn't learn how to ride a bike until I was well into adulthood - yet kept going. I later got a Jamis Renegade. The colleagues still considered too heavy lol since it's not a road racer bike like theirs, but closer to a cyclocross/gravel bike. But the Jamis is a cushier ride, and better suited for riding for a couple of hours on a gravel trail like the C&O Gap Trail.
 
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