Other leisure topics: Birds Cottage Dreamweaver Editing Gardens La Gorgona Swimming HOME

Bike update for the
over-sixties

The technology of this simplest of transportation devices has moved on

This piece is aimed at readers over sixty who haven't cycled for yonks and who are toying with the idea of buying a bicycle - either to get some exercise or to avoid the Belmont Road traffic jams. The benefits of bikes are obvious but here's one example. Before I got one I could never work up any enthusiasm for having my hair cut. Getting down to Prosser's in Church Street by car or by bus-pass absorbed too much of the day. With a bike it's fifteen minutes, door-to-door, and fifteen minutes back.

But I'm not here to preach the bike gospel. That's up to you. This article is a belated celebration of present-day bike technology.

Does that sound grandiose? Surely a bike's a bike. Two wheels, dodgy brakes, loads of effort when a dead flat street becomes the tinest bit uphill. That's what I thought but then, until 2007, I hadn't ridden one for thirty years. I'd noticed some present-day machines had a spring in the middle but I'd written that off as an unnecessary (and weighty) complication to a device where simplicity is the main attraction.

Price up but value good
The first thing I noticed was the price - £240. Mind you this covered a crash helmet (which I'm rather coy about wearing), the best cable lock on offer and tyres that are as puncture-proof as is presently possible. More about the tyres later. Since there are adult bikes on offer at less than £100 it seemed slightly pricey. But I reflected that thirty years ago I paid about £10,000 for a car and these days I pay about double that. So perhaps the bike is a bargain.

But let's examine in detail what I got. The last bike I rode had a three-speed hub gear. This one has a six-sprocket cluster and a triple chainwheel, making eighteen gears in all. I can't pretend I've used all eighteen but I know I am fully equipped mechanically for any hill; physiologically is another matter. In fact, more gears would be possible. Back in the dark ages I seem to remember being told that there was a limit to how many gears could be permutated with chainwheels, a limit defined by the chain angle between the two. Now the rear sprockets are made from thinner gauge steel, are therefore closer together and the angle is not so severe.

Twistgrips eaiser and quicker
Both chainwheel and gear-change are operated by twistgrips which are easier and quicker to use than the handlebar lever for my old Sturmey Archer. They're also much more convenient than the lever on the downbar which changed the three-speed derailleur on the first serious bike I owned back in my extreme youth.

Multi-chainwheels existed way back then. But to change them you needed to reach right down near the pedals. Tricky if you were going uphill. Being able to go through all eighteen combinations without taking your hands away from the bars is a big improvement. Also indicators tell you what you have selected.

Brakes - a huge step forward
More remarkable still are the brakes. In the old days brakes were secured by a single bolt through the top of the forks. Now each side pivots from its own mounting point welded to the fork side. As a result there is far less play in the caliper and, since the cable is attached in a way that appears to reduce friction losses, the brake is much more efficient. Almost too efficient sometimes. Take care in the wet.

In my youth the only bikers with quick-release hubs were racers. The rest of us had to use a spanner to take off a wheel. This is still the case with the rear wheel on the new bike but the front is quick-release. Talking of spanners, older bikes used to come with a multi-nut spanner which looked like a tiny dumbbell and was apparently made of pot-metal. It wore out quickly and was sometimes difficult to apply. Now most of the nuts that might need adjusting can be handled with a single Allen key.

On to tyres. Thirty years ago when I was living in the south-east I cycled the nine-miles-plus to work for almost a year. What discouraged me in the end was the number of punctures I experienced. I discussed this point with my Hereford bike source. Modern bike tyres cost about a tenner. Pay twice as much and you can get a tyre reinforced with Kevlar, the light, very strong synthetic fibre which is used in body armour to stop bullets. The Hereford bike shop threw in, for free, some goo which is squirted into the inner tube and which seals smallish perforations. So far these precautions have not been tested.

Foot pump better for 50 psi
Previously I can't remember taking tyre pressures very seriously. If I couldn't indent the inflated tyre with my thumb that was good enough. Given my investment in the Kevlar tyres I thought I'd pay more attention, especially since 50 psi is about the minimum pressure required. Since I didn't have fond memories of using the traditional hand pump I bought a foot pump with an integral gauge more typically used for car tyres. This has been a revelation. Once I'd changed the adapter for one suited to bike tyre valves, I can bring my tyres up to scratch with about four foot strokes.

I was well aware that toe clips, which keep the correct part of the foot (the ball) in contact with the pedal, are an essential element in ensuring energy isn't wasted. In my teens my toe-clips were held tight with straps but now in my seventies I am less confident about my ability to slacken such a strap in an emergency. No problem. My present clips are strapless, they keep my feet in position and I'm quickly out of them when I need to be. This is just as well since the present bike is far more "nervous" than the older ones. No chance of aping the sprint finishers in the Tour de France and crossing the line with arms outstretched. Unguided I suspect the forks would quickly jerk round on full lock to the detriment of my trouser knees.

Another bonus. Mudguards alway vibrate and tended to loosen the nuts securing the stays. Not now, though. The stays pass through rubber mountings which damp down any unwanted vibration.

This gives you some idea of how superior the detailing is on present-day bikes compared with those three or for decades ago. One thing hasn't changed, however. Uphill means upping the effort.