Am I getting too old?

[ToledoMike]

I started riding around 1994. My first bike was a hot pink GT Performer frame pieced together with assorted parts that my Father bought me at a garage sale. I had a group of about 4 real goods buddies that were always down to ride. We all lived in the same neighborhood. I would venture to say that we would hit the streets 4-5 days a week. We continued to ride like this up until around 2001ish when we started meeting girls and hitting the bars and all that stuff.

In 2003 I decided I wanted a bike again. I weighed my options and decided to to go the MTB route. I figured I would look like a clown riding around on a 20. I bought a Kona and met a few guys at some trails and rode it every so often. It gathered more dust than dirt. I sold it last summer for money to get a new TV.

Last week one of my old friends that I used to ride with called me and we met for a beer, it's the first time I had seen him in 2 years. He told me he was still hitting the streets at least once a week and I should pick up a 20 for old times sake and ride with him. He told me his little brother had a DK Dayton that he wanted to sell so he could get some cash for a Nintendo Wii. He told me it was like brand new.

I met him over at his parents house 2 days ago and checked out the bike. My eyes lit up. I handed his brother $100 cash and brought the bike home. Looking at it in my driveway made me feel like I was 14 years old again. The problem is, I am not. I am 27. :(



Across the street from my house is a Church with a few stair sets and a low ledge. I've often seen kids on skateboards riding over their so I figured I would wait until nightfall and give it a whirl. (So the neighbors couldn't see.)

I rode around for perhaps 20 minutes and was SPENT! When coming down my driveway and across the street, I attempted to bunnyhop the curb in the parking lot. I couldn't even clear the curb. Pulling back on the bars to attempt a manual felt like I was trying to pull a 747 jet! I managed to bunnyhop down a set of 5 stairs with no problem, except for the landing. It felt like someone whacked my wrists with a hammer!

Is there anyone on here that is as old/older than me still tearing it up? I realize there is gonna be a learning curve for me to get back into the swing of things, but I don't know if I wanna beat myself up in the process.

As I write this, my biceps and shoulders are on fire. My wrists feel numb and I am half winded. I find it weird that while being in all this pain, I can't wipe this dumb smile off my face. :twisted:

[Charles]

You're not too old, there are guys who BMX that are in their 40's. (*Cough* Trimix on here *Cough*)
You wouldn't believe how many people come on this forum asking if they are too old for BMX, you are not alone. :)
Work out to stay in shape, eat right, and BMX and have fun... And use some bengay. :)
Keep working at those hops, they will come again.

[myuu]

Ooooh yeaaaaah, Trimix has got you beat. Anyways age should never be a reason to not indulge yourself and the only reasons that could stop you from bmx are;

A) You have one leg.
B) Your dead.

Good luck and have fun!

[ToledoMike]

And use some bengay. :)

I took 3 Ibuprofen, a few cold beers and one extra long hot shower. I gonna hit the sack now and hopefully be able to get out of bed for work tomorrow.:dance:

Thanks for the kind words. I am actually kinda excited to get back on it! (Although it will have to wait until nightfall. I can't risk my neighbors seeing me practice bunnyhopping in the church parking lot!) :bmx_rules:

P.S. Can anyone give me a heads up on this bike? I did a little reading online but couldn't find many reviews. (The last bike I had was a S&M WarPig that I got in the late 90's!)

[dr satan]

i dno what year that is but the o7 model is a really good bike. i reckon $100 is an awsome deal.

[SHARDS]

Looks like a great bike to get you started (again) on,

"I find it weird that while being in all this pain, I can't wipe this dumb smile off my face." - I think there, you have answered your own doubts about if you're doing the right thing picking up a 20"er again ! Like you said there will seem like an awful lot to relearn but you'll find it'll come soon enough. As long as you're riding and enjoying yourself (dumb smiles all round) then you have nowt to worry about regards your "old" age !

P.S. I'm 32 with plans to carry on past 40 :bmx_rules:

[Matrix]

Looks like a great bike to get you started (again) on,



P.S. I'm 32 with plans to carry on past 40 :bmx_rules:

Same here, 32 in April, and won't stop till I have to.

[highflyerbmx]

Never to old to enjoy youself! i got my 60 year old neighbor on my bike(he is a mtb trail rider so he isnt an old wrinkley =p) and taught him how to bunnyhop. haha he still thinks mtb is better but thats what he grew up with =p

[Wildbill]

Yeah, im only 23, so alil younger in comparison to some of you. In afew years i'll be getting "old" too but i still plan on riding till im in my 40s hopefully. I myself stopped BMXing for almost a year, i just bought myself a new custom bike, i can't wait till it's finished. But i find that lack of excerise really hinders you. So i would reccomend to do alot of cardio, some weight lifting and lots of stretches before and after you ride so you can feel nimble. Hope that helps and goodluck.

P.S. there are some good posts on here to excersize and get yourself preped when riding, you should check them out in this section.

[gradytroop]

i no this guy at a local track whos 43 and still loves his racing...he had a crash and i thought that would be it for him but he still rides

[jawn]

I recently turned 26. I took up BMX again last April ish after a few years away from it. At first I was stiff & sore, but after a while my body seemed to get used to it.

[RiseAbove]

32 and just came back last week. Fiance and a 6 year old stepson; sales job that requires travel and a mortgage. Felt a little weird thinking I was too old for BMX but after my first 50-50 in over 10 years, I could give a sh** what anyone thought. Those who run their mouths...what do THEY do? Sit in front of the TV and watch "the game" every night? Yeah, that's cool....
As long as FBM keeps putting out stuff, you'll always have company! :wink:

[H4RDLander]

feel like I was 14 years old again.

i always wanted to be a kid... miss those days.. :roll:

its been 4 years now.... im 18.. :lol:

[RideBmx92]

Im 15 this year im ganna ride till i cant stop i loveeeeeeeeee itttttt FOR REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. I cant sleep with out thinking something about bmx

[kong]

31 i got a child and a teaching job. it's funny when i show up to class and have scabs on my face.

[JustinCarter]

The only reason your hurtin' is because you havnt road for so long. Im 15 and when i rode i was hurting. After about a week or so ( depends how muchyou ride) you will be fine :)

[NeinH20]

I'm green again, seeing as how I haven't touched a 20 since I sold my Mach 2 in 99. I'm 25 and just bought an 03 Speed Series Box on Ebay, it hasn't even arrived yet (3 more days!) and I'm already excited.

I also happen to be a medic in an Army light infantry unit, so physical wellness, and things like I'm sure I'll be feeling in a few days are sort of my specialty. So since I am going to suck at riding...again...maybe I can atleast contribute to helping you guys treat your aches and pains. Haha.

Heres my bike:



Rock out old guys!

[Wildbill]

Nice bike NeinH20. I recognize that brakelever, shimano right? I had the XT racing lever. 50 bucks, i thought it was the best lever ever lol. I had the matching brake set which was AWESOME. Stopped so well, how long have you been racing? I use to race alil NBL on Long Island myself.

[Minitrix]

Just keep riding and you'll get your body back into the required shape to ride the BMX.

And you probably landed that 5 stair on both your tires instead of your rear.
The worst thing you can do to your wrists is to land flat off drops.

[Justin]

I'm 31, and still BMXing. I had a short break from it last year, but other thatn that, been doing it since I was 14-15.
You will hurt less as you retune yourself to riding. The only difference between now and when you were a kid is that your recovery time is a little longer. In other words, you'll be sore longer than when you were "young". But you're just as capabale of BMXing and being good at it as you were back then.

[MrChikoStick]

Your only as old as you make urself to be.. You can ride until you cant pedal anymore.

[ninoiFX]

am 23 now, and been skateboarding for 6 years. but since i have watched a bmx video, i cant seem to put my intrest back to skating... so i i bought an eastern frame, and set up a bmx for me... but still i am having hard time to learn tricks although i am really enjoying riding my bike and learning at least a trick hyehe. am i too old to start riding bmx? thanks!

[Vector]

You are no where near "too old", I don't believe in being too old for anything! You just hafta eat right, stay in shape, and drink your 8 glasses of water a day and you'll never be too old!

[bmx045]

Well I'm 22, stopped riding for a few years mainly because of a bowt of depression and sorts....and working full time as an EMT in boston city. I'm in school again and find myself having more free time, so I ride when the weather's warm. It's tough getting your body to adjust to the small size of a 20" frame when your hunched over, your lower back feels it, your neck feels it, and your shoulders are in crazy spasm after a couple bunnyhops.

I've combat this fatigue by just riding more for the fact of exercise, and building up some cardiovascular health, get that heart rate up there, and just go back the next day and do the same. Eventually, after a couple weeks, bunnyhops and such will be much easier, due to the elastic stretch and compliance of your back muscles, shoulders, and neck....it's painful at first but, you need to get your body into the exercising mode in order to use it in these oblique ways (to lift the bike, jump, etc...)

[Scottehrm]

no your not to old.... i remember a thread made on here that was like how many riders on there are 40+.. there was almost like 10 of them.... no your not to old

[nydutchmaster22]

One of my few regrets in life is that I stopped riding. I stopped when I was around 18, same reasons. My wife got me a DK General Lee for my birthday. I just turned 27. I vow to never put my bike down until I am physically unable to, I dont care who thinks what. As far as your neighbors, dude who cares. Im 6'4 220 lbs. and I look like the jolly green giant on a 20" but I just dont give a shit. I occasionally bust my ass in front of the house doing barspins and trying to ride wheelies the length of my block.

[Philly]

i think that it dosnt really matter how old you are, iam 12 :]

ps:nice ps3 man!

[H4RDLander]

damn.. ill be 19 this year... im getting old.. xD

i want to go to neverland.. xD

[TheBOFH]

I stopped riding BMX when I was 18, I went away to college & discovered parties & girls & cars and riding around on a kids pushbike wasn't cool at the time.

At 34 I wanted to start riding again but BMX seemed a bit ridiculous at my age so I got one of these, (ignore the child trailer for the moment), and converted it to single speed for jumping & park use:

Then I got hooked on the downhill/freeriding aspect of mountain biking & got this:

Then, one day, I went into the bike shop with my hard earned cash to get a chainguide for my dually and ended up getting this instead, (I hardly ever lose my chain anyway :wink: ):


So at 35 I've ended up with a wife, 2 daughters, a mortgage and 3 bikes. I generally just use the hardtail for a bit of commuting and taking my girls for trips around the river of a Sunday morning. I try and get in a downhill ride and a skatepark ride once a week when time allows. I still feel a bit silly on the BMX but it's so much fun, even if I hurt for several days afterward ::oops:

[jeffgothro]

I started riding around 1994. My first bike was a hot pink GT Performer frame pieced together with assorted parts that my Father bought me at a garage sale. I had a group of about 4 real goods buddies that were always down to ride. We all lived in the same neighborhood. I would venture to say that we would hit the streets 4-5 days a week. We continued to ride like this up until around 2001ish when we started meeting girls and hitting the bars and all that stuff.

In 2003 I decided I wanted a bike again. I weighed my options and decided to to go the MTB route. I figured I would look like a clown riding around on a 20. I bought a Kona and met a few guys at some trails and rode it every so often. It gathered more dust than dirt. I sold it last summer for money to get a new TV.

Last week one of my old friends that I used to ride with called me and we met for a beer, it's the first time I had seen him in 2 years. He told me he was still hitting the streets at least once a week and I should pick up a 20 for old times sake and ride with him. He told me his little brother had a DK Dayton that he wanted to sell so he could get some cash for a Nintendo Wii. He told me it was like brand new.

I met him over at his parents house 2 days ago and checked out the bike. My eyes lit up. I handed his brother $100 cash and brought the bike home. Looking at it in my driveway made me feel like I was 14 years old again. The problem is, I am not. I am 27. :(



Across the street from my house is a Church with a few stair sets and a low ledge. I've often seen kids on skateboards riding over their so I figured I would wait until nightfall and give it a whirl. (So the neighbors couldn't see.)

I rode around for perhaps 20 minutes and was SPENT! When coming down my driveway and across the street, I attempted to bunnyhop the curb in the parking lot. I couldn't even clear the curb. Pulling back on the bars to attempt a manual felt like I was trying to pull a 747 jet! I managed to bunnyhop down a set of 5 stairs with no problem, except for the landing. It felt like someone whacked my wrists with a hammer!

Is there anyone on here that is as old/older than me still tearing it up? I realize there is gonna be a learning curve for me to get back into the swing of things, but I don't know if I wanna beat myself up in the process.

As I write this, my biceps and shoulders are on fire. My wrists feel numb and I am half winded. I find it weird that while being in all this pain, I can't wipe this dumb smile off my face. :twisted:

You aint old, I'm 37 and I still ride, bmx and mountain biking. I have a friend on myspace who is in his 50's and he still races bmx.

[Dirt Method]

Your nvr too old. My bike is the same DK Dayton, color and everything but its a 2004 i think, for $100, thats a gd score, cool, but im gonna sell mine too b/c i wanna build a custom bike. Dont feel bummed, its a fairly heavy bike. Mines 33.5lbs with no pegs

That bike runs:
Euro BB.
DK Chop stix Cranks, i think
Sun 4-play triple wall rims
tektro brake levers w/ tektro fx 30sf u brakes
and the rest are just stock dk parts

[Neonguy95]

Just wanted to say thanks for starting this thread. You got me to go out and spend money on a new bike. Nothing like being 27 and riding like a 15 year old. Except taking 3 days to recover instead of 3 hours.