Seniors OVER 60 Riding Bikes For the FIRST TIME in Years

Hey guys, Dustin here, CEO of Sixthreezero. And today, I have our group of men and women over the age of 60. And today, we are going to show you seniors riding bikes for the first time in years over 60. Stick around. Okay, so before we get riding and you see everyone take their first ride in years, we're going to meet our riders. So starting over here, what's your name? You can hold this too, and talk into it.

Mike.

Mike. Mike, where are you from?

Los Angeles.

Okay, cool. And how old are you?

61.

61. And how tall?

6 foot 1.

6 foot 1. Very serious.

61, 6 foot 1, yeah. I planned it.

And do you mind telling everyone how much you weigh?

About 195.

Okay, cool.

Give or take on any given day.

Yeah, no, that'd be awesome.

Depending on how many donuts I ate that day.

Same as me, yeah. That'd be great, actually, because you're on the taller side, which is good.

Yeah.

So a lot of people over six feet, men and women, sometimes have challenges finding the right bike. So that'll be great. We'll be able to dial it into you. Now, we spoke off-camera. You said you rode a bike last week. So are you an avid cyclist or you just ride periodically?

I'm periodic. Sometimes, I'll just want to, just for a little exercise, cardio.

Okay, cool. So not just for fun?

If it's nice weather, maybe I'll ride my bike to the gym and for a workout and back home.

Yeah. Cool. What kind of bike do you ride at home? Just curious.

I have a Schwinn.

Cruiser, hybrid?

It's a hybrid.

Hybrid, okay. Cool. And I'm just curious when you do get on the bike then, how far are you riding? 1 mile, 2 miles, 4 miles? Ballpark. Ballpark.

Probably anywhere from 3 to 10 miles.

Okay, cool. Cool. Sounds good. All right. Mike, right?

Okay, cool. Let's meet our next rider. You can pass along the microphone and tell everyone your name.

Hello, my name's Eddie. I'm from Ventura, California. I'm 62.

62.

I weigh 240 pounds and I rode a bike yesterday.

Okay.

Yeah.

How tall are you?

I'm 5'10".

5'10"?

Yes.

So that's great actually. I'm 220 pounds. We have a lot of riders in the 210 to 250 and actually, a lot of questions about that body type. So that's another great, we'll show you today how we'll size Eddie up and get him fitted. I'm confident you'll be comfortable. So you rode a bike yesterday. Before that, when was the last time? The day before that?

Probably about a week before that.

Okay. So you're on and off your bike here and there?

Yeah. I live in Ventura, California, so we're close to the beach so we ride a lot, even if it's just to the close by park or something, or to downtown.

Okay. And what kind of bike are you riding?

Well, we have a couple. We have a couple of beach cruisers that are actua

Okay.

Almost literally from the garbage, because we recycled it and tuned it up and it's beautiful. And then we have a couple of E-bikes that we use.

Cool.

So we're getting ready for retirement age, so we got to try it all out.

Yeah. Yeah.

See what fits.

Eddie just mentioned to me off-camera that he is getting into the RVing world and he was saying these bikes would be great for that and I couldn't agree more. So that'll be a lot of fun when you guys start doing that more frequently.

Yeah. We're still looking, trying to-

Find the right one.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Might be good to wait another year as prices come down.

Yeah. Exactly.

Cool. All right. We can pass on the microphone. Tell everyone your name.

Hi, I'm Marilyn.

Marilyn. And how old are you Marilyn?

I'm 70.

70, okay. Just this year?

Oh yes.

You just turned 70?

Kind of.

Kind of, okay. Well, I was going to say, it's a big birthday then for you.

Yeah, exactly.

And then do you mind telling your height and weight to everyone?

Sure. I'm 5 foot 8 and I'm 140 pounds.

Okay. And last time you rode a bike?

I was thinking it was about 10 years ago, but the more I think about it, I think it was 20 years ago.

20 years ago.

Yeah.

So never sat on a bike? Never done anything with a bike in 20 years?

No reason to, and when I did ride it back in the day, we had foot brakes so I'm a little bit apprehensive about the hand brakes.

Yeah, yeah. So that'll be your first time using a bike with hand brakes?

Absolutely.

That's amazing. Well, we're going to show everyone at home how we can teach someone to use hand brakes and then also witness Marilyn's first time back on a bike in 20 years. So before that, you probably rode, I'm guessing a beach cruiser type, like a Schwinn?

I had a Schwinn. It had one of these saddle seat-type things, but I don't know if it was a beach cruiser.

Okay.

I don't know what that is exactly.

Well, like a low swooping frame that were popular in the sixties and seventies. I mean, if it was a foot brake, I'm just guessing it was a cruiser.

Okay. I'll take your word for it.

Well, yeah. Yeah. Because hand brakes, I think hand brakes came into the sixties and seventies. But anyways, so that'll be a fun experience.

It will.

I can't wait to teach you, yeah.

Thank you.

Thanks for being here. Pass the microphone on. And so tell everyone your name.

I'm Catherine.

Catherine. And how tall or how old are you?

I'm 66.

66, okay. And do you mind sharing your height and weight with everyone?

I'm 5'8", 120.

Okay. Wow. So coincidentally, you guys are the same height, which is-

Yeah, I've got 20 pounds on her.

Which is probably in the... I mean, I can't imagine women over 5,8, and above is probably 10 percentile, I would think, 15. So it's crazy that we have two taller women here. Well, that's actually really great because EVRYjourney, the bike we're going to show them riding on in this video is actually great for short and tall. So you guys are taller, which is perfect. And when's the last time you rode a bike?

It's about a year ago.

Okay. And before that? Years before that too?

No, no, no. Every summer we would go to this place called Okracoke and there's a lot of biking there.

Okay. Is that a park or something?

It's an island off Cape Hatteras in North Carolina.

Oh, okay. Okay, cool.

So every summer, we would get the beach bikes there and stay there for about a week. And I realized that I was only riding a bike on vacation.

Okay.

I thought I rode it a lot more, but I didn't.

No, that's fair.

I used to ride back and forth to work, but this was decades ago.

Okay.

Yeah.

And so when you did ride the bikes on that island, those were cruisers?

Yeah.

Or, were those coaster brakes too, where you pedal backward?

Yep. Yep. But I know how to use the hand brakes and everything.

Okay. Cool. All right. Well awesome. Those are our riders over 60 today. We're going to get them on a bike. You're actually going to witness varying degrees of experience from haven't ridden in 10 years haven't ridden in a year, to riding it last week, to riding yesterday. So let's start with our first rider and take you on the journey.

Okay. Now, we are here with Marilyn. So Marilyn has not been on a bicycle in 20 years.

20.

And never ridden with hand brakes. So you guys are going to witness on camera and she's 5 foot 8 and 70. So you're going to witness on camera, her getting back on the bike for the first time. I have tools here. Now the benefit of the Sixthreezero EVRYjourney step-through and a regular bike that we're using today, is they have four custom adjustment points to dial in the bikes to your body, so we're going to do that for you Marilyn, to make sure you're comfortable and safe.

Okay.

And you've got the cream helmet on. Do you want to pick the matching bike or do you prefer a different color?

I like the green.

Mint green it is. No problem. Okay. So go ahead and now the benefit also is the step-through frame. So you can just step right over that bar. There you go.

Yeah.

And how does that feel? Too low? It looks-

No, it seems to feel okay.

Okay. What about the handlebar? Do you want any adjustment done on that end?

No, I don't think so.

Okay. Okay. So you're witnessing right here, right now, the first time she sat on a bike seat in 20 years.

Oh my God. So who puts the kickstand up? Me. There we go.

Okay. Okay. So let me just give you... Now if you want, for the hand brakes, if you want to just get comfortable, you could try rolling a little bit before-

Rolling?

Yeah, just roll and then-

Without pedaling?

Yeah. And then pull the brake.

Oh.

Yeah.

Yeah. Wow.

So actually, when you pedal backward on this, it's you're nothing, you're just going to keep pedaling.

When I pedal backward?

I'm just saying if you get the instinct to pedal backward, it's just going to go backward. It's not going to do anything.

The bike's not going to go backward?

No, no, no. Just the pedals will keep moving in reverse, called a freewheel.

Yeah. And what will the bike do?

It'll just keep rolling.

It won't go backward?

No, the bike won't go backward.

Okay.

But I just wanted to make sure if your instinct was to pedal backward and the pedals keep moving, just so you know, pull the hand brake basically.

Right.

Let me check what gear you're in here. Okay, you're in third.

Is that good?

Yeah. I mean, it's about midway. This is a seven-speed, so first is the easiest to pedal, seventh is the hardest.

Okay.

You don't have to worry about shifting gears. Maybe we can get you up to that on the next pass. So if you want to just go for it and start peddling, feel free.

Oh gosh. Okay. This is weird. Okay, 20 years. Oh my God. Wait a sec.

No problem. Let's stay away from this downslope too.

Oh, okay.

I'll steer you this way.

It's a big bike. The wheels are fat. The bike is fat. You know what I mean?

Yeah.

Okay. Oh, it's weird. I mean 20 years. This is crazy. Oh, here we go. Uh oh, where am I?

And she's off.

Okay. Okay. I got to make a turn. Let me figure this out. I got to turn around. Hold on.

You can stop and-

Oh, God.

Can you stay with us, Nate? There you go. Good job.

Geez. Somehow, I thought this would be really easy to remember how to ride a bike, but it's taking a little doing. Now, this hand brake is a whole other ball game, because I was used to foot brakes back in the day.

So, just stop pedaling.

Stop pedaling.

And then just ease into the brake.

Oh yeah. Wow. Okay.

What do you think of the hand brake? It provides a lot of stopping power, huh?

Yeah. I mean, the foot brake doesn't... I mean, this really stops you. The hand brake really stops you.

Yeah, absolutely.

The foot brake, so-so.

Yeah. The other thing too is, that this is your front brake. So yeah, you're better using this break because that'll be the rear, just if you're going to use one break. Otherwise, you can try to ease in. So when you're using it, you don't have to clamp it all the way down. You want to, like a car brake, you want to give it a little bit and then it'll ease it versus coming to a-

So can I do both brakes a little bit?

Yes.

Okay.

That's the safest way, but you can also yeah, exactly, just a little bit ease on. The bike will come to a progressive stop and you can put your feet down.

Okay. Should I go again?

Yeah, we can try it again. Do you want to circle around that way?

Sure.

Okay.

Oh.

Okay. At 70 years old, hasn't ridden in 20 years she's on the EVRYjourney and she's doing it and she's even going one-handed and waving. You can ride straight ahead, Marilyn, if you want and make a-

Straight ahead?

Yeah. Make a U-turn up there.

Where, here?

No, no, you can keep going.

Oh, all the way.

She's even picking up enough speed that her jacket is blowing wind into it.

Here I come, ready or not.

Okay. Can you try to stop right here?

I can try.

Just try to ease into the brakes.

Okay. Here we go.

There you go.

It was great.

So what do you think about the riding position? How does it feel getting your feet down? Was that easy?

It feels great. I mean, it's a good height for me. The bike's a good height. I feel safe that my feet can touch the ground.

Yeah.

I like the fact that you told me I can just squeeze the hand brakes a little bit. I thought every time I did it, I had to go for the gusto. But yeah, that helps a little.

Yeah.

Yeah. No, I like it.

Cool. Well, are you wondering now why it took you 20 years to get back on a bike?

Absolutely. I mean, I thought it would feel like I had just ridden it yesterday. It didn't. I had to get used to it again, but after five minutes, I'm good to go.

Well, in all fairness, it was only five minutes. So if you're talking about 20 years in the time... Your time needed, didn't go up that much, so you did good.

Thank you.

Yeah. Cool. Well, there's Marilyn. First time back on a bike with the EVRYjourney. She's 70 years old. It's been 20 years and she just picked it up in five minutes. Great job Marilyn. And let's move on to our next rider.

Okay, now we're here with Catherine. Catherine hasn't been on a bike in a year, but she's experienced in riding a bike and tells everyone again how tall you are and how old you are.

Right. I'm 5'8" and I'm 66 years old.

66. Okay. And which color would you like to try to test ride today?

This blue one.

The Navy blue. So she's going to color coordinate with her helmet and I want to make sure we adjust it. So the beauty of this bike, again, is the ability to really adjust it.

Okay.

Go ahead and try it, the seat, and let me know what you think.

It feels pretty good.

Yeah? Okay. Nothing on the handlebars?

No.

No. Okay, cool. And how did you get on the bike? I didn't notice.

I just stepped over like that.

Okay, cool. Perfect. So you can see with the step-through frame, makes it easy to get on and off. And if you want to shift the gears, you're starting out in first gear. You actually just twist that. I don't know if you've used a twist shifter, but you have to do it while you're riding through.

I see. I see. I see.

Okay. And then yeah, you can get going.

All right.

So go ahead and give it a shot. So Catherine's off and running and you can see her back perfectly upright and her arms relaxed, which is ideal. And try shifting gears. And if you could just stop right here, we'll get your thoughts. Okay, so a year away has zero effect on your ability to ride, obviously.

This is a great bike.

Yeah, you liked it? First time.

Wow.

First time Catherine's ever been on the bike, just so you know. Never met her before. I did not allow anyone to test ride or try the bike. So give us your initial thought. You can put the kickstand down too if you want.

This bike, I really want it.

What did you like so much about it?

It's just so light and so smooth. And so just, it almost feels like you're flying in it.

Hmm. Do you feel comfortable too?

Yeah, I'm really surprised.

What surprised you? You mean just the feel?

Well, I guess I'm just used to older, clunkier bikes.

Okay.

But, it's just so smooth and it looks so great and it's very lightweight and this is so easy and elegant.

Did you shift gears at all?

Yeah, I did.

You did?

Yeah. Easy.

Yeah. Cool. So you ended up, you went up one gear. Cool.

Yeah. And then I went back.

Oh, you went back and forth. And that was easy and smooth?

Yeah, very easy.

Cool. Well, that's great. Yeah.

I like the way the handlebars are too, and the grips.

Yeah. Well, that's amazing. And Catherine's 5'8", so that's great also because she's on the taller side of women and we were able to adjust it perfectly. Well, we didn't do any adjusting, but it was set perfectly for her. And if you notice while she was riding, you can watch the footage back, her back was really upright, which is great. So you're not leaning forward, which adds to, I think, the comfort and the experience. And then if you also see, she stepped through on her own and stepped through to get off, which again, makes it super easy to mount and dismount the bike.

And the other thing I would say is, this is an aluminum frame, so it's going to feel very light, which also makes it feel very efficient and smooth and easy to pedal, which is also a huge benefit for riders over 60. Because now, you don't have to deal with heavier steel bikes where there's a lot of weight shifting to either side. The aluminum frame, it's just so easy to control. You don't have to be a muscle man to deal with it. Also, if you can feel it, just grab it by the handlebar and grab it by the seat and try to lift it. You can feel it's not super heavy.

No, but it's easy.

Yeah.

Yeah. Fantastic.

Cool. Well, that's Catherine's experience. Let's move on to our male riders. All right. Now I'm here with Mike. And Mike just rode a bike last week and is avidly riding a bike weekly here and there. And he said he does about 3 to 10 miles a trip. And remind us again, of your age, height, and weight.

61, 6'1", easy 61 and 6'1" and I weigh about 195. Whoa, that's tight.

You can loosen it right here.

Ah, there we go.

So, we're going to get him suited up with the helmet.

Right. Got you. Oh, and then you lock-in. Very good. Very good.

Yep. So you want to go with the matte black, right? Matte black bike?

Yes, the matte black.

Cool. Okay, so if you want to hop on and you said it felt pretty good off-camera, but-

Yeah.

... I can raise the seat. I'm thinking you may want the seat a little higher.

Just a little bit maybe.

And the beauty of the four custom adjustment points, the quick release is super easy. Just pull that up.

Nice.

So you can try that, see what you think.

Yeah.

We can go higher if you want.

No, that's just right, actually.

And how do the handlebars feel? We can position those differently, lower.

Up.

You want them tilted up?

Yeah.

Okay. So this is the tilt adjustment on the handlebar, so you can pull it to wherever you like it.

Right here.

Okay.

Oh no. You know what?

Down a little?

Sorry about that. Down just a tad. There we go right there.

Okay. There you go. How's that feel? Good?

Good, yeah.

Okay. So Mike's starting out in fourth gear. So again, it's a twist shifter, if you want-

Oh, got you. Right here.

Yeah. So go ahead and give it a rip.

Let's see. Whoa. Wow, this thing rips.

You like it? You can go ahead and take a lap down there too.

I love it. It's so light too.

You can see his back perfectly upright, arms are nice and relaxed. And again, Mike's got riding experience, but you can still see how the posture really, really affects people. They're surprised by it. You can go ahead and stop right here. What'd you think?

I love it.

Now you have a bike at home, right? Does it have you in this kind of riding position?

No.

No.

And I have a decent bike. It's a Schwinn.

Yeah. What did you like about this while you were riding it?

I like the height for me because I'm tall. My bike's not like that. I have to lean over into mine and I can't really adjust it. It's very light and I like to surf, so you got the thing back here and I could attach a surfboard rack on the back of this thing and probably barely feel a thing.

Absolutely, yeah.

I could rip down to the beach really quick.

Totally. Yep. That's very common. Yeah.

Instead of trying to find parking and paying for parking.

That's right. Yeah. No, that's become hugely popular, is guys riding their bikes down to the beach, yeah.

And I do. I have one of those, but I can't do it on my bike. I have a rack that I got, but this is much more sturdy.

Cool. I like to hear that. And so we got Mike obviously on our non-step-through frame, or this is the men's one on our website. Any rider can ride any frame, but this one's set up for a taller rider, so we could adjust to his body a little better, and Mike's pretty athletic so he can easily get his leg up and over the back. So this one was the right choice for him. So, cool. Well thanks, Mike. And let's move on to our final rider.

Okay, now we're here with Eddie, our final rider. And Eddie just rode a bike yesterday, so he's a very avid experienced rider. We're going to see how he reacts to the EVRYjourney. Because now, there's not only a reaction to getting on the bike after a while but also riding and feeling the EVRYjourney, Sixthreezero EVRYjourney for the first time. So remind everyone of, age height, and weight.

Yes. I'm 62. I'm 240 pounds. I'm 5'10".

Cool. So which bike do you want to give a test run?

Well, I got to go with the blue.

Okay, cool.

Blue.

So Eddie's going to opt for the blue and the step-through frame. Excellent choice. And go ahead and hop on there.

Okay.

And I'll see if we need to make any adjustments.

Yeah. Well, because I had a knee operation, I like my seat higher.

Okay.

Almost on my tippy toes.

Okay.

And I like the handlebars higher too.

Let's bring it up.

Because of-

What did you have done to your knee?

Oh, I had a full knee replacement.

Okay. And how long ago was that?

That was a year and a half ago.

Wow. Great. How's it feel since?

It's still working it out.

Yeah.

But the higher seat helps it.

Because you don't want it to be real cramped.

Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

Okay, great. So bring the handlebars up?

Bring the handlebars up, yeah.

Okay. Let's go right about it, there is the highest. And we can give you some tilt action.

And then some tilt, yeah. Great.

There we go. Oops.

Right there.

Okay. So go ahead.

Just like that, yeah. Not too crazy.

Perfect. Okay. How's that feel?

Feels great.

Okay.

So far.

Give it a run.

All right.

Again, you can look at Eddie's perfect upright back. He's got the hang of it. No problem. You can take a ride down to the end too.

All right.

How's it feel?

It feels great. Nice and light. Doesn't feel too heavy. Feels good.

Another thing to mention too is with the knee replacement, we get that a lot with our bikes, with the easy step-through and the lightness and the custom adjusting. It's great if you're just coming back from an injury or surgery.

Like it. Low gear and for me-

All right, come on. Come to a stop. So you've ridden some cruisers, so what did you think overall?

Yes. Well, you can tell it feels light, which is great. Doesn't feel cumbersome. Doesn't feel like it's working against you. I know that sounds weird when you're talking about a bike, but it feels really smooth. And for me, adjusting the height a little higher for my knee really helps a lot.

When you got on the bike, I didn't notice, did you step through or did you swing your legs?

Oh, I swung around.

You swung around.

Yeah, I swung around. Yeah.

So you do a little lean and get on and off.

Yeah. I swung around.

Now, do you experience any pain when you ride your bikes normally with your knee?

Yes. Sometimes if they're too if the wheelbase is too too narrow, I have to put my heel on the bottom of the pedal and that hurts it.

Oh, okay.

The fact that this is a nice, well-designed longer bike, it helps me put my foot where I'm supposed to. It doesn't hurt as bad.

Yeah. What's interesting is, I wanted to say as well, so this has a special forward pedaling design. So the pedals are actually moved forward six inches on the EVRYjourney frame. So if you look, normally the pedals are right below the seat. They're moved forward, so that's giving you that extra forward, like the leg extension.

Yeah.

So that allows Eddie or other riders, basically, you get leg extension by raising the seat and also because the pedals are moved forward. So it's really a double win.

Yeah, that makes sense, because your seat, yeah this pedal's usually below the seat, so you're pushing down. Where here, you're almost leaning back a little bit and you're able to push better.

Yeah.

Well, that's why it feels so good.

Yeah. And if you look down, I mean you see the pedals. Normally, they'd be back of your knee.

They're right below. Yeah, right below you. That's why my knee would hurt-

Yeah. Well, there you go.

... On the other bikes.

So another reason the EVRYjourney's really great for the rehab, post-surgery stuff, and also riders, just getting back into it. All right, so all of our seniors over 60 have now gotten back on a bike, however long they've been off, from 20 years to yesterday, and they've all experienced the EVRYjourney for the very first time. We had some great natural reactions. So before we go out, anyone have final questions or thoughts? Catherine, what'd you think? So you loved it, right?

I did. I can't tell a lie.

Well, that's good. Or it's good that you don't have to lie that you didn't like it for that matter.

No, I liked it. I liked how lightweight it was. It felt really easy to ride and just a real pleasure.

Cool. And Marilyn, so what do you think? You going to get on a bike again after that?

Yes. I think I have to go out and buy a bike now. I loved it. It was fun.

Cool. Eddie, you've already got a couple of bikes. Any thoughts? Questions?

Yeah, actually a lot of thoughts. The next phase we're getting into is the RV world and putting this bike on a rack, it's nice. It's light. It'll fit real good on the bike racks. And that says, if people get older, they're going to have trouble getting that heavy steel bike on a rack, so these bikes are great.

That's a very-

That's a good thing I'm thinking about.

Yeah. Yeah. That's a very valid point. And actually, we get that a lot, is the question on, can I get it on a rack? Or other people who maybe live in an apartment or want to keep their bike upstairs, so great point. Yeah.

Yeah.

Thank you. Mike, final thoughts, closing thoughts? You going to get a cruiser now?

I might have to switch out my Schwinn, man. Made in America?

Unfortunately, no. They're not made in America.

Just checking. But I really like it.

Designed in California though.

Okay. Hey, there you go.

Yeah. Cool. Well, thanks. There you have it. All of our seniors over 60 have gone for their first ride and the time that they were off. If you have any other questions or comments, please comment below or reach out to us by email at theteam@sixthreezero.com or call us at (310) 982-2877. And don't forget, if you're in the market for a bike, this was the EVRYjourney step through and non step through. You can find them on the men's and women's bike pages on our website. Also, if you want to find a bike that's perfect for your body and your life, take our proprietary body fit quiz on our website.

You'll answer a few questions about your body and your life and the algorithm will recommend the perfect bike for you. And we have a 365-day test ride your bike policy. If you don't love your bike within 365 days, send it back, no questions asked, no money out of your pocket. Lastly, be a part of our community, our Facebook Pedalers group, and also download our app. Before you purchase, you can talk to other riders, and see how other people are logging their rides, and how far they're riding. And after you have a bike, it's a ton of fun to be a part of it. Be a part of our giveaways, share photos, and make new friends. All right, so thank you for sticking around today, and don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.

DISCLAIMER: The 365-day return policy mentioned in the video above is no longer valid. Please refer to www.sixthreezero.com/pages/30-day-test-ride for the updated policy.