![]() ![]() Islabikes fits short-reach brake levers and uses hydraulic disc brakes, which require less hand strength to operate than rim brakes or mechanical disc brakes. It also helps ensure ground clearance in a bike designed for a low ride position. ![]() This means the rider has to move their hips through less of an angle, if mobility is an issue. Its bikes come with shorter cranks, which also place the pedals closer to each other. Islabikes has thought through many of these. There are plenty of other features that can make a bike easier to ride for seniors. Islabikes uses shorter cranks to minimise the angle riders have to move their hips when pedalling. Recumbent bikes take this a step further and have a leant-back ride position with a seat and back support. This should be more comfortable than a leant-forward ride position. It’s also likely to position the handlebars closer to the saddle. The saddle can be raised again quickly once riding.Ī bike for seniors is likely to have a more upright riding position than one designed for more agile riders. Islabikes goes further with its Icons bikes, with the option to fit a dropper seatpost, which lowers the saddle to make getting on and off even easier. Many brands now offer low step-through frames, which means the rider doesn’t have to lift their leg so far to get astride the bike. Conventional bikes often have high top tubes that are difficult to lift a leg over, and this can even be the case on classic women’s bikes, where it is lowered. Getting on and off the bike could be a problem for some older people. The Islabikes Jimi has a low, step-through design to help with mounting and dismounting. You’ll find similar features on other brands’ bikes for seniors too. These include lightness, comfort and easy bike gears. When Islabikes designed its Icons range, aimed at riders over 65, it took a lot of the design features that make its children’s bikes easier to ride and transferred them to its seniors’ bikes. There are a few features that make a bike better suited for older cyclists. Ride in a group and you can have a chat as you go, while a cafe stop with a large slice of cake is essential on the best rides. It’s a form of exercise you can keep up even if injured or suffering chronic pain.īeing active, getting out in the fresh air and having new experiences are all vital to keeping healthy into your senior years.Ĭycling is a very social activity, too. The low-impact nature of cycling means it’s less hard on muscles and joints than many forms of exercise, but will still strengthen muscles not just in the legs but in the upper body and arms from balancing and steering. When cycling, you can exercise as hard or as gently as you choose and it’s easy to hook up a heart rate monitor and a bike computer to keep tabs on how hard you’re working.Įlectric bikes are really popular and some electric bike motors will modulate their power output to ensure your heart rate stays within a pre-defined range. In general, moderate-intensity exercise is considered to yield more benefits than lower intensities. The balance aspect of cycling is also important for motor coordination. Maintaining cardiovascular fitness is increasingly important as we age, but there are other benefits of exercise beyond that, from a lower risk of cancer and strokes right through to better bowel movements. We’ve outlined 27 benefits of cycling, many of which apply just as much to older riders as to younger ones. It goes without saying that any exercise is better than no exercise, but there are a number of reasons why cycling is a particularly good form of exercise for seniors. Cycling is easy on the joints and a great way to maintain cardiovascular fitness. ![]()
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