Best Road Bikes for Seniors: 7 Top Models + Expert Buying Guide

By jwilder

Our Top Recommendations

1

Endurance Bike

Bianchi Infinito CV

2

Reduce soreness

HeartsBio Carbon Frame Road Bike

3

High quality

Northwoods Dual Drive Tandem Bicycle

If you’ve been daydreaming about getting out more and are thinking about getting a bicycle, you’re not alone. Many seniors enjoy cycling because it’s healthy for your heart and protects the joints in your legs.

But which type of bike should you choose? Read on to learn more about road bikes and take a look at our picks for the best road bikes for seniors!

At a Glance: The Best Road Bikes for Seniors

Image	Name	Size	Wheel Size	Speed	Weight	Best For	Header
	Bianchi Infinito CV	53 cm	700 cm	–	9 kg	Long hours of riding
	HeartsBio Carbon Frame Road	44 cm	700 cm	18	18.7 lbs	Reduce soreness
	Northwoods Dual Drive Tandem Bike	65″L x 24.5″W x 40″H	26″	21	50 lbs	Durable & High-quality
	Performer JC-70	36-39.5″	20″ (front) / 26″ (rear)	27	40.1 lbs	Speed & Performance
	Bianchi Specialissima	55 cm	700 cm	12	–	Extremely light & nimble
	Trek Emonda SL 6	47 cm	700 cm	11	18.18 lbs	Senior with serious fitness goals
	Trek Domane AL 2	54.33″	28.74″	29.53″	23.68 lbs	Perfect for senior men & women

Buying Guide: Seniors and Road Bikes

What to Look for in a Road Bike for Seniors

• Number of Gears: The more gears included in the bicycle’s drivetrain, the more control you have over your speed and the amount of leg power required to pedal. If you want to be able to adjust for any riding scenario, look for a road bike that has 21 gears (or 21 speeds, an alternate term for the same part of the bike). This will help you maximize the output of each pedal, no matter where you’re riding.
• Frame Types: If you’re looking for a road bike with a low-entry or step-through frame, you’re going to come up short. Step-through frames are safer for seniors because they are easier to mount, but they’re also rather heavy and slow. If the step-through frame is important to you, we suggest that you opt for a hybrid or comfort bike instead!

How to Find the Best Price on a Road Bike for Seniors

• Frame Material: carbon frames dominate the road bike landscape today, but they’re very expensive. Finding a road bike with an aluminum frame will cost you a bit of speed but save you hundreds of dollars!
• Consider Your Purpose: If you’re looking for a road bike for exercise and leisure rather than competition, you can reasonably search for the cheapest bike. If, however, you want to win races, you should look for the best possible bike your money can buy.

The Best Road Bikes for Seniors in 2021

1. Best Road Bike for Seniors (Overall):Bianchi Infinito CV

The Infinito is a Bianchi, which means it’s top-of-the-line, but it’s got a more casual design that lends itself well to use by seniors. It’s an “endurance” road bike, which means it’s built for long hours of riding.

If you want to get a great workout on a road bike without becoming a world-class athlete, this is the best way to do it! It’s still very expensive, which means some seniors may need to look elsewhere. If you’ve got the budget, though, this road bike is sure to satisfy both serious and casual cyclists alike!

2. Best Recumbent Road Bike for Seniors:Performer JC-70

If you want the best of the best in your recumbent road bike, this is the way to go. It’s expensive, but that’s because it’s built for speed and performance. It has 27 different gears and uses carbon wheels to keep you moving quickly and efficiently.

Recumbent bicycles are excellent for people who have mild disabilities or back/hip problems that make riding a traditional bicycle painful. If you can’t use a traditional bike but still want to engage in high-speed, intense cycling, this is the bike for you!

3. Best Serious Road Bike for Seniors:Bianchi Specialissima

The best bike from the best road bike manufacturer, the Specialissima is built for competition. If you’re still in good shape and are dedicated to fitness, this is the bike for you. You’ll have to pay more than $8,500 for it, but it’s worth it for the right senior.

If you want to compete in road races in a senior’s division, or just have a taste for the finest things, this is the bike for you. It’s extremely light, nimble, and capable of tackling the most intense road cycling scenarios on the planet!

4. Best Road Bike for a Fit Senior Rider:Trek Emonda SL 6

This bike, while not intended for the same caliber of racing as the Bianchis we’ve looked at so far, is still race-ready in every way. If you’re in good shape and looking to take it up a notch or just maintain your current level of fitness, this (slightly more affordable) road bike is ideal for you.

The carbon frame combines elements of an aero frame with standard racing frames to make you lighter, quicker, and more efficient with every pedal. For a senior with serious fitness goals and a moderately-sized budget, the Emonda SL 6 is the ideal road bike to own!

5. Most Comfortable Road Bike for Senior:HeartsBio Carbon Frame Road Bike, 18 Speed

Weighing less than 19 pounds, this ultralight carbon road bike is more comfortable than it may seem at first. It’s still not as comfy as a cruiser or hybrid bike; that’s just the nature of road bikes. However, this bike has a seat that aims to reduce soreness and discomfort on long rides, something that anyone can appreciate.

If you’re a casual rider, this road bike gives you an unrivaled bang for the buck. All of the bikes we’ve looked at thus far cost at least $3,000; this bike can be yours for half that price. If you want to get into road biking but aren’t sure you want to spend several thousand dollars, this comfortable carbon bike is the way to go!

6. Best Road bike for an Elderly Woman:Trek Domane AL 2

With a slightly smaller frame ideal for most women, the Trek Domane is ready to be ridden- but you won’t have to pay through the nose to get it. This bike is also available in larger sizes and is intended to be unisex, which means that although it’s perfect for senior women, men can use it, too.

For less than $1,000, you get a true road bike that will perform just as well as models that cost 3-4 times as much! For a first road bike that fits senior women, the Domane AL 2 is nearly impossible to beat. You can ride it as casually or as seriously as you like- it’s ready to be there with you at every mile, no matter what the road looks like.

7. Best Tandem Road Bike for a Senior Couple: Northwoods Dual Drive Tandem Bicycle

Tandem bikes are a lot of fun, but they aren’t usually built for performance. The Dual Drive from Northwoods is a rare exception: a tandem bike that has a lighter frame and 21 speeds to choose from. While you won’t be winning any prize money from races with this bike, you’re sure to outpace any other couple on a tandem bike you happen to run across!

The bike weighs less than 70 pounds, making it a tandem bike that weighs the same as a single-person electric bike! It also comes at an incredible value- you can have the best-performing tandem bike on the market for less than $1,000!

What is a Road Bike?

source

Road bikes, in their purest form, are highly specialized machines designed to be used in serious road races. If you’ve ever caught the Tour de France on TV while flipping channels, you saw hundreds of road bikes.

Road bikes are built with very light materials, ultra-narrow tires, and handlebars that require you to lean forward to ride effectively. They’re built for speed and longevity, helping riders pedal for hours on end, for days at a time. These bikes usually require you to wear cycling shoes, specialized footwear that clips onto the pedals.

The term “road bike” can also refer to any bicycle that’s designed with a light frame and pavement-only tires. Non-racing road bikes are a bit less intense and are more comfortable to ride as well as being more affordable. Road bikes built for racing can cost thousands of dollars; casual road bikes can be found in the upper hundreds.

Pros and Cons of Road Bikes for Seniors

Pros

• Lightweight: Road bikes are built to be light and nimble; they use narrow aluminum or carbon fiber frames that make pedaling easier and more efficient. If you want a lightweight bicycle, road bikes are the way to go.
• Fast: If you’ve got the need for speed, you can satisfy it with a road bike. No other type of bike can be ridden as fast as a high-quality road bike!
• Great for Exercise: If you’re serious about exercise, road bikes are for you. The workout that comes with intense road biking is second to none; there’s a reason why professional cyclers are in such great shape!

Cons

• Uncomfortable: True road bikes have seats and handlebars that force the rider to lean forward in a more aerodynamic position. This is great for winning races but it can lead to a sore back. If you already have back problems, road bikes are not a great fit for you.
• Expensive: The best road bikes will set you back more than $8,000- more expensive than a used car! The high cost of entry for road bikes shouldn’t be ignored.

Best Brands of Road Bikes

Trek

For all the talk about “true” road bikes, not every senior is looking to win the Tour de France. Trek, one of the most popular cycling brands in the world, makes road bikes that are world-class, but they also make road bikes for the average person. If you’re interested in a road bike but want something more comfortable and casual, Trek is the way to go.

Bianchi

These bikes are made to be the best of the best. If you’re in good shape and you enjoy riding fast and far, get yourself a Bianchi. But, you should be cautious before buying- they’re among the world’s most expensive bikes. While you certainly get what you pay for (a world-class bike for a world-class price), not every senior needs a bicycle of this caliber.

FAQs: Road Bikes

How to Improve Balance on a Road Bike Seniors

Focus Your Eyes

By looking ahead, not down at the ground in front of you, you can better adjust to what is coming down the road. This means that, instead of adjusting your balance ad hoc (and risking a crash), you can smoothly adjust your balance as you ride.

Ride Slowly

As you can see in this video, you can build balance on your bike by forcing yourself to. Ride very slowly and you won’t have as much forward momentum to keep you upright. This forces you to work at balancing much harder, which makes balancing as you ride normal speeds much easier.

Road Bike Training for Elderly Beginners

If you haven’t ridden a bike in a long time, prepare to take your training very slowly. Give yourself time to get reacquainted with your bike and ride just a couple of miles at a time. Then, when you feel more confident riding, slowly increase the duration of your rides to 30 minutes.

30-Minute rides, a few times per week (recommended by experts), are ideal for most seniors and are a good stopping point for seniors who are getting back into shape. Once you’ve gotten into shape, you can start riding for longer amounts of time. The key is to know your limits and take things at a snail’s pace until your joints and muscles strengthen.

YouTube Videos for Training

Most training videos are intended for general audiences, so use your best judgment when applying the training techniques you learn to your own circumstances!

1. 14 Basic Skills for Beginner Cyclists
2. 2Best Training Tips for Beginners to Get Fast and Strong
3. 34 Fitness Building Cycling Training Sessions
4. 4Should You Change Your Training With Age?
5. 5How to Start Cycling Over 50

Conclusion

Road bikes, though they may be too intense for some seniors, are still a great way to stay in shape. They’re a lot of fun to ride, and they’re ideal for seniors who want to maintain a high level of fitness as they age. Which road bike on our list was your favorite? Do you have any questions about road bikes? We’d love to see your thoughts below!

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