Ed McLaughlin, 94, noticed one of his neighbors riding an electric bicycle, and he wanted one, too. Just months after undergoing a hip replacement, McLaughlin got one for himself.

“You need to exercise every day,” said McLaughlin, now 96, adding that he prefers cycling to indoor fitness activities. “It’s a lot more interesting to see the wildlife and feel the wind and sun and fresh air.”

He said it’s never too late to take up a new hobby.

“It’s easy to sit and spend your time in front of the TV, but pretty soon, you will lose your muscles and interests, and not function as well,” McLaughlin said.

Now, he rides his bike every morning with his neighbor Jim Stone, 78, who gave him the e-bike idea.

Both men are residents at Good Samaritan Society-St. Martin Village, a retirement community in Rapid City, South Dakota. They ride about 6.5 to 7 miles per day together.

Their e-bikes are equipped with motors that make pedaling easier. They still get exercise, but there’s less strain on their muscles. McLaughlin opted for a tricycle, which has more stability and balance than a two-wheeled bike.

“We just started going, and we’ve been going together ever since,” said Stone, who moved to the retirement community with his wife three years ago from Richmond. “In two years’ time, we’ve gone 2,000 miles.”

Over the years of riding together, the men have become close friends.

“A lot of our interests are similar,” McLaughlin said. “It was a natural friendship.”

Every morning, they meet for breakfast, then they ride together. They rarely miss a day.

“There’s a park at the halfway point, and we stop for a little bit and watch the kids play on the playground,” Stone said. “Then we finish off with a coffee at the lodge.”

Occasionally, when they’re feeling ambitious, they’ll do a 20-mile ride.

“He never thought he’d do that again in his life, and we’ve done it more than once,” Stone said of McLaughlin.

McLaughlin, an Air Force veteran, was the mayor of Rapid City from 1991 to 1997. He then became a public school principal and superintendent, and later a college instructor. When he and Stone bike, it’s common for passing drivers to honk, wave or pull over to greet them.

“He knows everyone,” Stone said of McLaughlin, who has lived at Good Samaritan Society-St. Martin Village for 10 years. McLaughlin’s wife died in 2016, and he lives on his own.

McLaughlin said he has always enjoyed biking, though it became a serious hobby only over the past two years. He also regularly takes yoga and water aerobics classes, as well as art lessons.

“I think it’s important that a person find an activity they enjoy,” McLaughlin said. Since biking daily, “I feel better,” he said, explaining that he feels stronger and more mobile.

Although e-bikes and e-trikes are less physically strenuous than regular bikes, they are still great for fitness and can improve cardiovascular health, while reducing the risk of injury. Studies show that staying busy — whether through work, hobbies or volunteering — improves longevity.

While it often becomes harder to do certain activities as you get older, “you have to learn to adjust,” said McLaughlin, who has five children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

For him, adjusting meant swapping a traditional bicycle for an e-tricycle — and making it part of his daily routine.

“Keep finding things that you can do and do those things on a regular basis to maintain your strength,” McLaughlin advised.

Stone — who is also a veteran and spent most of his career running restaurants, then a printing company before retiring three years ago — said McLaughlin is a source of inspiration for him.

“It has put more spark in his life when we get out and have a good time,” Stone said, adding that he has seen McLaughlin’s physical condition steadily improve over the years. “I never thought I’d be here at this time, let alone looking at him 15 years beyond me.”

“If he can do it, I can do it,” Stone continued. “We push each other.”

Their enthusiasm has gotten others in the retirement community moving, too.

“Seeing them together and watching them pedal … I think it gives them confidence to try new things as well,” said Jana McCroden, senior director of Good Samaritan Society-St. Martin Village. “I think it helps their overall quality of life.”

McLaughlin is turning 97 on June 16, and he plans to kick off his birthday with a bike ride.

“That would be a good way to start the day,” he said.