On the bike obviously..
Latest addition means we now have 3 children under 4 (ages 4,2 and 6 weeks). I haven’t been out on my bike for a few months. I’m ok with this as I realise sacrifices have to be made during the first few months. I have zero interest in getting a road bike.
So when do you other dads get to escape on your bikes? Any good strategies for getting regular rides in?

My Wife doesn’t have any problem with me going out once the beggars have been put down after 7. So evening rides for me. We have 6 months and a 3 year old, the only light I can give you and you’ll know this is that once they get a bit older things become easier. I’ve also traded with her sometimes she can have a Saturday etc to herself and I’ll look after the kids, then I get the next sat to myself etc.

Any good riding near where you work?

I have a spare bike and kit at the office so can get in a lunchtime ride most days.

Evenings at the mo..
I also try to make sure that Mrs yunki gets plenty of days to herself, with friends etc which all get noted in her subconscious..

this often translates to a big day ride a handful of times each month

I go out at 5am on a Saturday or Sunday. Gives me a few hours in the dark first thing and allows me to do around 50km.

I can get back by about 10am and spend the day with the family.

Best of both worlds.

I have found it easier since we had our daughter. I either go the off-road long way home from work which is about 15 miles but and means I only get back about 30 mins later than normal. I also go after she is in bed with my mate who also has to put the kids to bed. Normally means not going out until 8 – 8:30 ish and not getting back until midnight though.
Very early weekend mornings too before the wife has woken. Leave at 5:30 – 6 ish and be back for breakfast. She is happy as long as I don’t wake her.

Andy

Get a dog… Get a traildog… then you get to ride every evening 🙂

Weekends seem to be out for me during the football/rugby season!

I work irregular shifts, so now all attend some form of nursery or education it’s no bother. Prior to this, was a case of early mornings or when they went to bed; other than that MrsB has her own interests so we were able to plan/ barter time to ourselves. I also found i just had to stop phaffing around, if i got a spare hour, it was just a case of jump on the bike and do it, it was made easier by not imposing any self limiting rules about the type of riding i ‘had’ to do, i just need to pedal hard to keep myself in balance.

As above, out in the evening every wednesday and friday. Riding out about 8 and will come back in around 11. Then if I’m nice to the wife out pre-dawn on sunday at 6amish and then back in for 9ish. Having kids is no excuse not to ride. 😛

I do a couple of short evening rides, after I’ve helped to put the kids to bed, going out about 8, and get home a bit after 9.
However I won’t go out if it is raining/snowing/icy/really windy so the evening rides have been pretty limited since Christmas!

My Mrs also takes the kids to Sunday School so I can get in a good 2-3 hour ride on Sunday AM without upsetting anyone.

In the summer i’ll easiliy get out 3 nights per week, and probably for a bit longer.

Same,was out at 6am this morning for two hours on the way to work, ran home last night 18kms. Wife rode twice last weekend from home. To and from work for me is useful as dead time so might as well use it as training. Other one for me is after baby down at 7:30pmis for an hour or so.

andysredmini – Member

I also go after she is in bed with my mate who also has to put the kids to bed.

That is exactly the type of sentence for which commas were invented.

On topic, I have not yet got a routine for fitting in regular rides. I’m conscious that the missus has the (8 month old) boy all week, so am not too keen on suggesting nipping out for a few hours on one of the bikes. These very early morning options might have to be the way to go, especially now it’s lighter.

Nope. it’s far more colourful without the punctuation.

Early, late or timeshare with Mrs, all depending on the weather, motivation, sick children or needy relatives.

Get up early. Ride then. Sacrifice something else that’s not important like eating or going to the doctor. Commute. Go out when it’s dark.

It’s quite easy.

I have zero interest in getting a road bike.

That’s a shame – I’ve done a lot more road riding since I became a dad, due to the reduced faff:ride ratio.

Hi Cloudnine, arrival of number three for us 1.5yrs ago has also had a significant impact on free time! 😀 (kids are 7, 5 and 1.5)

More as I cannot abandon the missus again at weekends for half/whole days when it is also the main time we get to do “family” together stuff.

So, for me, it has been 3 things:
1) Accept that ‘normal’ weekend rides will be much less common for a while, but plan really big, good ones in advance (e.g. PPdS, big highland lads weekend exploration etc)
2) try to squeeze in night rides if not too tired and weather not too shit (my local riding buddies/club help with motivation)
3) I commute to work, and now trails drying out can take longer, really fun, routes in to the office (inc singletrack).

For point 3, a CX bike has helped make normally boring trails rather fun, and is fast enough on the road bits to still make taht fun.

Basically, find time to keep the pedals turning to keep the mojo flowing!

Kev

lunchtime riding

riding back from walks in the woods/farm visits etc (pack bike in car)

get a trailer and a tag along

don’t do what i did today and arrive at the Zoo just as the kids are getting back in the car (negative points) should have got dropped off nearer/looked at route profile

I can wait to get MTB rides in. I keep my fitness up with short training sessions and commutes.

I’ve done a lot more road riding since I became a dad, due to the reduced faff:ride ratio.

Same here – I’d never ridden on the road until Tyred Jr arrived. Now I do way more road than mtb.

Time is what you’re short of – with a road bike, you’ll spend way more of it actually riding IMO.

I find its all about give and take though. Now the kids aren’t babies any more, Mrs Tyred and I divide up the leisure time to make sure we both get a fair crack, as she likes to run, walk, climb and ride and does yoga too. I get Monday and Wednesday evenings, she has Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I do 20 miles commuting every day, and two early morning velodrome hours during the week. Weekends are a bit of a juggling act – I do kids’ coaching and race when I can, but my kids race as well so some weekends I’ll get no riding of my own done. Generally speaking, in our house, priority is given to whoever gets their thing on the calendar first!

If it wasn’t for the commute I’d struggle, but its a good distance and gives me a good base all year round. I like to run too, but keep this for lunchtimes at work so it doesn’t eat into anything else.

I’ve found TTs suit me well – out early, hard effort then back by lunchtime, leaving the rest of the day free for proper family time, whereas with a road race you’re usually away all day.

IME the best strategy is to plan in advance, be upfront about what you want to do, give your partner as many opportunities for free time as you expect to have for yourself and accept that you can’t do everything you want!

Oh yeah, that’s one I employed a lot as well.
If you’re going to see family or for a day out, take the bike and then ride it back. I used to ride back from both our parents all the time.
If we ever went to the coast I’d nail it back, I beat my wife back once from Southport, around 50 miles (because it was really busy).

I also try to make sure that Mrs yunki gets plenty of days to herself, with friends etc which all get noted in her subconscious..

this often translates to a big day ride a handful of times each month

Basically this – mrs mogrim gets a lie-in on Saturday, I sacrifice my Sunday lie-in to go riding. Usually get 3-4 hours in. During the week I go to the gym, commute to work on the bike (sometimes), etc.

Mind you, it gets easier as the kids grow up, yours are too small to be left alone right now. And although it might go against the STW ethic, training them to switch the TV on by themselves is a great way to get an extra half-hour in bed on a Saturday morning 🙂

It certainly changes the types of rides I can get in – the full days, or even half days are few and far between, but I can squeeze in lots of one hours, and the odd 2 -3 hour ones here and there, on the following basis:

Up stupidly early and back for breakfast

Nip out in the evening for a quickie (and/or a bike ride)

Commuting helps keep the legs ticking over (using the mountain bike with roadish (Schwalbe Landcruiser) tyres) – to be honest with the potholes round here how they are after the snow and ice, it feels like mountain biking but at higher speeds.

Weekend rides by negotiation..

Once the nippers reach pedalling age, the weekends get a lot easier, as you’re taking the young ‘un(s) out for a bike ride, which of course isn’t selfish at all… especially in the early stages when it means a pootle up and down the canal or the local sustrans ex-railway route.

Night rides for me too. Usually Sunday and Wednesday. I prefer riding at night anyway. i ride in a group of 4 or so other dads and it’s a definite advantage riding at night as the trails are empty.

Occasionally ride on my own at night or get up at silly o’clock for a pre-breakfast ride.

The other thing i did last year was take every Friday afternoon off in November and i got some serious mileage covered then.

Evenings on my own or with the lads.

Saturday morning with the missus if we can get a sitter.

“Would you like me to put Ed to bed?”

15 mins later…

“right he’s asleep, I’m off for a ride, have you seen my lights?”

Short, dark & local.

I haven’t ridden more than about ten miles, or more than about ten miles from my door in about 18months.

6am in the week and I get a few hours on the weekend in the mornings

jam bo – Member
Short, dark & local.

& what about bike rides?

I am lucky that I often finish work early and in the Lakes so just take the bike with me when chances are looking good… usually 2 – 3 times a week, but some times it is a complete washout!

I sometimes get an odd half day at the weekend too.

Daytimes during school hours, sometimes weekend afternoons. All day passes now and again. Self employed part timer so set my own hours to work but I’m the primary carer/taxi driver/chef/first aider/tutor/ for the kids, mrsmidlife works full time. Solo holidays every couple of years too.

Best mates who work 9-5 jobs and always finish work early on Fridays, been meeting up for years now and after a while its just the norm, no questions asked.
Always more hassle sorting the bi monthly full days at a trail centre, just need to plan well ahead and run a family calendar 🙂
Good luck, remember biking = happy daddies

The road bike saw a lot of use a few years ago

MTB was often early starts and local (6am)

Now the kids are older (8 & 9) I am riding more off road (until the thieving gits decided to end that 2 days ago 🙁 ) . Longer rides are still fairly sparse but I get a lot of 2 – 3 hour local rides, often solo though having riding buddies in the same situaton can help 🙂

Key is to block out time at the most family friendly slots you have (early morning, after bedtime, kids at parties……) and stick to it as hard as you can. Basically accept the flexibility is limited so don’t faff your time away.

If you have any work flexibility try and use it to get some riding done

Moonlight is your friend.

Seriously, I do all my personal activities after the kids are in bed – whether that’s the swimming pool, MTBing, writing… whatever.

Got out for a few hours riding today… with 2 year year old on a balance bike and 4 year old on her islabike. Good wheelie, manual, endo, bunny hop practice and a fun little pootle / adventure. Even involved a flask of tea and cake break.

I’ve adopted the following for weekend early mornings:
Lay out kids dressing gowns & slippers.
Plate up a couple of brioches & a cup of juice each.
Put TV on CBeebies, then on standby.

This gives the wife another hour in bed, by which time I’m usually home anyway. 🙂

Someone has already mentioned seizing every opportunity to ride, even if it is just running an errand by bike. Some local “urban” type routes keep you clean(er). Getting rides on the calendar helps too. I invested in a cargo bike & it’s just great. Kids love the school run come rain or shine.