I have two young kids - 1 and 3 as near as matters. Love them to pieces, but my god do they have a massive impact on my riding time. Monday night, back from work, kids in bed, dinner, clear up and then it's dark! Now I don't mind night-riding but in AUGUST? Same story on Tuesday. I'm resorting to running in my lunch hour to keep fit and I've always hated running (funnily starting to like it now)
Any success stories out there of kids NOT impacting on riding??
PS I'm a "beginner" runner so my 20 minute run is not enough time for a good ride
night rides
early morning on the weekend
ride to work?
night ridesearly morning on the weekend
Funny how no riding buddies want to join me on those rides 🙂
ride to work?
I either work from home or far too many miles away to cycle. I have considered getting up and going for a ride round for an hour before I start work, but the missus would expect some share of getting-the-kids-ready duty.
work from home you say??
start work a bit later and go for a ride once the kids are sorted?? work a bit later.
I'm with you with the lack of time factor. Riding to work when not dropping them to nursery, night rides and, dare I say it, having got a road bike too seems to have kept me ticking over....ooh and careful negotiation with the other half for bike time.
The road bike(well a cross bike with a set of road wheels) has been been great for when its been lashing down, you want to ride for an hour without an extra hour of maintenance, faff etc etc....anything like the last 3 summers in fact
I work from home but need to go to the post office 3 or 4 times a week, which is 2 miles away.
Generally add loop onto the post office run including woods, commons paths. It keeps you sane
Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings but they will and do impact your riding.
Have two boys, before them we were regulars on the Polaris and out nights and weekends.
Managed to cycle with the first in a back seat but only on more sedate routes.
Jane is a midwife so worked shifts so never had the option to leave them with her and go for a ride.
Set up my own business about 7 years ago and cycle the short distance to work.
Am just about getting back into riding now the boys both ride full size bikes.
Still nothing desperate but it is getting better.
As a Dad you have just gotta suck it up (or MTFU as used on here!)
I've been told that it gets better when they're a bit more self-sufficient (ours are 4 and 1), but then you end up just ferrying them around different activities instead...
Changed jobs about 8mths ago which has enabled me to commute by bike which has made a massive difference as I'm no longer that bothered if I miss out at the weekend, plus its easier to extend the ride in or out to make it worthwhile.Prior to that it was early morning starts or late evenings often solo.
Perhaps there should be a stw dads (and mums) club for arranging early morning rides
As a Dad you have just gotta suck it up (or MTFU as used on here!)
SAdly the answer I expected. I must confess most of my riding is on the road these days
Riding on your own 90% of the time is the way it is. I work from home and do the getting up early for an hour on the road a couple of times a week. Cycle into town and meet the family if they've arrived on the bus or in the car - stick the bike on the rack for the trip home sometimes. Out for an hour during the day - thinking time for work projects.
TBH I spend most of my riding time on a road bike or hybrid, but its all riding and its all good. Out tonight after bedtime for a spin and a bivvy, back for breakfast in the morning.
But its not all bad - Junior 1 is now on a 20" wheeled spesh and will happily come with me on a 5-10km loop from the house without too much moaning 🙂
Be imaginative, talk to your wife about it and be prepared to get out at a minutes notice.
Make sure you get them out on kiddy seats, then a trailagator bar, then they grow up with biking being a fun thing to do. Then by the time they are 8 they will be leaving you for dead, going over bigger drops and have better kit than you (that's what happened here!!)
kitebikeski - how very true, for all their sports/activities!!!
You're all giving the wrong answer. The OP was after success stories.
I've got two kids, 2 1/2 and 3 months old. Don't impact on my riding at all - I get out on my bike whenever I like, leaving mrs aracer to look after the boys.
I note you used the word "stories" 😉
😆
good one aracer
Bring them down to the Big Bike Bash. They can win prizes, you can ride. There is a night ride and if all else fails just kick back with a beer and listen to the music.
PS Under 12s are 1 pence
I struggled with this for a long time, I thought I was missing out when all my mates where out on day long rides but after being grumpy for a couple of years I'm now more relaxed. A few things have kept me sane.
Cycling to work
Taking the bike instead of the car when just nipping to the shops / takeaway etc. Try enjoying cycling again, rather than mountain biking.
Early morning rides or shorter evening rides.
Remembering that the hills will always be there, you may be missing out a bit now but your time will come again.
Don't feel bitter about it, it will just get you down. Go for the glass half full approach and just enjoy when you do get out, rather than worrying about when you don't
Try being a "single parent". Nightmare. My riding has gone down the shoot since the ex decided not to play a part in my daughters life. If I get one decent ride out a week that's about it. Even night rides are a thing of the past. Oh I long for a dark wet November evening ride round the chase. 😥
neils - BBB has lots of women who like cycling, who knows where it could lead....
6 year old and a 2 year old here, slowly getting out more and more now but when the 2 year old came along it slowed things right down. With one was bad enough but no too bad 2 made it very awkward, still the Mother in Law retires in March and that will release some biking days.
neils - BBB has lots of women who like cycling, who knows where it could lead....
Got the woman thing sorted but she works as a nurse so doing all the hours gods sends plus we have got our own places. 🙂
The nipper comes out with me quite a lot but I can't really give it the beans when we are out together.
Ah, all good replies to my ears. I have two young 'uns - nearly 4 and 1.5 and my cycling life has changed dramatically from being a pretty reasonable racer, both road and mtb, road trips all over the place, and regular long w/e runs. To echo all the above; now mainly a solitary rider, squeeze rides in whenever - and always be ready - no faffing! I was quite wound up, immature, selfish about "my" lack of cycling, regardless of how my missus felt.
Now I just go with the flow, enjoy the fact that the older boy rides his wee Islabike really well and they're great wee people to bring up and later enjoy outdoor activities together.
Oh, and to get rid of my lack of competition angst, I am now training for my local half marathon, which only takes 5 hrs a week as opposed to 12ish for bke racing.
MTFU, kids are for life not just for Christmas!
Do a deal with your wife, you're out for all Sunday morning, but you look after the kids while she does what she wants on Monday evenings / Saturday mornings / whatever.
Sad to say, but the days of being able to get out on your bike whenever you feel like it won't be back for a few years...
6 year old and a 3 year old, and i work offshore, so away 5 months a year,but..... when home i get at least 2, (normally three) evening rides a week, and as many early morning (5am start) rides as i can be arsed to get up for.
And about to start 6 weeks off on tuesday, so happy days ahead. 😀
Having a toddler in my life has near turned me into a full-time roadie. Decent offroad fun is at least thirty minutes by car from where I live and I have to grab a ride when time allows. I have a pack always ready to go, stuffed full of energy bars, and I jump on the road bike whenever an unforeseen hour appears. On the upside, I never realised what great lanes and quiet roads I have near my house. I've become a peaked helmeted, baggy shorted, camelback-toting, roadie freak.
There is the plus side, as with Aviemoron, when they can start cycling themselves. I can now do reasonable loop in the woods with my nearly 4 year old on his Isla bike.
[url=
exhibibition of sons skills[/url]
Take a picnic, practice some bunny hops and trialsy stuff with flatpedals whilst they potter about and explore...its all good, maybe not for fitness but everyday is not a race day 🙂
OOO all the reasons here to not want children .... still far to selfish! Oh well have some years before I have to worry 😉
Munqe-chick - Member
OOO all the reasons here to not want children .... still far to selfish! Oh well have some years before I have to worry
If I had known they would be this much fun I would have had them 10 years earlier.
[b]kids and bikes - [u]successful[/u] co-existence stories please[/b]
Paging Higgo, paging Higgo
Hig's & his wife have triplets, in essence from what Hig's has said its down to time management, proper sharing of duties/free time and if all else fails "the ability to sneak out while bedlam ensues"
It gets better. When they're older and are out sniffing glue and stealing cars you'll have plenty of time.
Personally, during those young years I found that after the first 18 months I couldn't sleep any more after being kept up all night, night after night.
So I went out riding in the middle of the night on many an occasion. 13 years later I still don't sleep much, same rule applies.
5 up and i get out twice a week, i do however have a wife who is Mother Earth herself!
So I went out riding in the middle of the night on many an occasion. 13 years later I still don't sleep much, same rule applies.
Me too. I get up around 5:30 most of the time. Did a quick 2 hours this morning and back to make Tea and Hot Chocolate for the family.
Running is much easier with a family. Other than races and specific sessions most of it can be done from your front door inside an hour or so.
so can biking 😕
I think me and Mr Mills do ok, we have a 5 year old and a 3 year old. We tend to negotiate who gets what free time each week, but I also like go out on the bike with my youngest in a trailer in the week in term time on my days off. We also sometimes get a baby sitter once the kids are in bed so we can go out riding together in the evening.
The main complication for us is not so much the kids, but that we are both nurses and work shifts as well as juggling any on call duties.
Once we found the right balance of free time for both of us and time as a family (plus the boring house hold/ work stuff) things just tick along nicely 🙂
I bought a trailer from Halfords, pretty cheap at about ninety quid, and my two boys love it. Dont get me wrong, this is not mountain biking as we know it, but its fun in its own way, I manage to still get the miles in, and its really nice to go out as a family.
get a road bike. end of story.
kids go down at 7.30, you get out for an hour, bikes hanging back up in the celler and you in you civies having a glass of wine by 9pm
couldn't do that on a mountain bike.
my stumpy hasn't seen the light of day since last christmas but i get out on the road bike 3-4 times a week.
sad but true. embrase it 🙂
My two are 6 and almost-4. Tomorrow, I'm leaving home at 8am and will be getting back at ~4. The following weekend I'm going for two nights at the Dales Bike Centre. Two weeks after that, I'm doing the Kielder 100.
I ride more now than I did before having kids, but I rode very little really before having kids. Most of my riding is going to and from work though.
Monday night, back from work, kids in bed, dinner, clear up and then it's dark! Now I don't mind night-riding but in AUGUST?
Why do you have dinner after your kids go to bed?
You could save an hour, by eating with them and clearing up when you get back from your ride?
Plus, that Rowling woman had a few good ideas. Lock 'em under the stairs with no sharp objects and they'll be fine for a few hours.