My new baby...

A light bike doesn't replace good fitness.

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lcoolb
Posts: 313
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 12:25 pm
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia / The Hague, Holland

by lcoolb

Maverick, such a cool name! :)
Thanks for your tips, though most of them unfortunately not applicable to my situation. Taking her out in a trailer in the polluted Jakarta traffic will not exactly be healthy for her ;)

by Weenie


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andychasteen
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Feb 01, 2011 2:51 pm
Location: Okie
Contact:

by andychasteen

Sorry, I wasn't smart enough to look at your location.

lcoolb
Posts: 313
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 12:25 pm
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia / The Hague, Holland

by lcoolb

No problem :)

oysters
Posts: 59
Joined: Tue Mar 20, 2012 1:19 am

by oysters

andychasteen wrote:
Get a trailer. I bought a nice Chariot Cougar. A sweet little set up that was comfy for my little one. I could take her out in hot weather (just leave the mesh so she gets a nice breeze) or in the cold (bundle her up in some Patagonia kiddo down) and she was cozy warm. My wife needed her breaks away from watching the baby, and when she did I came to rescue. I would take Maverick (my girl) out in the Chariot to the local bike trail (not on roads) for a 2 hour spin. Boom, I get my training and the wife gets her break. And Maverick gets a nap in the Chariot, once she got settled and used to it which was only a couple of rides. Not to mention you're pushing higher wattage to pull a trailer like that. It set me up for my best season of racing ever.




I really love the idea of having a kid trailer. My fiance is pregnant with our first, and we both love riding (me especially) and want to keep it going. Everything I've read about trailers the kids love them.

Trying to plan the next bike for the next phase of my life (needs to be versatile-can only have one bike-light enough for by myself and audaxs, strong enough for the trailer/touring with the family, and geared right...). For the gearing, I'm going to have to go a triple, which I don't mind. Working out the gearing is a bit hard in advance before I have the trailer. Any idea roughly how much your speed reduces pulling the Chariot Cougar? Like if you have a normal route where you would average say 20mph, chuck on the trailer, it drops to say 12 or 15? This will help me work out my granny gear :-)

Thanks!

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mellowJohnny
Posts: 492
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2012 12:56 am
Location: YYZ

by mellowJohnny

Echo the trailer sentiment. I hooked it up to my road bike as well, it's a great workout. As long as I was still out on my bike it was gravy. My girls are now 6 and 9 so family time still comes first - sometimes I get 4 hours on Sunday, sometimes I get one.

The best part is pretty soon you'll be teaching her to ride, and eventually she'll be riding with you. My daughter is now tall enough to ride a woman's 26" mountain bike and we've started riding a few trails together. Now she wants a Specialized Amira...'atta girl!

adidavas
Posts: 41
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2012 8:34 pm

by adidavas

Congratulations. :thumbup: You can use babyseat then she grow up a bit. And now you must wait its to dangerous ride together :)

dkwperth
Posts: 96
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 6:05 am

by dkwperth

Kids sure do change things. My rides changed from short work commutes and long weekend rides to regularly going 'the long way' to work and no more weekends.

To ride with my girls, when K1 turned 1y.o. we got a trailer and a big fat bike to tow it with, and hit the bike paths. All up bike + trailer + child weighs about 45kg when you include all the assorted toddler junk essential for a happy ride... definitely not WW! I find on the flat that the trailer rolls nicely and I drop 10-15% on average speed, but it gives me a decent workout going up hills. Turned out K1 really didn't like being in the trailer much, but she's 5 y.o. now and K2, who is 2 y.o., absolutely loves it. My fat bike has a triple ring, and now that 5y.o. is riding alongside, on the smallest ring I can pedal like crazy with K2 in the trailer behind and not get too far ahead :)

tigoose
Posts: 234
Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 11:23 pm
Location: Mal Born, Oz.

by tigoose

i have 3yo twin girls and 10 extra kg's on me. i put the weight on as i got depressed that my old life was forever getting further away. ate too much chocolate and other comfort type food and couldn't work out why i didn't lead the bunch any more when i did get out. this got me more dpressed.
eventually i started to accept my role in life and now the girls have developed somewhat i make more of an effort to train.
knocked off eating chocolate and sugar and am generally more optimistic about things. girls have been in child care for 16 months for 2 days a week and the colds and gastro that has come through our house has been horrendous at times. i'd start to gain some fitness then sickness would hit and we all go down..=2 weeks of nothing and sub standard performance on the bike.
things are better now, have accepted my role of fatherhood and where riding comes in to life. all is easier now.
if i can offer one thing, maybe two, don't get over tired from training as that energy is needed for fatherhood and watch your diet because you may be looking for a comfort outlet before you know.
btw, congrats on your new born as i can't imagine life without my lovely girls.

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Tapeworm
Posts: 2585
Joined: Thu May 03, 2007 10:39 am

by Tapeworm

^ by "child care" I assume you mean the "child disease collation and redistribution centre". Little walking petri dishes says I.
"Physiology is all just propaganda and lies... all waiting to be disproven by the next study."
"I'm not a real doctor; But I am a real worm; I am an actual worm." - TMBG

tigoose
Posts: 234
Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 11:23 pm
Location: Mal Born, Oz.

by tigoose

Tapeworm, exactly.

Northoceanbeach
Posts: 136
Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2012 11:12 pm

by Northoceanbeach

I've got to be the naysayer here. Especially since this is a bike forum, not a parenting for I don't feel like I have to pat your back.

Having a baby is probably the worst thing outside of catching some deathly illness that could happen to a serious cyclist.

A trailer? Are you serious? This is a weight weenie forum, not a soccer mom!

You are all talking about how your riding suffers, you get out of shape, have to go at 5am?

Not to mention for those of you that aren't rich your money is going to diapers and rattles instead of carbon wheels! You would rather have something someone poops in than wheels?

Sunday's will be spent at target shopping for cribs and Gymboree or clothes with little giraffes instead of a new winter assos knickers.

And they get sick all the time and then get you sick.

And you sleep sucks, and the sex becomes crap and instead of spending time with you our wife spends it with the baby, and she's tired and pissy the rest of the time.

And what do you get out of this? For every moment that she says "I hope garmin wins" whole you are watching the tour, there are ten times she throws a fit, or needs a diaper change or to be fed or whatever so you don't get to watch the tour.

Save the money and take a trip to Lugano, that's what I say.

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Tapeworm
Posts: 2585
Joined: Thu May 03, 2007 10:39 am

by Tapeworm

^ either you don't have kids, or you do and your life sucks.

Apart from the abovementioned disease collation centre my experience is the opposite of every point listed.

My most successful season was after my 2nd child was born.

To each their own.
"Physiology is all just propaganda and lies... all waiting to be disproven by the next study."
"I'm not a real doctor; But I am a real worm; I am an actual worm." - TMBG

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devinci
Posts: 2904
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 9:43 pm
Location: Canada

by devinci

oh crap, encouraging....

I dont have kids, but im of those thinking if you really want to do something, you will find a way to do it. So, if you want to train while having kids, you will find a way to fit your training in your schedule.

Having a comprehensive Mrs must help a ton though. Thanks god mine is.

artray
Posts: 1347
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2011 2:08 pm

by artray

I have 2 boys aged 6 and 9 and I manage to get out riding at least 5/6 days a week. Have to agree this is a ww sight not the mums net. " Having a comprehensive Mrs must help a ton though" :thumbup:

by Weenie


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austke
Posts: 203
Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2012 7:03 am
Location: Queensland Australia

by austke

Kids are great. Definitely testing, but that's the whole point ain't it. Boring sucks. I will take the challenge of parenting anyday.
I have 4 kids, 2 1/2, 8, 9, and 13. Wouldn't change a thing.
We have a triple tandem and we hook up a trailer to it, to make a quad essentially). Best fun it is, gets the family out riding, and the great thing about a tandem is that everybody rides together, even with varying levels of skill and fitness.
We also have our roadies that we ride ALL the time. I have a 650 wheeled roadie that my daughter rides, and while I have to ride at her pace, it's actually great family bonding time.
I also ride at all hours of the night and day on my own at my pace. I drive trucks long distance, so cycling is my stress reliever as well as great for my fitness. Depending on work, I will either go for a ride before or after. Normally ride on my own during work days and with family on my days off.
As others have said, if you enjoy it enough, you will make the time.

Austke
2013 Giant TCR Advanced SL 0, 6.92kg
2013 Giant Defy Composite 2 M, 8.5kg - Wife's
Azzurro Torino 8.55g
Fuji 650 10.8kg
Miele Lupa Triple Tandem 38,89kg

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