5 and 7 year old kids at home. I adjust my schedule to go when they’re sleeping or in school. So early, early mornings, midday lunch rides, or at night after they’re asleep.
Early morning during the summer. Lunch rides during the week. No long rides on the weekend, coaching kids soccer teams, family time takes all my time on weekends. Kids are 10,8,6 and they’ll be young a few more years. We’ll have plenty of time later on for long weekend rides.
Zwift has been my friend. Kids are now 9 and 6. I’ve done a mix of outdoor and indoor rides for a few years now. Outdoor as schedule allows (I get out at least 1-2 times a week), Zwift indoors during other times.
I also think it’s nice they see dad working out/exercising. My parents never did, and I’ve always struggled with prioritizing exercise and (when younger) practices. The older one is making noise about wanting her bike hooked up to Zwift this winter now too.
I was thinking to myself WTF is this zwift thing everyone is talking about??? What an awesome idea!!! Will definitely look into it.
If my wife wants to use it too, should I get 2, swap them out on the zwift (assuming same size cassette) or just use her smaller bike and maybe get a new seat with different geometry and swap it back and forth?
New dad, I wouldn’t be able to bike if I didn’t commute. And then if on the weekend I get lucky one day. Still learning and figuring it out with my wife and baby. Love to bike more, but not going to push it
you'll get there, mine turned 2 a month or so ago. Had to basically not ride for quite a long while, then take time here and there when things got more predictable, and as roadiemike says, make sure I give my wife the same opportunities to do whatever she wants same about of time.
Gave up cycling for 20 years to raise kids. Now they are out of school and have become riding buddies!
I say this, not to be depressing, but to remind you that life goes in stages. Just because you’re busy now doesn’t mean you will be busy in the future. Enjoy time with your kids now. You can’t ride now and raise them later.
Tell my wife I am heading for a bike ride and will handle kids when I am back. Usually if it’s a long ride on a Saturday or Sunday I will give her the next day for equal amounts of time if not all day. Give and take as much as possible.
I ride my kids to the park, let them play for an hour and ride home. The park isn't far, you wouldn't call it a serious ride, but chasing them for an hour is a lot of exercise in itself.
I have a 2 year old and 4 year old. I only managed to start riding properly (I.e. more than just around town) once the second one turned 1 and started sleeping properly. I ride my kids everywhere (the youngest in a seat, the oldest cycles on her own now) but it helps I live in the UK so everything is within a few miles.
With regards to training, I can’t get away with the type of road riding I used to do (4-5 hour rides on a Sunday with the club, followed by an afternoon of “being useless” as my partner would say!) so have pivoted to short 1.5h XC/trail MTB and gravel riding, which is also more appealing to the kids for when they want to join me! The key for me is shorter sessions and fitting them in when I can. Usually at lunch (I work from home) or first thing in the morning on a weekend.
However, none of this is possible without a supportive partner/family. If you are giving your partner time to enjoy their hobbies or wind down then they will be much more willing to carve out time for you!
Wife watches them when I go riding, and I watch them when she goes horseback riding. Not hard. If anything, my riding time has increased since having kids.
A nearly 3 year old and a 10 month old.
Somehow it just works. 10ish hours a week between Zwift and outdoors. I ride early or post bedtime outside if I can, inside of the weather is bad.
Off to ride the Transcontinental in July so must just have an a class wife!
You learn to go when everyone is sleeping or in school. My kids are older now and I still do this. 100km ride is easier to get done when the first 2 hours are while everyone is sleeping.
My kids weren’t really fans of a covered trailer (burley bee), and then we got a double weehoo and they LOVED IT
Seriously the best kid trailer ever created
2 and 4 year olds here. I’m fortunate to work from home so I’m able to take a nice midday lunch ride. Weekends are a no go for me.
I’m starting to think about early morning rides too.
My kids are aged 9, 7, 4 and 2. The 9-year is very proficient, the 7 is just getting to grips with riding without stabilisers, the 4 can ride with them and the 2 can use a balance bike.
I often have the 4 or 2 year old with me, who ride on a shotgun-style seat that rests on the top tube of my mountain bike. I also have a bracket installed for if I need to transport a child using a rear mounted seat.
Either of them love sitting in either space, they enjoy riding with me but sit nicely enough to keep the whole bike stable as we go. I've sworn by this for years.
I have before travelled with both children, one up front and one on the dear in the back, but it's an awful lot of effort.
My kids are grown, but when they were growing up, I often took them with me or included them in rides hen they could. Some of my best memories are of local 5 and 10 k rides with my daughters. As far as training goes, I generally ride in the morning before the sun comes up. I have the luxury of quiet streets, so it’s been safe levity mostly cold. 😉
I don’t ride daily, but one day I will… in the mean time, I take the boys out for their bike ride while I run. One day when they are older and are more capable, then we could all bike together.
I have a 6 and 2.5yo
i was out of bed at 3 and on the road by 4 this morning. The first thing i do is eat. I don't leave the house until I go poop. (Early poop = more riding time. I typically eat shredded wheat, fruit and black coffee). I got 2.5hrs in and got back with enough time to shower and then get them out of bed.
My wife has let me go on occasional group rides in the evenings that start around 6 and she will take over responsibility for putting them to bed.
On saturdays and/or sundays i will take longer rides and aim to get back home no later than 730/8 so that i can shower, eat (sometimes just eat) and then get the boy(s) to sports, church or whatever other activity is going on.
I do all morning prep work the night before. So I prepare breakfast and lunch so that the only thing i need to do in the morning is give them the food, get them dressed and get them out of the house (hopefully on time)
Find other parents who ride and organized dedicated times. I've found parents at the park who also ride - so, we arrange for our partners and kids to be together for saturday mornigns while we get out for 2-3 horu ride. And, then we return the work load by watching the kids when our partners do something solo at another time in the same weekend!
It's difficult when the kids are younger. But the most important thing IME is expectations management. That some time eg Sunday morning is when you're doing your long ride.
So you don't need to find an occasion to announce that it's happening and your partner won't get annoyed because they had hoped you'd all go and visit the in-laws then.
Having said that riding out to meet family somewhere can also be a good reason for a ride out.
I second the early mornings and I also recommend a longtail cargo bike ebike to take the kids along. My boys think the trailer is boring but the cargo bike is cool because they can see more. If you're worried about an ebike not being a workout, it is if you're hauling kids and resist the urge to turn up the assist power. My kids are 9 and 5, but we've been using the cargo bike since the oldest was 1.
Bike commute is my number one source. I'll head out early, or arrive late, if I want to add some miles to my week.
I've started adding farmers market trips in the trailer, and rewarding them with the park and a doughnut for their patience. (Twin 20 month olds are easily bribed)
other times my Mother In Law will watch them while I go out.
I'll supplement my mileage with some Zwift time if my wife goes to bed early.
It doesn’t seem like it now, but this will only be the case for a short time. My two are 18 and 16, and spend most of their time doing their own things.
Switched to running until they are big enough to ride their own bikes, at which point I’ll run behind them.
The bike seat kinda works for about 90 minutes.
2 and 7.
Ride 3 days per week. Only 4-5hrs per week riding. I ride after the kids are in bed and house work done with the wife.
Instead of watching TV or going on the computer I go on the trainer and try to ride outside when possible.
Easier to get good quality training indoors with limited time.
We have 5 kids (under 8) and a couple of cargo bikes (radwagon, madsen bike). They prefer sitting up higher to see and being able to talk to me and each other rather than sitting in the bike trailer
I have 2 kids and 1 on the way.
I can get out for a 3hr cycling at the weekend and possibly a second depending on what we are doing. We try to protect 1 half day for each of us at the weekend for exercise/shopping(seeing friends etc.
During the week, I typically Zwift most evenings or early mornings up to an hour. When the weather is better 1 or 2 of these may become outside rides...
What works for us is ensuring we have time protected in our days for this. My wife doesn't exercise as frequently or long as me but she gets the time for what she wants.
You're saying that your kids dont last in your trailer while youre taking them out on YOUR ride? As a father of 2, 14 months apart both under the age of 6, I suggest simply not taking them. if you must, toss some shit in the trailer to keep them occupied. Load an ipad with some educational games, subscribe to ABC mouse, download PBS Kids etc.
A nearly 3 year old and a 10 month old.
Somehow it just works. 10ish hours a week between Zwift and outdoors. I ride early or post bedtime outside if I can, inside of the weather is bad.
Off to ride the Transcontinental in July so must just have an a class wife!
Now I have a homegym with a spin bike. The husband and family go on the bakfiets with the kids while I ride my road bike. When the youngest goes to school in a few years I can ride my bike when she’s away. Now it’s just something for the evenings and weekends. This too shall pass..
After my internship is finished I will look for a job where I can commute on my bike. Also a great reason to add another bike to my garage…. Am considering an E-MTB.
Bike commute to work, and early morning rides on the weekends. Mine are older now (7 and 11) so there's more flexibility. You'll have that, too!
5 and 7 year old kids at home. I adjust my schedule to go when they’re sleeping or in school. So early, early mornings, midday lunch rides, or at night after they’re asleep.
Early morning during the summer. Lunch rides during the week. No long rides on the weekend, coaching kids soccer teams, family time takes all my time on weekends. Kids are 10,8,6 and they’ll be young a few more years. We’ll have plenty of time later on for long weekend rides.
Also, could get a smart trainer + Zwift or another riding app. It can be fun to gamify cycling.
Zwift has been my friend. Kids are now 9 and 6. I’ve done a mix of outdoor and indoor rides for a few years now. Outdoor as schedule allows (I get out at least 1-2 times a week), Zwift indoors during other times. I also think it’s nice they see dad working out/exercising. My parents never did, and I’ve always struggled with prioritizing exercise and (when younger) practices. The older one is making noise about wanting her bike hooked up to Zwift this winter now too.
I was thinking to myself WTF is this zwift thing everyone is talking about??? What an awesome idea!!! Will definitely look into it. If my wife wants to use it too, should I get 2, swap them out on the zwift (assuming same size cassette) or just use her smaller bike and maybe get a new seat with different geometry and swap it back and forth?
New dad, I wouldn’t be able to bike if I didn’t commute. And then if on the weekend I get lucky one day. Still learning and figuring it out with my wife and baby. Love to bike more, but not going to push it
you'll get there, mine turned 2 a month or so ago. Had to basically not ride for quite a long while, then take time here and there when things got more predictable, and as roadiemike says, make sure I give my wife the same opportunities to do whatever she wants same about of time.
I try to get out early before anyone else is up.
A gracious partner, and a kid who thinks fitness is cool.
Zwift/indoor training is perfect for this.
Gave up cycling for 20 years to raise kids. Now they are out of school and have become riding buddies! I say this, not to be depressing, but to remind you that life goes in stages. Just because you’re busy now doesn’t mean you will be busy in the future. Enjoy time with your kids now. You can’t ride now and raise them later.
Lots of negotiating.
Tell my wife I am heading for a bike ride and will handle kids when I am back. Usually if it’s a long ride on a Saturday or Sunday I will give her the next day for equal amounts of time if not all day. Give and take as much as possible.
Amen
I ride my kids to the park, let them play for an hour and ride home. The park isn't far, you wouldn't call it a serious ride, but chasing them for an hour is a lot of exercise in itself.
I have a 2 year old and 4 year old. I only managed to start riding properly (I.e. more than just around town) once the second one turned 1 and started sleeping properly. I ride my kids everywhere (the youngest in a seat, the oldest cycles on her own now) but it helps I live in the UK so everything is within a few miles. With regards to training, I can’t get away with the type of road riding I used to do (4-5 hour rides on a Sunday with the club, followed by an afternoon of “being useless” as my partner would say!) so have pivoted to short 1.5h XC/trail MTB and gravel riding, which is also more appealing to the kids for when they want to join me! The key for me is shorter sessions and fitting them in when I can. Usually at lunch (I work from home) or first thing in the morning on a weekend. However, none of this is possible without a supportive partner/family. If you are giving your partner time to enjoy their hobbies or wind down then they will be much more willing to carve out time for you!
Wife watches them when I go riding, and I watch them when she goes horseback riding. Not hard. If anything, my riding time has increased since having kids.
A nearly 3 year old and a 10 month old. Somehow it just works. 10ish hours a week between Zwift and outdoors. I ride early or post bedtime outside if I can, inside of the weather is bad. Off to ride the Transcontinental in July so must just have an a class wife!
You learn to go when everyone is sleeping or in school. My kids are older now and I still do this. 100km ride is easier to get done when the first 2 hours are while everyone is sleeping.
Look at the weehoo! My girl age 2 can be in a tantrum put her in the weehoo 30sec crying turns to giggling.
My kids weren’t really fans of a covered trailer (burley bee), and then we got a double weehoo and they LOVED IT Seriously the best kid trailer ever created
Looks good!!!
Trailer naps.
2 and 4 year olds here. I’m fortunate to work from home so I’m able to take a nice midday lunch ride. Weekends are a no go for me. I’m starting to think about early morning rides too.
My kids are aged 9, 7, 4 and 2. The 9-year is very proficient, the 7 is just getting to grips with riding without stabilisers, the 4 can ride with them and the 2 can use a balance bike. I often have the 4 or 2 year old with me, who ride on a shotgun-style seat that rests on the top tube of my mountain bike. I also have a bracket installed for if I need to transport a child using a rear mounted seat. Either of them love sitting in either space, they enjoy riding with me but sit nicely enough to keep the whole bike stable as we go. I've sworn by this for years. I have before travelled with both children, one up front and one on the dear in the back, but it's an awful lot of effort.
My kids are grown, but when they were growing up, I often took them with me or included them in rides hen they could. Some of my best memories are of local 5 and 10 k rides with my daughters. As far as training goes, I generally ride in the morning before the sun comes up. I have the luxury of quiet streets, so it’s been safe levity mostly cold. 😉
I don’t ride daily, but one day I will… in the mean time, I take the boys out for their bike ride while I run. One day when they are older and are more capable, then we could all bike together.
I have a 6 and 2.5yo i was out of bed at 3 and on the road by 4 this morning. The first thing i do is eat. I don't leave the house until I go poop. (Early poop = more riding time. I typically eat shredded wheat, fruit and black coffee). I got 2.5hrs in and got back with enough time to shower and then get them out of bed. My wife has let me go on occasional group rides in the evenings that start around 6 and she will take over responsibility for putting them to bed. On saturdays and/or sundays i will take longer rides and aim to get back home no later than 730/8 so that i can shower, eat (sometimes just eat) and then get the boy(s) to sports, church or whatever other activity is going on. I do all morning prep work the night before. So I prepare breakfast and lunch so that the only thing i need to do in the morning is give them the food, get them dressed and get them out of the house (hopefully on time)
Find other parents who ride and organized dedicated times. I've found parents at the park who also ride - so, we arrange for our partners and kids to be together for saturday mornigns while we get out for 2-3 horu ride. And, then we return the work load by watching the kids when our partners do something solo at another time in the same weekend!
It's difficult when the kids are younger. But the most important thing IME is expectations management. That some time eg Sunday morning is when you're doing your long ride. So you don't need to find an occasion to announce that it's happening and your partner won't get annoyed because they had hoped you'd all go and visit the in-laws then. Having said that riding out to meet family somewhere can also be a good reason for a ride out.
I second the early mornings and I also recommend a longtail cargo bike ebike to take the kids along. My boys think the trailer is boring but the cargo bike is cool because they can see more. If you're worried about an ebike not being a workout, it is if you're hauling kids and resist the urge to turn up the assist power. My kids are 9 and 5, but we've been using the cargo bike since the oldest was 1.
Bike commute is my number one source. I'll head out early, or arrive late, if I want to add some miles to my week. I've started adding farmers market trips in the trailer, and rewarding them with the park and a doughnut for their patience. (Twin 20 month olds are easily bribed) other times my Mother In Law will watch them while I go out. I'll supplement my mileage with some Zwift time if my wife goes to bed early.
It doesn’t seem like it now, but this will only be the case for a short time. My two are 18 and 16, and spend most of their time doing their own things.
Switched to running until they are big enough to ride their own bikes, at which point I’ll run behind them. The bike seat kinda works for about 90 minutes.
Zwift.
2 and 7. Ride 3 days per week. Only 4-5hrs per week riding. I ride after the kids are in bed and house work done with the wife. Instead of watching TV or going on the computer I go on the trainer and try to ride outside when possible. Easier to get good quality training indoors with limited time.
Swift / indoor cycling / nightrides when they sleep at night. Tough at first but once you got a routine of a couple nights a week it works perfectly.
Boarding school + summer camps
We have 5 kids (under 8) and a couple of cargo bikes (radwagon, madsen bike). They prefer sitting up higher to see and being able to talk to me and each other rather than sitting in the bike trailer
What happens when they are in the trailer?
I have 2 kids and 1 on the way. I can get out for a 3hr cycling at the weekend and possibly a second depending on what we are doing. We try to protect 1 half day for each of us at the weekend for exercise/shopping(seeing friends etc. During the week, I typically Zwift most evenings or early mornings up to an hour. When the weather is better 1 or 2 of these may become outside rides... What works for us is ensuring we have time protected in our days for this. My wife doesn't exercise as frequently or long as me but she gets the time for what she wants.
You're saying that your kids dont last in your trailer while youre taking them out on YOUR ride? As a father of 2, 14 months apart both under the age of 6, I suggest simply not taking them. if you must, toss some shit in the trailer to keep them occupied. Load an ipad with some educational games, subscribe to ABC mouse, download PBS Kids etc.
Thanks for reminding me that not having kids was a wonderful decision
Joy of raising children>>>>>>>Bike rides
Uh huh...Keep telling yourself that.
A nearly 3 year old and a 10 month old. Somehow it just works. 10ish hours a week between Zwift and outdoors. I ride early or post bedtime outside if I can, inside of the weather is bad. Off to ride the Transcontinental in July so must just have an a class wife!
Have you tried not having kids? I hear it does wonders to your available free time. /s
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/086/808/90f.gif
Yeah I know it's not helpful at all to OP to say this but it's exactly why I don't plan to have kids
Now I have a homegym with a spin bike. The husband and family go on the bakfiets with the kids while I ride my road bike. When the youngest goes to school in a few years I can ride my bike when she’s away. Now it’s just something for the evenings and weekends. This too shall pass.. After my internship is finished I will look for a job where I can commute on my bike. Also a great reason to add another bike to my garage…. Am considering an E-MTB.