Commuting - My Good Son.

I have been commuting for awhile and last week I asked my 14 year old son if he would want to ride along with me to school. I felt I needed to scout the ride for awhile because most of it is along a hwy/freeway with fast traffic.
Well I asked my son to come along and he readily agreed. The first day he had a great ride of about eight miles, when we arrived at school where I teach and he attends he told me he "really really wanted to go along with me on my tour this summer across the USA" I was stunned to say the least.

Since that revelation we have ridden some more and he is wanting to increase the distance more and more, what a great motivation for me! I am so excited about this, and hoping to come up with the money I may even log some of my property to fund the trip.

Anyway, I am so pleased that he really likes riding and riding with me.

Steven

That's awesome! I hope that one day, when I have a son, he will want to ride with me. Or at least ride.

I wish I could get my lads interested! That is brilliant, you must be well chuffed.

My dad was never a keen/hardcore cyclist... but he did cycle a fair bit. When he got me my fist bike we used to go off for jaunts and some of my happiest memories of him are from that time.

What the hell's wrong with teenagers these days? In my day, kids would have rolled their eyes and ignored you. ;)

Hope I can get my kids interested when they're old enough.

Thanks, I do have a good son, I'd use better adjectives but you all may think I am maudlin. :)

He likes his costco bike and I may talk him into riding the Torelli road bike after I convert it to a commuter for him.

Most of my problem is convincing my wife that a cross country bike trip for a 14 year old boy is not really to hard or dangerous. Especially if his dad is with him.

I am trying to get us a bent tandem or a tandem trike, I don't like the idea of us becoming separated on long uphills or downhills. We'll see.

Steven

Most of my problem is convincing my wife that a cross country bike trip for a 14 year old boy is not really to hard or dangerous. Especially if his dad is with him.
Steven, I know a guy where I live (http://www.metalcowboy.com/) who took his 7 and 5 year old boys across the USA. Show your wife this (http://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/0512/poll_physicalfeat.html). You two will be just fine. :)

I am trying to get us a bent tandem or a tandem trike, I don't like the idea of us becoming separated on long uphills or downhills. We'll see.

Steven

Teach him that he's not supposed to drop his old man on hills :).

I second the metal cowboy - last month he gave a lecture at my local library about his trips, including a new one that he just completed with his wife and three kids, the youngest of whom was 1 y.o.

The best part of the lecture was when, after he described what he and his kids were doing to a woman in a minivan with kids the same age as his, her kids started saying "Mom, we want to ride across America, too!".

Thanks, I do have a good son, I'd use better adjectives but you all may think I am maudlin. :)

He likes his costco bike and I may talk him into riding the Torelli road bike after I convert it to a commuter for him.

Most of my problem is convincing my wife that a cross country bike trip for a 14 year old boy is not really to hard or dangerous. Especially if his dad is with him.

I am trying to get us a bent tandem or a tandem trike, I don't like the idea of us becoming separated on long uphills or downhills. We'll see.

Steven

Get him his own bike, it's more fun when he has the freedom to choose his own path, especially when you decide to hit some trails. Plus it's not too fun to stare at dad's ass for 3 months.

Just stay behind him at all times so you can keep an eye on him. Equip your bike with a pair of disc brakes or something so you can ride the brakes behind him on downhills.

I don't know about a 14 year old son with you on your cross country trip. What are you going to do when he hits his growth spurt and needs a new size bike half way through the trip? :p

Just kidding. It sounds like it would be a great trip.

Score!!!!

That's great! Before you get a Tandem though, check to see how he feels about it.
Why not take him on a testing trip to the LBS around, have a look at some trendy looking bikes that would do better on tour? I'm assuming his costco bikes is dual suspension and all the glitter?

14 is a really really good age for a trip like that -- your son is just coming into his adult ways of doing things, and having experience like that under his belt will give him so many resources to draw from as he faces the difficulty of sorting out who he is and would like to be.

That's just plain awesome.

What the hell's wrong with teenagers these days? In my day, kids would have rolled their eyes and ignored you. ;)


Don't worry, things are still normal in Minnesota.

14? When I was his age, I worked in a factory 80 hrs a week to support my wife and three kids. Stop babying him and bring him along for the cross country trip. It's safer for both of you. ;)

IAnyway, I am so pleased that he really likes riding and riding with me.

Steven


Enjoy it while it lasts. Kids migrate in and out of our shared areas of interest all the time.

Most of my problem is convincing my wife that a cross country bike trip for a 14 year old boy is not really to hard or dangerous. Especially if his dad is with him.

Fourteen is old enough to be close to fully grown but young enough to have no fear to tell him that something's impossible. Sounds like a good age for a cross-country bike trip to me. Besides, he might be fickle or pick up new hobbies and projects. Take the opportunity to have a summer together while you can, right?

For reference, when I was 14 I did a two week backpacking trip. Eight to ten mile days, 7k feet of total elevation change, and carrying something like 30% of my bodyweight in my pack. I wasn't too young, it wasn't too hard or anything like that. It was awesome.

No tandem though. I would have hated that. Hated.

14? When I was his age, I worked in a factory 80 hrs a week to support my wife and three kids. Stop babying him and bring him along for the cross country trip. It's safer for both of you. ;)

:eek: Sounds like you were having a lot more fun than I was at 12 years of age...

I have been riding with two of my three sons off and on for years. The youngest, now 23 is just getting into riding. He and I will be doing the Erie Canal this summer.

The 14 year old should have his own bike. Recumbants and tandems are not cool for teens. Don't make him listen to oldies music either.

I WISH my dad was a cyclist (or even just active.) Sounds like your son has a good dad as well! You'll create a lot of great memories on that trip, don't forget the camera!

That sounds like a great trip - and the enthusiasm is terrific!

My 3rd grade son just saw a flier about an annual ride across California for 5th graders and their families sponsored by our local Y. He is totally psyched to try it - and did a Snoopy dance and "you're the best Mom EVER :)" when I said I would love to do it too. Looks like a good program for that age group - they do lots of training rides in the months leading up, plus have non-biking family members drive support vans with supplies so there's less to carry.

He has to wait for a whole year though, before he'll be old enough. I hope the enthusiasm holds!

This is the perfect bike for your kid..
http://www.gitabike.com/cgi-bin/shop/pinarello_search_details.cgi?user_id=77001&database=dbase_pinarello.exm&template=tmplt_pinarello_sr2.htm&0=HmmPHB0ByEp8&0_option=1

I have tried to get my son to ride on a regular basis for years... Always provided good bikes... from when he was small to now, he has always had something decent to ride. (the last bike was a BMX bike... a bit small now)

It was always about image for him and skateboarding was "the thing" for locals here in So Cal...

But at the same time, he has always bragged about Dad to his friends... "oh yeah, my dad rides one of those bikes to work all the time... " and that sort of thing.

Well a couple weeks ago I "caught" him riding my fast race bike... with my clipless shoes. (he's almost 21 now). We had a little talk and he mentioned that he's been riding the other bikes from time to time... (my heart skipped a beat... ) And he had even ridden my wife's hard tail mountain bike and really liked it...

So his birthday is right around the corner... I just bought him a full suspension trail bike... he had a blast with it over the weekend and is clamoring for more. Maybe, just maybe... it's finally sinking in.

Well a couple weeks ago I "caught" him riding my fast race bike... with my clipless shoes. (he's almost 21 now). We had a little talk and he mentioned that he's been riding the other bikes from time to time... (my heart skipped a beat... ) And he had even ridden my wife's hard tail mountain bike and really liked it...

If i ever find my son riding my wife's hard tail, my heart would skip a beat too. He should be riding MY mountain bike. :p

Wonderful. What memories you'll have! My four year old is super excited to go on any ride around the block with dad, but I figure in 10 years he'll be too cool to hang out with me. I hope I'm wrong.

Steven thats really cool you are spending time with your son. My dad is shopping for a bicycle right now so he can cycle with me around the beach area here. We've been doing more of the golfing, fishing and outdoors stuff lately and its really been great.

I'm 26 and I've just really started to appreciate my dad the most now.

My sons current bike is, I think, a Votive, pretty basic all around bike. We were in a fairly local bike shop and were looking at A Cannondale commuter for about 500 bucks today. I may make him take the folder cross country, just to see if he can make it. :) (kidding)

I have disc brakes on my bent and I'll be jiggered if I want to apply the brakes coming off a hard won hill just to keep an eye on my son. I mentioned the tandom thing to him and he thought it was a great idea, then I mentioned the tandom trike thing and he was fine with that. This is the same kid that WANTED an old milk crate attached to his back rack for carrying books.

He is his fathers son, can you say FRED. Two years ago we went camping and mining in Oregon and he still talks about making roadkill out of thousands of rabbits on an old gravel road. (faulty memory) :)

My wife has agreed to let him go if we can come up with the money, blah..blah.. blah..... Good thing she trusts me.

Thanks for the encouragement and support it means a lot.

Steven

Thanks, I do have a good son, I'd use better adjectives but you all may think I am maudlin. :)

He likes his costco bike and I may talk him into riding the Torelli road bike after I convert it to a commuter for him.

Most of my problem is convincing my wife that a cross country bike trip for a 14 year old boy is not really to hard or dangerous. Especially if his dad is with him.

I am trying to get us a bent tandem or a tandem trike, I don't like the idea of us becoming separated on long uphills or downhills. We'll see.

Steven

Pfft, people do it all the time with far younger kids. See: RAGBRAI.

If your wife can't trust your judgment with your son you have relationship problems. That doesn't mean she can't disagree and object though ;). But she should trust your judgment; you wouldn't risk your child's life for a little fun!

Clearly you're doing something right, Dad. Congratulations.

Sounds wounderful ! Encourage yet another cyclist !
My son was about 14 when he was turned on by Road Cycling. He became involved in local club rides and eventually pulled me into the club. We have had the shared interest for 4 years now. Only problem is that he can seriously drop me on hills ( I'm 49, he is 18 ).

My dad and I have logged thousands of miles touring together over the past 7 years or so. In fact it all started when he got back into riding, and I was heavily into backpacking and one of us had the idea to combine the two and get some panniers and a map. That was when I was about 24 and him 50. Since then we've done a lot of trips and have one planned for next month.

So I guess my point is, even if your kid isnt into it in his teens, give him some time. Not many teens probably really want to spend every waking moment with their dads for a week.

This is really good stuff. A cross-country bike trip at age 14?!? FANTASTIC!! (even if it is with dad :) ). You'll both have memories for a lifetime (though they'll be pretty different, I'd imagine).

During the ride home today (finally did the whole 20 miles) he kept lagging behind and I had to wait or peddle slower. Anyway as we got to the last hill that varies from 7 to 9 percent he was able to claim bragging rights because he beat me home. :)

One good thing, we were on a closed section of road and got to ride side by side and I could hear his gears dragging. He didn't want to tell me that they had been skipping too. So, I need to go out soon and mech the gears so that they shift properly, then he should be able to drop me on the flats. :)

Steven

During the ride home today (finally did the whole 20 miles) he kept lagging behind and I had to wait or peddle slower.
What were you selling?

A few years ago I planned and executed a 7 week cycling tour of Ireland and Wales. My son was 13 at the time. He said he thought it was really weird. Then about the 10 or 12th e-mail(from the UK) it dawned on him I was doing somthing none of the other Dads in his neighborhood would even consider, but they all communicated the respect they had for what I was doing. He said suddenly he thought what I was doing 'totally ruled'. Hi praise from a 13 yr old.

He and his gf have a couple of classic Schwinn 10 speeds tricked out for light touring and day trips. They were garage sale finds to which I added racks, bags, lights, fenders, pumps, tools, etc. They ride them frequently on picnics, etc. Very gratifying to have influenced my son to include cycling as a regular part of his activities. Make sure you keep your son's carb intake way up there as he's going to be going through puberty as well as having to maintain his regular level of food consumption. Wish you the best as what a special time it will be for you both.