jrickards

I think this is an unfair assessment of the OP. As a new (or soon to be) father who would like to keep commuting by bike, it is a fair question to ask.

OP: you don't need to justify your bike commuting to us, we respect all bike commuters: those who commute just a couple of times a month to the monster-milers. If commuting by bike takes longer than driving, you have to work out with your wife/partner whether or not you can bike each day and other details and you may need to drive more, so be it. Some of us have kept the same routine, some have had to stop for years. You do what you need to do to meet the needs of your family and if you can throw biking in there too, great! As FrenchFit stated, they want you to be with them and if you have to trade bike commuting for recreational biking with the kid(s), then that's great because it will encourage the kids to be active "just like Dad".

kevmk81

I better drive everywhere then, so I can be a better parent. By the way, I haven't wrecked on a bike for ages. And I don't expect to be Lance... I expect to be an employee in my office, pressing my fingers on a keyboard. That being said, what happens when my health takes a turn for the worse? I can't wait to show my son how daddy drives everywhere and sits at work all day... would be such a role model. Way to go with the "Lance" call. Is that because I race bikes? That's fun. Are you allowed to do things like that with children growing up in the household? I guess I'm going to be a bad father.

kevmk81

Yep, not a problem! I can't wait to be able to spend time with my son! Bike commuting takes about half an hour more each day than driving to work.

kmv2

haha wow. are you in the wrong forum? What a silly post.

A Dad-to-be asking for tips on how he can incorporate cycling into fatherhood, including biking them to school, etc. is called "absentee". Bikes crash, so do cars. Both have consequences.

Better get more involved in my child's life by driving them everywhere or putting them on a school bus. What kind of selfish ******* would want to spend time on a bike outside with their kids?

acidfast7

hmmm, I'm not sure why the OP is getting criticized.

I'd criticize the OP is he doesn't bring the kids to school by bike, not if he does.

Interesting.

kmv2

IMO, you might want to try out a cargo bike, or purchase an old MTB and get an XTRA-cycle attachment. The stability and hauling capacity I think would be worth it.

https://www.xtracycle.com/
https://surlybikes.com/bikes/big_dummy

Look at this selfish absentee!
Those kids look so sad their dad doesn`t spend any time with them!

kmv2

Let`s hope he`s not into camping or outdoor activities. Its much safer to just put the kids in front of the TV and hook it up to an XBOX. Sit on the couch and spend some quality time instead of doing dangerous things like pitching tents and making fires. Your kids will thank you.

acidfast7

sweet

i saw one of these today with three kids in the front going over a bridge into the downtown financial district. super cool but it did take the whole bike lane and had a bike traffic jam (about 10 bikes) behind it. but i didn't see anyone angry once they saw the kids

acidfast7

I do find the American family structure to be over-protective (I make this statement even though the comment was not from a person living in America.)

kevmk81

Awesome!! Just sent this pic to my wife

caloso

You asked whether you can tow a trailer with a road bike. It depends on the hitch, mostly. The Chariot uses a cup and ball hitch that attaches to the rear skewer and is held against the non-drive-side dropout. It doesn't matter what kind of bike or wheels you have and I don't think it puts any more strain on the rear triangle than a stationary trainer. You could attach it to a CF race bike if you wanted to.



That said, it might be worth it to scour the springtime garage sales for an old MTB. You'll get lower gearing, which you'll need if you have any hills, and you'll probably never go faster than 15mph with the kids in the back anyway.

bigbenaugust 

"Boys need trees to fall out of."

bigbenaugust 

Our piece of crap InStep has a similar hitch design. The problem I have had is finding a bike with enough clear space at the dropout if there is a rack installed. None of my steel-framed machines worked with it, but both of the aluminum-frame ones did, and my CX bike has plenty of gearing for the trailer.

My friend hauls a Chariot with his TriCross with fenders.

kevmk81

You mean to tell me my 53-39 with a 11-23 cassette won't work? :-) lol... I have trouble getting up hills just by myself with the gearing I use. I'm def. gonna have to find a trailer friendly/geared bike. Our hybrid might work ok though... might give that a shot. I can put rear seating on that bike pretty easily. Trek FX something or other... don't remember which 7.x

modernjess

Are you sure you aren't his coworker?

cderalow

two isn't bad... 3 under age 6 is vaguely insane.


the burley has a similar design using the skewer to attach to the rear of the frame.

i'll second having a MTB or hybrid for the lower hill gearing, though I have had my kids up over 30mph in their trailer (downhill with a good tailwind)...

RubeRad

I am also thinking there's some unacknowledged jealousy or something going on here. I would ignore this jacka@@ as much as possible. Continue to ride, and don't gloat when you do.

And as everybody has also said, gaining a child (especially a first one) is a huge life-changer. Expect many things to change, be flexible, but I don't think your riding to work should be majorly impacted. Maybe once in a while you'll have to drive so that you can have the car to do some baby-transport-related task (and in that rare event, don't be surprised if your cow-orker jumps on the opportunity to say "I TOLD YOU SO"; just ignore him!) This kind of kid-transport thing becomes an issue more when they are old enough to be left places (for now daycare, but eventually school, birthday parties, sports practices, ...)

FYI my boys are 12, 9 and 7. I just started bike commuting in 2013. My commute is pretty easy (under 6mi each way) and my climate is ideal (San Diego), so I made a goal of wussing out (i.e. driving) no more than 10 times all year. So far I've driven 6 times already, 5 of them because my wife had to do something and needed me to pick up the boys from school, and once for a dr. appt. I'm trying to figure out the best way to restate my goal so that those types of driving days are not counted against me. (I have ridden through every rainy workday so far (only about 3-4 of them )

bergerandfries

SO, how many of you are married and with children and/or newborns? MWC, FIVE kids 2yr to 16yr.

Are newborns any different vs grown children for those of you who commute? Yes, errands for the older kids may hamper commuting, but maybe less than you think. I leave work at 4:30pm am home by 5:30pm and ready to shuttle kids.

Am I supposed to simply stop bike commuting (or cycling for that matter) simply because I have a child now? Of course not. Take a Traffic Skills 101 class to make sure you have all the tools to be safe on your bicycle. You stated a lot of moral reasons to ride; be a man and defend your adherence to your principles.

Is it bad for me to want my wife to drive the baby wherever we are going to end up having him watched while we are at work (she chooses to drive right now... her attitude might change in the future)? A car sometimes is the right tool for the job. I have the opposite problem in that my wife feels guilty for driving; I have to explain that a car is a tool and sometimes it is more appropriate than a bike.

Is the future really that grim for me? It is what you make of it. Smile, relax, and make it not grim!
Am I going to never ride again like this a**hole tells me? If you do what all a**holes in the world tell you to do, it is going to be a painful life for you. Recognize that certain truths are self-evident to you and ignore those that fly in the face of that.

Why is he being such a downer? It is called being passive-agressive. He has never liked your commute mode, and now feels empowered to be more agressive. Take a Traffic Skills 101 class, when he says you are being irresponsible, ask him how many motorists take Defensive Driving when they have a kid?

I'm sorry, but this is part of my life... so deal with it... or are they right? Don't be sorry. Educate yourself. Take Traffic Skills 101. Learn the TRUE statistics on motor vehicle deaths and injuries vs cycling and remind nay-sayers of that; if you even bother with them. Understand that Obesity, Diabetes, Stroke, Heart Attack are MUCH more likely to shorten your life than riding a bicycle for transportation. Bicycling for transportation keeps that crap at bay. I want to be alive and healthy to walk my daughter down the aisle when she weds: the problem is the assumption that a motor vehicle is going to help me do that better than a bicycle. You are struggling with this because our culture (read car advertising), government, and society push a motor vehicle as "safest", but your experience, and mine, is radically different from that "spin". Good luck, and God Bless.

tarwheel 

We had bus service when my daughter was in elementary, middle and high school but I wasn't bike commuting at that time. She went to the same elementary school where my wife taught, so we had no need for the bus. In middle and high school, her school was on my route to work, so I just dropped her off along the way. I didn't start bike commuting until my daughter went off to college, although I might have considered it sooner if I hadn't been driving her to middle-high school. You can't really carry a teenager in a bike trailer or seat.

bigbenaugust 

How about a cargo trailer, then? Strapped down, perhaps?

tarwheel 

That might work! However, the biggest problem with teenagers is the "embarrasment" factor. My daughter would not be seen in my presence when decked out in my bike gear, and most certainly would not have put up with arriving at high school on a bike.

cplager

On my bikes, the hitch rotates against the frame somewhat. On my aluminum bikes, it scratches the paint a little. On a carbon fiber race bike, I don't think you'd really want to do that...

Chris Chicago

when my 2yr old started preschool I would occasionally sit her on the rear rack of my bike and walk her there. one hand on the bars the other covering her hands holding onto the seat for a half mile, then ride to work.

having a newborn is when I realized I enjoyed bicycling more than I had thought. they suck the fun right out of your life for a while. it's like a bomb is dropped. was riding home one day and it dawned on me that it was the highlight of my day.

a child seat and then a trailer when her brother came along has been a great way to get out together and see stuff. discover new parks, hot dog joints, etc. so that's another way that having kids has made me enjoy cycling

DJ Shaun

All our public elementary schools have bus service. Most high school students get transit passes if they live too far to walk.

Here's what I've observed I'm in my city:
Some parents send their kids to a school outside their district so they don't qualify for the bus service so they have to drive them in.
Some parents live to close to get bus service (ie. close enough to walk) so they drive them in on there way to work.
Some parents are afraid of letting their older kids walk/bike on their own.
Some parents are always running late so they drive their kids in since they missed the bus.
There's also no bus service for those who send their kids to before and/or after hours childcare.

In my case, the school is across the street so we'll walk with them until they'll be responsible enough to do it themselves.

rumrunn6

for the OP ~ children have an affect on your decisions like you wouldn't expect. only you can make them but don't be disappointed in yourself if you make decisions based on your family. it will be different. but your coworker should be sensitive to the fact that these will be your decisions.