DXchulo

What more do you need to know?

What's so bad about the MTB and trailer idea? It will keep you strong and your kid will probably enjoy it. I'm sure you can find at least 30 minutes a day to do that if you really try. Keep the road bike around for when extra time pops up. If you get rid of it you'll have one more excuse not to ride, which it sounds like you don't need.

Paniolo

So what are your plans to maintain your fitness? Yes your family is important, your career is important but your health is also important and helps maintain the first two. Kind of like a 3 legged stool you need all three to be balanced. What does selling your bike get you? You will be dismayed at what a used bike will bring.

Much better to keep it around so you can hop on for a ride when the time appears. In under 6 months your kids schedule will stabilize and time will free back up. Why won't the commuting work, thats a great way to get in rides and has the added major benefit of getting rid of the daily work stress. Talk to your wife, maybe you can work in a regular weekend morning 2 hour group ride. Or get some good lights and find people who ride at night. The point is if you have a bike and a flexible spouse you will be able to work it into your schedule. You are going to have to work fitness into your schedule in any case.

edit: PS I am a single dad with 2 boys, I started riding when they were about 7, it was hard to fit in rides but it is possible. Like I said, you need some kind of fitness plan and no matter what you decide to do you will need to carve some time out for it someplace.

Pasqually

I was riding for many years and put cycling before some girl friends I had along they way, riding someimes 600k per week (sorry I can only think in Kilometers). So 20k - 30k per years sometimes.

Now I average 150-200 km per week. and around 10 000 per year. I have 2 kids aged 4 and 2, a wife (who works full time too) and our own business, plus the house payments, renovation, up keep all of lifes good stuff. My cycling is time alone, away from family, social time, exercise, male bonding everything all in one.

For the first year it was hard, got good then baby 2 came along it was hard. It is becoming much easier to ride again. I use the trainer somedays, in the nice sunny warm summer weather on the back deck, because I can't leave the house.

I still ride 6 days a week, I make the ride to work and back 1 1.5 hours long and do a 4-5 hour ride on Saturdays. My wife trains too and rides Saturday afternoons in the park (training loops).

Sell it if you need the money. If you don't need the money, store the bikes. I still have mountain, BMX, and a few road bikes. There will come a day again.

yogi13

Don't give up the ship yet. In a couple of months you could also consider mounting a kid seat on your road bike. It upsets the balance, but you can consider it a heck of a training aid, especially into a headwind. Seriously, a year or two will flash by, and then you'll have a bit more time (and energy) to hit the road.

gcl8a

Well, there's your problem.

Hint: The fact that men's boobs don't work can be used to your advantage...

sunninho

In an a year or so when you're kid isn't so needy, and you gain slightly more free time, you'll wish you had your bike.

Garandman

Unless it's a financial hardship, you've already taken the out-the-door depreciation hit, so keeping it for a while won't make much difference in your long term financial future. And a bike is one bit of "stuff" that isn't difficult or expensive to maintain. One hour a week is over 500 miles a year.

In the end it's only a mass-produced bike. So the answer is "it doesn't really matter," unless those funds could immediately and directly contribute to the welfare of your family. You are part of the family, and your health and welfare counts, too.

BlessedHellride

Sell it! Use the money on hookers and blow.

Seriously what response did you think you would get on a bike forum? Keep it and ride when you can.

trek1

You'll never get what you want for the bike unless you are just loosing interest all together and looking for an excuse to move on....DON'T DO IT!

corn oil

He's just over six months, just recently doesn't like his crib and on top of that he doesn't fall asleep on his own (our fault-first time naive parents). So my wife and I are tired and were going to try get him used to falling asleep on his own, in his crib hopefully starting this Friday night...

banerjek

Your wife is a wise woman. Listen to her.

If finding time to ride is an issue, a trainer might be helpful since you can use it while keeping an eye on the little one at the beginning. However, you will probably find more time to get on the road as time passes. Both you and your wife need to have activities you can enjoy.

Hoppy

Congratulations to you! I am glad you're keeping the bike.

I am facing similar kinds of decisions with regards to cycling, and time is precious. I'm sure you can
find a way to fit cycling in your schedule.

corn oil

-No showers at work and my job requires me to travel (by car) and deal with customers.

-My wife loves her sleep more than I do and since I'm the early riser she loves sleeping in on the weekends, which leaves the weekend morning group rides out for me.


-I can't imagine how you manage this on your own...

corn oil

It worked while she was breast feeding but now I have to step up to the plate...

corn oil

Very true...I never thought of it that way. Maybe I should go to a 'new parenting' forum and see if I get a different opinion.

ratebeer

Dear Corn, I was just in the same situation. Hang in there!

There is light at the end of the tunnel. Kids grow up quick.

I actually hadn't ridden in years but found that after the year of sacrifice and focus on the little one, the bike was the perfect way to get out and focus on myself and my health for an hour. You need exercise, you presumably like cycling and your situation is temporary. Trust your wife on this one.

DXchulo

So true. Exercise is a great stress relief and you'll probably get cranky without it. That's bad for your whole family. It's easier to maintain an exercise program than it is to start a new one. If you quit riding, sell your bike, and don't get your motivation back for 20 years (you hear these stories on BF a lot), you're going to be taking years off of your life and that's not good for your family, either. Not only that, but if you quit riding you'll get out of shape and that sets a terrible example for your childd in the overweight world we live in today.

bruce19

After having ridden your "expensive" (high quality) bike will riding a lesser bike cause you to want to ride more or less? If it's less, you may as well give up riding. You will just be frustrated. I started riding when my son was born. It's the best thing I did. And he, thanks to his dad, is now an avid bicyclist/motorcyclist at age 24.

blazer95

I have 1 month old twins, and still find time to ride. Not as much as before, but I do manage to get two or three rides a week. If you want to ride bad enough you will find the time.

Walter

I'll join the chorus of parents telling you that there's hope. They'll get older and opportunities will present themselves. Unless you were aspiring to race as a pro, bike riding can still be a real part of your life even with the addition of kids.

Also all of the other posters who are telling you that starting over from scratch will be a huge financial hit are spot on. Think of the full retail value of your stuff......

Even if the bike mostly sits for the next year it'll still be waiting for you when you're ready.

supertj

Don't sell the bike. I regretted selling mine unless you're reallllly that tight with money. Even if you're tight with money, biking is a cheap source of entertainment and excercise. If you sell the bike, you're selling it at a big loss and its going to cost you more buying another one down the road b/c you won't buy something less then what you had. Keep it!

bmfsiii

Hang in there, it will be tough at first. Try putting him down just before he falls asleep in your arms at first, and dont go running to him if he starts to cry. Let him try and cry it out for a few minutes. It's tough, I know, and don't beat your self up over being naive parents. We all make mistakes the first time around.

As I and others have said, Dont sell the bike, its not worth it. Good luck to the three of you.

oilman_15106

Just for the sake of argument here is an opposing view. If your storage space is very limited and you have a Mt. bike to get some exercise, sell the bike! Now here is the reason. When your ready to buy another road bike the technology will have advanced and you can buy a new bike for less money. A $1500 bike today is one that pro racers would have killed to own 10 years ago. What makes anyone think that this race to get better, lighter, cheaper is going to slow down? FSA is going to offer a road group soon(rumored) and who knows how much competition there will be when your ready. Quality wheels are dropping in price. bla, bla, bla.

tbrown524

Get a good light and go riding at 4am... I"m usually back home before the wife and kid are up...

GamecockTaco

I'm a father of 4. To get him to fall asleep on his own, you and your wife are just going to have to suck it up. Let him cry!!! He'll likely only do it for 20-30 minutes before he settles in. Whatever you do, unless it's his "help, something is eating me!!" cry, DON'T go in his room.

He'll likely do this for 2-3 nights before he's done and after that you'll have a MUCH easier time. Trust me, been there, done that.

It's torture to hear the little one wailing, but it has to be done if you want some peace.