Is it hard to find time to ride and to take care of a baby?

Bought my bike brand new in 18, 1 year before my first was born. I put 200 miles on it (its a dual sport) the first year, my son was born in 19 and i currently have a total of 300 miles on it. Got my second one coming next month, and i am already prescheduling my ride days months in advance lol. however, I have two jobs, and my wife works, so we have to schedule EVERYTHING in order to find time for anything.

I'm rocking the 20 hour oil and filter changes, ride put the bike away dirty, and ride it just like that the next ride. X-ring chains are freaking sweet, no messy lube, and I only use tri-flow after a washing. I've put the same amount of time on my 19 FX in the last 2 months as I did the first 2 years, so it gets easier when the kid gets bigger. I've got another one on the way though so the bike will be garage art again soon.

Finding time for yourself and riding will now become more of a chore than you previously thought possible. But being a father is the most rewarding thing I've ever experienced in my life, for what it's worth.

Enjoy the time with the kids. Riding will be there as long as you are breathing and walking. Your kids aren't always going to want to spend time with you, so enjoy the good times and make memories with the family.

Congratulations, by the way!

I have a 7yr and 5yr old now. I always found time to ride but I had to do it in the dark. I invested in some serious lighting, got up early and went riding... At peak I was doing 300hrs in a single year in 2017, 250hrs in 2018, 200hrs in 2019... Weight training is been my priority since the end of 2019. I get up at 3:10am every morning and hit the gym. I'm home for 6am to have breakfast with wife and kids and off to work for 7:30am. I am always home by 5am and in bed for 8pm...just kinda the routine I developed that's worked good the last couple years... Just have to prioritize.

This is such a great topic and some great answers in here.

In my experience, and bare in mind I only have one 18th month old baby, is that there seems to be two things to balance up when you become a father and need to manage time more wisely. Which is your responsibility as a father and your own self care as an individual.

Obviously, first and foremost, be a good dad and embrace your responsibility as a father and all that entails, but once you have put in the work in the dad department and earned your brownie points from your WAG (British slang for 'wife or girlfriend', haha), then for the sake of your sake and your families, you HAVE to also take care of yourself; physically, mentally, spiritually. I've learnt that me continuing to ride and do what I love is so key to this and my relationships.

Saying that, I have been riding more MTB.

But in general I think our kids need us at our best and most inspired - not old, resentful, bitter fucks tired of life.

i quit riding for decade when my kids were born. Family first.

Riding with a youngster is definitely a balancing act. But teaching them hard work and dedication is a must. I’ll share my routine. I have a very supportive wife (that’s the key to all of this) anything I do she backs me 100% and she probably doesn’t understand how much I love her for this.

I go to bed at 9pm most nights. Up at 3:30 to hit the gym before the family rises. Off to work at 5:30am to work my 6-3 shift. Have my one on one with the boy until mom comes home from work usually around 6pm except her gym nights 7:30. I have dinner ready and dishes done every night for her so she can work and do her thing at the gym after work a couple nights a week. My mom comes over on Wednesday evenings to hang out with the boy I can either ride or get the lawn mowed whatever I choose. I race once a month and the family joins me.

At the end of the day both parents need to be happy and for most of us on this forum that involves some 2 wheel therapy. If you’re significant other knows this you will make it work! Best of luck and congratulations on the new edition to the family!

Cheers

I made sure I was over insured with both life insurance and disability insurance when we finally had kids. It may be hard to find time to ride when you have a new baby but it will be worse if you get hurt and can't take care of your family.

I bought a mtn bike and some new golf clubs because those can both be quicker ways to get some recreation in with the family. My kid has started to like mtn biking and my wife is starting to live golfing so that’s two huge wins for me. They both understand that riding is important to me but neither of them necessarily want to ride or spend all day at a dusty loud hot track and I understand that.

These days I’m just very selective of my riding. All the planets have to align for me to ride which drives riding buddies nuts but none of them had kids. The weather has to be perfect, the track has to be prepped or the event has to be a good one and I have to have work off. I only ride about 20-30 hrs a year but golf and mtn biking make it much easier to handle. Those two hobbies can be done whenever and much faster than driving 4 hrs total for an all day practice or race.

The last practice day I did was a great track but they split the day into 8 ten minute practice classes including splitting the 50’s and PW’s as well as three 4 wheeler practices! I got three 10 minute practices and I was there all day. Rather play 9 holes or go for a 7 mile bike ride and be done in 2 hrs max. You just have to prioritize and give your wife some free time as well! Good luck dude being a dad is rad as you won’t miss riding as much as you think you will, and you’ll appreciate the time you can ride that much more. I sure do!

I got into trials about the time my daughter was born. Easy to practice in the garage or backyard without taking away family time. Trials is a lot harder than it looks.

LOL, yes it is!!! but its darn fun too.

It depends on your circumstances. As a single dad that loves to make my kid happy I often struggle to find time to ride.

Does it suck to go a few months without riding sometimes? Yes. But I never regret putting my time into my relationship with my daughter.

Sometimes it becomes easier when your better half likes spending time at the track too. My mom liked spending time at the track, talking with other wives, watching family racing, enjoying the great weather. And when you go to the track with a VAN, you can take allot of things for your baby, so you can do the normal things you do at home just as easily at the track.