Hunt for a new-dad bike

[greentimgreen]

Times, they are a-changing... Any day now I'm expecting the birth of my first born. It's an amazing time, of course, but in the context of cycling it's meant a reshuffle of my fleet. My beloved Condor Classico Pista with custom geometry and pain has gone (now that I'm a commuter, rather than a city cyclist), my Brompton is on order (limited edition nickel plated, naturally) but I'm beginning to plan a new new-dad bike that will enable me to, in 9-12months time or so, enable me to get some fresh air and explore the trails around Hertfordshire with my new baby in tow.

Some might think that this is not a weight weenies topic, but over the years I've really come to enjoy the agility and panache associated with a light bike, with high end componentry, and I don't really want to give that up. I will be keeping my Parlee Z-Zero, but likely to be selling my Colnago C60 to fund a new project.

Want list:

- disc brakes
- Light frame
- Something I can enjoy with or without a child seat attached
- Big tyre clearance (28mm +)
- Something unusual (no Treks,etc), and preferably with a nice paint job!

Options are:

1. Open U.P. - I love the look and spec of these things. Light, versatile, never seen one on the road yet, sounds like a perfect companion. As a carbon frame though, I'm not sure it will take a baby seat, which is the main function I'm after. A trailer might work, and I think these fix to the seat post but I need to do
2. Moots RSL Disc (or Vamoots DR) - glad to see that there is now an RSL disc on offer. It might be a bit too aggressive for a Dad bike, no to mention expensive, but if I choose ti then it's got to be Moots. The DR looks nice, but weighs a tonne.
3. Cannondale Caad12disc - lovely, no doubt, but quite common round my way. That said, it ticks a lot of boxes.
4. Dare I say it - just go for a light mountain bike? I saw a BAUM mtb on Twitter recently, and I can't get it out of my head!

I'd be grateful for any thoughts, and especially any advice from anyone who's crossed this bridge before...

[Valbrona]

Look, forget the cycling now you have a kid. When you are about 55, get the dust off the Parlee and start to enjoy your cycling again.

[greentimgreen]

very helpful!

[silvercivic27]

#1, as the father of 2 children and a man with a very busy career, I can tell you he's correct...and #2, I think it was actually a very polite way to say that we don't care about your very expensive bikes, nor do we care about what bike you're going to get...unless that C60 is my size and you're selling it cheap. Hope that helps!

[Mr.Gib]

No no, there still should be time for cycling.

Interesting that you are keeping the Parlee and selling the Colnago. That being the case I would highly recommend the Parlee Altum Disc. A perfect dad bike. AFAIK as light as any disc road bike, amazing paint (custom if you want it), quality construction, etc.

[greentimgreen]

Thanks Mr.Gib. It has certainly crossed my mind. Not sure how wide you can get tyres on it, might need to put a call in...

[carbonLORD]

Diverge carbon and get a Burley.

[Flapmeat]

You want something unusual but considering a caad12? Lmfao, can't take this post seriously

[thprice]

Get used to it:

[carbonLORD]

I mean, this is how my son and I roll...

[greentimgreen]

Excellent. Looks like a great setup @carbonLORD. Do you find that it kicks up a load of dirt and dust in to the Burley? I imagine fatboy tyres would be good for that.

With regard to the other comments about the seriousness of this post, and the option of a CAad12 - perhaps an all-rounder like this is a stretch too far, but I'm going to give it a try. I'm short of options, hence the post, and hence the CAAd12 suggestion.

Grateful for replies thus far, and the Burley idea looks great. That with an Open U.P. Could be the solution.

[tbrix]

Have you considered a cross bike? I got a Focus Mares 0.0 a few months ago and have been having a blast riding it on bike paths, trails and gravel roads. Fun, fast and works brilliantly as a commuter. My bike is really light at around 8 kilos and has big tyre clearance. The Focus cx bikes have great paint schemes too.

[greentimgreen]

Thanks tbrix. I haven't given it much thought, but you're right, that is a great option. These days 'gravel bikes' seem to be getting more press than CX bikes (at least in the stuff that I read) so it kind of fell off the list. I've loved the look of Focus bikes since their collaboration with Rapha a few years ago.

I saw a Canyon cross bike recently that ticked a lot of boxes, albeit with a light Alu frame and a fairly uninspiring pair job! So there's a few more options to consider- thanks!

[ChristianB]

Larry vs Harry,

Cool for kids, cool for commuting and cool for long rides. Can be set up with a great deal of customization. Don't know about availability in the states though.

[cyclenutnz]

Most of my Dad riding has been on dual sus MTB - Robertaxleproject thru axle adaptor for Thule Chariot buggy (we have the bike trailer arm, running wheel and little wheels). That has now progressed to a trail-a-bike.

Have ordered a bamboo frame kitset so my new Dad bike is going to be a hardtail 29er 1x10.
Soon building a Lynskey 29er for a friend for the same purpose

Having MTB bars is quite handy if you're towing something ungainly. And wider tyres good if you're trying to stay off roads with valuable cargo. We have some good bike paths that meant I could fit in a 90min ride on the MTB for one of her day sleeps.
If you want to be WW I'd go a carbon 29er frame, maybe rigid forks. Then build kit as light as you feel practical. Some fast rolling 2.2ish tyres so you can go anywhere.

Don't worry about building for speed/agility. Although my little girl decided early on that life begins at 40 (kph), in general the trailer means you'll be working pretty hard to hit 30.