AIBU to cycle 7 miles with my kids for the school run?

[Yestoday]

I have DC 9, 6 and 2. We have just lost our second car and it might be a while until we get it back (3/4 weeks maybe?). DH can take the 2 year old to nursery on his way to work but he’ll need to leave at 7:15.

I was thinking I can cycle the older two to school and back each day. It’s 3.5 miles each way. We practiced today and it’s about 40 minutes one way. It’s mostly on field paths and farm tracks so safe enough.

Do you think it’s doable? I’d take drinks and snacks and change of shoes etc. I’m thinking they’ll be knackered the first few days but will get used to it. DH thinks I’ll end up begging friends to give us a lift after a few days!

For all the Raynaud's cyclists, if you suffer badly then consider asking your GP about nifedipine - I was recommended it by someone at a running club years ago, and it makes a world of difference. I used to end up with numb, white fingers even through gloves from touching the cold handlebars. If I take a pill twenty minutes before I go out, I can run or cycle fine even without gloves until it gets down proper frosty, then I do pop a pair on but it returns to "normal" chilly rather than partly disabling numbness.

Sounds like a great idea to me! We've just started cycling to school. There were a few whinges and moans, but now it's our preferred means of transport. The kids seem to get a real sense of pride from getting there under their own steam.
We're all fully prepared to get back in the car once the awful weather really kicks in though.

@Yestoday How's is going now your at the end of day 2?

We survived our first wet morning yesterday - one child had some old waterproof trousers on, the other didn’t as they haven’t arrived, but they got changed in the toilets first thing and apparently no issues. So that went well! And we’ve cut about 5 minutes off our time already so that’s going well too!

Whats not going well is I had to ask for a lift this afternoon as my undercarriage is so bruised I couldn’t face another ride! Currently said friend is on standby again for tomorrow so I’ll see how it is but I really hope to get back in the saddle (pun fully intended) for Monday. I’ve borrowed a heavy duty gel cushion from another friend’s DH but even so I think tomorrow will be touch and go.

And thats one thing I don't think anyone mentioned.

Glad the kids are doing well with it.

Ouch - I've had those bruises. Get a wide, very cushioned one. A cutout in the middle can be helpful so the outies don't get trapped 😅

I swapped to this one after my incident, but some bike shops apparently have a saddle library for test rides https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01H60FCRC

Padded shorts do help but you need several pairs washing wise, it gets more expensive than a single saddle.

Maybe I missed it but are you wearing padded shorts @Yestoday? A proper pair of cycling shorts with a decent chamois (padding bit) will make so much difference if you've just suddenly started doing 4 rides a day. You can just wear them under clothes, a bit nappyish but they work.

Big wide gel seat is what you need

We cycle for miles, usually around 20-30 on days out, I never feel bruised and neither does OH. We just wear jeans or tracksuit bottoms, so nice and loose.

Ladies specific saddles are wider than men's. And designed for wider sit bones.

Fair play to you. Yous are all doing great.

push through the discomfort. it will pass. so long as you keep doing it.

Ironically I find my skinny Liv racing bike saddle more comfy than my bigger padded e-bike saddle. Either way padded shorts and time on the bike (ouch) will help. Good luck!

There is a reason why pro/ serious cyclists all use skinny saddles - despite what people might think long term they are far better for comfort and reducing nerve pressure than big fat padded saddles.

I agree with the advice to get some proper cycling shorts. You can get undershorts to wear under normal clothes if you don't want to go out in actual cycling gear.
Prevention of saddle soreness is quite a complex matter and can take a while to fix as there are lots of potential factors but if you're not wearing padded shorts that would be my starting point.
Saddle choice is really personal. What works for one person can be agony for another and most of the serious cyclists I know have multiple saddles they've tried and rejected lying around the house! Cut outs and pressure relief channels are great if they are in the right place for you but can be excrutiating if they're not. Big, very padded saddles, especially cheap ones, are often actually not that comfortable after a while because the padding compresses unevenly and you get pressure points where a lot of your weight is onto a hard, unyielding plastic shell underneath. Less padding and a saddle that is engineered to have a bit of flex in the wings is often better. But fit is key and it can be both time consuming and expensive to get the right one for you.
Saddle position and bike fit can also make a big difference. Even small changes can make things a lot more comfortable. If you have a good local bike shop it may be worth aaking their advice,
And some of it will be just a matter of time. Going from very little cycling to 14 miles a day is a big thing and you'd probably get some soreness even if you had top of the range kit, your ideal saddle and a professional bike fit. I notice a bit of saddle soreness even if I've had a couple of weeks off the bike for some reason but after a few rides it settles.
So to some degree it's to be expected, but you can almost certainly improve things and the quickest and easiest thing to try is probably padded shorts. And I cannot stress this bit enough....do not wear any underwear under cycling shorts!

Yeah I was going to say I find the thin hard saddle on my road bike the most comfortable, you just have all the weight on your seat bones. But I think it's quite personal, depends on individual anatomy. I know some women love the cut out ones. I don't bother with padded shorts unless I'm planning to be riding for several hours at a time but they definitely do help if you're feeling bruised.

There's also just definitely an element of conditioning and going from 0 minutes to over 90 minutes of saddle time a day is a bit of a leap. Simply getting used to it is what will help the most. Hang in there OP, it will get better.

You see easily how things can escalate into buying more and better stuff, but don't be sucked into that nonsense after just a week.

Oh, and chamois cream. Again, it's a personal thing that helps some people and not others. I put some on if I'm going for a longer ride and think it makes a difference, others never bother. But it's a realitively cheap and easy thing to try and us unlikely to make things worse!

Sounds my idea of hell

and I would be begging lifts esp with our weather here

we have one more week of school then 2weeks of half term - when is your half term @Yestoday

impressed you have done it well this week

cushions for your undercarriage 😂

December? OP is saying 3-4 weeks from early October. Calm down 😄

Your poor bum! Unfortunately the only way it will go away is if you keep riding.

Stay in the saddle, you're doing brilliantly.

Yestoday
I've been following this thread and never thought about the 'saddle sore' aspect. As soon as you mentioned it I winced for you.
I'm glad it's going well apart from that.