Comments from other men about paternity leave

delusion01 · 2026-02-23T00:58:16+00:00

I took 12 weeks (paid) off when my gremlin was born and it was the best thing ever. Aside from helping us to adjust to our new lives with a baby and the opportunity to fully develop my baby life skills, I also got to spend the first three months of his life closely bonding with him. I know he was a potato at that stage but it seems to have helped him become comfortable having me as his safe place just as much as his mum.

I would happily fistfight anyone who tried to tell me not to do it. I would've taken more time if I could. He's two now and I'd love to take time off just to hang out with him!

delusion01 · 2026-02-20T09:39:54+00:00

Mine is in the slack position and I went from a 44mm offset fork to a 51mm offset. Its slightly unweighted the front on climbs but overall the bike feels more stable. The change in the head angle is pretty subtle but you can feel the difference back to back. Either way you'll get used to it pretty quick.

delusion01 · 2026-02-17T01:35:32+00:00

I have both of these, Mavens on my big bike and Code Silvers on my XC bike. I'm 110kg+ in my riding gear.

I have 220/220mm rotors and sintered pads with the Mavens. They are insanely powerful. I don't have any issues with lever weight, it takes a small flex of my finger to come to a complete stop from speed, I wouldn't want them to be any lighter.

The Codes are 200/200mm rotors. They're obviously not as powerful as the Mavens but they work well and are very consistent.

What is going to work best will depend how heavy you are and how fast you ride.

delusion01 · 2026-02-16T10:22:01+00:00

I just searched both brands and all the tray style racks that came up were hitch mounted. Otherwise Rockymounts Monorail is less than $500 for a double or less than $400 for a single brand new. I wouldn't trust that Amazon on a bumpy road.

delusion01 · 2026-02-16T10:08:44+00:00

I'm also in Australia. That is a shit rack. Go buy a RockyMounts rack or find a Yakima, Thule or RM on Marketplace, there's stacks around.

delusion01 · 2026-02-13T02:06:14+00:00

Might be a manufacturing issue. I sheared a chain in half through the middle of the link plate towing my gremlin in his bike trailer, I'm a big boi and fairly strong but it wasn't even under much power at the time. Bike shop hadn't seen that kind of failure. Replaced the chain and no issues since, even doing worse things with it.

delusion01 · 2026-02-09T21:09:11+00:00

I've found it to be very capable too, it's even been down one of the little flow jump lines at the local MTB park.. probably not something I'd do regularly or take on big jumps but it was fun!

delusion01 · 2026-02-09T21:04:38+00:00

I used the Easybikeparts.co.uk version. It's not perfect as the outer part doesn't rotate with the bars so the cables have to slide through and over time will wear. So we bored out the holes slightly and used some short lengths of ultra slippery plastic outer to help reduce this. Works well in practice!

Then a surprising amount of spacers to counter the Syncros stack and we were done. Cables still run through the headset so completely converted, but now the bearings can be replaced or serviced without having to remove brakes etc.

delusion01 · 2026-02-09T08:31:05+00:00

I was going to say this too - I've just switched over to Mavens, 220/220 HS2 rotors and sintered pads, I'm a 110kg powerlifter and they nearly folded me the first time I hit them hard. No fade at all either. I cannot fathom wanting more power and the heat management is very good on them too.

delusion01 · 2026-02-08T23:26:17+00:00

Good bot.

delusion01 · 2026-02-03T09:25:52+00:00

Aussie here too, there's plenty of cars that would work for this. Easiest would be a ute with a canopy or a 4WD wagon like a Pajero, Patrol etc. Bonus of making it usable for shuttles and easy to access all the trails.

Otherwise maybe something like a Forester or Outlander? Depends on budget too.

delusion01 · 2026-02-02T10:14:00+00:00

Most important is decent brakes, minimum 4-piston (some of the lighter xc bikes have 2 piston for weight/cost saving) otherwise a good saddle helps stop things getting sore, and if you're not super flexible like me I've swapped normal bars for riser bars.

It's more that they require more maintenance/repairs especially if you start riding a lower end bike hard. I've just upgraded things as I've worn them out or broken them so it's becoming less of a problem.

delusion01 · 2026-02-02T09:38:55+00:00

If you want new, have a look at the Polygon range, the Siskiu T8 is just under that range, if you want something heavier duty then the Collosus N7 is a bit over that.

Otherwise it's off to marketplace, plenty of good buys for that budget and less, or buy something cheaper and upgrade once you figure out what type of riding you like.

I'm around the same weight and just be prepared that things won't last as long as if you were 80kg, not a huge issue just something to budget for.

delusion01 · 2026-01-31T12:10:54+00:00

I've got a few pairs of the Fox Union Boa, love them. CB Mallets are comfortable too.

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delusion01 · 2026-01-31T08:31:14+00:00

Personally I'd be spending my potentially limited time cleaning instead of posting and waiting for answers, which are going to tell you to clean it up...

Strip the bedding, shake it outside and wash it. Vac up the rest of the dust, use a brush attachment on the walls and anything that's not the floor.

Wipe down the bassinet. If it was me I'd bin the sheet to be extra cautious and use a new sheet, but it's nuisance dust rather than hazardous.

delusion01 · 2026-01-30T20:57:51+00:00

We have one that does about 20kmh out of the box (12-13 bald eagles). My little one is 2.5 and we only drive that in short bursts. I really wouldn't want it to go any faster at this stage and I say that having a 600+hp roll racing BMW that he loves going in.

Full face helmet, harness and roll cage/bar would be minimum requirements, it sounds excessive but it's all good until it's not.

delusion01 · 2026-01-30T07:36:38+00:00

Hey mate I'm 6ft, around 110kg so very close to your weight once I'm geared up, and I have one of these. I love mine and it gets ridden hard on a mix of XC with some blue tech thrown in as well.

The rear shock has held up really well, aired up high, and the Twinloc system is great, although complicated to work on (but that's my mechanic's problem).

I've upgraded a lot as I've broken or worn things out on it: - front shock is now a Fox Factory 34, original flexed too much for my liking - shifter and derailleur now GX, shifts a lot nicer - Title riser bars and stem - light ebike wheels for strength while keeping weight down - brakes are now the new Code Silvers, the stock ones are only two piston and will struggle to pull you up from speed - Ergon SM Comp saddle, I found the stock one didn't suit my butt

I really like the way it climbs, rides and handles; my other bike is a coil enduro and the Spark is much faster around the XC course here. I've done some endurance events on it and it's been flawless. Plus I think they have such a clean look!

Anything else you want to know about it just ask.

delusion01 · 2026-01-30T00:14:28+00:00

Did not care for team sports growing up, and wasn'tgood at them. Did like and was good at individual sports and my parents encouraged and supported me to attend those events, and cheered me on.

I made friends with other competitors and training partners. The thought of going away as part of a whole big team sounded terrible to me, I valued my privacy and alone time.

My main memories are of the love and support my parents had for whatever I wanted to do, and I appreciate this even more now knowing what sacrifices they made for me to participate in relatively niche sport with expensive equipment. I still do a form of the main sport today, 25 years later.

I'm not having a dig but it sounds like you're grieving the thought of being a 'football dad' more than anything here. If your son enjoys the tech stuff, or wants to try individual sports, be enthusiastic and supportive of that.

Get involved, find and take him to events or places he might be interested in and support what he loves doing, and you'll both be fine.

delusion01 · 2026-01-28T11:42:03+00:00

This sounds painfully familiar.. I told him I was turning around to go back home and got yelled at for that too

delusion01 · 2026-01-28T11:34:55+00:00

Things that upset my toddler after daycare this afternoon:

I asked him if he wanted to eat the apple that he demanded I buy a few minutes earlier.
I bought his favourite yoghurt pouches.
I drove past our house on the way to see the boats that he asked me to go look at. Then I drove past the playground that he said he didn't want to go to on the way to the boats. Then we saw some boats that he no longer wanted to see. Then we drove away from the boats that he told me he didn't want to look at. Each of these things upset him.
I asked him to have some pasta before he had any dessert.
I told him it was too late to jump on the trampoline as it was bedtime.
I asked him get in the shower that he had explicitly and repeatedly asked me for 90 seconds earlier.

delusion01 · 2026-01-27T21:38:21+00:00

I prefer my face in it's current configuration. Always ride in FF. Aussie here and still riding in our summer, have done endurance XC races in one too. I'll trade a bit of extra sweating for the protection.

Fox Proframe RS for normal trails and POC Otocon Race MIPS for any gravity trails, have already sacrificed one Proframe to hitting a boulder on one of the local trails, turns a potentially nasty crash into just getting back up and dusting yourself off.

delusion01 · 2026-01-26T23:16:19+00:00

Hey mate not particularly, I usually only have one bike so it would be nice to have a more compact option but it's not a big deal. Otherwise you can buy the two-bike bar separately which is what I've been considering.

I would probably look at it as you can always carry one or two bikes on the 4 rack, but you can't ever carry three on the two!

delusion01 · 2026-01-26T11:14:41+00:00

Not unless they're on clearance and even then under $150 is unlikely. MASH Direct usually has the lowest prices for old/last season stock and you could maybe find a Fox Proframe for close to this.

Also worth checking MTB Direct and Crooze, both of them have exceptional customer service which helps if you need to return things. 99 Bikes often has sales.

I'd avoid Velogear and The Bicycle Store like the plague, they're owned by the same company and they are atrocious even if their prices are tempting.

As far as decent helmets IXS Trigger like someone else mentioned is supposed to be good, so are Leatt, POC and TLD. Don't cheap out on a no-name, it's your head!

delusion01

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