30 something

[badlieutenant]

after spending all weekend clocking up k's seeing people ive noticed that most of the people I know are married with kids, so i was just sorta curious about the demographic of ppl in thier 30's who ride bikes, are single and finding it dammed hard to ride with any of thier old mates. Kids sports on saturday etc. Am I the only one? should I rush out and make someone preganant? :beer:

[SPman]

should I rush out and make someone pregnant? :beer:
Practice, practice and more practice..!:msn-wink:

[Madmax]

no kids heaps of bikes
one girl frend
shes even keen on going to the IOM TT
(two weeks of drunken dumb ase sh!t)

[Motu]

When I was 30 something,married with kids,I was riding bikes more than I do 20 something years later.Change your friends and get a life.

[badlieutenant]

When I was 30 something,married with kids,I was riding bikes more than I do 20 something years later.Change your friends and get a life.
hmm bit harsh. well done tho in managing to ride alot while raising kids.My friends are fine and kids is all good. I was only wondering if there were many ppl out there in a similar position to me. :calm:

[Jackrat]

Given that most people in their thirtys are married with kids I'd say your not normal mate :msn-wink: Errrrrr,that has to be a good thing huh.
When I was that age and in that position I still rode much the same as I do now but I did notice that most of my ex riding mates wifes looked at me as a major threat.Some didn't like me at all,odd huh.

[Holy Roller]

Its only a phase you go through, the kids grow up eventually... it may take a while depending on the number that one has. One has to have a well balanced life
ride, work, ride, work, wife, ride, kids, ride, kids, ride, business, ride, and of course those longer weekend rides to keep every thing in balance.

[badlieutenant]

Given that most people in their thirtys are married with kids I'd say your not normal mate :msn-wink: Errrrrr,that has to be a good thing huh.
When I was that age and in that position I still rode much the same as I do now but I did notice that most of my ex riding mates wifes looked at me as a major threat.Some didn't like me at all,odd huh.
bit of a bummer when partners put presure on at perceived threats. Im lucky, my mates still ride and some of them are starting to bring thier kids along and i dont mind fitting in with thier plans but I miss just getting on the bike at random and going any where for a beer or if in welly a coffee:D midnight exspresso yay :blah: what sparked my curiousity was an article I read recently about how people in thier 30's demographicly are more like the 20 year olds a decade or 2 ago. should just go on a rid with some KB's sometime soon :D

[badlieutenant]

Its only a phase you go through, the kids grow up eventually... it may take a while depending on the number that one has. One has to have a well balanced life
ride, work, ride, work, wife, ride, kids, ride, kids, ride, business, ride, and of course those longer weekend rides to keep every thing in balance.
seems to me yourv got it sorted :D

[Vagabond]

after spending all weekend clocking up k's seeing people ive noticed that most of the people I know are married with kids, so i was just sorta curious about the demographic of ppl in thier 30's who ride bikes, are single and finding it dammed hard to ride with any of thier old mates. Kids sports on saturday etc. Am I the only one? should I rush out and make someone preganant? :beer:
I'm in pretty much the same situation, only I left all my old mates back in S.Africa :whocares: :ride: as much as you can whilst u can :drinknsin

[badlieutenant]

I'm in pretty much the same situation, only I left all my old mates back in S.Africa :whocares: :ride: as much as you can whilst u can :drinknsin
fully agree with you there
After giving up bike for ex ive learnt never to stop doing the things your passionate about. regrets are lessons not learned.

[Marknz]

Well I'm on the wrong side of 35 and relatively newly single... will soon be back on a bike I hope and looking forward to a good NZ summer to ride around see some of the countryside. I'll change the 'single' if and when I meet Mrs Right, but not at the expense of my bike and riding... no chance of that.

[SPman]

fully agree with you there
After giving up bike for ex ive learnt never to stop doing the things your passionate about. regrets are lessons not learned.
When I was 30 +, I had to sell the bike to get 4 wheels for the wife and kids. The missus liked bikes, but I couldnt quite afford to get another one. The kids grew up and left home, the missus left home, the home left home and I had just enough left for a bike. It was like a junkie reintroduced to smack! I think I crammed on 35000 k the first year to make up for lost time. Biking is in your blood, almost an addiction.and if it is good, go with it! I would never give up bikes now, for it would be like..removing a part of who I am...a denial of self! Bikes take preference to house and all.(I suspect the money saved towards a house is going on another bike in the near future - your,re a long time dead)
I was just lucky in falling for a lady who rides...and who knows the score!

[LB]

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Badlieutenant and MarkNZ - I've had 4 weddings (so far) from my matchmaking so PM me if you're interested (it would only be with someone into bikes, obviously!)
.
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[Motu]

And yet in previous generations the newly married with kids and mortgage had to ride a bike because that was all they could afford.Is it the same world we are living in?

[toads]

And yet in previous generations the newly married with kids and mortgage had to ride a bike because that was all they could afford.Is it the same world we are living in?

We had a bike for the first few years of kid rearing for that reason motu, but it had no appeal to either of us, probably because it represented commuting, and having to do something.
Both Pete and I are non conformist and don't like being pushed around, we built and lived in a house truck for that reason, have tried total self sufficiency and whatever we have chosen to do, we have done together, I would not be interested in biking if he wasn't into it and vice versa, My suggestion to you BL, is take Lynda up on her offer, get married to someone bike crazy. As Holy Roller says kids grow up and eventually leave home, but people change and situations change, I make a point to make each day different in some way from the last, I can't stand repetition, all our friends are shackled to jobs with long hours, and have big mortgages, we have made it a priority to not have a mortgage, so we can have time to do what we want to do. We also have other interests beside biking, so if something awful happens and biking is no longer and option we will have some quality of enjoyment in life.

[Ms Piggy]

Given that most people in their thirtys are married with kids I'd say your not normal mate :msn-wink:

That makes me 'not normal' either. I've only just got into bikes so my friends weren't onto riding in the 1st place as well as doing the settling down thing :wacko:

Sooooo I've made new friends through riding! :niceone: Oh and met a lovely man :msn-wink:

[KATWYN]

Oh and met a lovely man :msn-wink:

Oh so thats why we have'nt heard as much from you lately...busy huh :love2:

[Ms Piggy]

Oh so thats why we have'nt heard as much from you lately...busy huh :love2:
Nah it's study that keeps me away :bye:

[Omega1]

Yep, I'm mid thirtys married no children (yet) all my friends are doing the parenting thing which is cool.It usually means arranging rides around children stuff eg rugby soccer etc.We still manage to got for a ride and I dont think I could give that up.I've just purchased another bike a Harley I thought I'd get it now as convincing a pregnant wife later on could be difficult,I hope I dont have to sell up my bikes its really sad when the garages empty and the Suns out (what Sun?)

[Motu]

Both Pete and I are non conformist and don't like being pushed around, we built and lived in a house truck for that reason, have tried total self sufficiency and whatever we have chosen to do, we have done together, I would not be interested in biking if he wasn't into it and vice versa,

Sounds like we have a bit in common Toads,maybe we've even met along the way somewhere,seems I've spent my whole life not doing what
they want me to,I'm on a mission....

[toads]

Sounds like we have a bit in common Toads,maybe we've even met along the way somewhere,seems I've spent my whole life not doing what
they want me to,I'm on a mission....

I reckon "they" have a lot to answer for eh Motu!,
"nil desperandum,carbornundom bastardom", ( don't let the bastards grind ya down)

[Dr Bob]

I made sure we bought a house next to the school, I send my daughter off to school in the morning and I watch her go into the classroom as I am putting on my gear - then off to work on the bike. Sometimes when I am out with my gear on I say ' I gotta go and pick up my kid from school' and people look at me wierd.

[Joni]

fully agree with you there
After giving up bike for ex ive learnt never to stop doing the things your passionate about. regrets are lessons not learned.

The person that loves you, should respect you things you do.... So never give up anything you love for another.
:sunny:

[Joni]

I'm in pretty much the same situation, only I left all my old mates back in S.Africa :whocares: :ride: as much as you can whilst u can :drinknsin

Well hello - en hoe gaan dit daar?? lol - hey us ex-pats have to stick together!!!

Seriously - I can relate to leaving friends behind back in JHB!!! kind of hurts, wondering when that will go away.
:Offtopic:

[badlieutenant]

cheers for the post's ppl, reasuring that im not the only one to be in my current position or to have made the mistake of giving up on an important aspect of my life. I think i did the same thing as u SPman in clocking massive k's in a short time, very therapeutic and good to remind oneself that you are still alive. I also wouldnt be surprised if a majority of riders also find repetition repulsive as defined by Toads, it is tolerable after a good ride though. And your not the only one to get funny looks Dr bob, was talking to my mate the other day and he told me hes had parent's come up to him and ask if its actually legal to have his nine year old on the back. Ive watched his son riding pillion heaps and hes a bloody good passenger. And as he pointed out to me, he'd rather his son had some idea what its like and what to watch out for before he ever rides himself (like give way and stop road markings in the wet :doctor: )
Thats a mean hit ratio Lynda! and they ride bikes! I think female motorcyclists are particularly appealing because straight away you know that there not conformists (having not met any this is an assumption). yourv got me thinking lynda..............may hear from me soon:D
MarkNZ, get a bike fast ! I cannot tell you how big the smile on my dial was after 4 years of not riding, and this was only 2 days after breaking up :D

[Vagabond]

Well hello - en hoe gaan dit daar?? lol - hey us ex-pats have to stick together!!!

Seriously - I can relate to leaving friends behind back in JHB!!! kind of hurts, wondering when that will go away.
:Offtopic:
Don't think it'll ever go away, but I must say it's been difficult especially comming out here all alone :blink:

[James Deuce]

It's a freaky scene badlieutenat. I've gone through weird patches of just not having anything in common with my "peer" group. I've had my kids in my late 30s so that immediately puts me out of whack with my peer group, because some of their kids have already had kids. Now we have little kids, it's hard to find people with enough energy to bother with reaching outside their vicious cycle of misery - oops - child raising duties.

My wife and I have been married for 16 years now, and quite a few of our friends have had kids, gotten divorced, remarried and had more kids in the time we've plodded along. Friends kind of come and go, and a lot of it depends on common interests. Go on a couple of KB rides and you'll find a lot of folks that end up making good friends.

The age hang up thing will go soon too, and you'll just be happy to have ANY friend, irrespective of age.

[badlieutenant]

It's a freaky scene badlieutenat. I've gone through weird patches of just not having anything in common with my "peer" group. I've had my kids in my late 30s so that immediately puts me out of whack with my peer group, because some of their kids have already had kids. Now we have little kids, it's hard to find people with enough energy to bother with reaching outside their vicious cycle of misery - oops - child raising duties.

My wife and I have been married for 16 years now, and quite a few of our friends have had kids, gotten divorced, remarried and had more kids in the time we've plodded along. Friends kind of come and go, and a lot of it depends on common interests. Go on a couple of KB rides and you'll find a lot of folks that end up making good friends.

The age hang up thing will go soon too, and you'll just be happy to have ANY friend, irrespective of age.
I think Ive been in auckland too long and have started to compare myself to my "peer" group, like that will mean anything. Your right, the age thing is probably my own vanity crumbling, should re-read desiderata more often :D
Im quite keen on going for a ride with some KB'rs, Ive not met many riders that werent good people, really enjoyed the john britton memorial ride out west for that same reason, those crazy scooter boys and that nutty pair on gsxr1000 I tried to hold off (like that was gona happen lol). Be good if that happens again next year :mobile: :niceone:

[LB]

.
.I guess I'm not quite the norm in that I'm female and have always been deeply passionate about bikes, racing, and riding. Both my husbands have been into bikes. I couldn't imagine having a partner who wasn't as passionate about bikes as me - it simply wouldn't work for me. We have no kids, by choice (they've simply never been on my agenda and these days we are able to have a choice in this matter.)

We know several couples who are in the same situation as us, but it's not "usual" - but then :whocares: - we do what we do for ourselves, not to please others. and there's more females riding these days (god, doesn't that show up my age!!) which is really neat.

Bike people generally tend to be really neat people: passionate, indiviualistic and caring towards other bikers.

Badlieutenant - I don't quite belong in the "30-something" demographic though - and I can't say it's because i haven't reached there yet!!

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[maybe]

Married with kids is only an excuse for those that are not seriously into there riding : :nono:

[ching_ching]

should I rush out and make someone preganant? :beer:

Yes! Good book says, "go forth and multiply and replenish the earth" (back me up Zed :niceone: )

I'm 38 now, took up biking when I was 36 and had never been on a bike before that. Tis never too late. Prefer to ride alone but if I happen along another rider on the road tis all good too.

ching_ching

[Kickaha]

Badlieutenant - I don't quite belong in the "30-something" demographic though - and I can't say it's because i haven't reached there yet!!




No,but you could have said it's because you've already passed right through it :msn-wink:

[Skyryder]

When the kids were young and I was not working all I had was a Honda 250 trail. But most of my spare time was salmon fishing so the biking bit was way on the back foot. However if you are going to have children or already have them there is no contest. Would I sooner go off biking or fishing or spend time with the kids and their friends and parents (our friends) etc. No contest. The kids come first hands down. They are a hell of a lot of fun. You have them for such a short time enjoy them while you can 'cause oneday they'll be gone. Now I ride when I can.

Skyryder

[toads]

When the kids were young and I was not working all I had was a Honda 250 trail. But most of my spare time was salmon fishing so the biking bit was way on the back foot. However if you are going to have children or already have them there is no contest. Would I sooner go off biking or fishing or spend time with the kids and their friends and parents (our friends) etc. No contest. The kids come first hands down. They are a hell of a lot of fun. You have them for such a short time enjoy them while you can 'cause oneday they'll be gone. Now I ride when I can.

Skyryder

this is very true skyryder, and they only get one childhood too, better they actually get to know their parents eh!!

[scumdog]

When I was that age all I could afford was a Honda XL350, top speed 130km and change, tons of torque and fun on tar-seal with knobbly tyre on a wet day.

[Artifice]

i find my problem is keeping the motorcycle in running condition.
hopefully it'll be 100% early next week.

[Bob]

Married.

No kids. No urge to have them (understatement of the year - we've actually both yelled at anyone who asks "When you going to have kids then?" We never, ever want them).

Both ride bikes. She isn't tall enough to ride mine, but I get the go-ahead to ride hers if she is away or it needs dropping at the dealers or whatever when she is at work.

Seems like a good solution to me!