Interfering stranger lecturing my son about bike clothing

[Cyril Haearn]

Plus One
A long way from Vyrnwy

Cymru am byth!

[Cugel]

I'd be furious if a stranger started lecturing my son on something which was none of his business.

........

A child is not a possession over which parents have the sole ownership rights ... although many do treat their children in this way, employing them as ideology or religion repositories in the worst cases. Some treat them as dollies, through which they attempt to act out the modes they themselves cannot achieve.

Others get bored with them, as they would a hoola hoop; and so they end up in a virtual attic or cupboard under the stairs.

Is the former preferable to the latter? I feel neither is any good and that children, like other humans, should be treated as people.

Cugel

[Pastychomper]

This thread is the first I can remember that started with (an account of) someone telling off another rider for wearing a helmet, i.e. the other way around to normal. That's what makes it so remarkable to me.

Reminds me of the recent government consultation about home education (sorry to digress!). Among the catalogue of the potential dangers it was suggested that parents may not have asked the children whether they want to be home educated. It's a fair point, but it didn't seem to have occurred to the authors of the paper that no one ever asks school educated children whether they want to be at school. Myself - I would have loved the opportunity to decide.

Anyway, the point is that the orthodoxy is never seen as a choice. It is the natural way from which any deviation needs to be justified. The helmet is the default and the choice is made not to wear one. Until recently it was the same with beards. "Why have you grown a beard?" was the common question, even though the growing of a beard required no choice. Shaven people are rarely asked why they have no beard.

It's taken me years to unlearn some of the "life skills" I was taught in schools. How that method of education ever came to be seen as normal is beyond me.

+1,+1
Both are valid
Children could be educated in AND out of school. In fact they are, I learnt lots on holiday and visiting the grandparents and cycling/hostelling
..
Shaving is abnormal! Wiki explains how men were conned into it to sell razor blades
Mind, just read a free lifestyle mag. A barber recommends **oiling**!! ones beard twice a day and getting it trimmed every two weeks (€€€!), he says that beards have recently become fashionable or socially acceptable!
Anyone here shave? Why?

I shave for w*rk reasons, we use respirators often enough to make it worth keeping part of my own face smooth rather than relying on female volunteers from another lab. Still not convinced about the aerodynamic benefits though.

[100%JR]

OP, did you notice how the woman who was with the old man behaved when you challenged him about how he had spoken to your son?

Yes the lady said nothing at all.When I caught her eye she appeared to give a slight smile.Not sarcastic in anyway but more like just acknowledging me?

You seem to have missed the post that started that subthread with its "insurance requirement" myth, which now stands unchallenged in this thread again!

I am under the impression from both this and his last CC that it is a requirement for CCs who run GoRide to have Insurance and this requires the wearing of certain protective equipment.
I will ask on Saturday to clarify this.

[cyclemad]

there was always one person '' who knows best''
I was taken to task for wearing the wrong socks a couple of years ago by a ''gent'' from a local cycle club ......He made such a fuss and tried to make me look stupid in front of his full kit ******s !!!!

[bovlomov]

I was taken to task for wearing the wrong socks a couple of years ago by a ''gent'' from a local cycle club

Did you find out what was wrong with your socks? Until now I've not given socks much thought, but perhaps I should.

[meic]

In my case it is normally that I have worn them with sandals.

[100%JR]

I was taken to task for wearing the wrong socks a couple of years ago by a ''gent'' from a local cycle club

Did you find out what was wrong with your socks? Until now I've not given socks much thought, but perhaps I should.

It’s the too long/too short debate probably
The wrong colour also seems to come up too.

[gaz]

Riding with loose sock straps ?

[Tangled Metal]

Just switched over to my longer socks for commuting. Well I don't need the shorter socks for the lower down ran line because I'm unlikely to tan anymore this year.

Seriously though it has hit a bit cooler of late and my kalf merino socks really felt nice and warm yesterday. Autumn is here and I'm wearing my winter socks! I've hit nothing warmer for the coldest months. What's a good pair to get for winter commuting? Not bothered about some old person telling me off for the wrong socks. Just want warm feet for winter.

BTW when is the shorts to full or 3/4 length changeover considered acceptable?

[pete75]

BTW when is the shorts to full or 3/4 length changeover considered acceptable?

I think you may find that only plus fours with socks of the correct length and fit are acceptable. To be sure of avoiding lectures on dress etiquette in cafes they should be worn with a Norfolk jacket.

[Tangled Metal]

My grandad used to ride a bike like that. Never had plus fours but he did wear his BR uniform as it was his commuter.

[Audax67]

He's going to catch his foot in the mudguard.

[fionat]

What's a good pair to get for winter commuting?

I wear sealskinz - waterproof, but that makes them windproof too.

[slowster]

Autumn is here and I'm wearing my winter socks! I've hit nothing warmer for the coldest months. What's a good pair to get for winter commuting? Not bothered about some old person telling me off for the wrong socks. Just want warm feet for winter.

What footwear are you using? Rather than trying to find warmer socks than what you already have, it might be more effective to change your footwear.