I stopped by a favorite consignment shop after being at the barn all day. I kept getting inquisitive looks from a mother/daughter pair, something that happens pretty regularly when I go anywhere in public in my riding garb. And usually dirty and covered in horse hair. We were both near the front about to purchase our items when the daughter finally said to me, "Those leg cover things are really cute! Where did you get them?"
I was caught off guard, never having been complimented on any riding gear by a non-horsey person, so I responded, "Uh... well they're half chaps. For riding. They're in any riding catalog or tack store... I mean they're not really a fashion thing, they're for riding." "Well they're really cute!" The mom butted in and said, to the daughter, "Well you like riding bikes, right?".
What? Have you ever seen anyone riding a bike? Do they wear tan pants and heeled leather boots and a 'leg cover'?
"No, not bikes, for horses."
Blank stare.
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As seen on ebay:
"2011 NEW MODE JP BRAND cycling Jersey bib shorts set"
In their defense, the Pearl Izumi logo does look like a J and a P...
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I love love love REI- they have a wide range of products and their garage sales have AMAZING deals. However, they may not be the best people to go to as far as product knowledge goes. Their employees are expected to be masters of way too many things and it can be hit or miss on who you get.
Case in point:
REI worker asked me if I had any bicycle brand preference. I responded that my other bike was a Specialized, so I have some attachment to that brand. He told me this may prove to be difficult because Specialized went out of business.
"What?! Are you sure?" "Yep, the whole company went under." "Huh. You'd think I would have heard about that." "Yeah it happened about 4 or 5 years ago."
Interesting, considering the Transition I had was only 2 years old. And that the other stores we went to that day were stocked with the new 2011 models. Way to be, REI guy, way to be.
HAHA! Omg what a great story. It also made me think of the fact that (non-horse) people have started wearing barn boots around...like, the kind you clean out stalls in. WEIRD. I do not understand.
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