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I will not ride w/ noticably more gear on than my passenger
here's why... if i have a passenger on the back that's not wearing the proper gear... well.. first of all, they won't be on the back.. i require at least jeans & a helmet, preferably close toed shoes. but if they're not wearing a jean jacket & boots or something, i'm not gonna throw on my boots, jacket, gloves etc because then i'll feel safer than my passenger & won't be as concious of their vulnerability... it'll put a little more reason in the back of my head as to why i should ride as safe & conservative as i possibly can. also, if i hop on the bike wearing 100% of my gear my passenger will probably think "hmm.... should i be wearing all that stuff too?" Taking someone for a ride isn't about making them nervous... it's about making them feel as comfortable as possible & showing them that riding on the back is safe & fun.
anyone else feel the same way?
Anyway, this comes up from yesterday when i took my aunt out for a little jaunt. (heh... "aunt for a jaunt".... i just noticed that) i loaned her a pair of jeans & my extra helmet, but other than that she was wearing a t-shrit & birks on her feet... i wasn't about to throw on my boots, gloves & jacket for the reasons stated above... we went out, did some nice empty back roads at a very easy pace & she had an absolute blast... she used to ride on the back of a bike when she was young, but it was the first time she had been on a bike in like 30 years. She was on top of the world when we came back... that's what i was aimin for