kilting talk at the bike shop

[Alan H]

I don't even HAVE a kilt yet, and it's already sparked some good conversations.

So I take my bike's rear wheel down to the bike shop that I go to and wait around while the owner takes care of some other folks. I haven't been there for a couple of months so we start yakking.

"What did you do this weekend?"

"Oh, caught a couple of Celtic bands up in Sonora on Saturday, painted the house this morning...nothing big. Had a great time in Sonora..."

I decided I'd say something to just see what happened...

"I've decided to make myself a kilt."

He says "A WHAT?"

"A kilt." Says I..."You, know a kilt. Like a Scotsman wears."

Well, the floodgates opened. Turns out he bought a used kilt in his family tartan a few months ago and digs it....told me all about how it felt wierd the first fifteen minutes and then he decided that he really could get used to this. Now he wears his kilt to a bunch of family functions and wore it to work the whole week of Saint Patricks day.

...so I'm digging this and nodding and then the guy who's there looking for a bike for his wife starts in. Turns out he's from Scandinavia and there's an analogous garment in his culture and he's got his grandfathers heirloom kilt and he thinks it's a blast to wear it whenever the family gets together....We had a great little three-way chat about kilts for a good ten minutes.

What a kick. The bike shop guy made me promise to wear mine in when I finish making it.

[bubba]

Alan, you'll get many more good comments once you start wearing a kilt. I've worn kilts full time since March and in that time I've only had 2 reactions that could be considered negative. You'll enjoy it, believe me.

[Raphael]

If people have not paid attention to your legs, they will notice them once you are kilted.

[bubba]

They sure will notice your legs, more than if you wore shorts for some reason.

[GMan]

Great talking up the kilt Alan Bubba is right on when he mentioned the comments after you start wearing one. Kilts are a great conversation starter

[Casey]

I have found that the closet kilters "show their tartan" regularly in conversations at the grocery store and other public places where one has the opportunity to speak with people.

Casey

[Hltoppr]

Kilts work great in bike shops...I was just doing a little repair work on my own bike this last weekend in the neighborhood shop (my friend's place) in my UK workman's. Really came in handy to have all the tools right there where I needed 'em!

-H-

[philbo]

Cool. Now you have some pals to share your first kilt-night with once you get your kilt made. I wonder what it is about kilts that brings people together.

[Robert Lamb]

Alan:
Elva and I went to visit my cousin on Sun. I was wearing my tan UK. Two of Scott's sons came over and the conversation got around to my kilt. So tried to explain the family tartan that are in our family tree
Scott, Lamont and Stewart. I also suggested they could rent a kilt for a few days, which is what I did when I started wearing a kilt.
The two sons are large persons and would look very good in a kilt but I don't think it will happen. But I will continue to talk kilts up to them.

Robert "the kilted" Lamb

[Rigged]

You just never know.

I was in Pittsburgh two years ago and stopped in a liquor store in a pretty bad part of town. I was wearing the caramel Workman's UK.

The store clerk asked me about the kilt. He was born in Iran (his family moved to Scotland during the Iran/Iraq war). He knew more about kilts than some of us on this list!

I'm trying to picture this from the point of view of the bro' standing behind me in line (with a bag of cheese puffs, a grape soda, and a pack of Twinkies).

"So there was this big bruthu from California wearin' this kilt thing that looked like a big tool belt in the liquor store down on Liberty Ave. talkin' kilts with the clerk who's an Iranian dude from Scotland. Damn! Hey man, roll me another one!"

You just never know.