I recently decided to buy knickers for cycling round town, but was astonished by their high prices. I compromised and found two pair of knickers which aren’t made specifically for cycling, and the combined cost was less than the price of one pair of the great-looking purpose-made knickers. One of my new pair of knickers is made of nylon and was designed for climbing, and the other is made of a cotton blend for general wear. I’ll give them each a try on my bike. When I need extra padding, I’ll wear them over bike shorts. I’ll be especially interested to find out how the cotton and synthetic fabrics compare.

If you’re old enough, you’ll probably remember when synthetic clothes were universally derided. No more. High-tech man-made fabrics have been popular for some time now. They come with a caveat, however. While I may be a convert to twenty-first century engineered fabrics (at least for some uses), I’m still hedging my bets. As I watch the cost of oil surge upward, I’m reminded that the price of synthetic fabrics will go over the top someday, too — sooner rather than later, I expect. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to outfit myself in synthetic cycling and paddling clothes as long as the price is right, but I’m not about to throw out my serviceable wool sweaters and pants. Getting fleeced is one thing, being fleeced is something else. I don’t warm to that idea at all.