Ask R7

Q: If a single dad brought his 6-year-old daughter into the men's locker room at the gym, there would be a big outcry. So why is it OK for a mom to bring her 6-year-old son into the women's locker room?

I find myself wondering what to do when I am changing into or out of my swimsuit and a young boy is standing there with his mom. I feel embarrassed for myself and the mom.

Should I say something to the management? The mom? There is a day care on site.

A: Who knows what circumstance leads this mother's decision to bring her son into the women's locker room. But you are right. There would be a big difference if a young girl was led into a man's locker room. In fact, I've never seen that happen.

Perhaps her son has mental challenges that make her hesitant to use the on-site day care. Bottom line, however, is rules are rules. Part of your membership fee goes to funding order.

And this question goes beyond the women's locker room or even the health club. Some people don't think kids even belong at a health club unless they are in supervised classes or family swim time. And I've sensed a kid backlash out there as a startling number of parents spoil their children, oblivious to the fact that not everyone adores them as much as they do. I saw a sign posted in a coffee shop the other day imploring, "Please watch your kids!"

Anyway, I suggest discreetly speaking with management and asking them to speak with the mother and/or make sure all members are "reminded" of what is and isn't applicable in this delicate situation. Don't over-react, whatever you do.

Kip Heilman, general manager of the Seattle Athletic Club Northgate, says:

"Our locker-room policy permits children 4 years and younger access to the locker room of the opposite sex. Once they turn 5 they must use a same-sex locker room. In such cases where the parent is uncomfortable sending their child in unattended, a staff member will assist the child.

"We have that information posted and generally make sure that parents are aware of the policy prior to joining.

"Handling an infraction would typically be reminding the parent of the policy, and that usually happens shortly after the fifth birthday . . . They simply forget the policy and are just going about their routine."

The Bellevue Club, says LenElla Tabor, director of sales and marketing, has four "separate" locker rooms for men, boys, women and girls. The women's locker room is connected to the girls; the men's is connected to the boys.

"It makes everyone very happy," she says. "We also provide daily day care on site with supervision. That eliminates any 'embarrassing' moments for father/daughter and mother/son issues."

Q: I have been riding avidly for quite a few years now and purchased a pair of Speedplay (a high-performance brand) pedals. One day, I was late for a martial-arts class and just threw on a pair of regular shoes and sprinted the whole way there on my bike. I noticed during that time that my pedaling was a lot more efficient, and I got there faster and with much less fatigue than normal.

The first day I went back to clipping in, I noticed a pain in the upper front portion of my knees toward the lower part of my quads. What is the problem here? I have tweaked the positioning of the cleats a few times now and had little improvement. What else could probably be the issue?

A: Cycling experts I talked to say it's hard to make a diagnosis without seeing the rider in action, but their first suspicion was that the saddle height of his bicycle might be at the root of his knee pain.

"When the rider rode in tennis shoes, he/she most likely was using a shoe with a thicker sole," says Zac Daab, founder of Cascade Bicycle Studio. "As the sole increases in height, the saddle is effectively lowered; the relationship between the muscles and knee change and facilitate a more comfortable/efficient pedal stroke."

The reader's choice of regular shoes allowed him to self-select a good position of the feet on the pedals, so his choice of a regular shoe or Speedplay cleat will allow his self-selection of the best foot/knee rotation in the pedal stroke.

The bottom line is that cleat adjustment alone may not affect the presence or absence of knee/quadricep pain; you must also take saddle position and pedaling techniques into consideration, says Daab. Knee pain can originate from a variety of sources.

Daab recommends meeting a professional bicycle fitter to assess saddle height and adjust the cleats.

Richard Seven is a Pacific Northwest magazine staff writer. He can be reached at rseven@seattletimes.com. Paul Schmid is a Seattle Times news artist.