Leisesturm

Actually, hard core road bikers rolling at high speeds do not use tire liners. More and more of them are running tubeless. Let's not even go there. It's average duffers rolling along at 10mph+ on Kenda Kwests and Schwalbe Big Apples that want a bit more flat resistance NOW that buy liners. They could, of course, chuck the (new) tires they have and put Marathon + on right away, but if you've just spent $500+ on a new bike you likely won't be thrilled with the idea of spending another $100 for a pair of Marathon Plus. Tire liners are that $20/pair stopgap that allows you to at least wear out the OEM tires.

But did you also miss the part where I said that a flat wasn't the only emergency that might stop a ride? I personally wouldn't have let my daughters ride 12mi without supervision. I let them have phones though. They (twins) just turned 30. You can't have it both ways. Leave a kid to it physically, but try to lock them down socially. Bad idea. Girls moreso than boys are very resourceful. Don't put a girl in the awkward position of diverging from age peers. Don't put a girl in the potentially disastrous position of having to ask a stranger for help. Consensus on BF is a rare and wonderful thing. I'm not shocked Larry Sellerz is the only one (besides you) who thinks keeping a vital communication link away from a vulnerable minor is a best practice. The rest of us are just hoping you don't have to find out the hard way that your paranoia is misplaced. You should be more worried about what can happen to an 11 year old riding a bicycle alone in ... wherever, in 2024, than what trouble she can get into with a stupid phone.