Scotland - pads?

ashfanman

Heading up to Scotland soon for my first taste of MTBing north of the border, and wanted to see if people think it's worth me investing in some knee pads. I haven't bought any so far as it's always felt a bit unecessary for most of the riding I do, but I've never been on any of the Scottish trails before so don't know what to expect.

I'm going to be doing Innerleithen, Glentress (red), Ae, Mabie and Dalbettie.

What do you think?

Anonymous

I always wear knee pads if I'm planning on ragging it off road. I've clouted my knee way too many times, and I'm paranoid about it now. :oops:

I'm going up to Glentress for a week in September, planning on playing on the freeride bits, and maybe a few DH runs in Innerleithen, as well as the regular trails.
I'll definitely be wearing my knee pads, and since I have no idea how "freeride" the freeride bit is, I'm going to pack my pressure suit as well just in case.

I heard it said best on a programme about Whistler. there was a guy who was wearing full body armour, who explained that if he fell off on the first day, and got a niggling injury, then the rest of his expensive riding holiday could be ruined, whereas with all the gear on, if he falls off, then he just gets back on to carry on enjoying his fortnight there.
Seems like a seinsible idea as far as I'm concerned.

cee

when riding natural trails up here (i.e local around the pentlands near edinburgh) i do not wear pads....done some pretty meaty big hill riding in the highlands, and never worn pads....although some bits it might have been a good idea....

Innerleithen.....XC, generally just knee/shin guards (I only have one set which are the knee/shin combo.... if I had just knee guards, I would probably wear them).

Innerleithen DH....full power ranger get up definately....

Glentress.....really depends how I am feeling...if its just a fizz up in the freeride area, then full facer, and knee/shin guards.....riding the trails, generally just my normal lid, and no other pads, but sometimes will wear the knee guards (especially on the black route as there are some pretty rocky sections.)....never used upper body armour at glentress.

But then..I live here.....its not a holiday and as yeehaa says...if you take a digger on your first day and are laid up for the rest of the holiday then you are gonna be mighty miffed......

Knee/shin guards are definately a sound investment and if you would feel more comfortable wearing them.....then go for it.

Anonymous

cee, that's useful advice on the kind of trails to expect, thanks.

When I ride the mountains or quarries, or Coed y Brenin round here etc, I will often wear less protection than if I was doing the same thing on a week/end away. But I'm not too far from home, and limping into work isn't so bad as wasting a week off!

RealMan

Just because youve gone into a different place doesnt mean you will take more risks then you usually do. Just wear what you normally wear, and ride how you normally ride.

cee

RealMan wrote:

Just because youve gone into a different place doesnt mean you will take more risks then you usually do. Just wear what you normally wear, and ride how you normally ride.

tking more risks wasn't the point....the point was...if you come to scotland for a weeks riding...and fall on your first day.....you could ruin the rest of your holiday....if you were padded, then you are more likely to be able to continue for the rest of the week....so the opposite is true..instead of taking more risks, it might be a better idea to further mitigate the risks you already tae/

I do agree that you should ride always within your bounds, but even on your local loop, you can take a diver.

RealMan

Ok then, if you find you fall off a lot, wear pads. If you dont, dont bother.

gavmac

Absolutely, I ride most of the 7 stanes. Knee/shin and elbow/forearm for me even riding the green with the kids who I make wear their pads. I don't care what the style police say.

infoxicated

RealMan wrote:

Just because youve gone into a different place doesnt mean you will take more risks then you usually do. Just wear what you normally wear, and ride how you normally ride.

Yeah, but familiarity breeds contempt, doesn't it?

I'm going back and doing some trails now that I used to do on a hard tail 12 years ago and I cannot believe how frickin' crazy I was. I feel pretty vulnerable with just a helmet on, but back when I was doing them all the time I didn't think they were a big deal.

So I think with trails you do all the time you just get a bit too comfortable with your own mortality. It's good advice to take precautions if you're going somewhere new - there's always corners that look like something you've tackled 1000 times before, that suddenly catch you out.

If Clarence Worley had been a mountainbiker, he'd have said "it's better to have protection and not need it than to need it and not have it."

counterculture

ride in whats comfortable, i fell off wearing knee and shin pads and the buggers slipped on landing and i gouged a hole in my knee, even wearing them doesnt prevent everything.

however you dont wanna splat yourself on the first ride and spend a couple days in Borders General with something that couldve been avoided

Raymondavalon

Knee pads at the very least.. nthing worse than trying to pedal back to base with a bruised / injured knee..
Prevention sure beats cure.

cee

RealMan wrote:

Ok then, if you find you fall off a lot, wear pads. If you dont, dont bother.

you seem to be missing the point on purpose.....

how about...every man decide for themselves?

el loco pollo

It's not up to anyone to tell you what to do. If you want to wear pads wear them, if you don't, dont. Sh*t if you want to wear a pair of wellies and a trilby go for it, it's nothing to do with us.

keeko

Unless you`re particularly gash on two wheels you shouldn`t need anything asides your helmet. Nearly everybody rides within their capabilties so if there`s anything thats beyond you you`ll have the sense to admit it.
The riding is fun and varied so only you`ll know what you`re comfortable with

delcol

i was thank full of my knee and elbow pads on my hol to whistler in may had a big off on beaver pass elbow pad saved my hol..

and had a off on river run through it not only did knee pad save my day and my hol but probably saved me a huge ass expensive med bill to...

elbow pad also saved my day at gisburn forest the other week wet wooden board walk section....

dave_hill

keeko wrote:

Unless you`re particularly gash on two wheels you shouldn`t need anything asides your helmet. Nearly everybody rides within their capabilties so if there`s anything thats beyond you you`ll have the sense to admit it.

But on the other hand, if you don't push yourself how do you find your limits?

I hardly ever wear my armour on a normal trail ride unless I'm going somewhere VERY rocky/technical, but on the other hand I always armour up for trail centre riding because I like hanging it out.

I've had a few offs at trail centres (something I hardly ever do on a day out in the hills) and I've been able to ride away with nothing more than a bruised ego. Looking back at some of those offs I might not have been so lucky if I hadn't been wearing protection.

Anonymous

keeko wrote:

Nearly everybody rides within their capabilties...

Actually, the reason I enjoy riding is because I like to test and stretch myself. Pretty sure there's a hell of a lot of others who do the same.

Northwind

cee wrote:

tking more risks wasn't the point....the point was...if you come to scotland for a weeks riding...and fall on your first day.....you could ruin the rest of your holiday....

This is liquid sense Even one of those little falls that just leaves you sore but which will be gone in a week is enough to take the shine off your holiday after all. Pads aren't just there for the big ouchies.

Lots of people talk about "riding within your abilities". How exactly do you do that on challenging trails you've never ridden? Stop before every corner and feature and have a look? It'll take you a long time to get down caddon bank at innerleithen that way... Or you could use all the chicken runs. But if you actually want to ride the route "properly" on the first hit then there's definately a risk there. The trail isn't so much dangerous, just that it's quite high consequence,- bigger and higher speed drops, narrower landings etc.

What do you fancy at GT? Red or black? The red's a much more sensible affair there, sure you could hurt yourself but not if you keep your neck wound in, most crashes on the red are either from carrying far too much speed, trying to ride it with a woeful lack of skill, or just doing something daft. All the features are designed to be predictable and usually have good sightlines, bar the jumps and drops on spooky where the horizon is pretty close, but they've got straight runouts and good landings. It's genuinely a route you can attack decently hard without having to know it.

keeko

dave_hill wrote:

But on the other hand, if you don't push yourself how do you find your limits?

I hardly ever wear my armour on a normal trail ride unless I'm going somewhere VERY rocky/technical, but on the other hand I always armour up for trail centre riding because I like hanging it out.

I've had a few offs at trail centres (something I hardly ever do on a day out in the hills) and I've been able to ride away with nothing more than a bruised ego. Looking back at some of those offs I might not have been so lucky if I hadn't been wearing protection.

Most people have a fair idea after a couple of years riding of what they can and cant do. What I`m saying is its up to the indivdual to decide how good they can ride a bike at a trail centre. I ride the seven stanes regular and most of them for all their hype are smooth gravel paths.
The black routes do have rocky drops (the slab etc) and there is hurt yourself potential. Body armour in these sections makes sense and fair enough to the guys that can do them or try them but most people get off and walk them. I`ve seen it far too many times to dispute it.
If an individual wants to cycle around looking like Robocop on an XC red route then thats up to them.

Northwind

A smooth gravel path, apparently:

The Northern Monkey

yeehaamcgee wrote:

keeko wrote:

Nearly everybody rides within their capabilties...

Actually, the reason I enjoy riding is because I like to test and stretch myself. Pretty sure there's a hell of a lot of others who do the same.

+100

Tis one of the reasons I crashed 2 weeks ago!

btw.. i'd wear knee pads and elbow pads.they are the 2 main contact points (along with your head of course) that you should really protect IMO....

Kyle Straits saved my knees, and now have chicken wings to stop my elbows becoming ripped to shreds again

keeko

keeko wrote:

The black routes do have rocky drops (the slab etc) and there is hurt yourself potential. Body armour in these sections makes sense.

I never said they were ALL smooth gravel paths. Most are. GREEN, BLUE RED routes can be done on a racer. Fud.

Northwind

That picture's from the red You can choose to use all the chicken runs, or walk the tough parts, but then the question is why aren't you on the blue? if the OP's coming to scotland to ride the trails, he probably intends to ride them, not avoid them.

The Northern Monkey

Northwind
Is that the red at inners? reaaaaallly looking forward to it! Only got to do Glentress last time

I'm staying in Peebles for 2 weeks as of the 1st of August!! might se you about! :P

keeko

Northwind wrote:

That picture's from the red You can choose to use all the chicken runs, or walk the tough parts, but then the question is why aren't you on the blue?

Like to split the odd hair eh? 16 years I`ve been riding MTBs. If you want to `big up` your `extreme sport` to your boyfriend then go for it. The fact remains that the MAJORITY of trails in trail centres are rideable on a hybrid.

Northwind

bigbenj_08 wrote:

Northwind
Is that the red at inners? reaaaaallly looking forward to it! Only got to do Glentress last time

I'm staying in Peebles for 2 weeks as of the 1st of August!! might se you about! :P

Yep, that's (IIRC) the first drop on caddon bank at innerleithen. Immediately before that is another "smooth gravel path" consisting of 2 big stone steps with no chicken run

Might well run into you then, though I'm down south on the first weekend there If you time it right no doubt Keeko will be there on his racer too.

Chaz.Harding

keeko wrote:

Like to split the odd hair eh? 16 years I`ve been riding MTBs. If you want to `big up` your `extreme sport` to your boyfriend then go for it. The fact remains that the MAJORITY of trails in trail centres are rideable on a hybrid.

If you want to be funny about it, most of the TC's can be ridden on a UNICYCLES, ROADBIKES or even CLOWN BIKES. :shock: What's your point? (Must be thin air up on that mighty high horse of yours, right..?)

Some of us might not be as **awesome** as you, or been riding for nearly as long as you, so yeah, I need my armour, if of course, it's ok with you!

Plus, as others have said, I like to push my limits, ESPECIALLY at trail centres. If I come off and end up sh!t state, it's a pretty much guarenteed that someone else will be on the way down / round in a few minutes. So if I'm unconcious and / or bleeding out, I'm relatively safe (or at least in a better posistion than somewhere in the vast-ness of the downs on an epic, or where-ever...).

So I tend to use trail centres as 'skills' sessions - drops, berms, jumps etc. They all seem to be packed in quite tight, so you can get alot of technical riding done, in a very short amount of time or distance. It then better prepares me for my longer, more alone rides, where joe-public (be they walkers, cyclists, horse-riders or green-lane motorbikers) are alot more scarce. So I'll wear body armour, thankyou, and prevent injuries, rather than have to fix myself when I, inevitably over-estimate my skills, in what you will probably claim is my 'feeble attempt' to become a more proficient mountain biker...

The Northern Monkey

Northwind wrote:

bigbenj_08 wrote:

Northwind
Is that the red at inners? reaaaaallly looking forward to it! Only got to do Glentress last time

I'm staying in Peebles for 2 weeks as of the 1st of August!! might se you about! :P

Yep, that's (IIRC) the first drop on caddon bank at innerleithen. Immediately before that is another "smooth gravel path" consisting of 2 big stone steps with no chicken run

Might well run into you then, though I'm down south on the first weekend there If you time it right no doubt Keeko will be there on his racer too.

Awesome, definately gotta get there then!!

Well if you do see me say hi/take the piss outa me climbing hills etc

el loco pollo

Northwind wrote:

bigbenj_08 wrote:

Northwind
Is that the red at inners? reaaaaallly looking forward to it! Only got to do Glentress last time

I'm staying in Peebles for 2 weeks as of the 1st of August!! might se you about! :P

Yep, that's (IIRC) the first drop on caddon bank at innerleithen. Immediately before that is another "smooth gravel path" consisting of 2 big stone steps with no chicken run

Might well run into you then, though I'm down south on the first weekend there If you time it right no doubt Keeko will be there on his racer too.

Blimey no wonder it felt so tough when I did it in June - there are three of these in a row, I only just managed to stay on the bike. First time I've seen it from this angle! Thank you Northwind, my ego has just been massaged.

Northwind

What made me laugh with the big one is that even the chicken run would probably qualify as a red-level trail feature at GT

el loco pollo

bigbenj_08 wrote:

Northwind
Is that the red at inners? reaaaaallly looking forward to it! Only got to do Glentress last time

I'm staying in Peebles for 2 weeks as of the 1st of August!! might se you about! :P

Cool beans man, you'll love Inners. May see you in the Traquair Arms or the cool pizza shop on the high street!