How many wear Arm / Knee pads

Bungalow Bill

661 knee/shin for DH, if Im having a bimble just my kyles, and elbow pads or pressure suit agian depending on the ride type.

andyp79

I'm on the lookout for some knee pads at the moment. Hundreds of types to choose from.

I reckon they're a good idea if they're not restricting your movement. If they are, then to me they must be too small for the rider...? Or badly designed maybe.

I do and plan to do a mix of riding but the jumping and faster stuff is my favourite so full face lid and knee pads seem to be the way to go for me. Can knee pads really be a bad idea? You don't have to wear them by any means but surely it doesn't make sense to have a go at folk that do?

Andy

ravey1981

el loco pollo wrote:

Might as well get these out of the way:

There is no riding in the UK that warrants knee pads or elbow pads! = I don't ride anywhere other than some tame trails and the canal, which means nobody else does either.

Anyone wearing pads at a trail centre is a pussy! = I've never been to a trail centre and would probably cack my pants on the Wall, ***** or Inners. I am intimidated by men on big bikes.

I don't see the need for pads! = My bones are somehow magically tougher than rocks. It doesn't hurt if I fall off, which is rare because I am so good at riding a bike.

You should man the f*** up! = I've never ridden fast enough to fall off and hurt myself / I am a 12 year old boy with no responsibilities / a prick

All bullsh1t.....The world hasn't suddenly changed because someone designed a 6inch trail bike and we were all told we need one to ride trailcentres...

Most of the people you see padded up to hell at trailcentres are wannabe downhillers/ all the gear no idea types... Makes me laugh to be honest cos they cant ride for shit...

r3 guy

Knee pads are for fannies....fact.

pads are for pussies

In that case i am a pussy and a fanny....

ooooh I wish i was hard enough to go padless

P-Jay

At the risk of becoming boring.

Trail Centre, Experianced Rider, Small lapse in concentration, no elbow pads=



I've not heard one single genuine reason for not wearing one other than they somehow make you : homosexual, a women, or a women genitialia.

lesz42

ravey1981 wrote:

el loco pollo wrote:

Might as well get these out of the way:

There is no riding in the UK that warrants knee pads or elbow pads! = I don't ride anywhere other than some tame trails and the canal, which means nobody else does either.

Anyone wearing pads at a trail centre is a pussy! = I've never been to a trail centre and would probably cack my pants on the Wall, ***** or Inners. I am intimidated by men on big bikes.

I don't see the need for pads! = My bones are somehow magically tougher than rocks. It doesn't hurt if I fall off, which is rare because I am so good at riding a bike.

You should man the f*** up! = I've never ridden fast enough to fall off and hurt myself / I am a 12 year old boy with no responsibilities / a prick

All bullsh1t.....The world hasn't suddenly changed because someone designed a 6inch trail bike and we were all told we need one to ride trailcentres...

Most of the people you see padded up to hell at trailcentres are wannabe downhillers/ all the gear no idea types... Makes me laugh to be honest cos they cant ride for shoot...

i cant ride for shoot, so i am padded up, and i have alivo gears so that counts me out as all the gear no idea

lesz42

P-Jay wrote:

At the risk of becoming boring.

Trail Centre, Experianced Rider, Small lapse in concentration, no elbow pads=



I've not heard one single genuine reason for not wearing one other than they somehow make you : homosexual, a women, or a women genitialia.

looks a bit painful.

el loco pollo

The world hasn't suddenly changed because someone designed a 6inch trail bike and we were all told we need one to ride trailcentres = I secretly wish I had a 6 inch trail bike. The problem is if I did have a 6 inch tail bike, I would have no excuses as to why I don't do that drop / ride that trail / try that jump.

Most of the people you see padded up to hell at trailcentres are wannabe downhillers/ all the gear no idea types... Makes me laugh to be honest cos they cant ride for shoot = I am intimidated by the big boys on their big bikes, they make me feel like less of a man. So I snipe at them from the safety of an Internet forum.

lesz42

LOL

ravey1981

el loco pollo wrote:

The world hasn't suddenly changed because someone designed a 6inch trail bike and we were all told we need one to ride trailcentres = I secretly wish I had a 6 inch trail bike. The problem is if I did have a 6 inch tail bike, I would have no excuses as to why I don't do that drop / ride that trail / try that jump.

Most of the people you see padded up to hell at trailcentres are wannabe downhillers/ all the gear no idea types... Makes me laugh to be honest cos they cant ride for shoot = I am intimidated by the big boys on their big bikes, they make me feel like less of a man. So I snipe at them from the safety of an Internet forum.

Oh...whats that down there then VVV

fletch8928

They say you never land or hit the bits that are padded! They always get the impact on non protected areas! Is that because you dont really notice the hit on a padded area?

I wear shin pads when out on the moors and always take them with me. I kinda have a largish dint in my right shin that is prone to getting caught by heather, bracken and general trail shrubery. I have also found that palm sized stones get picked up and thrown out onto either my downtube or shin so if on that type of surface they always go on to.

Thinking of getting knee pads for the simple reason of time to heal, that probably means elbows will be following.

Dont care if someone thinks its overkill. Most wear lids and in reality how often do we need them? just the one time, whenever thast may be.

Northwind

ravey1981 wrote:

Most of the people you see padded up to hell at trailcentres are wannabe downhillers/ all the gear no idea types... Makes me laugh to be honest cos they cant ride for shoot...

You're right, there's no reason at all that people who can't ride well should wear protection in case they crash. Um.

fletch8928 wrote:

They say you never land or hit the bits that are padded! They always get the impact on non protected areas! Is that because you dont really notice the hit on a padded area?

For the first one, yep, I think you're right- a mate of mine rides in a lot of armour, enclosed leg greaves, full length arms, armoured shorts and a pressure suit. Looks like he's going jousting. But one time I was out with him and he had a pretty horrible crash, lost concentration on a fast berm and dropped the front wheel over the top of it, so he steamed full speed into the face of the berm, wrapped up in the bike. He was pretty much fine, but lost a load of skin from just above his leg armour and between his arm armour and gloves. What did he say? "Look, I'm bleeding, the armour did nothing!"

mac_man

I wear 661 Kyles Straits on my knees and 661 veggies for elbows.

According to some people on here I'm a complete pussy with all the gear and no brain. Fine.... I'll happily wear that monicker, especially when I see you strapped in a wheelchair dribbling oatibix out the corner of your mouth and wondering when teletubbies is gonna be on again.

You can can fall and break your elbow/knee/wrist any day of the week on any surface. I'd rather put the odds in my favour.

Anybody who wants to do without... that's fine by me. Just don't diss the ones that do.... it's stupid and pointless and only makes you look a total c*ck.

bails87

I don't care if I'm at a trail centre or on the bloomin' moon! A rock is still a rock, if I smack my knee off it, it'll hurt just as much as during the 'good old days' when everyone was hard as nails.

I wear shinpads when I play football, I wear a helmet, gloves and, most of the time, kneepads when I'm on my bike. I tend to do stupid things and fall off, the pads keep my knees warm during the winter, but they don't make me hot during the summer. They don't restrict my movement, but will hopefully offer *some* protection in an off.

Ravey, I assume you ride a rigid bike with cantilever brakes, seeing as you're so opposed to progress. And no helmet, as you're against people taking some responsibility for their own safety? :roll:

Also, coltroll is a clever troll!

allthegearnoidea

661's on my knees for no other reason than keep my knees warm!
well that was the plan! they do that job handsomely, but also are very good at protecting the old knees when kneeling on the floor for anything or from the branch twangs you sometimes get when falling off the path!

i couldnt give a monkeys if i am my username, but i do have a bloody good laugh out there knowing my knees are snug and warm and nicely protected from my forthcoming inability!

bails87

allthegearnoidea wrote:

very good at protecting the old knees when kneeling on the floor

Very good point. I sometimes put mine on when I'm fixing something on the bike in the garage, makes the concrete floor much more comfy :oops:

Dave Gti

I wear my knee pads every ride would probably wear elbow pads if I had them.

Having been diagnosed with arthritis means I'll do what ever i can to ensure I can ride for as often and as long as possible. Plus it's been keeping everything pretty warm the past few months. If the doctors had it there way I'd be out there riding fully wrapped in bubble wrap

myopic

Knee guards all the time as I've had quite a few knocks over the years and decided enough was enough.

Didn't wear elbow guards then had a low speed fall last year which required hospital visit for cleaning and stitches, then admitted for 3 days to deal with an infection because they hadn't got all the dirt out. :x So elbows protected as well now.

ravey1981

bails87 wrote:

Ravey, I assume you ride a rigid bike with cantilever brakes, seeing as you're so opposed to progress. And no helmet, as you're against people taking some responsibility for their own safety? :roll:

Obviously not, It seems I am naturally more risk averse than some people on here.

Having said that...I need to cross the road later...now where is my full hi vis. suit and flashing beacon??

mrforgetful

Having treated most trail centres and wild routes with the silly notion that I'd take plenty care and not fall off, It was a painful surprise that a couple of times, through the briefest lapse in concentration that I went down hard on my chest and wrists.

There is no way you should be complacent about the affects even a slight fall can have on your body when the bike can pretty much land in any position. I now wear a pressure suit (the spine plate is off i'll grant you) so from now I'll be landing elbow, forearm first instead of wrist!

Am I the only person who doesn't get paid when I'm off work with ANY problem/sickness?

Squarepants

I've recently started to really push my limits and Cwmcarn, I've been up say 10 times now (every weekend) and I'm getting used to the trail, have set the bike up to perform how I want it to etc. I bought some Brand X Mk 2's from CRC, the notion as someone said on here that for trail centre rides you don't need protection is plain foolish. I don't know about the person who made the comment but I certainly ride fast enough/push my own limits enough to warrent the extra protection, hell I fell off in the car park once and hurt my elbow :oops: oh the shame...

The knee/shin guards do give me the confidence to push on harder and faster, I was talking to a lad a few days ago who said his moto was "go big or go home" I try to keep that in mind whenever I'm riding now, if you're not scaring yourself/pushing your limits, why bother? I realise thats a very personal opinion and that's not why everyone rides, whatever your pleasure.

At the moment I feel if I havent really pushed myself and almost come off (at least a few times) I haven't learnt anything/had fun.

Crux is for me I can certainly smash a knee/elbow/my head and a rock will always win, so I buckle up incase.

bails87

ravey1981 wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Ravey, I assume you ride a rigid bike with cantilever brakes, seeing as you're so opposed to progress. And no helmet, as you're against people taking some responsibility for their own safety? :roll:

Obviously not, It seems I am naturally more risk averse than some people on here.

Having said that...I need to cross the road later...now where is my full hi vis. suit and flashing beacon??

I'd say you were more risk loving, not risk averse. :?

I'm sure you're just saying stupid things to wind people up, but I'll bite.....how are knee pads when hurtling down rocky trails at 30mph the equivalent of wearing full hi vis and a safety beacon to cross the road. It's about measured precautions, if we really didn't want to get hurt then we'd stay on the sofa, and I think you'll find that crossing the road is surprisingly dangerous, you might want to give it a miss

andyp79

That's what I reckon too. Risk Averse means that you don't like risk...

So "risk averse" doesn't make sense in ravey's post.

pypdjl

mac man wrote:

, especially when I see you strapped in a wheelchair dribbling oatibix out the corner of your mouth and wondering when teletubbies is gonna be on again.

From a knee/elbow injury...?

mac_man

pypdjl wrote:

mac man wrote:

, especially when I see you strapped in a wheelchair dribbling oatibix out the corner of your mouth and wondering when teletubbies is gonna be on again.

From a knee/elbow injury...?

Ha.. no. I was talking protection in general.

Would have been clearer if I'd said 'pass you hobbling along with a walking stick, on the side of the road'.

Like I said.... I have no problem people not wearing pads. It's a free country. But I like to know that if I do have an off I've got a fair chance of not hobbling around on crutches for the next 6 months.

The bloke who runs an LBS near the office is a bit of a wreck from various spills in 20 odd years of cycling... can't walk straight, elbow has lumps of bone floating around under the skin, ankles shot to pieces etc. He regularly wears padding now.... but wishes it'd been available 20 years ago.

bannedbiker

I just like the way that guys who dont wear pads and even more guys who dont wear lids are so aggressive in their defense of their actions. Even though they fully believe they're right I think they still know deep down that they're being somewhat irresponsible.
Has anyone ever managed to have a conversation with a guy who refuses to wear a lid without them getting $hitty with you?!

To answer the question I wear knee/shin pads if I'm out on the FS but not if I'm out on the HT as the terrain I'm likely to be riding is a lot less technical. Always got lid and gloves though...!

Northwind

bannedbiker wrote:

Has anyone ever managed to have a conversation with a guy who refuses to wear a lid without them getting $hitty with you?!

I have. And I've seen people get s****y with them too, treating them like morons for not wearing a helmet.

I do wear one, always, but it's not an act of total idiocy not to. Most people will go through their riding lives and never sustain a permanent head injury where a helmet would have made a difference. But enough people won't to make it worthwhile, to me, and then there's the minor knocks, and also it's a handy place to fit a light or a camera... but everyone's risk perception and tolerance is different. And it seems like "helmet deniers" are often better informed on the science of injury and protection than helmet zealots

(ironically, it seems you're substantially likely to suffer a permanently damaging knee injury than head injury, but it's helmets that are seen as essential and knee pads that are seen as optional.)

Almightydutch

Squarepants wrote:

I was talking to a lad a few days ago who said his moto was "go big or go home"

Any chance that is Motorbike riding god Guy Martin, big into his DH too. You'll know coz he has big as fook mutten chops sideburns and speaks at 200mph....i jest you not.

Google him for some video clips, the bloke is a personal hero....absolute GOD!!!!

bannedbiker

Northwind wrote:

bannedbiker wrote:

Has anyone ever managed to have a conversation with a guy who refuses to wear a lid without them getting $hitty with you?!

I have. And I've seen people get s****y with them too, treating them like morons for not wearing a helmet.

Yeah true, I've seen that a few times, seen it get ugly too! :?

Northwind wrote:

(ironically, it seems you're substantially likely to suffer a permanently damaging knee injury than head injury, but it's helmets that are seen as essential and knee pads that are seen as optional.)

Good point!

P-Jay

Northwind wrote:

(ironically, it seems you're substantially likely to suffer a permanently damaging knee injury than head injury, but it's helmets that are seen as essential and knee pads that are seen as optional.)

True perhaps, but a knackered knee doesn't mean a lifetime of being spoon fed and shitting in a nappy.

The surgeon, or rather surgeons - there were 4-5 that first met me in hospital to check out different bits of me - see page 2 - all took the time to tell me mine saved my life or at least serious brain damage.

A mate of mine fuct up the corksckrew / tunnel thing on the FR track at Cwmcarn and hit the ground WEARING a helmet and still ended up with a fractured skull - no lid = dead for him.

I don't curse out people for not wearing them, my village is full of people riding shopper bikes around in summer at 10mph and they don't wear them, and probably don't need too. But I simply cannot understand the risk-reward ratio of not wearing one.