MTB protective gear

hairo786

Hi,

am looking for recommendations on protective gear for cross country biking.

Ideally I think leg (shin + knee) combo, elbow and gloves should suffice for me?

When I was a youngster I hard a bad bike accident, so my confidence is low. I was looking for gear that is comfortable enough while offering the right amount of protection for cross country.

Thanks in advance

cooldad

Helmet and gloves. Some people I ride with wear knee pads as well.

tudj

I think shinpads are over the top for XC, I'd rather put on with the odd pedal bash and rock strike than ride for hours on end wearing shinpads. Same for elbow pads unless you come off a lot or are riding particularly steep/rocky stuff.

I'd say helmet, gloves and kneepads are all you need.

As for what to buy, I quite like the Nukeproof pads I have, nice fit and comfortable for a few hours. I'd recommend trying some on somewhere if you can, we're all different shapes so it's hard to recommend. Popular stuff is 661, TroyLee, Fox, Nukeproof..

Kowalski675

If you want something cheap that's comfortable and unobtrusive when pedalling, but with enough protection for the odd XC spill, branches etc then these are worth a look (they do get a bit warm though, but that could be an advantage or disadvantage, depending on the weather):

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=72463

Anonymous

got gloves

jus brought a brand new specialized helmet





high vis back pack

Kowalski675

Same helmet I bought recently (but in stealthy black) - v impressed for £24.

Anonymous

Kowalski675 wrote:

Same helmet I bought recently (but in stealthy black) - v impressed for £24.

shit me I payed £40 In a my local specialist cycle shop did try it on in shop and its the same colour as my bike thou which is nice. its pretty comfy which makes a chance.

tomorrow im attempting some small downhill trials and some more forested trials probably gonna be loose gravel and sand and roots that kinda stuff so I thought some new gear would be nice

Kowalski675

andrewgrundill wrote:

Kowalski675 wrote:

Same helmet I bought recently (but in stealthy black) - v impressed for £24.

shoot me I payed £40 In a my local specialist cycle shop did try it on in shop and its the same colour as my bike thou which is nice. its pretty comfy which makes a chance.

tomorrow im attempting some small downhill trials and some more forested trials probably gonna be loose gravel and sand and roots that kinda stuff so I thought some new gear would be nice

They had your pants down there - Specialized's RRP is £30. I'd gone to the Specialized store in Harrogate to buy a Tactic 2, but they didn't have a black one. They said to come back in two days and they'd have some back in stock and save one for me. I went back on the agreed day, but they'd only had two delivered and sold both. They apologised and offered me 20% off the green one, or any other helmet, for the inconvenience. I wanted the Tactic, but really didn't like the green, so I bought tha Align as a temporary measure, since it fitted spot on, looked pretty good and, at £24, was cheap as chips. Having worn it a few times now though, I think I'll just keep using it and not bother to upgrade to the Tactic. I did like the silver and white versions (and my bike's silver), but black goes with anything, lol. It fell off my saddle on Sunday and chipped the lacquer, but I guess that's my own stupid fault for resting it on there. At least it wasn't my £500 Arai, lol.

When I was a kid, 25 years ago, we used to do no end of reckless stuff on our BMXs and anyone who'd worn a helmet would've been laughed out of town, but when you're young you think you're indestructible.

Anonymous

o well shit happens

and it will save my brains covering a tree tomorrow I hope.

let's hope my front forks are up for the challenge! got cycle to this place its around 8 mile away.



few months down the line probably upgrade the front forks for rock shox's

Anonymous

Kowalski675 wrote:

andrewgrundill wrote:

Kowalski675 wrote:

Same helmet I bought recently (but in stealthy black) - v impressed for £24.

shoot me I payed £40 In a my local specialist cycle shop did try it on in shop and its the same colour as my bike thou which is nice. its pretty comfy which makes a chance.

tomorrow im attempting some small downhill trials and some more forested trials probably gonna be loose gravel and sand and roots that kinda stuff so I thought some new gear would be nice

They had your pants down there - Specialized's RRP is £30. I'd gone to the Specialized store in Harrogate to buy a Tactic 2, but they didn't have a black one. They said to come back in two days and they'd have some back in stock and save one for me. I went back on the agreed day, but they'd only had two delivered and sold both. They apologised and offered me 20% off the green one, or any other helmet, for the inconvenience. I wanted the Tactic, but really didn't like the green, so I bought tha Align as a temporary measure, since it fitted spot on, looked pretty good and, at £24, was cheap as chips. Having worn it a few times now though, I think I'll just keep using it and not bother to upgrade to the Tactic. I did like the silver and white versions (and my bike's silver), but black goes with anything, lol. It fell off my saddle on Sunday and chipped the lacquer, but I guess that's my own stupid fault for resting it on there. At least it wasn't my £500 Arai, lol.

When I was a kid, 25 years ago, we used to do no end of reckless stuff on our BMXs and anyone who'd worn a helmet would've been laughed out of town, but when you're young you think you're indestructible.

LOL

back when I was in middle school

I was play fighting with this kid the in "play ground" anyway it got a little outta hand and I need 4/5 stiches in my knee it was pretty grim I could see all the muscles and the bone.

it bloody hurt

concorde

I currently weat: Helmet, Fox Launch Pro Knee pads (wouldn't buy again, stitching come undone after 4 months of use) and 661 rhythm elbow pads (not sure they offer much protection but they're comfy)

I wear this whatever I'm riding, xc, trail or steep rocky techy shit!

Kowalski675

Concorde wrote:

I currently weat: Helmet, Fox Launch Pro Knee pads (wouldn't buy again, stitching come undone after 4 months of use) and 661 rhythm elbow pads (not sure they offer much protection but they're comfy)

I wear this whatever I'm riding, xc, trail or steep rocky techy shoot!

I'm not sure how well the rhythms would fare in a larger impact (or a pointed/sharp object), since there's no hard shell to distribute the impact force or prevent penetration, but I reckon they'll be adequate for smaller impacts and are comfortable. Hardly a scientific test, but I put mine on and repeatedly whacked myself on the shin with a large plastic coathanger (it was the nearest likely thing to hand, lol) until it broke (the coathanger, not my shin, lol) and that was ok.

gt-arrowhead

Kowalski675 wrote:

anyone who'd worn a helmet would've been laughed out of town.

Story of my life...my mum tried making me wear a helmet to ride to school and i just lobbed my helmet over the fence into my garden as soon as i got outside. She gave up on trying to make me wear one in the end. Id get majorly bullied if i wore a helmet. Ive only ever fallen off my bike trying to do something reckless anyway.

Id definitely wear elbow pads and a helmet at least if i were doing serious offroading. Theres nothing more painful than whacking your elbow somewhere. And obviously a helmet is a good thing to have. Id prefer to wear a full face one myself for the extra protection.

Sitter

I've got some 661 knee pads, think they're the Evo model, and can highly recommend them. Comfy to wear and have lasted well over two full winter seasons snowboarding being worn 6 days a week for on average 5hrs a day.

Kowalski675

GT-Arrowhead wrote:

I'd definitely wear elbow pads and a helmet at least if i were doing serious offroading. Theres nothing more painful than whacking your elbow somewhere.

There is - quite a lot of things. And only wearing a helmet off road makes no sense - tarmac and concrete is very hard stuff compared to a head. I only ride my pushbike off road, and wearing cycling clothing, so I really don't care if my helmet doesn't look cool - let's face it, cycling clothing aint exactly sexy anyway, lol (especially not with my legs). I'm used to wearing full face motorcycle helmets for hours anyway, so I don't really even notice my cycling helmet most of the time, it's so light. To borrow a rule from motorcycling, at bare minimum always wear a decent helmet and gloves - at least that way you'll still be able to enjoy a wank in your hospital bed, lol...

gt-arrowhead

I used to wear gloves ALL the time, but i havent worn them since the weather has warmed up a bit. Last year i wore them whatever the weather. I dont even own a helmet anymore though, and ill be fine on the road, im a very careful rider on the road.

If i get serious with offroading then id definitely invest in some protective gear.

chez_m356

GT-Arrowhead wrote:

I used to wear gloves ALL the time, but i havent worn them since the weather has warmed up a bit. Last year i wore them whatever the weather. I dont even own a helmet anymore though, and ill be fine on the road, im a very careful rider on the road.

a shame the same can't be said for the idiot driver/pedestrian/dog who may or may not be the cause of an accident for you

gt-arrowhead

Although people are very considerate with cyclists here, and i havent had any troubles ever, it only takes one idiot to cause an accident. That is a very good point you made there.

Kowalski675

GT-Arrowhead wrote:

I used to wear gloves ALL the time, but i havent worn them since the weather has warmed up a bit. Last year i wore them whatever the weather.

To be fair, gloves are less of an issue travelling at pushbike speeds (unless you're a lot fitter and faster than I am, lol).

I dont even own a helmet anymore though, and ill be fine on the road, im a very careful rider on the road.

Sorry, but that's a monumentally daft statement. There's an awful lot of motorcyclists and cyclists in graveyards (or worse, wheelchairs) who thought they were careful riders - what about all the other incompetent, dangerous and careless fuckwits you share the roads with? A fractured skull doesn't hurt any less just because it was somebody else's fault (neither did my snapped collarbone)...

cooldad

Kowalski675 wrote:

GT-Arrowhead wrote:

I used to wear gloves ALL the time, but i havent worn them since the weather has warmed up a bit. Last year i wore them whatever the weather.

To be fair, gloves are less of an issue travelling at pushbike speeds (unless you're a lot fitter and faster than I am, lol).

Dangly things between your legs. The first thing you stick out when you fall is your hand. Losing a chunk of skin is not life threatening but it is a bit painful and somewhat inconvenient.

tudj

GT-Arrowhead wrote:

I used to wear gloves ALL the time, but i havent worn them since the weather has warmed up a bit. Last year i wore them whatever the weather. I dont even own a helmet anymore though, and ill be fine on the road, im a very careful rider on the road.

If i get serious with offroading then id definitely invest in some protective gear.

I once had a crash on a little trail near my house, I've riden it a hundred times, I had a lapse of concentration, hit a big root and went flying OTB, I landed on my head and shoulder, my helmet probably saved my life, it was about a 6-8ft fall (I was going down a steep chute) directly onto my head, I wasn't going fast but from that height landing on your head is not fun. I got concussion and a seriously damaged lid (it broke into pieces) but it did it's job and saved my skull. I'd foolishly decided not to wear kneepads either as I was over confident on that trail, suffice to say I took the skin off both knees.

No one falls off on purpose, there are riders on here way more skill than either of us could ever wish to be but they wear helmets because they know they can come off at any time too. Same with riding on the road, you can be as careful as you like but there are some reckless drivers out there who aren't looking out for you.

Don't be a fool.

gt-arrowhead

Kowalski675 wrote:

GT-Arrowhead wrote:

I used to wear gloves ALL the time, but i havent worn them since the weather has warmed up a bit. Last year i wore them whatever the weather.

To be fair, gloves are less of an issue travelling at pushbike speeds (unless you're a lot fitter and faster than I am, lol).

I dont even own a helmet anymore though, and ill be fine on the road, im a very careful rider on the road.

Sorry, but that's a monumentally daft statement. There's an awful lot of motorcyclists and cyclists in graveyards (or worse, wheelchairs) who thought they were careful riders - what about all the other incompetent, dangerous and careless fuckwits you share the roads with? A fractured skull doesn't hurt any less just because it was somebody else's fault (neither did my snapped collarbone)...

Yeah thats a good point, ive never ripped skin off my hands by falling off, it tends to be my elbows and knees that get the rips, and on my hands i get massive bruises. I dont know how. But ive only fallen off a handful of times in recent years so thats all i can remember.

I know that its a really stupid statement to make, and you are right.

Anonymous

tudj wrote:

GT-Arrowhead wrote:

I used to wear gloves ALL the time, but i havent worn them since the weather has warmed up a bit. Last year i wore them whatever the weather. I dont even own a helmet anymore though, and ill be fine on the road, im a very careful rider on the road.

If i get serious with offroading then id definitely invest in some protective gear.

I once had a crash on a little trail near my house, I've riden it a hundred times, I had a lapse of concentration, hit a big root and went flying OTB, I landed on my head and shoulder, my helmet probably saved my life, it was about a 6-8ft fall (I was going down a steep chute) directly onto my head, I wasn't going fast but from that height landing on your head is not fun. I got concussion and a seriously damaged lid (it broke into pieces) but it did it's job and saved my skull. I'd foolishly decided not to wear kneepads either as I was over confident on that trail, suffice to say I took the skin off both knees.

No one falls off on purpose, there are riders on here way more skill than either of us could ever wish to be but they wear helmets because they know they can come off at any time too. Same with riding on the road, you can be as careful as you like but there are some reckless drivers out there who aren't looking out for you.

Don't be a fool.

good advice no one aims to fall off it jus happens better a £40 helmet then serious injury/brain damage

I don't wear knee pads but I always wear a helmet if I do anything off road or on road anything more then a quick trip to the corner shop its jus common sense.

JBA

andrewgrundill wrote:

I always wear a helmet if I do anything off road or on road anything more then a quick trip to the corner shop its jus common sense.

Of course no one has ever had an accident during a quick trip to the corner shop... :roll:

gt-arrowhead

Ive got to invest in a helmet soon though. Summers on the way! That means more trail discovering and trail riding. Id feel like a right idiot if i ended up cracking my head open when i said myself "i dont need a helmet". lol. Is full face the better sort of helmet? The thing thats kind of putting me off going for a full face one is because people are gonna think im "keen" wearing one, and when im on the road on the way to the trail people are gonna think "oh its a stupid teenager that thinks hes on a motorcross bike" but i dont want to take a whack in the jaw from a tree or something when i do fall off.

Chunkers1980

Full face is for proper DH only. FFS get your self a helmet, Asda do them cheap for example, around a tenner.

gt-arrowhead

Ohh right.

Yeah i definitely will get one pretty soon. Dont think ill go for an Asda one though, lol. Cheers.

Chunkers1980

Your bike's shite, so you may as well make them match.




Btw (they're not smart price or whatever) it'll be a Bell probably.

gt-arrowhead

Its not that bad, definitely not bad enough for me to have an Asda helmet.

What do you mean by Bell? Is it a kind of helmet? (i think i know what you mean)

Chunkers1980

A Bell is a helmet, but I see what you mean a bell end is also a helmet. Have you discovered Google yet?

step83

Spotted a new Bell Super, deffo doesnt fall into the poop looking section

*edit* that went discontinued quick!

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=94120

I ride wit ha lid gloves and shinpads only wear the shinpads because of the undergrowth being akin to hedgehogs. I am getting tempted to wear forearm/elbow pads solely because i keep twanging them on technical trails and it hurts!