Full face for xc?

step83

The whole full face for XC boils down to (in my opinion) what you ride (trail or non trail) and experience

If your a novice the addition face protection can act as a confidence boost. Ive not used one myself, i consider myself a novice still to be honest but going from a boggy met crackerjack to a THE F-14 i felt far more confident as it protected more of the back of my head.
The trails also play a big part Trail centers tend to be sanitised sharp pointy things removed trees either removed or have pads on them. Natural ones have trees to bounced around off rocks an the case of my favorite section a dirty great tree hanging over the trail so you duck.

Ive considered a full face a number of times to help me build confidence an allow me to try things i wouldnt otherwise, usually though I tell myself to manup then see a photo of someone who took a tree to the chin and go back to debating the FF again.

Kowalski675

Step83 wrote:

Trail centers tend to be sanitised sharp pointy things removed trees either removed or have pads on them.

Really? Not up here.

cooldad

Pads on trees? Not down here, nor in Wales.

prawny

cooldad wrote:

Pads on trees? Not down here, nor in Wales.

Or in cannock, there's one here that's been cut down because it was going across the trail, it's the perfect height to impale yourself on. In fact, I think there's a few bits that have been put in to deliberately catch you out. You don't get many of them out in the wilds.

arcadian

I wear a ff for pretty much all my rides, unless I know I'm not going to try anything tricky. Same goes for elbow and knee/shin pads.

I work offshore, so the majority of my pay is in day rates, bashing my face open when a ff helmet could have helped avoid it could cost me a few grand for a 2 week trip.

Plus the majority of places to ride up here have heaps of random bits to ride off the main track, as well as heaps of things local guys have self built (Glenlivet is opening soon, but otherwise no trail centre under 2 hours from here).
Ride I went on last week was mostly straightforward, but had one section that went down rock face, and another with a drop off onto a super steep bit with a 5 foot deep pit of rocks off to one side and a giant boulder on the other. Knowing I'll try stuff like that means I'm happy to roast on a climb or look like a stormtrooper, if it means the one time I decide to megacrash doesn't end up with a broken face/knee/elbow.

Lastly, if I mashed my face and went home bloodied up my gf would ban me from biking ever again!

miss notax

I don't see how it matters any more than someone wearing a different coloured shirt.... It's up to them and all down to personal choice

rockmonkeysc

miss notax wrote:

I don't see how it matters any more than someone wearing a different coloured shirt.... It's up to them and all down to personal choice

I was just curious as to why anyone would feel the need for a full face for xc. Personally I would find it too uncomfortable and for the one accident every three years which results in serious injury I would rather just take the short term pain. The discomfort of full face and pads would take away the enjoyment from riding. Mountain biking is a dangerous sport and for me the risk is part of the fun.
Plus, chicks dig scars. They deny it but all men know its true!

Thewaylander

njee20 wrote:

Nope, I've got some pretty messy legs frankly! Big ol' scar on one knee from a nice deep cut that got infected. So much pus when it burst.

Wouldn't of got that with Knee pads

lochussie

I don't see the distinction between DH and other riding that is being made above. Plenty of non-lift/uplift accessed riding is just as gnarly as DH tracks. Just because a particular descent is accessed by riding up, I'm not going to throw caution to the wind and wear my XC lid without considering whether to wear my FF instead. In fact, the more I ride in a FF the less happy I am when riding gnar without one.

When you then consider that a trail centre red is gnarly to a new rider, it's quite understandable that they might want to wear a FF.

rockmonkeysc

There is a definite difference between riding proper downhill and just riding down a downhill track.
I have ridden my Anthem down a dh trail at reasonable speed wearing just an xc lid and no pads. On my dh bike with protection I would be riding at much higher speeds, jumping much bigger and jumping every drop or double and taking faster but more dangerous lines.
It's not just about what trail you are riding or how you get to the top. It's about how committed and aggressive your riding is.

angry_bird

RockmonkeySC wrote:

It's not just about what trail you are riding or how you get to the top. It's about how committed and aggressive your riding is.

So what's your issue with people wearing FFs for XC then :? ?

mike hunts alpine

Each to their own really in my opinion its better to be safe than sorry so its ff for me. Small price to pay in slight uncomfort than very severe injury that could have been prevented with a ff.

rockmonkeysc

Angry Bird wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

It's not just about what trail you are riding or how you get to the top. It's about how committed and aggressive your riding is.

So what's your issue with people wearing FFs for XC then :? ?

As I said before. I have no problem with it. I was just curious why some people choose to.

GolfChick

I've ridden the same route for 3 years now and in April this year, went slightly too far to left to avoid a normal rut and ended up falling and breaking my jaw in 3 places. I now have couple of scars on my face and have false teeth to replace the 3 I smashed out. Now in summer I wear a FF wherever I go as I dont fancy breaking the titatnium plate thats in my face! Neither do I fancy the sensation my OH got when he received a call from 999 saying his partner had been involved in an accident and him seeing me puking up blood with a broken open mouth! I dont wear it in winter as I naturally slow my pace down... dont think i'd of broken quite as much of my face if I hadnt been going 30mph.

rockmonkeysc

That sounds nasty

nicklouse

GolfChick wrote:

I've ridden the same route for 3 years now and in April this year, went slightly too far to left to avoid a normal rut and ended up falling and breaking my jaw in 3 places. I now have couple of scars on my face and have false teeth to replace the 3 I smashed out. Now in summer I wear a FF wherever I go as I dont fancy breaking the titatnium plate thats in my face! Neither do I fancy the sensation my OH got when he received a call from 999 saying his partner had been involved in an accident and him seeing me puking up blood with a broken open mouth! I dont wear it in winter as I naturally slow my pace down... dont think i'd of broken quite as much of my face if I hadnt been going 30mph.

OOOOO. I bet Fozzy was well shook up. I had not realised it was that bad.

Kowalski675

RockmonkeySC wrote:

That sounds nasty

Very. :shock:

njee20

Thewaylander wrote:

njee20 wrote:

Nope, I've got some pretty messy legs frankly! Big ol' scar on one knee from a nice deep cut that got infected. So much pus when it burst.

Wouldn't of got that with Knee pads

That's the point though innit - I know that, but I'll take the risk for the increased comfort!

rockmonkeysc

Thinking about this on my ride home from work today I realised that coming off my r**d bike at 40+mph is going to make a real mess of my handsome yet rugged features but I have never seen a roadie wearing any protection other than a helmet and I see plenty who don't even wear a helmet.

poah

brother in law came off his bike when a dog hit his wheel onto concrete - was doing circa 19mph. his entire left hip/thigh was a bruise, scraped his elbow, damaged his shoulder and small cut on his thumb. was wearing helmet, gloves and endura 3/4 baggies (with liner) and top. When you look at his helmet (661 Recon Wired ) is damaged at the back.

forget about FF you need to have some sort of body protection more lol

nicklouse

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Thinking about this on my ride home from work today I realised that coming off my r**d bike at 40+mph is going to make a real mess of my handsome yet rugged features but I have never seen a roadie wearing any protection other than a helmet and I see plenty who don't even wear a helmet.

they think it would do nothing to stop them getting killed so why bother? just have a look at the great helmet debates the roadies get into.

rockmonkeysc

I prefer not to get in to debates with roadies. It always ends in a discussion about musical theatre or how to mix the perfect wu wu cocktail or what's the best night to go to G.A.Y or where to get discounted Team Sky kit.