Troy Lee armour short or long sleeve 7855 vs 7850

Yesjus

New to MTB and had my first off the other day resulting in some badly damaged ribs!! In my few weeks of recovery period I thought to invest in some armour...I'm pretty set on the Troy Lee body armour shirt but can decide between the long or short sleeved version (7855 or 7850). I would like the extra arm protection but fear it would be unbearably hot in summer...Im not looking to do full DH so feel this level of armour would suffice...anyone feedback about this would be great!? Thanks

chrisdouglas

Well like you say it'll be pretty hot come summer in the long sleeve option. But truth be told they both look pretty bulky and pretty sweaty. What sort of stuff are you riding mate? I personally couldn't imagine a situation where I'd want to wear one of those unless I was hitting some proper downhill stuff at a frightening pace. For your everyday trails, loops and routes I think you'll maybe find it quite intrusive and restricting whilst riding.

kickaxe

If you aren't doing DH I would suggest the short one, obviously you don't have protection in that area, but armor just gets so hot in the summer. You could get some thinner elbow pads though in addition to the body armor.

I don't exactly know where and how you ride, but since you said you are a beginner I honestly think that body armor is overkill. Yes, you fell once, and you happened to feck yourself up, but most crashes you will be in wont be as bad. If you feel like you need the protection and it would make you more confident, buy it.

rockmonkeysc

I have the short sleeve one. I only use it for downhill, it's too hot to wear for enduro or xc type rides.
It's the best lightweight armour available but it wouldn't have saved you a cracked rib. The only reason I wear mine is that it's light and has a spine protector. I've still managed to crack ribs, separate a shoulder, break a collar bone and rupture my spleen wearing it.
I'd spend money on some skills coaching instead. Avoiding crashes is better than trying to protect from them.

Yesjus

Great thanks for input...where I ride has a bit of everything and find myself gravitating towards the DH sections more and more each time! But I am looking for armour that can do a bit of everything. Problem being is I have the bug and want to get technically better and faster at all aspects...the flip side to this is being self employed then any crashes that put me out of action results in a very angry wife!!
I know I need to stay within my limits and this being my first off has definitely knocked the confidence!
So just a bit of light armour will help with that and hopefully with the light crashes...just got to avoid those difficult DH sections! Cheers

Yesjus

Wouldnt mind hearing from anyone that has a long sleeve one just for there opinion on heat and protection..then I can finally make my mind up!

rockmonkeysc

I did try on the long sleeve before buying the short sleeve and found the elbow pads quite uncomfortable.
To be honest though, elbow injuries are generally just grazes and bruises, nothing serious. I haven't bothered with arm protection in the last five years and even with a f**k load of crashes I've never regretted that decision.
Get some skills coaching, it'll really cut the amount of crashes and better value than armour which gives very minimal protection. The only useful protection from the Troy Lee armour is against spinal injuries.

kickaxe

Depending on how warm it actually is, during summer climbing with armor heat stroke is something to watch out for, that will harm you just as badly as a crash. Get a pair of knee and elbow pads, possibly also a backpack with integrated spine protector, and you should be good

Yesjus

Never really considered coaching...I think that could be the next step for me though...don't know why I haven't thought about it before!? Will need to do more research into what sort of training I should pursue (trail training or jumps and drops etc) but can anyone recommend a good training center/person..I feel a new post might be needed!

rockmonkeysc

Pro Ride Guides at Forest of Dean are excellent. Their sessions cover a bit of everything. Unless you want to get in to big (10 foot plus) jumps then it's only an hour to get most people flying.
Pedal Progression in Bristol don't seem as good. I've not heard great things about their coaching.

rockmonkeysc

I wore my short sleeve Troy Lee armour today. On an uplift in 17 degree Welsh sunshine it was just far too hot and went back in thr kit bag before I even started on the black trails.

kickaxe

I was out today at almost 30°, couldn't imagine having armor on additionally...

Yesjus

Ok thanks, that helps..think I'm investing in some coaching lessons just to work on some key skills but still feel the need for some light armour..any recommends on different armour that's a bit lighter/breathable? Thanks

rockmonkeysc

There isn't a lighter or more breathable armour than the Troy Lee shirts. You could go for just some knee pads and elbow guards. Dainese trail skins are about the best.

Yesjus

I do have the fox launch knee pads already and ordering up the elbow pads to match....guess I'm just going a bit overkill with the armour but if it helps the confidence come back it's worth the investment. I going with the short sleeve version and worst case if it's too hot when the suns out, I'm sure it will act as a body warmer on the colder days !!

Had a look at Pro rides coaching..im still unsure as to what level of course I should go on...I am fairly new to MTB but have invested time in studying training videos online when I first started, I feel this has seen me advance fairly quickly! As I compared myself to a friend who has been riding for over a year and (without sounding big headed!) I feel I was technically better at riding some of the trails! maybe I should speak to them and see what they advise!

rockmonkeysc

Speak to them, they'll sort you out.
Videos are OK but without having someone watch you and give critical advice you won't ever get those techniques spot on.
There's only a few basic skills to learn but get them spot on. They form the basis of all the more advanced techniques as well.

Yesjus

Thanks rockmonkey for the useful advice! Appreciated

Stevo_666

Cool upper body armour doesn't exist. I've got the 661 pressure suit and the long sleeved Troy Lee and I cook in either on anything more than a cool day. And that's when I'm getting uplifts to the top.

But as said, unless you're doing downhill as opposed to the downhill bits of trails, body armiur is overkill.