Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 70 total)
  • Anybody use knee pads when ridding XC?
  • nwill1
    Free Member

    I came a cropper today going downhill, over the hadlebars…flew through the air and landed on my knees, elbows and head! Head was fine (thanks to my lid) but my knees took one hell of a bang.

    I was thinking of 661 kyle striates but was not sure if they would be comortable for a 3 – 4 hour ride? Will also want to use for some light(ish) downhill and generally blasting around trail centres.

    Any help?

    markd
    Free Member

    try the POC vpd knee.

    we sell lots of them and i use them myself.

    ace.

    racing_ralph
    Free Member

    661 are ideal

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    Northwind
    Full Member

    The 661 Kyle Straits are pretty fantastic, all-day comfy, not drastically hot and they stay where you put them. POC make lovely kit too but I can’t recommend the Kyle Straits too highly myself. not quite fit-and-forget but not far off.

    neil853
    Free Member

    i have the kyle strait slim ones and they’re not bad? best of a bad bunch. i only say that becasuse whatever you get restrict your movement and make you get too hot, its a compromise you have have to accept i’m affraid. i bought some and couldn’t put up with it, went back old skool ha ha

    brant
    Free Member

    Testing some IXS ones at the moment. With “Squeezebox” technology. Seems to pump air around ’em as you pedal. Knee/Shin – fine even in current weather with extended climbing.

    cheers_drive
    Full Member

    I use Kyle Straights on rockier trails – I usualy put them on at the first dh section but then they stay on. They don’t affect pedalling at all and I never notice them except on 3hr+ rides when its hot when sweaty legs can cause chaffing. They have definally saved me from some serious kneed damage twice so well worth it despite the MTFU idiot comments

    neil853
    Free Member

    idiot comments? eh? casting an opinion through usage is now classified as idiot comments? all right mate

    nwill1
    Free Member

    No…thank you, the only knee pads I have used were when I rode BMX and they were really restrictive. Whilst I understand there may be slight advese effects i.e chaffing, sweating, extra weight I’m willing to put up to avoid busting my kness up to seriously!

    The POC vpd’s look good but think I’ll save my self £20 and go for the 661’s, not sure about the sizing so will pop to my local shop next week

    🙂

    Steve-Austin
    Free Member

    If you need to wear pads for the riding you do its not XC.

    Probably more freeride lite or jeycore.

    TheDoog
    Free Member

    Dont go for 661 veggies, those things cause some serious chaffage behind the knee, i’m just about to order some kyle straits, found some d30’s cheap on ebay but missed em, d’oh

    iamconfusedagain
    Free Member

    I use Kyle Straights. I feel a bit of a fraud as I am a bit of a pussy and dont ride big stuff, but am clumsy as hell so they have saved my knees loads of times.

    guitarmanjon
    Free Member

    I always see loads of guys at Dalby riding the red route with knee pads on. What the hell?? It’s not really that hard core is it?

    How often do you actually come a cropper and hit yer knees? (i.e. do you really need them?).

    nwill1
    Free Member

    Steve-Austin – I hear you…I’ve never been on for categorising genres of riding but when I’m out on the hills all day I kinda call it XC but when I get to the top of a big hill and ride down as fast as i can eating up the roots, drops & ruts I’m still out on my XC ride.

    Lets call it agressive XC!?

    nwill1
    Free Member

    guitarmanjon – How many falls oes it take to smash you knees up?

    guitarmanjon
    Free Member

    How many falls oes it take to smash you knees up?

    As a volleyball player – loads 😉

    What I meant was did you really give them a good bashing when you came off or was it a cut/gouge that’ll heal in a week or so?

    nwill1
    Free Member

    I flew flew through the air like superman, going down hill very fast, landed on them just above the knee cap kind of landing on my tum/cheast too banging my head at the front (grazed my face). Banged then pretty bad but was able to continue on my journey.

    Think i’m lucky feel if I landed square on my knee caps would have been an air ambulance job!

    TheDoog
    Free Member

    i should wear a gum shield, knocked two teeth out recently, seperate rides. but where would the fun be if we were all wrapped up in cotton wool etc etc

    schrickvr6
    Free Member

    Markd who do you work for and have you got the VPDs in large?

    markd
    Free Member

    Hiya
    My shop is http://www.thebikechain.co.uk

    we have them in stock indeedy.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    At the end of the day one silly fall can hurt a lot, keep you off the bike when you’d rather be riding, or spoil a ride- it doesn’t take much to hurt a knee, side knocks from the tube or the ground or going gently over the bars and clipping your knee on the shifters or bars can stop you dead and leave you limping. And modern pads aren’t hard to live with. Even if mine never stop a serious injury, which is probably the case, they’ve earned their keep just from keeping me riding.

    And it’s the silly rides when you fall and hurt yourself, I broke my hip after I slipped and fell on ice in my own driveway 👿 And the worst I’ve hurt myself on a mountain bike was on a totally straightforward bit of trail, just from inattention.

    (I never have to worry about MTFUing, since I’m riding with a leg held on with bolts, and osteoperosis (brittle bones). so I’m officially teh hardcore even mincing around a simple XC route in all my pads 😉 )

    GolfChick
    Free Member

    i came off at degla pretty bad months ago, knees still scarred up so i always ride with kyle straits now and never feel em or bother me only, like a few guys have said, when its really hot out n they start to get sweaty under there, when u take em off or move em they get sore.

    nwill1
    Free Member

    Northwind – you make a valid point and I’m singing off the same hm sheet as you – i’m not a softy and will put up with as much chaffing as is required to avoid me being off the steed!

    From the comments I feel confident that the 661 kyle’s will be just the job.

    druidh
    Free Member

    Northwind – Member

    I broke my hip after I slipped and fell on ice in my own driveway

    So – how much body protection do you wear when out walking in the winter?

    Smee
    Free Member

    Wear whatever the **** you want – everyone else can just **** off. They’re your knees.

    markd
    Free Member

    i find myself agreeing with smee… after breaking myself once i really dont care what others feel.

    its your body – you are the boss!

    pantsonfire
    Free Member

    Took the words right out of my mouth Smee

    nwill1
    Free Member

    It wasn’t a case of what others thought more a case of practicality…after reading peoples comments the moden day pads seem perfectly suited.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Druidh “So – how much body protection do you wear when out walking in the winter?”

    I wore a hip protector for the first winter after my break, and occasionally since then… But I guess the question you’re actually asking is “Why wear armour biking when you don’t wear it walking”, and the answer is that I fall a bit more often biking.

    0range5
    Full Member

    I have some TSG Nosedive pads, a bit like 661 Tomcats, but possibly better from what I’ve heard. I don’t use them much but they’re quite comfy to ride in. Quite protective & you can use them all day.

    Some here:

    MTB Bitz on ebay.

    Stretch
    Free Member

    How about investing some money and time into your bike skills.

    druidh
    Free Member

    Northwind – Member

    > Druidh “So – how much body protection do you wear when out
    > walking in the winter?”

    I wore a hip protector for the first winter after my break, and occasionally since then… But I guess the question you’re actually asking is “Why wear armour biking when you don’t wear it walking”, and the answer is that I fall a bit more often biking.

    Which is what I think Steve-Austin was getting at away back there ^

    I guess it all comes down to how we each categorise our riding.

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    Ambient jeycore lite riding mainly here – no protection needed ( well sunnies – got to look cool 🙂 )

    buzz-lightyear
    Free Member

    Good one Smee!

    I tend to go without, then hurt mesself and wear them for a bit, then stop wearing – in cycles

    Kyles are quite wearable for XC if it’s cool out. Bit sweaty when it’s hot.

    I don’t categorise things including riding, I just do it or don’t do it depending on mood

    RichPenny
    Free Member

    Great idea Stretch, then you can be going faster when you crash….

    Having just bought pads for the Alps, I’m considering wearing them here for a few rides as I want to get used to them. Managed to put two small holes in my elbow on Monday, meaning I couldn’t ride all week. Had I been wearing them I’d have been fine. Simple crash through loss of concentration, no skills training is going to give me a brain that works properly.

    0range5
    Full Member

    Steve-Austin – Member

    If you need to wear pads for the riding you do its not XC.

    Probably more freeride lite or jeycore.

    😆 You can fall off riding XC! Depends how fast & tech you ride.

    MTB-Idle
    Free Member

    depends what your definition of XC is but as mentioned above, they are your knees, go for it.

    I understand that Kyle Straits are the current weapon of choice

    ooOOoo
    Free Member

    I bought some nice 661 pads with the d30 stuff in- really smart looking but I had a craah and scuffed them up good.
    I don’t really know what to do…..I think I need to give up riding, it’s just too risky when I’m wearing all this expensive protective gear

    Del
    Full Member

    very good.
    make your own choices and wear whatever protection you think is necessary. some commentators on this thread don’t even rate helmets 🙄
    FWIW i’ve started using kyle straits this year. i’m going a bit quicker than i was, and i’ve landed badly a couple of times. it’s nice being able to walk into work on a monday, and still be able to pay the mortgage and all that, even though i don’t have that physical a job i value being able to walk. i also use hard-shell elbow/arms on some riding i do, which i wouldn’t describe as particularly ‘gnar’.
    i’m happy wearing the knees for in excess of 5 hours, even in the current warm weather ( at least in devon 😉 ). bit of sudocream if they rub ( really does work wonders ).
    anyone who thinks i’m jey for doing so can kiss my shiny white a55.

    druidh
    Free Member

    There’s that word again….

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 70 total)

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