I am a roadie at heart. Actually, I am a cyclist whatever the discipline, but I spend most of the time on the road.

I am having a bit of a purple patch off road however and loving the mountain bike more right now.

I have embraced many of the trappings of being a mountain biker with open arms, but 2 things have always been a mystery to me, and it feels like I might be missing out:

Baggy Shorts – lycra just seems to give greater freedom of movement, but I seem to be the last chap at the trail head wearing roadie gear off road!

Knee pads – they just seem to make it harder to pedal, but I can see the point in terms of protection, but I like trails and XC rather than jumps and tricks, so are they relevant?

So, can somebody explain what I am missing, and recommend me some decent baggies and knee pads?

Wear lycra.
Don’t wear pads.

Happy?

I am not usually a blind follower of fashion and I am happy riding my bike whatever I am wearing but surely there has to be something in it?

Nothing more than you covered in your first post 🙂

I wear Lycra and no pads – but I’m an XC racer at heart.

Lycra is more comfy, but is an acquired look. There are plenty of inexpensive baggies that you can wear over your good roadie shorts to make you look less conspicuous, and also tougher so when you fall off you don’t ruin your expensive lycra.

Knee pads – up to you. Again depends how often you fall off and whether that’s on rocks or on forestry paths. Not that you can’t split a knee on roots too…. And you don’t need hardshell pads, plenty of good soft pads / D30 types that are less restrictive but still give a degree of protection.

I wear not very baggy shorts and rarely wear knee pads.

I normally wear (not very) baggy shorts over lycra when MTBing, purely as scuff and abrasion protection for the lycra really from inevitable offs and grinding paste mud, for good weather racing and long summer XC rides I’ll often not bother with the baggies, just wear what works for you, but I’d not discount the protection of an extra outer layer, nothing worse than have a minor off, tearing your lycra open on a stupid twig and having to ride home one handed so you don’t scare the children 😳

Only really wear pads when I’m trying new/silly stuff outside of my comfort zone, used to wear them a lot when I was first learning trials and to jump, but then as you get confident you stop wearing them, if you never started and dont feel vulnerable with the riding you do then don’t wear them 🙂

As above, I’m a roadie who came to mtb late. I find some decent baggies protect from abrasion for the inevitable fall. Likewise I don’t ride with knee pads locally, but as soon as there are rocky bits mixed in, then I wear some lightweight lycra-sleeved slip on pads. I value my knees.

But lycra under the baggies. Always. Once a bib-shorts wearer…

I tend to wear my “worn to the point of translucent” lycra under the baggies so really they’re just protecting the rest of humanity from catching an eyeful of my arse.

That and water resistant baggies, and those with a pocket or two do come in handy… Knee pads are for when you get a bit ambitious with the gnarr, if that’s not your bag then don’t worry…

Of course there was a time when the normal “uniform” for MTBing was more lycra based, and as you said lycra is functional and allows free movement…

Wear what you like it’s not a fashion show, we’re grownups arsing about on bicycles, which half the human race consider to be kids stuff so you can never really look cool doing it…

Baggies do help a bit as you plough through the narrow bramble edged path or the stinging nettles but generally they look so much better than lycra shorts in the pub.

Knee pads are good for when you’re getting out of your comfort zone and can prevent a little tumble becoming 6 weeks off the bike and regular trips to the docs. But if your trundling about with both wheels firmly planted on the dirt then i wouldn’t bother.

Thanks all. That has kind of reinforced what I thought.

I am not gnar enough for knee pads, but from the perspective of protection (both dignity and from abrasion) baggies might be worth a try.

Any recommendations?

If its any consolation and just to even out your quandary i’m a MTB’er wearing Baggies on the Road,

So if you think you look out of place imagine me, Baggies, Hoody and a piss pot helmet. i’m trying not to do the Cafe stop thing as its having an adverse reaction to my blood pressure. I do not know what it is but i cannot wear LYCRA……….

ENDURA Singletrack shorts or the HUMVEE’s, something from Endura should tick the boxes for you.

Endura Humvees have been good to me. Knee pads for Wales where all the slate seems to have a vertical edge to it!

You can, you won’t. That’s different. It really is better on the road.

I’m not sure how it can be better, Maybe when the weather gets better i might feel the need for something a bit more figure hugging but i’m enjoying my 3/4 Singletracks in the inclement weather. a bit of wind resistance and shower proof.

as long as your not visibly smuggling a budgie,wear whatever your comfy in 😀

As long as you wear something it’s ok (don’t want the wildlife stampeding)

I wear baggies on the mtb as I tend to stop more and ride with more people, and I don’t want them to have to look at me and my beer baby too much. They also provide some protection from brambles etc, I suppose as well as pockets for empty jelly baby packets, car key etc.
As for knee pads, I didn’t used to wear them but had a couple of silly little crashes that involved slow speed impacts on my knees and they hurt for ages afterwards. Now I’m approaching 40 I thought I ought to protect the joints as much as possible so I got some relatively soft and light Troy Lee knee and shin pads. They are actually surprisingly comfy and have the added bonus of meaning I can wear shorts all year round as they help keep my knees warm!
Baggies or Lycra, up to you, don’t change just for the sake of it. I’d strongly suggest you try out some modern knee pads though. (Mind you, you can’t wear knee pads with lycra, surely!)

My ageing body and increasingly adventurous riding is making me intrigued by kneepads, and despite ploughing my own furrow and not being a blind follower of fashion, I have to agree that kneepads and lycra are akin to bar ends on risers!

Happy to stick to lycra for XC and general fannying about trails riding, but might be tempted by kneepads and baggies for more adventurous and off the beaten track stuff.

I do however like bib shorts. Does anybody do a decent baggy without an insert that I can wear bibs underneath?

Yes, loads fit the bill. In fact most nowadays don’t have an insert or at least the insert is removable.

Personally I like Ground Effect, but you have to order from NZ and then might get import duty and charges. But they’re really well made in proper fabrics and have lasted for years.

http://www.groundeffect.co.nz/collections/baggy-shorts

I’ve also had Endura but didn’t really get on with them – bit over engineered for me and although some will say the pockets are helpful, I tend to either use a backpack or a roadie style pocketed jersey so don’t need the pockets.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/endura-singletrack-ii-shorts-aw15/rp-prod70570?gs=1&gclid=Cj0KEQiArou2BRDcoN_c6NDI3oMBEiQANeix5vEtZUiAwsNeA_5ErKpanKU9xz-UzJiDY7wuUh-gzvEaAhZH8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

For knees – after a stupid off that split a knee cap open and cost me 4 weeks of riding, I routinely wear these, which are not much more restrictive than knee warmers and offer enough protection for regulkar riding. I’ve got a pair of full stormtrooper type plastic exo ones for trail centre and wales / exmoor trips where rocks are your enemy rather than stones and roots.

http://g-form.com/en/pro-xc-knee-pads.html

For baggies I would suggest avoiding anything with Velcro waist or leg adjusters. I like my endura singletrack shorts but not being able to put them in the wash with my lycra undershorts after one nasty Velcro/lycra mash up is annoying. Acre Supply would get my vote given I seem to remember you can be fairly flexible on budget. They do make lovely quality stuff.

http://acre-supply.com/apparel/all-mountain-riding-short-TRAVERSE.php

And knee pads, it’s up to you and depends on where you ride. If you want very minimal padding then the Fox Launch enduro are good. I personally don’t wear them for surrey hills enduro gnar but I suspect a lot of people do because it’s the accepted thing to go with their 160mm bike. 25mph through some trees, well I must get my knee pads out as they’re clearly going to take the brunt of any crash but I will mock that bloke that turned up in his MET Parachute to protect his face.

Baggies are for people that look fat in Lycra and pads are for wannabe purple wearing dude bros that rad and gnar, pack it in.

Just wear Lycra.

I think baggies are there to protect the eyes of the innocent.

Tend to wear baggies over lycra bib shorts. As mentioned before the extra layer helps with wind/rain during winter especially when waiting around and nettles/thorns during summer.

Wore knee pads on an alpine trip last summer but haven’t worn them since – I just don’t like them but then I’m not a trail centre hamster (dark side joke 😀 )

avdave2, Amen to that one……..
Blokes stuffed into LYCRA, have a word…. 😯

solarider, if you are indeed an “Old Roadie” Shouldnt you be wearing Wool and NOT Lycra?

Have you tried woolen shorts and a real chamois? I started with those years just when Lycra and synthetic inserts were coming out. That was not a fun thing to ride in. However one habit from starting out has stuck: chamois cream. Always use it on the insert and skin. Sorry, too much info…..

I tend to use hemp shorts with a pad made from thatched reeds. I don’t hold with these new fangled materials.

Narrow baggies ordered (Gore Alp-X). Holding off on the knee pads. One step at a time……

Solarider, Well done, CONFESSION TIME 😳

I’ve just ordered some 3/4 bib “KNICKERS”………. FFS, from HOWIES. I’ll report back……… 🙄
Re Chamois Cream, if you have it already it’s a good idea to smear a tad over the knee caps before installing knee pads, Maybe for a 3 hour Trail Centre loopin the UK it’s not required but for the 4 Days in August where it gets above 18Degrees or Multi Day Epic’s Like the Trans Savoire or a week in the Alps where it gets hot and the bacteria builds up use it. I got sweat spots on and behind my knees that took ages clear up. I’m not implying that youre gonna do big multiple days but some one reading this might.

I wear baggies to stop my Lycra bib shorts getting torn by brambles.

I don’t wear knee pads as I don’t ride hard enough to fall off. If I did have them I would be tempted to ride stuff my skills level can’t cope with. Or I might end up improving.

Strangely, I have to have a peaked helmet for riding my mountain bike. It’s purely a fashion/image thing, and probably something I should raise next time I see my therapist.

Lycra for going out for a big ride.
Baggies get in the way, still rip when you fall off, feel horrible when wet, cost too much and stink a bit of pointless consumerist conformity.
🙂

Lycra with a pair of Sainsbo’s cotton shorts for a tour of the teashops, visiting a museums, sightseeing etc, when not frightening the horses takes priority over comfort.

No peak at the mo, but they are very slimming.
They can be good at brushing stuff out of the way of your eyes.
Not buying a separate helmet for road and off road, so removable it is.

Baggies and knee pads are the same as any other MTB component there’s a clever middle ground of aspirational and reasonably affordable kit that the marketing people convince us is better than what we have whereas it would be more accurate to describe it as less worse than what we have.

There are sublime baggies and knee pads about that are completely unobtrusive in the same way that lycra is but what works for you won’t work for others. My advice is to exercise your distance selling rights, order a steady stream of kit and keep sending it back until you find what’s right for you. It does exist but it’s not always easy to find and sometimes the popular choices are the wrong choices

I can see the point of waterproof shorts, but honestly can’t see the point of baggies for MTB, apart from vanity and modesty.

They wear out and rip too, so you’re still buying two lots of stuff.

I tend to commute in baggies – too much speculation on the outside air temperature from colleagues as I minced strode through the office in my lycra…..

I tend to commute in baggies – too much speculation on the outside air temperature from colleagues as I minced strode through the office in my lycra…

I need somewhere to carry my socks 😉

Raph…….

Oh, why bother.

Trails and XC – keep 5-10% in reserve on the downs and go knee pad free. A pair of G shock elbow pads under a jersey or arm warmers are no hindrance. Lycra, bottles, no peak and be a comfy jayboy. Cuts down on conversation (neither roadies nor mtb will speak to you)

I try to wear baggies and G shock knee warmers when I go on rockier/harder trails – they don’t feel great and as for looks, I only end up looking like a different stick insect.

ps What Moots MTB do you ride 😉 😀

Ohh Yes!

Solariders the Moots aficionado!!

Do Tell Sir… 😀

I gave in to the baggy thing purely out of accepting that it’s sometimes better to fit in. They do potentially save you from a little bit of gravel rash too, although there are abrasion resistant lycra shorts out there now. I don’t wear baggies in the dark in winter or when I’m racing XC, or sometimes for XC rides, particularly longer ones where lycra is a bit comfier and better ventilated. My colleagues can go **** themselves if they think I’m going to put a pair on for the (road) commute.

Pads are useful for a bit more confidence on some things, but I rarely use them as they always feel like they hinder movement a little. Usually I’d save them for rocky rides with a single long climb/long descent or when I’m paying someone to drive me up the hill.

I own knee pads and probably wear them once or twice a year along with my elbow pads and full face helmet, for general riding I don’t bother (excluding the first few rides after I got them because they were shiny and new so I wanted to to get used to them)

Baggies I wear because I wouldn’t leave the house in just lycra but it’s purely down to (a) not being comfortable in revealing attire – I swim in a t-shirt – and (b) it’s another layer to keep me warmer when I’m waiting for every one to catch up fixing a puncture.