[Closed] Afan - body armour and full face hats.

Full Face is probably over-kill for Afan, you'll be drowning in sweat, lots of lovely big climbs.

I wear D30 knee pads because, well it's good to cover your knees and it's worth it because joint injuries suck. I also wear elbow pads because I stacked at Afan back in 2009 smashed my wrist and elbow to bits, 3 surgeries - 9 months physio and 18 months off the bike. Total freak accident, but can't risk another elbow break.

knee pads for sure, stw has a review out at the moment

some, decent armoured gloves

full face helmets are very hot for ally day riding,
enduro style lids have better coverage on the whole, and going full enduro goggles can really help in a crash

and very good price on spine potection backpacks here http://www.startfitness.co.uk/scott-trail-protect-fr-12-cycling-pack-blue-241604-5020.html
http://www.startfitness.co.uk/scott-trail-protect-fr-16-cycling-pack-red-241603-5019.html

If you really want a bit of face protection, then the lighter/less protective end of the Enduro/convertible full faces would be a good option - a Bell S3R is still just as breezy as a half lid with the chinbar removed.

You'll pay more but you'll use if for all your rides, and carry or clip on the chinbar as of when needed.

I personally have never felt the need for anything more than an ordinary helmet at Afan.

Unless you are doing the black run from the bike park I think you should be fine.

Knee pads are good for keeping your legs warm though.

You will look like a complete nob wearing all that at Afan. Just ride within your comfort zone.

I fall off all the time and dont need/wear anything other than a XC lid and knee pads.

Trimix has it.

Trimix> You will look like a complete nob wearing all that at Afan

Kinda stupid thing to say. People wear additional protective kit for a variety of reasons, what may be overkill for you or I might be necessary for somebody riding with pre-existing injuries.

If you feel you need it then WGAF what people think about how you look.

Last time we went to Afan, one of our group came off on the Skyline descent and landed on his face, fair to say he wished he had a full face on at that point.
It wasn't that long ago that some people had similar attitudes to wearing knee and elbow pads, now they are almost considered standard kit.

If you feel you need it then WGAF what people think about how you look.

Is the correct answer.

AS men, we often get too hung up on what others think, be it our choice of helmet, bike, car, house, beer... Who cares what others think, really.... If you feel better with an FF, go for it.

While I do think you should feel you should be able to wear whatever you want and feel comfortable with it I also kind of get this:-

Just ride within your comfort zone

Accidents will still obviously happen but I do worry a little bit that bikes capable of being pedalled uphill are so much more competent pointed downhill that the edgy slightly out of control feeling that a lot of us get off on now comes at a higher speed where the consequences of getting it wrong are much higher. You could now ride down hill in comfort and control (and safer) at a speed where 15 years ago it was all a bit sketchy but I suspect most just go faster to reclaim the sketchy feeling.

For me Afan is probably a trail/enduro(slightly more wrapped around helmet rather than a more traditional XC jobbie although they do seem to be changing too) and pads that can be ridden in all day kind of place. I'm too unfit at the moment for Afan climbs to be anything other than hard work and hot and sweaty and I'm not into taking the stuff on an off.

I always thought that the lighter full face / removable chin guards were a bit silly for trail riding but having face planted twice recently, I'm starting to change my mind! I had a pretty big off at CYB this week and smashed my face on a rock.

If you feel that a full face of some sorts is beneficial, why not? Who cares what others think although I'm not sure I'd fancy trail riding in a full on DH full face because they get pretty warm.

Helmet, knee pads and gloves.
Everyone uses those as a minimum...

I don't care what you will look like.

I have a full face lid, I wear it really really rarely. the extra protection encourages/allows me to ride beyond my abilities, which is plain stupid as it doesn't really protect me that much. Last time I took it to BPW I left it in the boot of the car. I would rather the comfort, visibility and 'feeling of danger' from my normal lid

At Afan, I would regret choosing to wear it within 10mins of leaving the car park.

I always wear gloves on a bike, everywhere
I sometimes wear kneepads (g form) when I go away somewhere

I always thought that the lighter full face / removable chin guards were a bit silly for trail riding

I have a modern MET Parachute. It's far too hot for trail riding in Hong Kong, but it'd be alright for much of the year in the UK I think. If I was flirting with a full-face for Afan, I'd certainly get a lightweight one rather than a cheapish, heavy normal one. That sounds like a potential dead waste of sixty quid.

rimix - Member

You will look like a complete nob wearing all that at Afan.

We're mountain bikers, we all look like complete nobs.

Practicality is the thing though. Afan is pretty pedally, I'd hate to wear any more than the basics riding there. I've experimented with full face for trail riding and #enduro racing and tbh it makes me more likely to get hurt- heat and sweat and distraction. The same I'm sure would go for my pressure suit except I've never even tried to wear that for pedalling, it'd be grim.

These modern trailey fullfaces might be better... But tbh on a warm day even a standard helmet is more than hot enough.

Though rimix wasn't so eloquant, I would concur but suggest that the phrase [b]"you would look very out of place in a full face and body armour at Afan"[/b] sounds better.

I understand some people may need a full face for 'medical reasons'. But they would still look out of place.
In the same way, a skid lid would look out of place on the Fort Bill DH track.

I was recently at the A417 project in Gloucester, and personally (the key word here - your view should vary!) thought that everyone on their full DH bikes, in full DH gear, and full face helmets were very over-kitted.
I felt 'too tooled up' with the knee pads on!
However, I suppose it's what you are used to etc etc.

You'll be too hot and uncomfortable at Afan in full DH gear - XC/trail stuff is fine!

DrP

But tbh on a warm day even a standard helmet is more than hot enough.

White's Level climb would be pretty unpleasant in more than the minimum.

Wear what you think is appropriate.

Wear what you think is appropriate.

I think that's the answer.

I remember being at a rather XC event (30 odd miles in Wales) and seeing people in full face helmets and thinking they looked a bit over the top. I just wore a normal open face and was fine but I also saw someone with a mashed in face being evacuated by quad bike. He should have worn a full face helmet.

It's a risky pastime. The issue is balancing the risk with comfort.
If you are so protected that you are in discomfort to the point it wrecks the enjoyment, then you need to address that balance and reduce protection to the point that protection/comfort levels are equal.

It's an issue only the individual can answer.

Wear what you feel comfortable riding in. So probably not a FF up the climbs!

And don't worry about BPW on your Anthem. That's exactly what me and some of my mates ride when we pop in there on the way to/from Afan. £7 for an entry ticket and 2 or 3 blue loops is great fun.

(XC lid & thin gloves here fwiw)

I tend to always wear Bell Super 2r helmet (and attach the chin guard for descents), knee pads, elbow pads, and 661 undershorts (with that soft padding on hips).

Maybe that appears overkill to some. But given it’s more often than not the extremities - knees, elbows, hips and hands that take the brunt of most impacts, it seems silly not to (in my opinion). They don’t add much in the way of heat and discomfort to me.

Perhaps I ride too far in my comfort zone, but I crash extremely rarely these days (last time was 2 years ago at Cymcarn, although I only ride once every 3 weeks maybe, at a mix of trail centres + BPW only). Regardless, I feel I ride at a fair pace and slowly look to push at limits. But the two ‘proper’ crashes I’ve had over the years have been sudden, unexpected – and most relevantly here – on fairly benign parts of trail centre descents.

One involved a front wheel wash out, resulting in a hard slam on the side and lower face – chin guard did its job, and pads did too. And the other (at Ashton Court of all places!), again involved a front wheel washout on a berm and me landing on my face, elbow and knees. I was extremely close to losing teeth on that, despite being on such a tame section of trail.

Point is, just because terrain isn’t mad technical, doesn’t mean protection can’t be beneficial and worth the trade-off of relatively minor heat/discomfort trade off.

This isn’t to say I’m suggesting full on Turtle armour. But a bit of protection is warranted IMO.

Hi,

Thanks for all the comments - I think I'll give the full face a miss. I don't think I can justify one for the amount I'd use it. The Bell 3R does look good but way out of my budget. The backpack do look nice and cheap and I could do with a new one anyway so I'll order one later.

I will look into the knee pads as well - they seem to be a recurrent theme in the replies so far.

Thanks for the link by the way Kimbers - prices do look very good.

7IDP Full Faces are super cheap on CRC if you don't mind some crazy colours.

Helmet, knee pads and gloves.
Everyone uses those as a minimum

Err nope, never bother with knee pads for xc.