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Every ride. The one time I forgot and rode anyway resulted in me tearing a ‘kin huge hole in my knee (hospital stay and general anaesthetic in theatre to sort out) 2 weeks before a race I’d been preparing for all year ☹️
You guys must be more committed than me.
I wear them in the Alps after some fist sized rocks got thrown up by my front wheel and hit my foot. Shin pads felt sensible.
But UK trails? Ok it’s Dalby and Glentress level, but even so.
I suppose I’m riding with family - wife and two sons - but the 14 year old has been doing Les Gets reds since he was 8 and is a sight faster and jumpier than me now, and even if it’s just me and him I’m open face and pad free.
My wife wears a back protector after spinal surgery, but in the UK that’s it in our family.
Worn knee pads for a good ten years now. A slow speed off caused me to knock the inside of my knee against the top tube, that was enough to make working a struggle for a week or so.
Since then I've taken the occasional tumble and damaged knee pad outers, that would of been me damaged otherwise. My old job would see me kneeling/crawling and my current job has me on my feet for most of a 12hr shift.
About 20 years ago now, I fell off on tarmac and my knee landed full force on a piece of flint, cracking my kneecap!
That really hurt, a lot!
Thinking back on that I should wear kneepads all the time, but I don't round here, only if I go somewhere else. Daft really, just as likely to fall off on local trails.