So I have been riding around the local trails and such of which some are barely the width of my pedals. What is means those is that my arms and legs are getting lots of nettle rash and thorn scratches which is irritating.
What do you lot wear or do I just mtfu, which I am hoping is not the only answer.
Wear your scars with pride . . .
MTFU really
I do find that if the nettles have been particularly brutal, then a quick swig of Piriton calms it all down so you don't end up scratching your skin off
I have some socks with reinforced shins.
I think they're designed for fell running or something?
HTH.
APF
I like to cut my shins on brambles then have the equisite pain of the nettle sting burning in the scratches.why?because i know its summer and im out on my bike in the warm again
I find the burning tingling of nettles and brambles quite satisfying after a ride. Let's me know I have done something.
I think it's just a case of mtfu I'm afraid.
jeans and a jumper ? Wetsuit?
MTFU but carry secateurs to cut back the brambles. Be your areas trail fairy.
MTFU
And ride faster rather than hang around in them.
Based on my experience fencing woodlands, to avoid any sort of injury from nettles, brambles or thorns in summer, you'll probably dehydrate from the stuff you'd have to wear.
Liberal coating of Vaseline on all exposed skin.
MTFU
Just put lemon juice on the scratches
Leg/arm warmers? And not the 70's ones.. 😉
Tingling legs after a day of nettle rubbing, is a happy reminder of a good time.
Moar SPEEEEED!!!!
Perhaps you could grow your fur a bit longer....you do sound like a pussy 😉
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This is the only thing worth consideration... 😆
On a bit more serious note - I know [b]what definitely not to wear[/b]: the nice kit. The nicer and more expensive your jersey is, the more thorns and brambles are going to attack you. My 3 years old Lidl's top in still mint. Last week I wore a nice new Craft top - 4 thorn holes after 30 minutes.
Get a brush hook and sort it out, don't leave it and expect someone else to clear them. It'll work out cheaper than new gear. No one will know you did it, you won't get any thanks, but you'll be able to enjoy the trail more and perhaps ride it faster.
Full body cover for me when on unmaintained trails. Long sleeves or arm warmers, baggies, knee warmers and knee length socks.
Better than rocking the self harming look when you're of my vintage! Also there's more chance of keeping ticks at bay.
Emm tee EFF yoo
I hate nettles, stings for days and keeps me awake at night. I will avoid nettle strewn routes and sometimes wear long trousers in summer to fend them off.
However I do quite like bleeding profusely from brambles.
Cheers will htfu lol. Out tomorrow but will probably invest in some lidl stuff next time around
MTFU , works for me seem to build a bit of immunity to nettle stings after a while.
Brambles are a different ball game altogether, shredded the web at the base of my fingers after one encounter, gloves would have helped but I only wear them in winter.
As someone who is basically allergic to the countryside, I can sympathise with the op. There are very few nettles in this neck of the woods, but my forearms and shins are bloated for a few hours after every ride.
Long sleeves and compression socks are my personal remedy. You just need to drink more fluid to compensate for the sweating.
A guy i used to ride with worked for GSK, he got pulled in for a chat with the staff welfare lot as they thought he was self harming - he wasn't sure he'd convinced them when he said they were bramble scratches from MTB.
Round here the gorse really gets you on some trails. My shins look like I've gone over them with a Brillo pad at the mo'. Stings when the sweat runs into it 😯
There's also the famous Woodbury Common flesh eating virus that kills a Marine very year or so. Mmmm, lovely.
It's just getting warm enough for the nettles to grow here. Brrr
I plan on taking a walk with my strimmer shortly, down some of our local trails. 😉
I wear longs on any ride with a lot of vegetation even in the Summer as it substantially reduces the risk of picking up ticks.
Ron Hill tracksters look cr@p but are thin enough not to cook me. Nettle stings will be stopped but gorse and thorn won't. Thorn is tough enough to pull off a rear mech so on local trails I'll clear it back from the track
I'm on blood thinners. A ride through gorse makes me look like I've been fighting a recalcitrant barbed wire fence.
The worst thing about nettles at the moment is their sting is very strong, by the time autumn has come its calmed down a bit. But spring is like having needles pressed into you.
I don't mind the scratches, personally. It's a badge of honour. And as I take antihistamines all summer for hayfever, they take care of the nettle stings and redness.
Consider yourself lucky, my local trails are getting overgrown with gorse.
It's getting to the point where I now have to brake for what used to be a fun twisty full throttle bit as it's barely penetrable above waist height.
Had an off on a steep downhill corner into a load of nettles in Chamonix. I did get up really quick and was gone before my mate came along. He did look at the squashed nettles and wondered.
Obviously Alpine nettles are a breed apart as I could still feel it 24 hours later 😯
I carry a chain dog lead as a flail and give my those bastard nettles the full works.
Very satisfying.
Hi should get a chain then or maybe hitch a wide shovel to the front of my bike!
Ive tried the dog chain & ended up with dog chain and nettles in the face 😳