Had a bit of an off at an uplift recently. It was caused by the smallest error. I didn’t put enough weight over the front on a berm so the front wheel washed out and I hit the deck. I ended up scrapping my chin/side of the face and tearing up my for arm. Got some bad bruising on my palms, hips and legs.
I think the more substantial injuries where on areas that weren’t protected. I had a open face trail helmet, kneepads & gloves. Bruising was limited to areas covered.

So, it’s time to invest in some kit for uplifts to protect myself. Mainly because I work and can’t afford any down time just because I don’t wear protection. Looking for mid level protection, not a full on ninja turtles jacket. I still want to be able to move (part of the reason I never kitted up fully).

I have multiples of:
– Knee Pads
– Gloves
– Open trail helmet
– Glasses

I think I’d like to get:
– Full face & goggles-661 comp & goggles
– Armored shorts-661 EXO Shorts
– Armored shirt- TLD shirt type

Looking to spend roughly £200. Any recommendations would be great!

If you plan on doing them regularly, a full face is a must really.

I don’t wear much more protection on the big bike beyond gloves, full face and knee pads.

I’ve never used those softer style suits so can’t comment on how much protection they off.

Yeah, full face is something I’ve been putting off. I’ve done lots of uplifts, but always got away unscathed when crashing, bar a few bruises. This one has made me reconsider. One bad fall and I could do some serious damage.

I wear elbow pads a lot more following a crash on an uplift at Antur.

The jacket-style armour seems to have gone out of fashion a bit in recent years, but I still happily bust mine out for rocky uplift days or DH tracks.

Personally I use T-shirt style armour with seaparate elbow pads – which I can then wear for pedally rides too.

Got some padded shorts for sale in here if you wanna save a few quid and you’re medium sized…
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-troy-lee-sprint-shorts-rockgardn-padded-undershorts-661-rhythm-elbow-pads

I have a Leatt Airfit Jacket Though im sure you can find an older model cheaper than that.

I choose it over the TLD after comparing both and the TLD one while slightly less bulky is not a proper impact foam material. the Leatt offers much better protection. While i’ve only had one major stack hitting a tree and breaking my ribs where I didn’t pick up any additional abrasions, the other small off seem to have been resisted by it pretty well.

With regards to a full face it well worth actually trying them on and choosing the best fit. A helmet no matter the cost is only as good as it fits. Bones heal, teeth don’t grow back.

PS: I bought myself a Met Parachute before a recent trip to Italy with a freshly broken nose.

Did a great job of preventing further damage to my mangled fissog when I literally ate dirt on day three.

I’ll probably wear that for “DH-lite” kinda places like BPW rather than my proper full face.

The EXO shorts aren’t going to offer much in the way of protection in the rocks – look at something like the 661 EVO shorts for a higher level of protection. 7idp, 661, Dainese, etc, all do versions of that TLD jacket – some are a bit more customisable – i.e. pads can be removed, and bladders can be put in with the back plate etc.

Can’t really beat the Comp helmet for the price.

Great stuff, thanks all!
Lots of things I’ve not been aware of.

Those shirt things are a token effort tbh. Torso protection has a pretty hard job to do anyway since so much of the damage comes from momentum rather than what you hit, but if you’re going to do it, might as well go all in with a pressure suit or similiar, they’re cheaper and have better protection than that shirt. (the 661 shirts seem completely half-assed btw) Pressure suit will also incorporate good elbow pads (by and large you want to protect the bits that stick out), or you can get an assault suit type with no elbows, and use your own- this can be easier for fit.

(661 Rage is £59.99 on CRC just now, looks a good starting point. I’ll be honest, I own a suit for racing regs reasons but I rarely wear it otherwise, it’s bulk and sweat and hassle. Though I do quite like the feeling of strapping into it, like a knight 😆 )

If buying shorts make sure they cover the bits you want, I have a pair because of the metalwork in my hip but the first pair I bought had big thigh pads but no protection at all over the hips, just bizarre tbh.

And yeah, fullface. Weight is a thing- heavy helmets are less comfortable and can be tiring in a long day, but also they increase the risk of spinal injuiry- but other than that, even a fairly basic helmet can be good. 661 Comp is a good place to start I reckon.

TBH… There’s this trend of minimalist body armour these days and to me it all seems completely stupid. Do it or don’t. YMMV of course.

I use knee, elbow, shoulder and full face along with gloves and hip pads in my shorts. I think that the risk increases with how hard you are pushing your own limits, that said, you can crash as you have proven yourself doing the most ‘normal’ thing. I looked honestly at my riding style/ambition and bought and wear what I thought I was most likely to not need – hopefully!

I always wear a pressure suit for uplift days and once on I just dont notice it