Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 56 total)
  • Flat pedal curious – shin protection
  • simons_nicolai-uk
    Free Member

    post 2. Katie and I are going to have a proper try of flats. Everyone i see riding them has shins scarred from pedal pins.

    What’s recommended to protect from this, at least when starting out and likely to have a lot of shin/pedal interface going on.

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    To be honnest, I got more scars DMR V8’s and Skate shoes than I ever did with burgtechs and 5.10’s. So the best protection is simply to go overkill on the pedals and shoes! That and drop your ankles so that any jolts from the trail are pushing your foot into the pedals, not sliding them off.

    I had some of the original daineese knee/shin pads which work well enough. But a lot hot and sweatier than wacking your shin once and learning!

    thepurist
    Full Member

    I’ve had worse pedal injuries from walking into the bike in the garage than from riding it.

    Next you’ll be wanting a disk brake guard like them soft roadies 🙂

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    submarined
    Free Member

    I used to smash my shins all the time on V12s and skate shoes.
    Not had a single slip since going to Nano Xs and Freeriders…

    hols2
    Free Member

    My shins have a bone just under the skin that stops the pins before they hit anything important.

    plyphon
    Free Member

    Ironically the shin bashing often comes as a result of the benefit of having flats in the first place, as in – being able to take a foot off quickly to save from an even bigger off, might also result in you twatting the pedals on the way down.

    Alex
    Full Member

    Shoes/pedals are so grippy, I tend to remove one of the pins that’s a ‘shin-striker’. Also recently bought some 5450 Troy Lee pads which cover most of the going-to-get-bludgeoned area.

    Don’t really get many strikes after three years back on flats. But still blooming hurts when I do. As above ^^^ tend to walk into pedals while moving around the shed/riding away from the pub!

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    I don’t understand the attraction of pinned flats. You can get the same level of grip from an old-fashioned track/touring pedal so long as you wear shoes with decent lugs on them.

    My shins are unscarred. 🙂

    6079smithw
    Free Member

    football shin pads ftw

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    Always think of shin protection as more of a trials/bmx issue, myself. As above, knee pads maybe, good shoes and pedals definitely!

    hammerite
    Free Member

    (Touch wood) I’ve had very few pedal on shin moment, however, I do or have had quite a few scrapes down my calves which wouldn’t be protected by knee protection.

    funkmasterp
    Full Member

    I get scrapes on shins and calves all the time. These mainly occur when pushing the bike rather than riding though. Never really thought of protection as it doesn’t really hurt.

    howsyourdad1
    Free Member

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    Akshewally…..

    Many years ago, someone suggested orienteering shin pads as bramble protection for riding. Very light weight shin protection from scrapes rather than impacts. Worked well, so might be worth a look.

    simons_nicolai-uk
    Free Member

    bramble protection for riding.

    I’ve wondered about super lightweight pads for late summer riding before as defence against brambles and nettles. Never got around to sorting anything

    football shin pads ftw

    that was a thought – does it work? I don’t own any.,

    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    What TINAS says.

    Burgtec + Five10, with a smidgin of technique = happy shins.

    submarined
    Free Member

    I don’t understand the attraction of pinned flats. You can get the same level of grip from an old-fashioned track/touring pedal so long as you wear shoes with decent lugs on them.

    You really, really don’t. There’s nothing like the level of grip.

    What sort of riding do you do? And what flat pedal/shoe combination did you try?

    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    I don’t understand the attraction of pinned flats. You can get the same level of grip from an old-fashioned track/touring pedal so long as you wear shoes with decent lugs on them.

    Haha!

    joefm
    Full Member

    As above.

    You won’t slip a pedal with them. If you do you’re probably taking a big hit and about to fly over the bars or something anyway. I wouldn’t worry about pads.

    As for touring pedals being ok? go back to road.

    prawny
    Full Member

    As above, used to use shin pads BITD but for pretending to do trials mainly. I’ve currently got a huge gouge on my right shin from trying to do a cyclocross dismount and jump a fallen tree but ran into the pedal. And one on my left leg where I missed the looks on my road bike (thought I’d burst my prostate too for a bit, if that’s possible)

    Not an issue with modern pedals. But if you want something football shin pads work fine.

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    submarined – Member
    You really, really don’t. There’s nothing like the level of grip.
    What sort of riding do you do? And what flat pedal/shoe combination did you try?

    Unless you are capable of tearing ¼” lugs of a shoe, there’s no shortage of grip.

    Can’t remember what flat pedal/shoe combo I tried, but it felt inferior to me. That would be about 15 years ago.

    What sort of riding? I ride bicycles on mountains, rarely on road, so whatever type of mountainbiking is necessary to get me from A to B. Occasionally race.

    And you don’t need special mtb shoes my way, just a decent pair of walking shoes/boots and no need for shin protection from the pedal.

    DezB
    Free Member

    Me and my lad played bike football with flat pedals once. Only once, mind.
    His legs, not mine.

    convert
    Full Member

    My shin shredding came to an end the day I had a session with Jedi and learnt to ride properly! Once I stopped having the the pedal axle positioned relatively to my foot like you do with cleats and had it further back under my instep and also once I tweaked the angle of my brake levers so my wrists go into extension rather than flexion on a heavy impact (I know, counter intuitive that your wrists could make such a difference to your feet but it really does) my feet have not become unintentionally unweighted from my pedals again and hence my shins are unscathed!

    idiotdogbrain
    Free Member

    Go have some horse-riding lessons; once you learn not to lose your stirrups, you’ll never lose a pedal! Well, it worked for my Oh who’d been riding horses for years before she got on an mtb…

    flaps
    Free Member

    Shin 0 : Vaults 1
    Moral of the story, i’m too old to bunny hop!

    DezB
    Free Member

    Need more of a close-up, flaps.

    flaps
    Free Member

    😆 I post images through links off my Twitter account. I did select the ‘small’ option.
    I think you might be able to see bone if you look close enough 😐

    DezB
    Free Member

    Nah, I’ve zoomed right in and can only see your inner juices seeping.

    vondally
    Free Member

    Do not ever ride , and i mean 10 feet in crocs and flats…..Worst shin gouges ….

    TimP
    Free Member

    I use some of these

    http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/lizard-skins-old-school-neoprene-shin-guards/rp-prod52130

    keeps you warm in the winter and bramble/nettle safe in the summer. It also protects font and back for those bike wheeling incidents

    P-Jay
    Free Member

    I’m not sure if it’s the 5.10s or practice, but I haven’t done it in years, I’ve got the scars though…

    redthunder
    Free Member

    6079smithw – Member

    football shin pads ftw

    +1
    Footy pads here as well.

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    So if flats are so wonderful, and have all that grip, how come people are getting scars?

    QED.

    uselesshippy
    Free Member

    Haven’t gashed my shins for ages, vaults and 5.10’s.
    But bitd, vans and v8’s….. You know how when you get in the bath your scars start to show, i can join up both shins from ankle to knee.

    convert
    Full Member

    So if flats are so wonderful, and have all that grip, how come people are getting scars?

    Because folk have not learnt to ride proper 😉 SPDs do allow you to develop dodgy riding skillz.

    howsyourdad1
    Free Member

    I was going to suggest a skills course but I’m too late!

    martinkiely
    Free Member

    Went from clips to flats then back to clips via A&E and a month off the bike…. 5.10’s and Vaults before anyone mentions poor choice in either – just lousy technique! Decided that flats are for people with better technique (or less pain receptors…) And by the way, chicks don’t dig those sort of scars….

    dudeofdoom
    Full Member

    +1 for 5450 Troy Lee pads…. an 510’s and decent flats.

    TBH I tend to get more hits to the shin when walking the bike anywhere..

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    I don’t understand the attraction of pinned flats. You can get the same level of grip from an old-fashioned track/touring pedal so long as you wear shoes with decent lugs on them.

    Obvious troll is obvious.

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    chiefgrooveguru – Member
    ‘I don’t understand the attraction of pinned flats. You can get the same level of grip from an old-fashioned track/touring pedal so long as you wear shoes with decent lugs on them.’
    Obvious troll is obvious.

    Nup, been riding off road like that for over 50 years including 5 hours today on very rough ground at a decent speed.

    If your feet are coming off the pedals, something is wrong. Maybe it’s because those pedals are more suited to BMX than UK mtb conditions.

    You have a large flat area to accumulate mud and slime and you are wearing shoes with a virtually smooth tread. To keep them secure, the pedals are fitted with sharp pins, and yet people are being injured.

    When pedals were predominantly rubber we used ‘tackets” ie steel studs in our shoes, so there was grip, but the pedal couldn’t injure you. Maybe the pedal/shoe interface is the wrong way round and the guys in the early part of the 20th century had it right.

    Track pedals are lighter and clear mud instantly.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 56 total)

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