[Closed] Pads and all that safety first stuff.

some people even use suspension....... 🙄

when you hit the ground it does not hurt. 🙄
Depends where I am what I wear.
Wet and rocky then I wear knee shin pads (sometimes) or ice always.
You do see some overkill though where evr you go but I know someone who has had two cruciate ligament opps who wear pads on a road bike. Looks daft but then again he may never walk/ride again if he does it a third time.

As do I. I am asking if it's overkill for XC probably wasn't too clear.

i have bad knees and even a small knock hurts them really bad so i just havea pair of 661 kyle strait patriots and they are fine, i also wear alpinstars full finger gloves since taking top of my finger off at lee quarry lol 😀

thanks for a civil answer.

For me it's dead, dead simple (well, even simpler because I have osteoperosis, but even leaving that aside...) A decent fall won't usually do any permanent damage, but even a wee knock to a knee can ruin your ride, or keep you off the bike for a week. My pads aren't just there to stop me breaking something, they're there to keep me riding without aches and pains.

(someone will surely be along to say "Just don't fall off"- fine if you don't want to push yourself but if you do, sometimes you're going to fall. I could ride without any real risk of falling off, I just don't think I'd ever bother to take the bike out of the garage again if I had to)

[img] [/img]
(I feel naked without my pads btw)

My pads are old fox jobbies and not good to ride in, are the current crop more comfy then?? I have buggered knees from skiing and MTB and I do tend to push things a bit too far which quite often leaves me in a heap...

the 661 pads are great for all day riding, i use mine all the time.

try some 661 Kyle Straits. I personally use Troy Lee Lopes pads, which are great for pedalling in, although they are in need of replacement.

To be honest, and this is just me, I see people riding XC with pads on and I do find it pretty strange. And yes I do push myself, and sometimes I fall off, but after quite a long time riding MTBs I know I can generally fall off in a way that will minimise the hurt!

Admittedly if I was downhilling or such I would pad up, but general riding it seems superfluous.

+ after years of riding a BMX when younger I don't have much feeling left in my shins anyway 😆

Dianese xc pads here, upper and lower limbs. Maybe I'm just used to them by now, or I'm lucky that they fit really well, but I don't notice them at all when riding. I didn't wear pads for years, but since everytime I lean on a desk (like now) I have to avoid putting pressure on little floating chips of bone tethered to my elbows by strings of meat... I wish I had started wearing pads a bit earlier.

I have to say though, I don't wear them where rocks are a scarcity, so I suppose I do notice them, or at least notice dragging the cold wet stinky things out of the boot of the car/bag in the hallway.

It's chalky/ flinty where I am & I seem to land on my elbows if I fall..................so I often wear elbow pads to economise on the stitches.

I partly wear pads as a confidence thing - got used to wearing them in the alps then felt a bit weird without them afterwards

Ultimately the idea of them being 'overkill' seems a bit of a macho thing - are you going to feel like more of a dick for wearing pads, or not wearing them and hurting yourself?

Plenty of exposed slate around here in Mid Wales and I've personally put 1 of our club in the big red helicopter with a knee injury and another member narrowly missed out on the heli and had to be ambulanced away with another knee injury all within 18 months or so, so It's a no brainer. I like my knees, and don't fancy being housebound for 6 weeks if I go down on them hard.

I ride bikes for a living = pads, all the time.

I wear pads because they stop me falling off and hurting myself.... Its true, every time I don't pad up I can almost guarantee that I will come off and cause some minor ailment.

joolsburger, definately check out the Kyle Straits. They do look a bit EXTREME!!1!! as they're quite big, but that's why they're so good- small pads tend to be tight and uncomfortable, these are bulky but comfy. You know they're on but they don't affect how you ride in the slightest. Very good indeed. And good protection to boot, side knock protection as well.

The thing with these modern pads is it's no hardship at all to ride with them on, it doesn't change your riding, they can be slightly sweaty but nothing major, they don't chafe, they don't come loose, they don't do anything annoying at all really. So, it's not a tradeoff of protection vs convenience.

Not being macho by the way, based on my old pads just wouldn't have used any but seems things have moved on.

Will get some to try out I think.

I've used pads in the past for DH and Alpine stuff, but living in the Surrey Hills, I've never had cause to wear pads here for XC. If they improve your confidence, go for it. It tends to look a bit silly, mind - the hills 'round here are hardly Chamonix! I'd rather wear pads somewhere where the riding is more technical / painful if you fall, and have the confidence there.

Limping around pushing your bike with blood p1ssing out of you looks pretty silly IMHO.

Hmmmm, had two big crashes recently, first one I was, with hindsight, mildly concussed, and still haven't regained any feeling on my shin, probably some nerve damage, second one was a week ago, and thought I'd bust my hand (didn't though). Hit my head pretty hard on both occasions, so probably due a helmet replacement, but neither of those accidents would a) have been prevented by wearing pads, or b) the outcomes been any different, I fell neither on my knees nor my forearms. OK shin pads may have prevented a numb shin, but it doesn't hurt nor is debilitating, like most falls from a my bike, I landed on my arse, and then my shoulder, and then my head, and finally my hands.

I'm not convinced that pads are made for the the bits of human anatomy that are easiest to injure, but rather that are easiest to manufacture...

I'm not convinced that pads are made for the the bits of human anatomy that are easiest to injure, but rather that are easiest to manufacture...

I dunno about you but the vast majority of accidents I have on the bike are relatively minor bruises, cuts and scrapes to my legs/arms. I'm not sure if pads are going to help prevent a serious injury though.

Yes, I agree with you grumm, cuts and scrapes is mostly what i end up with as well, from brambles and the like.

Well I was more meaning falling over and scraping my elbow (done this a few times and have some good scars), or having rocks fly up and hit my leg (happened a few times too).

What pads for brambles thread anyone? 😉

joolsburger, if you come off on a rocky section, knees and elbows are the most susceptible to a ride terminating injury. Wearing pads means you can get home, even if you have some cuts and scrapes. I ride in Scotland where there is plenty of rock, so always wear them when doing a long ride on my own in remote areas.

Have a look at the 661 Evo's. They are expensive but not made of thick neoprene so lighter and much more comfortable for all day use than even the Kyle Straights. Used them last weekend for a 55km offroader and did not notice I was wearing them

The more I ride, the more I tend to think that pads are a good idea.

I don't wear them while going round Thetford etc. (unless the nettles are out, when my 661 knee/shin combo helps!) but will generally wear them at the trickier trail centres & take them along for anywhere that has tricky sections. It gives me more confidence and they aren't all that much of a pain to lug around.

Two pretty bad falls this summer have convinced me i still dont want to wear pads.

Yes they will stop you getting the irratating knock to your knee or elbow which may result in a bit of blood and stitches. But i also feel that its these types of accidents which keep me on my toes when riding.

What i mean is that i find that i am fully aware of my limits and although i do push them, as i have proved by crashing, i also dont push things too far or fall into a false sense of security so when things do go wrong i have absolutely no chance of recovery. I also think that a lot of people wear them to cover up for the fact that they havent 'learnt' to fall safely. Yes it hurts when falling but there is most definately a technique to doing it safely.

Wear pads/dont wear pads. I am not bothered, but for some they are a replacement for basic skills they should learn the hard way imo

Gayers!

Would be overkill for me. Benefits wouldn't outweigh the uncomfortableness/cost/annoyingness of finding some that fit, but if i was at risk of injury because of some underlying problem i'd wear them.

I wear knee and elbow pads all the time. The worst that's likely to happen is I'll get a little warm on a hot day. However if I fall off there is that extra chance that I wont injure myself if I hit my knee or elbow. No matter how easy or familiar you are with a trail there is always the chance you'll fall off.

I also think that a lot of people wear them to cover up for the fact that they havent 'learnt' to fall safely. Yes it hurts when falling but there is most definately a technique to doing it safely.

Hmm.... if you are riding fast and come off I don't see how you can fall to prevent cuts to your arms/legs. The advice for stacking it DHing is 'tuck and roll' - you are still going to scrape your extremeties doing than, the idea is to try and limit the chance of serious injury.

Wear pads/dont wear pads. I am not bothered, but for some they are a replacement for basic skills they should learn the hard way imo

This just sounds like the macho attitude I was talking about 🙂

falling safely? maybe at low speed but for a high speed off i think this is a tad disingenuous.

i always wear a helmet, a new one this last couple of weeks as the last one breathed its last in a slate quarry where i punctured and headered a rock. it had cunningly hid itself so my master falling skills were outwitted. i have some excellent low speed brain injury xrays and ct scans at work. it's a motivator.

pads i only ever wear regularly on my mountain board. i don't like them on the bike, too bulky, too warm. that said i was melting it down a trail centre trail the other day and the thought occured to me that if i did have an off it would be hurting big time my mad falling skills being outweighed by the solidity of the surrounding trees and boulders.

tragically i think the main motivator for me padding up is age. no longer the elastic leaping up for me, more the realisation that yes indeed i am going to land like a fleshy sack of spuds. and being old it's going to take me that much longer than my more youthful brains in the toolbox testosterone fuelled colleagues to actualy heal.

people should wear what they want (except for helmets and glasses) esp if they can reveal to me how they can actually get up the hill without cooking in all their paddery, spine protectors and armoured pants. i get more bothered bythe notion of some sort of mtb fashion police than pad wearing.

Grumm i didnt say it will prevent cuts. I said I (That means me and doesnt mean it has to apply to everyone or anyone) find that being prone to a few cuts and grazes keeps me alert. Its the broken wrists/arms or legs that i wouldnt want and a good technique when falling is probably as good as wearing pads (On XC, obviously not DH).

I dont see in my post anywhere that i have tried to be macho. I have stated i dont wear pads. I have stated i have drawn blood on recent rides and i have stated i find i can fall off in a safer manner than i think i would if i relied on pads to protect me.

I always used to scoff at people with pads on xc rides. I got some of the POC knee pads earlier this year and have used them more than i expected (they make good knee warmers when it is chilly). I wouldn't say that i ride differently because i have them though.

Recently wore them (and elbow pads) when i was up at Lee Quarry on Sunday. Put them on because a) it was cold , b)i was riding on my own early in the morning and c) i had them, so thought i might as well use them.

I dont think of them as a skills compensator, much as i don't think of my helmet as a replacement for skills. It's just that the ground there is very rocky so if i came off i would likely be in a better state to get back down the hill, and not be broken (esp. important with first child on the way - the grief from my wife if i broke my are would be than the shame of people thinking i am a wimp for wearing pads.)

EDIT - I would be interested to hear how good falling technique could save me from big pointy rocks if i landed on them.

[i]people should wear what they want (except for helmets and glasses)[/i]

I was with you for the first half 🙂

Some of us can't fullfill our bill paying jobs if they pick up 'minor' injuries, that said it's all down to your own personal risk assesment, if you feel you want pads or need pads - wear them, if not then don't. I see pads as an extension of the helmet theory, some don't wear helmets down the pub but will always wear them on the trails.

Me, well i wish i'd had knee shins on at Afan, would've prevented 3 weeks of knee/shin scrapes being constantly torn open at work.

I am (perhaps depressingly) good at riding within my limits and as a general rule fall very, very rarely riding normal cross-country in Surrey. On most rides I'm no more likely to have a spill than I am riding on the road, so pads are totally unnecessary.

Some days I go out with the intention of pushing it a bit (so I'll spend a morning trying to get quicker on the White Down path for example) and then I will wear knee/shin pads, and I have some elbow pads. I figure if I'm really trying to go faster on rough and steep bits the risk of my ****ting a joint on a rock is much, much higher and the hassle, weight and discomfort of the pads are well worth it at that point. 🙂

Just to add to my comments above i do actually find that i feel rather unprotected if i dont wear my water bladder on my back. After having a few over the bars falls, one recent fall was full speed to stop in an instant when a branch got stuck in my front disc and landed on lose slate deck, i always find that the bladder gives a little protection. That said i still belive there is still a technique to falling.

[i]EDIT - I would be interested to hear how good falling technique could save me from big pointy rocks if i landed on them.[/i]

How about having the awareness to avoid the big pointy rock in the first place. Obviously not an exact science but then neither is wearing pads a guarentee that you wont get hurt.

I injured my kneecap following a low speed fall on an XC ride, and over the last 2 years have had 4 ops to try and repair the damage. At the moment I'm 9months through a (minimum) 12 month rehab with no guarantee that I will be able to return to biking or skiing. Do I wish I was wearing pads the day I crashed - Hmm let me see!!

It's a bit silly to minimise the type of injury you get from mountain biking as "cuts and scrapes" - even minor mountain biking injuries are typically quite dirty things, and I've had to spend a week in hospital before, after a deep puncture wound in my arm got badly infected. So pads for me, all the way.

Thats horrible news mtbscoop. As i said, wear them, dont wear them its still biking.

I was meaning more like a collection of rocks like you often see at the side of the trail. e.g. at Lee Quarry there are a lot of pointy rocks all around - i would imagine that they are difficult to avoid when falling.

What was your falling technique for landing on your back when the branch went into your rota? 😉

helmets and glasses

i'm such a pain in the backside about this. i won't go out without someone without a helmet and i get pretty miffed if there's no glasses happening. call me pernickety but i hate head injuries (particularly) in the young, stitching them up is a waste of time and boring after a while and serious injury is no joke.

as for eyes. first time you have to dig a twig out of someone's eyeball it's a wake up call, even if that wake up call takes the form of your colleagues phoning you to tell you that you have to come and see the **** mountain biker with the twig out his face.

but that's just me 😉

Don't always wear glasses - probably should but don't have any clear ones.

I fell off quite hard in Spain this yr and my pads had dropped slightly - I whacked my knee on a rock and it hurt like mad. I had 4 days more cycling, so had to put up with a stiff/sore/swollen knee. I really need to get some pads that stay in place - I think there was still a bit of protection from the area around the knee cup, but not a lot.

Now when I bend both legs, the knee that I whacked is definitely knobblier than it used to be & much more so than the one I didn't whack. Not quite sure what I have done to it.

[i]What was your falling technique for landing on your back when the branch went into your rota?

[/i]

Believe it or not there was a technique involved.

At the speed i was going i knew i was off the bike and hitting the ground. I also know there are two ways of falling in that situation. Superman over the bars or summersault (No technique as momentum kinds disctates). There is a third but in this instance i was going too fast which is to spread the legs and kinda vault over the bars and land on your feet (See experience of falling).

In this instance i decided that summersault was my best chance and even then i made damned sure i didnt land towards the edge of the trail because that is where you usually find the bigger rocks. I fell bang in the middle in all the loose stuff. Yes it could still have been a bad fall but i dare say it wouldnt have made a jot of difference if i had been wearing pads. I was winded and shaken.

Now when I bend both legs, the knee that I whacked is definitely knobblier than it used to be & much more so than the one I didn't whack. Not quite sure what I have done to it.

You've knobbled it

I do laugh when people try to convince others that XC riding or low speed = Safe falling. My mate broke his pelvis and elbow on a very slow family canal path by falling sideways. You never know what you are going to fall onto, that said safety is a personal thing, you want to take the risk that is your choice, personally I cannot ride without a Lid and knee / shin pads… like others have said even a small fall can get you off the bike for a few weeks and imho not worth it. Anyhow modern pads are comfortable to wear all day but that is my choice. I say do whatever you feel happy with and let other do what they want, don’t be swayed by what other people think.

Well I have just been for play in Swinley and had a bit of an off going down one of the little runs down surrey hill. Usual stuff, pushing too hard - lost front end - down like a sack of spuds. Scraped my knee up pretty bad and the usual shoulder mashing, helmet took another knock but seems OK.

Knee pads are probably on the list now, why not eh..

Seriously, what armour are you going to wear to protect against the risk of a fluke broken pelvis while riding along a tow-path?

And if you wear enough armour to be sure you won't break your pelvis, are you going to be able to swim if you fall into the water? Drowning is a terrible way to die... 😉

I normally wear pads, but depends on the ride

One time I didn't

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Was out in the Chilterns with an old mate a few months back - he's been biking for ages on and off road, so not a newcomer ...

In a wooded section with nice soft bouncy earth he tipped off a relatively low speed - unfortunately there was a rock beneath the bouncy surface and he gouged (rather than just gashed) his knee. One trip to A&E to get the grit out and 5 weekly visits to his GP to re-dress the wound, the nurse finally said "Oh good - that's healing nicely at last .. we probably won't need a skin graft".

He's now got knee pads ... and I'm gonna get some too.

It is interesting that most of the people posting on this thread are convinced of the benefits of 'armour' but most riders I see on the trails are just wearing helmets and gloves.

I went on a ride organised by a LBS a few years, and the guy running it took us along the coast with a rocky drop into a particular bay. The track is used by 4x4s and is about 200-300m long. The organiser stopped at the top and started to pad up. Of course by the time he'd finished most riders had dropped into the bay and then climbed back out to rejoin him.

In 15 years of riding with just helmet and gloves (rarely glasses off road) I've had plenty of bleeding wounds, several small bones broken, but nothing that's ever stopped a ride unless I've broken my bike. Same goes for the guys I ride with really. Maybe we're lucky. We're certainly not macho about it.

Why no glasses? Because I just want to ride my bike and really get annoyed by faffing about with kit - like the guy above.

As said previously, it's up to you, but I don't see that shin/elbow/knee pads are necessary unless you are doing fairly hardcore DH runs. If you get bothered by rocks flicking up into your shin, ride faster so they miss you!! 😉

I wear armour whenever I go out on the bike, doesn't matter where it is or how long I intend to be out for. Originally it started when I switched to flats and did the pedal down the shin thing and bought some shin pads, then I bought the matching elbow/forearm guards cos of my inability to be asymmetric(al?) (knee pads but not elbow pads looks weird to me!).

As far as I'm concerned there are no drawbacks, I've got past the stage where they feel hot and uncomfortable because I made a point of wearing them on the hottest days specifically so I'd never choose to not wear them because they itched or whatever. Putting stuff on for the downs and taking it off for the ups is a pain in the arse as far as I'm concerned.

As for falling off "technique", fair one, some people will fall like a sack of spuds and others will roll and bounce. I don't see why a combination of "technique" and armour won't offer the best of both worlds though... (active and passive protection in a sense)

One thing I noticed here (and in previous threads) is that some people are pro-helmet but anti-pad. This is interesting, because statistically you're far more likely to suffer a crippling knee injury than a crippling brain injury. The brain's extremely well protected in its hard shell, and also well located for avoiding impact, and fully articulated to reduce the severity of impacts. The knees on the other hand are delicate, exposed, and commonly suffer damaging impacts in a fall- think how often you've landed on your head, compared to how often you've landed on your knee. And yet, helmets are almost universal while pads are still seen as a bit fruity.

Of course, a crippling knee injury just leaves you a cripple, while a crippling brain injury leaves you a vegetable, so it's easy to see why this is- but all in all it's better not to be any sort of cripple.

HoratioHufnagel: "Benefits wouldn't outweigh the uncomfortableness"

There shouldn't be any.

"Seriously, what armour are you going to wear to protect against the risk of a fluke broken pelvis while riding along a tow-path?"

Pretty much any decent armoured shorts may have made the difference. Not that I'd wear them on a canal path ride, mind!

IdleJon wrote: "convinced of the benefits of 'armour'

Why the ''? CE tested pads are entitled to call themselves armour, it's a legal definition for gear which achieves the set level of protection.

Take one very experienced rider, riding without pads and add:

a flat, easy trail and a slow bend
some fly tipped laminated chipboard sheets

Then cover chipboard sheets in slippery mud

Result:
3 inch gash just above the patella revealing it for all to see
much blood & howling from a normally butch guy
abrupt end to the ride waiting for an ambulance
wasted day in A&E
return visit to A&E due to severe pain two days later
12 days in hospital
blood clot on the lung
6 operations
losing 3 stone of body weight
still bandaged up and unable to walk properly let alone ride, from a ride 7 weeks ago - not good when you're a self employed mechanic

He's now vowed to use pads....when he finally gets back on a bike.

think how often you've landed on your head, compared to how often you've landed on your knee.

I can't remember the last time I fell off my bike and hurt my knee.

I have had a few concussions in the last few years - whether the helmet made a difference is debatable.

they havent 'learnt' to fall safely

Prolly the most interesting remark on this topic IMO. Mate Dave is an expert judo chap and has little fear of crashing, crashes all the time and rarely gets hurt bad. I have no training, I fear falls and have been hurt occaisionally.

Perhaps falling is a skill we should all learn in order to improve.

Hmmmm

same as IdleJon, I've never fallen onto my knees, when I've fallen it's normally onto my arse

buzz-lightyear

Prolly the most interesting remark on this topic IMO. Mate Dave is an expert judo chap and has little fear of crashing, crashes all the time and rarely gets hurt bad. I have no training, I fear falls and have been hurt occaisionally.

Perhaps falling is a skill we should all learn in order to improve.

Hmmmm

Learning to break fall in judo/jujitsu is applicable to biking - I speak from experience. And you can do it at high or low speeds, assuming the crash isnt a jarring dead stop. I have been very lucky in the past having had some high speed stacks and managed to keep the momentum going. It's not conscious but I do seem to roll mid crash as I often end up kicking the bike away from me when I am upside down - mid roll, if that makes sense.

Of course to learn you need to practice, and padding up makes crashing, even slowly, seem less intimidating.

People wear what they feel they need. I use knee pads in the alps and nowt back in the UK. If I feel the need, then I'll chuck them on, but rarely do in the UK. What I don't get is all the pressure suits, people padded up head to toe and full face helmets at Glentress. Unless I missed them moving Fort Bill to the top of Spooky wood...

Learning to fall could definately help... Though some bike crashes occur very suddenly and unexpectedly. But especially for broken collarbones, arms and wrists, landing skills could well help (the main reason you break a collarbone or wrist isn't that you're falling, it's that you stuck your arm out and landed with all your weight on a braced arm- it's like a lever) The only downside is that you'll not be prepared, in judo you're expecting to be thrown while you compete but in biking it's relatively uncommon to fall, and it sometimes happens when you least expect it. But still, it's a worthwhile skill without a doubt. It's surprising how fast your body can go when you take your brain out of the loop.

Coogan wrote, "What I don't get is all the pressure suits, people padded up head to toe and full face helmets at Glentress"

Hah, you've met my mate Andrew then I had to laugh at him the other week, full jousting suit on, yet he was riding around with a bald tyre and a wheel with a spoke missing.

This has been a really interesting thread.

I've had a fair few falls over the years and my legs are a mess although fortunately I've given up wearing mini skirts 🙄

Have been looking for a very lightweight shin-covering type product rather than full-on protection. Have just ordered some of these:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=27766

Has anyone used them?

I don't wear pads.I do wear a helmet,gloves and glasses every time I ride.I don't ride trail centres very often and must admit that the sight of so many riders "padded -up" at Llandegla surprised me.A lso I thought that they looked slightly ridiculous on such a benign track.
As always,I didn't have to wait long for a wake-up call,falling heavily on my hip last weekend..on a non-technical stretch of singletrack 😳
Still can't see me getting padded-up in the future.i'm not macho(nowhere near) it just feels wrong to me ...something for downhill/extreme chaps....and yes I've smashed myself up a number of times in motorbike accidents.

Regarding glasses, luckily I'm a speccy bastard or the deep half inch scratch on my right lens aquired a few weeks ago from a little dangling branch in less than extreme Epping forest could well have been on my cornea instead.

Aaagh. All this glasses chat is annoying me as I hate to wear them. But I like my eyes.

Cinnamon Girl, I'd advise getting a decent set of pads. Those pads wont offer you any real protection when you do crash and probably annoy you just as much. Some lightweigh dainese would be my preference.

Some lightweigh dainese would be my preference.

[url= http://www.stif.co.uk/gear/select_options.asp?productid=6178 ]My choice of Dainese[/url]

However I don't know if they come in lady sizes. My good lady has had to settle for lesser options, and "youth pads" that don't have the same coverage or quality of construction as mine.

MisterGnar - I have several sets of pads BUT I only do wuss rides in the South. Just want to keep the odd haematoma/bruises at bay cos I'm an old girl and take longer to heal 👿

As regards glasses, well I stopped wearing them and got my just desserts. A branch hit the eyeball followed by horrid pain, sensitivity to light and loss of balance which necessitated a visit to A & E a couple of days later. Eye drops for a week and no riding/driving either. Lesson learned.

My knees are pretty screwed and so tend to use 661 evo knee's for most riding - hardly notice them now when pedalling.

On the other hand - i very very rarely wear gloves when riding, be it xc/4x or dh it just feels wrong. Sometimes have to give in on cold winter rides but most of the time i prefer to suffer the cold and feel in control!

Most knee pads protect pretty far down the leg and aren't as annoying as hardshell knee shin combos. Troy lee knee pads actually cover about half way down the shin. Might be worth looking into. If you're much smaller Dainese do a youth padding range as well I believe.

Dr Dolittle has ridden with me and will confirm my wuss credentials! To be fair, my 661's do feel quite unobtrusive.

Dr - how is your other half doing with her recovery?

I guess I've been lucky and not ahd a bad crash, but I know that if things did go wrong (which they often nearly do) when I'm riding the resulting injuries could be very bad.

Of all my injuries -

A stray branch that ounctured my shin would have been stopped by a shin pad, however this would only have helped if i wore them all the time rather than 'padding up' as it was a normal trail.

Banged my knee on stem several times, once on a rock. Never drew blood but it did hurt. See above re padding up.

Crashed and flew superman style into an uphill slope bending my back back the wrong way - thankfully nothing more than a sore back but the relevant precautions would mean a spine protector (do they work in that way?) on an xc ride.

Sprained wrist on a regular xc ride - wrist protectors may have helped.

Rocks into shins - it happens but thankfully they tend to go into the downtube or don't hurt too much.

Like I say I may have been lucky, but as far as I can see armour only protects the obvious pointy out bits, but you're just as likely to hurt the bits that aren't protected as those that are.

I broke my leg playing football along with 1000s of others - what armour should I wear for football?

Isn't danger part of the sport?

Its all your own choice but for me the expense / uncomfort / hassle isn't necessary. I guess a parallel could be rock climbing - some don't wear helmets, some don't use ropes, some use matts when bouldering...

She's doing really well this time CG. 11 pins and a plate in the same wrist as last time and next to no scar! Nearly all movement back and I have attempted to introduce a daily push up regime (to no avail)...She has the turbo trainer set up in the bedroom again so the next casualty in the flat will be a broken toe.

I would suggest that whilst the Southern Shandy Drinking riding style was "different" to Celtic Warrior Standard, it could hardly be described as "wuss". 😉

The other point in all this is the relative dangerousness of things.

I don't know for sure, but I believe I am more likely to end up in a wheelchair from a crash on my roadbike than from a mountainbike crash. On the roadbike I will hoon down a sunken lane in Surrey at 40-odd mph on 23mm tyres, tucked up with my hands nowhere near the brakes wearing a light helmet and lycra. There is absolutely no way I'm going to start wearing a pressure suit for that, and yet the risk of getting flung off the bike at really very high speed onto a hard surface, or crashing into a land rover is not wholly negligible.

Compared to the risk level of riding hard on the road, I don't really see the risks of riding fairly wheels-down offroad as being particularly high.

The no pads for road riding bit is non-negotiable, so padding up for most of what I do off the road makes me feel slightly self-conscious. 🙂

LOADS of people ooop afan way last weekend in armour.

one chap fully suited up in black body armour and a black full face.
looked like an incredibly sweaty darth vader.

cant think of anything worse myself
but then i come off often, so i dont worry about it and tense up, ive learnt very quickly to go with it rather than resist it, so rarely come off with anything more than bruised pride and a few stitches.

i hear it gets hard as you get older though, im noticing im not as bouncy as i was when i was at uni. (a couple of years ago, not decades)

Got some 661 evos for bad knees when doing dh and really rocky stuff and jumps and berms. Wore out Raceface FRs. No pads for xc group rides but like my eyes and head and hands.may wear for some bramble rides after cut to pieces in July.

I like nurses too much to wear armour.

BigDummy: "I don't know for sure, but I believe I am more likely to end up in a wheelchair from a crash on my roadbike than from a mountainbike crash"

Almost certainly true. But then you're probably less likely to crash on the road than you are offroad. And I suppose it's also the case that body armour will be of less use if a car drives over your face than if you ride into a tree.