I don't wear anything other than a helmet and gloves, except in the Alps when I wear shin and knee pads to ward off stones that get thrown up.

I have noticed lots of people in quite a lot of armour out and about and I wonder what people see as the benefit especially around the Surrey hills where the landings are quite soft?

Is it overkill or am I behind the times?

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)

(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.

people should wear what they want (except for helmets and glasses)

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 twatting 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.