What armour do you wear? If any, but ‘none’ isn’t much use to me.

I’ve got a 661 compression jacket but it’s a bit short and a bit snug.

So want something else for jumpy days.

What are you wearing? Or thinking of etc

Kevlar string vest

Swinley or xc routes – helmet (I’m usually in gloves, but that is for warmth rather than protection)
Rockier trail centres, surrey hills, peaks, lakes – helmet, gloves, knee pads
DH* – rogate etc – usually “enduro” full face, knee pads, elbow pads, gloves.
BPW/Alps – as above. Have done easier days with the regular helmet

The elbow pads are new, having tried others in the past and then given up as they become wrist warmers.

Considering a back protector

*The B1ke, Aston hill type places I’m more likely to be sessioning difficult things, pushing my limits/comfort zone etc. BPW and alps are more of a holiday so I’m more in the mood for full runs of blues and reds. Higher speeds though, so maybe I am not being rational.

Depends where and the weather …
I wore my 661 thing at Trancend Epic day 2 because it was the only dry thing left in the tent…

If I’m riding proper DH I’ll wear my Leatt mixed hard/soft unless its boiling hot… Rogate or similar depends on the weather.

Randomly wore the Leatt last week at Rogate and did a OTB on Triple R, landed on my back and glad I was wearing it even though I just put it on as an extra layer.

If I’m riding Swinley then non …
Surrey Hills, depends on weather … over winter its another layer so “why not” ..

Ive just got some lightweight knee pads for ‘normal riding’ ive had a couple of silly offs recently and my knee always takes the brunt of it!

Ha, like busses these body armour threads.

There’s a few here from earlier, https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/recommend-me-a-body-armour-vest/
I asked yesterday and the poc ones were suggested.

I’ve ended up ordering a bluegrass d30 one in the end as the sizing was more conservative than most and it takes a bladder too. As is I suspect it’ll be a bit big still.

Ha, like busses these body armour threads.

For those of us not blessed with gnarly terrain from or near the door… this weekend gone was my first use of the kneepads (twice) and elbows and full face (once) since November.

Knees i have a pair of Fox which are great if a bit warm, also a pair of Dainese Trailskins, for Elbows i have TLD set.

I’m thinking the Alpinestars Paragon Lite or Vector

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1656519-Alpinestars-VECTOR-TECH-PROTECTION-JACKET-MTB-Mountain-Bike-Body-Armour/401726966610?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=671492468250&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1656620-Alpinestars-PARAGON-LITE-SHORT-SLEEVE-PROTECTION-JACKET-Mens-MTB-Trail/362972894427?_trkparms=aid%3D1110002%26algo%3DSPLICE.SOI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20201210111451%26meid%3D487c631ac8af41af949f0294cd329b4e%26pid%3D101196%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D401726966610%26itm%3D362972894427%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DPromotedSellersOtherItemsV2WithMLRv3%26brand%3DAlpinestars&_trksid=p2047675.c101196.m2219

Used to wear a fox Titan power ranger suit which saved me a few times but recently upgraded to D3O 661 jacket. It may be the same one you have as it is short in the back, I just bought a cheap 15 quid motorbike back protector insert, cut a bit off and sewed it onto the bottom

I then bought a motorbike suit with no back protector included and slipped the off cut in the rear. Win win!

Evoc back protector, 661 soft knee and shin pads, brandX hard elbow and forearm protector. All a bit much for a 48yo mincer 👍

recently upgraded to D3O 661 jacket

these are VERY lightweight.. good for wearing as an extra layer but if you compare (hands on*) with other types like the Leatt and POC its incredibly basic and thin.

*when I unbagged the kids Leatt I could tell its another level even while it was still in the bag. Different thicknesses and more shaped … you won’t see it on photo’s so much but when you handle them they are completely different.

That’s not to say the 661 is bad it’s just a different beast

Aye, the Leatt airflex looks great

https://www.dirtbikexpress.co.uk/body_protection/motocross_body_protection/leatt_motocross_body_protection/leatt_body_armour/leatt_3df_airflex_stealth_body_tee?gclid=Cj0KCQjwgtWDBhDZARIsADEKwgPntts4V57dt32i7qHVgIp1OXtcXtyUaCeAe84_j8aWDufxmLVU43IaAqHiEALw_wcB

XC days – helmet and gloves
Surrey Hills days, Fox D30 knee pads, Dainese Trail Skins T armour, gloves and helmet
Rogate – as above but with chin bar and elbow pads – but I’m rubbish and my attempt at air is more the front wheel in the air.

That said I have recently gotten a jump wrong and am off with cracked scaphoid, badly bruised and cut up arm and hairline cracked scapula and a cut face.

So the elbow pads and chin bar were in the car… If I didn’t have back and shoulders I would have come off a lot worse.

BPW, Aston Hill and the like – helmet, gloves, knee & elbow/forearm pads (both Fox I think).

Everything else – helmet and gloves.

For those of us not blessed with gnarly terrain from or near the door… this weekend gone was my first use of the kneepads (twice) and elbows and full face (once) since November.

Aye, I imagine there’s a lot of taking things from the “wardrobe” and thinking it needs replacing to do with it. Fwiw, I don’t even have gnarly terrain not from my door, I just like being dressed like a ninja turtle whilst I push my bike down around or up any obstacle more threatening than bridleway hoof prints. Turns out I’ve exited lockdown somehow less capable and more nervy than I went in.

Launch Pro knee pads most of the time. Full face for uplift days. Normal helmet and gloves the rest of the time, though gloveless for some commuting plus fun diversions when it’s warm.

Helmet and gloves for 99% of the time.

I’ve got a (now quite retro) 661 pressure suit and some Dainese knee/shin pads. I stopped wearing them as I found I crashed a lot more whilst wearing them. I’ve got some 661 Kyle Strait knee pads which do a good job of protecting my knees while raining in my lunacy levels.

I was debating another DH/Enduro holiday to Spain if Covid settles down. Last 2 trips I’ve worn a FF and crashed a lot so I’m really not sure I’d take it again. Part of me wants to take a Dremel to the chin and make an open-face just because (IMO) they’re cool.

I’m only XC, Peaks and Trail Centres, no DH as not experienced enough/too old/broken myself enough on a road bike.

XC Helmet and gloves and a camel bak to protect my back. Trail Cerntre/Peaks add elbow protection. Despite being an ex-roadie, I’m not keen on knee pads, even though I have some. I’ll wear them where I haven’t a clue where I’m going though – e.g. night rides.

Elbow protection as they don’t take much of a knock to be in a mess – I was in a RTA with a car and another road cyclist a few years back and he some how landed on his elbows – right mess internally – loads of surgery.

I’ve previously badly broken my spine on my road bike – car interaction, but only slow speed, but the decelleration split two vertebrea in half, before I hit the ground.

these are VERY lightweight.. good for wearing as an extra layer but if you compare (hands on*) with other types like the Leatt and POC its incredibly basic and thin.

I thought the whole point of d3o was that it could be thin. Is the Leatt stuff the same material but thicker then or is it a different type?

That said, I wear that for Stiniog or BPW but then I pedal the 30mins from home to the local bikepark in pisspot and kneepads then hit the biggest jumps I’ve ever hit so maybe I’m just an idiot (not even being sarcastic there 😁)

In fact I went last week and crashed and now have a knackered shoulder. It doesn’t matter though, I’m on a 2 week work trip in Denmark so no riding for me anyway until the end of that + whatever amount of quarantine Johnson decides to pull out of his hat when I get back

Currently it’s a pair of RaceFace Ambush knee pads as part of my never ending quest to find the perfect 661 Kyle Straits replacement. And I have a Dianese Back protector from about 8 years ago for alpine days.

Anything up to FoD off piste is piss pot helmet, gloves and Endura knee pads with the koroyd rubbish swapped for D30 inserts. Occasionally bring out the full face when riding with certain buddies. I’ve bought some Race Face Flank Core D30 armour for those days as well, but it was snug when I bought it and I’ve put on a bit of timber over lockdown.

Anything more than that is Race Face Flank D30 leg guards, Fox Proframe full face lid and Fox Titan body armour.

Helmet, gloves, misplaced sense of invincibility…

For dh, I started with a 661 jacket, but it never fit me that well, so changed to a Poc Vpd jacket which is good but offers no side protection and I’ve cracked ribs twice now, so recently got the Leatt 3df 6.5 suit, only ridden in it for the first time on Saturday, but it felt great, could be bit toasty on hot days though.

Uplift days; 661 Core Saver vest, Knee pads, gloves and full face lid
Trails; Trail lid, Gloves, Knee pads dependant on how sketchy I expect things to be.

Always gloves, open helmet and lightweight knees for usual trails in the SE.

Rogate I tend to wear my Alpinestars soft armour jacket in sleeveless mode (for the back protector) and launch knee pads.  I have a Bell Super 2 with the chin bar but in the market for a nice lightweight FF for the UK parks as I find the DH ff hot for the ride back up.

Uplift / Alps, as above and attach sleeves to the jacket and proper DH FF.

Leatt 6.0 3df knee pads.
But honestly where I’m riding I really don’t think they’re that necessary. Have had a few wipeouts but they’re never the kind where the kneepads have been needed to save the day.

However they seem to sit well with pedalling all day and I never feel they impede in any way or feel too bulky. So I’m quite happy to just keep in the habit of wearing them for that one wipeout where I’ll be glad I had them on.

Gloves always especially considering the other week I managed to tear up my new TLD shirt in some prickly stuff in a body surfing incident. And would have been wincing like a baby for the rest of the ride if my hands had taken the full brunt of it naked.

Jesus.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/leatt-body-tee-airflex-stealth/rp-prod190798

Purchased.

Most rides are helmet and gloves type rides, as im old and scared of gnarr 😳

For anything even remotely, to my scaredycat ways, worryingly technical I wear bliss arg minimalist kneepads as well.

Given that on every outing I have some sort of incident involving a total lack of balance, awareness, skill, bravery et al, I’m thinking id be better off peddling whilst wrapped head to toe in very thick bubble wrap.

I’ve a bliss d30 suit (that I bought to take to the bull track to do the bazooker line) over a year ago but never worn. I’ll take it to other parks for the abrasion resistance and some nominal back protection.

Otherwise just kneepads and a lid.

Previously use an upper body elbow vest thing at parks and a backpack for the back.

Still got my Dainese Gladiator jacket and 661 cricket pads (can’t remember what they are really called, 4×4 maybe?). The latter are not long for this world as they are sweaty, bulky and generally unpleasant to wear. Same with my MX full facer, that’s getting changed to something modern and lightweight. I can live with the jacket for now, it’s not like it ever gets particularly warm here or I’ve not survived with it before.

I also just bought this, just in case. I like to have options

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1656519-Alpinestars-VECTOR-TECH-PROTECTION-JACKET-MTB-Mountain-Bike-Body-Armour/401726966610?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=671492468250&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

IXS Carve Evo knee pads and a back protector in the Evoc backpack

Another one for the Leatt Airflex – i have the long sleeve version for uplift days and jumpy sessions.

Really comfortable, hardly notice it when im wearing it – not overly storm troopery. My mate didnt even notice i was wearing it the first time under a normal jersey.

Armour is good and soft until you hit something, saved me a few bruises over the last 6 months, one was an OTB at windhill with my back hitting a nice rooty section, no bruises and although i felt it i walked away with no marks.

If you want something with a bit more burly armour Leatt have something to cover you, was looking at their 3df airlite lite but decided i wanted as light as i could without compromising too much.