Protection, Do We Need It?

[zippy]

toothandnail Posted Yesterday, 04:48 PM

"now I'm old and limp"

I hear the've got pills for that now

Sorry ,I was thinking of needing a different kind of protection.

Just remember gentlemen "you have to need that pill in order to enjoy it."

[beta bodger]

BTW ,as you might have guessed I wear the same gear as I do in MX/TT , I figure if I'm going to drive 2-4 hours to ride ,I don't plan on leaving early cause of a "yard sale"

Out of interest what protection (make, model) do you wear?

[toothandnail]

Sidi boots,

EVS web knee braces ,

Sixsix one presure suit ,mainly for the shoulder and elbow cups and forearm pads ,although the back armour is nice as well, it's amazing how many deep scratches they've got and I've felt virtually nothing.

Sixsix one neck roll

full face hemlet

gloves

I useally don't wear goggles except when freeriding in the woods, nothing like a stick in the eye

when you get used to riding with it it's hardly noticable

It's like I tell my son ,I might ride a little worse today ,but I'll still be able to ride tomorrow

[beta bodger]

Wow! thats a lot of protection! Saying that I know why you wear it. I am tempted to start with some knee pads. Oneal make some cheap ones that may be worth the money as I may find I hate them and would be better without them......

[motojojo]

A lot of people don't need it, some do. I tore my acl 20 years ago in mx and I have worn a knee brace since. I had to quit moto but trials has kept me riding.

[swooshdave]

Sidi boots,

EVS web knee braces ,

Sixsix one presure suit ,mainly for the shoulder and elbow cups and forearm pads ,although the back armour is nice as well, it's amazing how many deep scratches they've got and I've felt virtually nothing.

Sixsix one neck roll

full face hemlet

gloves

I useally don't wear goggles except when freeriding in the woods, nothing like a stick in the eye

when you get used to riding with it it's hardly noticable

It's like I tell my son ,I might ride a little worse today ,but I'll still be able to ride tomorrow

Seems a bit excessive for a trials bike. Perhaps you need to rethink your speeds through the sections.

[scorpa3]

Broke my back, punctured my lungs and paralysed one arm above shoulder height in the 80's so I ride like a whimp these days.. the old war wounds are catching me up..... so I ride the easy stuff. That's my protection

[toothandnail]

From my experiance ,30 yrs riding , 10 yrs operating 2 race tracks, 3 trials events ,90% of the guys that quit/don't come back are the one's that wear little or no gear.

I realize trials speeds are a lot slower,but MX/TT don't race through/over huge rock ,logs ,ect. in most instances in those races when you "get off" your not falling off a 6' rock ledge onto a steep slope strewn with large rocks and trees.

I haven't learned how to do my job with out using my knees,elbows,arms and legs ,I have almost mastered not using my head.

[ham2]

Broke my back, punctured my lungs and paralysed one arm above shoulder height in the 80's so I ride like a whimp these days..

Jeez, you must have some hard sections in your part of the world

[scorpa3]

I like easy trials, the ones where a helmet, boots and gloves should provide ample protection.

Used up all my credits when I was younger, circuit/road racing; paying the price in my old age now.

Still can't believe some riders don't wear helmets when they are practicing (or in some classic trials!)

[tombo46]

I Also do skateboarding which thankfully im alot better at than trials and I often find low speed slams alot worse than high speed, simply because you always try to save it and end up in a worse mess than you were previously. I think the same go's for trials, most injuries occur after trying to save the bike and ending up with bits of it ontop of you/inside you.

I dont wear any protection when skateboarding, simple reason, people think your a poof

same go's for trials I think, helmet, boots and gloves are normal, anything else and a few people may think your a bit of a toft.

In an ideal world though, I think people should wear the right protection. ive had to drop out of competitions skateboarding because of injury that could easily have been avoided with some basic protection.

still cant get my head around these skin-tight jobbies though, I just wear jeans and a T-shirt. If your gonna wear trousers that show off your fat ass you may aswell compliment it with some knee pads

on a more serious note, I would imagine any skateboard shop whether on the high street or online could sell you a good set of knee pads that are as least restricting as possible and designed for alot of leg movement.

All the best

Tom

[copemech]

I knoe a few that wear knee cups/shinguards under their pants. I just stuff them in the boot and strap them on outside, as my knee braces are keeping me warm and flexable in the joints. They have saved me a kneecap or two on the rocks!

Of course it is warm here most times, but freezing now, I still wear the camelback which provides much needed water, tools and has offered me spinal protection on a few occasions. Did not help my butt, though!

[scoobystu]

Coming from enduro I wear a lot of protection, as much as I can without going completely over the top. You usually find that after a wee crash you will manage to hurt something. Living with pain is one thing but spending hours on end in A&E waiting for an X-ray is worse in my opinion, followed by trips back for fracture clinics.

Recently started riding trials and I wear the same stuff as I am used to it now and would feel naked without it. The all in one upper body armour is probably the best purchase I have made, even for simple falls that would hurt, you generally don't feel wearing armour. I also wear knee pads and padded shorts. I have had bursitis in my knee after a heavy landing on it and that was with wearing knee gaurds so I don't know what would have happened without it.

If you haven't had any offs that involve injuries that put you out of action for a month or two then you probably wouldn't see the benefit of body armour. Slowly but surely my body armour inventory has increased over the years.... I don't know if this says something more about my riding style right enough.

The only downside with wearing armour is the length of time it takes to get on and off and the fact that you might be a bit over-confident, oh and the cost. I have however seen the other side where I think that it was money well spent. My armour has paid for itself several times over.

[toothandnail]

Coming from enduro I wear a lot of protection, as much as I can without going completely over the top. You usually find that after a wee crash you will manage to hurt something. Living with pain is one thing but spending hours on end in A&E waiting for an X-ray is worse in my opinion, followed by trips back for fracture clinics.

Recently started riding trials and I wear the same stuff as I am used to it now and would feel naked without it. The all in one upper body armour is probably the best purchase I have made, even for simple falls that would hurt, you generally don't feel wearing armour. I also wear knee pads and padded shorts. I have had bursitis in my knee after a heavy landing on it and that was with wearing knee gaurds so I don't know what would have happened without it.

If you haven't had any offs that involve injuries that put you out of action for a month or two then you probably wouldn't see the benefit of body armour. Slowly but surely my body armour inventory has increased over the years.... I don't know if this says something more about my riding style right enough.

The only downside with wearing armour is the length of time it takes to get on and off and the fact that you might be a bit over-confident, oh and the cost. I have however seen the other side where I think that it was money well spent. My armour has paid for itself several times over.

AMEN , Seems the older I get the more I crash although much less spectatular then in my youth

[pete]

Hmmm. I've often thought about pads and guards etc. Always go with the standard Gloves boots and a lid, always have done so to go without would feel strange! My knees are fairly dodgy so a pair of simple braces from Boots are standard equipment. Helps to keep them warm and gives enough support to keep things in line.

One crash a few weeks ago I wished I had had something over my spine - my lid stopped any damage to the empty brain case, in fact didn't know I hit my head 'till the bloke who picked me up looked amazed to see me awake!

One other thing I've thought of is a cricket box - I don't often come off the bike, but I'm getting quite good at the dance of the nutcracker! Thats definitely a part of pre-65's thats not so much fun!

On th whole I think that any padding apart from thick jeans and a good tough jumper would be a bit restrictive. I can't believe that a one piece thin lycra suit has any advantages at all! Whenver I see a rider at full stretch, the sleeves are halfway up the arms, the whole thing looks like it will come apart at the seams! Give me jeans and a jersey any day!