ham2 Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Still can't believe some riders don't wear helmets when they are practicing (or in some classic trials!) Every time I see a classic rider without a lid I wince 'cos a mate of mine, a long time ago rode a twin-shock with a cable clutch,cable went ping and he flipped off the back taking a small chunk out of his lid. He was a bit shocked by his good luck 'cos he was one of these classic types who usually didn't wear a lid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstgear Posted January 17, 2008 Report Share Posted January 17, 2008 I wear volleyball knee pads. they do not restrict movement at all and have proved to save the knees on many spills...Many!! Also they are very cheap and be picked up at most department stores and all sporting good stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sectionone Posted February 4, 2008 Report Share Posted February 4, 2008 I bruised my hip bone by hitting it on the clutch perch which seems in the perfect position for pain. So I applied a big gob of black silicone adhesive sealant on the perches, let it dry, then cut it into a rectangular shape with a razor. No bruise the next time it happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gasgas4life Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 I bruised my hip bone by hitting it on the clutch perch which seems in the perfect position for pain... i did the same quite a few times but on the handle bar clamps, ouch! all i did was put a renthal bar pad on that sorted it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billboat10 Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 i always wear gloves helmet knee and leg gaurds and daianize cant spell it body amour if your falling down after not making that steep hill your going backward and you cant see what your about to hit did this and fell over the bike on the way down brake lever hit chest and broke 2 ribs that waqs before all the gear you never know what will happen and i have to pay the bills cant afford time off work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelmoore Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 (edited) I've always gone with the philosophy of "dress for the crash, not the ride" and it seems to have paid off, especially as falling down at least once seems a normal part of a day's dirt riding for me. Other than the trials boots everything else is my normal MX/dirt riding gear. Chest/back/shoulder armor, full face helmet, MX gloves and riding pants, and my vintage Gold Belt. A Camelback may not offer much protection but I think that has been one of my best riding gear investments as I no longer have thirst distracting me while I'm trying to negotiate a section. Standing on the pegs at a dead stop can get you the same length of fall as missing the bottom step or two on the stairs in my house, and I've done that before and didn't enjoy it. At least in my house I don't have sharp rocks/branches to fall on. I also wear my RR leathers/back protector when I ride on the street. Protective gear that you leave sitting at home seems kind of useless. eta: I've seen some pretty quick riding being done "on the loop" between sections where a crash would have the same speeds as on an MX track. cheers, Michael Edited March 1, 2008 by MichaelMoore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest majestyman340 Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 I've always gone with the philosophy of "dress for the crash, not the ride" and it seems to have paid off, especially as falling down at least once seems a normal part of a day's dirt riding for me.Other than the trials boots everything else is my normal MX/dirt riding gear. Chest/back/shoulder armor, full face helmet, MX gloves and riding pants, and my vintage Gold Belt. A Camelback may not offer much protection but I think that has been one of my best riding gear investments as I no longer have thirst distracting me while I'm trying to negotiate a section. Standing on the pegs at a dead stop can get you the same length of fall as missing the bottom step or two on the stairs in my house, and I've done that before and didn't enjoy it. At least in my house I don't have sharp rocks/branches to fall on. I also wear my RR leathers/back protector when I ride on the street. Protective gear that you leave sitting at home seems kind of useless. eta: I've seen some pretty quick riding being done "on the loop" between sections where a crash would have the same speeds as on an MX track. cheers, Michael If you are wearing that lot for trials riding, its going to make things very very difficult. Bit like trying to dance in a deep sea diving suit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelmoore Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 One of my earliest dirt bike crash memories is of having the end of the handlebar of my 185 Suzuki hitting me in the mouth, leaving me thinking "wow, this Jofa mouthguard thing (just like Joel Robert wears) is really nice, that didn't hurt too bad and I still have all my teeth." I have another memory of falling of my B50MX and thinking "sliding along on my back doesn't hurt while I'm wearing this back protector." I've seen trials riders wandering around dazed after smacking their heads, and I know of others who broke bones in a big "in section" crash. Maybe ace trials riders need to ride nearly naked in order to not lose out on the sensitivity needed to leap tall boulders in a single bound. They probably don't fall off anyway. Neither of those applies to my trials riding. For me, falling of is a "when" not "if" proposition and I'll continue to dress for that eventuality. cheers, Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil king Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 But it's also possible that all that gear can throw you off balance or limit your movements enough to cause more crashes. Just maybe. I do wear knee/shin guards when I'm practicing and sometimes in competition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelmoore Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 (edited) Neil, I ride the vintage novice line. I've gotten to where I can go through a trial now and then without falling off all day. But my skill (or lack thereof) is what hampers me, not my riding gear. After about 36 years of wearing all the protective gear I can afford in MX, trials and roadracing, it is more distracting to me to not be wearing it. The last time I tried on an open face helmet I felt very exposed and distracted. I will mention that I've worn glasses from long before I started riding, and protecting them and the rest of the face is a pretty well ingrained habit. The full MX gear (but trials boots) is more likely to give me a bit of a mental boost to try something a little more difficult than usual, as I can feel like I'm less likely to be injured if it goes wrong. I don't bounce as well as I used to. Actually, I don't remember bouncing all that well in my youth. I prefer to make my blood offerings in the garage instead of while riding. cheers, Michael Edited March 5, 2008 by MichaelMoore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrc1 Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 It all depends on what at level you contest..........All you really need are boots & knee pads. Anything else will make you hot (& bald.....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 I find the lack of protective devices other than helmet, boots and gloves are an excellent motivator to make sure you make it up that rock, step, hill, etc..etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest majestyman340 Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 Neil, I ride the vintage novice line. I've gotten to where I can go through a trial now and then without falling off all day. But my skill (or lack thereof) is what hampers me, not my riding gear.After about 36 years of wearing all the protective gear I can afford in MX, trials and roadracing, it is more distracting to me to not be wearing it. The last time I tried on an open face helmet I felt very exposed and distracted. I will mention that I've worn glasses from long before I started riding, and protecting them and the rest of the face is a pretty well ingrained habit. The full MX gear (but trials boots) is more likely to give me a bit of a mental boost to try something a little more difficult than usual, as I can feel like I'm less likely to be injured if it goes wrong. I don't bounce as well as I used to. Actually, I don't remember bouncing all that well in my youth. I prefer to make my blood offerings in the garage instead of while riding. cheers, Michael If you ever want to arrive at a reasonable level of competence riding trials, I would say you are going to find it pretty much impossible wearing full MX riding gear and a full face helmet! You need to be able to hear the motor to ride a trials bike in serious competition, and thats going to be difficult/impossible with a full face MX helmet, the rest of the MX gear is going to make moving around the bike very clumsy and slow, which is likely to result in many crashes that could be avoided if you were wearing the right gear. However if your events in the US are ultra difficult, with large steps and dangerous drop offs, then I can see why wearing all that gear may be a good idea for a newcomer to trials, and seeing some of the very trick special bikes that have been built in the US to contest classic events, I would think events probably are harder than those in the UK, and can understand the need for extra safety measures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 Please note that the following is a generalization and not directed at any particular individual. However if your events in the US are ultra difficult, with large steps and dangerous drop offs, then I can see why wearing all that gear may be a good idea for a newcomer to trials, Nope, there are many levels of riding available, (Beginner=ultra easy to Expert=huge steps and drop offs) but there is a bit of a reluctance by the US riders that are coming from other forms of motorcycle sport to start at Beginner and develop skills specific to trials before moving up into the more difficult classes. The basic ego thing is: "I ride xxxxx class in xxxxxx competition, so I am good rider. There is no way I am going to start at the bottom of this trials thing." So to compensate for lack of ability to give them confidence they put on all the "go-fast" gear that they are used to riding with and just don't realize how much easier it would be to ride trials without the bulky gear getting in the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelmoore Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 (edited) There may be some misunderstanding. I'm not talking about the traditional English riding armor Just the usual lightweight and not at all encumbering modern plastic stuff: All the modern helmets (other than those silly chopper things which I have difficulty classing as helmets) I've seen have padding completely around the ear whether they are open face or full face, so I'm having difficulty seeing how adding the chin bar is going to restrict my hearing. I've never noticed any problem hearing the observer telling me to come ahead into a section, much less being able to detect the engine/exhaust noise. I just went down into the back of my garage (closed door) put my helmet on, and was able to hear tire noise from the cars going by on the street 75 feet away. I try not to make a habit of letting loose of the bars and waving my hands over my head while in a section and that's about the only time I can think of where the armor restricts my movements. I'f I'm standing and holding the bars as in the photo above (taken at Sears Point at an AHRMA National about 5 years ago) I can't claim to be aware that I'm wearing the upper body armor. It is certainly no more restrictive than the Belstaff or Barbour jackets I've worn, and I think I've seen people pictured wearing those in sections. I occasionally see other people falling off (even in our not terribly challenging vintage novice lines sometimes fall) so I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only person who ever parts company with their bike, even in relatively easy sections. Maybe Toni Bou needs to have a complete lack of restriction and the ability to hear crickets chirping from 30 paces away when he's riding. He can probably get away with riding trials wearing nothing more than his boots, though if anyone could benefit from some protective gear if they should fall those world class guys look like they could. I don't normally plan my falls or have much control over which portions of my anatomy are going to be impacting specific features of the section (or the bike). In the white-hot heat of competition for 3rd place Novice riding gear doesn't seem to be a major factor. Other, of course, than picking myself up and thinking "wow, I'm sure sore, and I've still got two more loops to ride." Ziippy, maybe you know people like that. It wouldn't surprise me that there are people who think that way. But I hang out with the novice riders (which usually seems to be a pretty well subscribed class) and we tend to not have too much ego involved as all we have to do is look at the people riding the 2 line (much less anything harder than that) and then look at our route cards to see that we've got 20 or more points from the easy sections. I suspect that there's a relationship between skill level and falling off in a section, and that the lower the skill level is the easier it is to fall off, even on easier obstacles. I think novice trials riders, even those who don't try stuff significantly beyond their skill level, are probably going to be finding benefit in a higher level of protective gear. But if someone else wants to ride in a bobble cap and t-shirt that's their call. I remember riders at club trials back in the 70s who liked to dress like that, and there was one instance when a person was looking pretty dazed and bloody after a crash and it was 10-15 minutes before it was safe for him to get back on his bike to ride to the pit area. Their lack of protective gear doesn't affect me, and my extra pound or two of plastic armor is unlikely to have much of an effect on them. cheers, Michael Edited March 9, 2008 by MichaelMoore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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