A new recruit to the Zimmerframe School of MTB Riding...

[Tonybro]

The day started nicely yesterday, quiet ride at Winter Hill I thought.

Pic at the summit as usual...

Thought I'd head off down the rough track to Belmont but take it easy as I was on my own and it would be quieter and I didn't want another puncture...

All was well and I came across a teenage lad struggling with a puncture (tubeless but ripped into one of the tread knobs). Anway long story short, we shoved in a tube and decided to carry on down slowly whilst we checked his wheel/tyre - him in front, me behind.

Get to a rough section doing about 10-15mph so I move slightly left to better see the lie of the land and immediately drop into a deep rut and get bucked off the bike into the long grass on the left.

Clattered my knee off the bike I think (maybe fork crown - still a mystery). Got up, went back to my bike thinking I did hit my knee - no cut in the long cycling pants so dusted myself off from all the sry grass and carried on to the bottom where this lad was waiting. I explained what happened, we had a bit of a chuckle but decided to continue the ride together.

Did another 6 miles, including Rivington Pike and the rough rock drops back down.

Back to car, back home, noticed a bit of blood had come through my pants at the knee. Up to shower to take pants off and found this: -

Ooh, that looks nasty!

Off to A&E for seven stitches...

Do I qualify, Zimmerframe? ?

 

[Zimmerframe]

Do I qualify, Zimmerframe? ?

Definitely ! 10/10 !

It's funny how you can have some off's, damage yourself pretty badly, but still carry on !

No knee pads ?

You crazy fool Glad you're ok, think you'll have a hobble for a couple of days !

 

[Olof Bike Adventures]

You could just have used a zip tie to close that and continue riding?

 

[Tim1023]

Maybe take some superglue with you! They used it in Vietnam for quickly fixing wounds.

Or not

 

[Pdoz]

That's going to make an awesome smiley face scar!

I'm thinking a couple of bar end punctures for eyes?

Did the doc do an artistic apex suture so the lower flap looks like a tongue poking out?

 

[Tonybro]

I did say, I'll paint some eyes above when healed!

Doesn't hurt all all. A bit swollen today (naturally) but all good, hopefully. At least two weeks with no cycling!

Time to shop for some knee and elbow pads...

 

[Jackware]

Time to shop for some knee and elbow pads...

Retail therapy always helps

 

[Orinoko]

Mates take the piss out of me for wearing knee pads,ummmm.
Hope you’re back on the trails soon.

 

[The Hodge]

Bit of tcp will do it the world of good !? ..
Healing vibes heading your way Tony..
Orinoko..believe me ..you will have the last laugh..

 

[Stihldog]

OH! Tony.
Adding superglue and knee pads to my kit. I might have passed out when I saw your knee…had to put a sticky-note over your pic. ?

 

[Nicho]

OH! Tony.
Adding superglue and knee pads to my kit. I might have passed out when I saw your knee…had to put a sticky-note over your pic. ?

Remember not to use these at the same time, or you will never get them off.

 

[Jeff McD]

Hey Tony, fortunately that's very superficial even though it is a large laceration so you lucked out. I am not going to lecture you but I just want to pass on to everyone in the forum that as a sports medicine doc I saw many many everyday athletes who simply stumbled and fell straight down on their knee while jogging, or just landed the wrong way in an mtb get-off and ended up with a fractured patella. This is why you should wear kneepads even if it's just the flimsy lightweight ones.

If you get that injury you will never ever ever walk, ride, sleep, or squat pain-free again in your life. It will ruin your mountain biking. The fracture fragments are often so small they cannot be joined together surgically so they remain separated by several millimeters and heal with lines of thick ropey scar tissue that forever grind away on the cartilage of the femur beneath it until you need a total knee replacement someday.

Kneepads really are worth it. Folks just don't realize how easily this can happen unless you treat patients with it and see how much they suffer even after adequate rehab. The physical therapists will back me up on this.

I wear the lightweight G form kneepads because it's hot here and they are very comfortable and will protect against this injury. All it takes is landing on an unprotected knee at the critical angle with not that much force to cause this injury. We have all hit our knees many times throughout life and not had this happen but it's tragic when it does because it's preventable with kneepads. There are some injuries that medicine has no good fix for and you have to be proactive and prevent it in the first place. The other reason is because we all get stiffer and more clumsy as we age and are more prone to these weird injuries.

 

[Tonybro]

Thanks, Jeff,

Lesson learned and advice heeded. Looking at the various options whilst recuperating. 661 seem to do some decent ones.

Will also be looking at elbow pads too...

 

[The Hodge]

Hmm..elbow pads ..
It seems like I'm always commenting on what not to get !
Now that I've moved back into shorts rather than pants the Dainese Trail Skins and me are getting on a whole lot better as the velcro fastners have nothing to snag on ( but those tabs are still too inflexible) ..I recently bought some TLD speed sleeves which rely on a gel insert at the top of the sleeve to keep them in place ..they don't.
This may be down to me ordering the wrong size ( m/l ?) ..which is a shame as they offer decent protection for a minimal pad ( d30) ..
The sizing is probably down to my misunderstanding ..while I have a long reach I'm no Arnie Shwarz !... I would say they lean more towards large than medium ...
New pair / gym membership/ or garters ...decisions, decisions!?

 

[Jackware]

Hindsight is a great thing...

I purchased elbow pads after an evening in A&E due to my seatpost lever puncturing my elbow after an off.

You've convinced me to buy some knee pads now as well.

 

[MrSimmo]

We definitely need a gruesome thread with all the war wounds on show!

 

[Jackware]

Sprockets Cycles of Kilmarnock have 20% off Raceface at the moment and stock their protective range

Bike Shop | E-Bike Shop | Scotland | Sprockets Cycles

Electric, Mountain, Hybrid, Road, Kids Bikes & More! Shop Brands Hope Tech, Orbea, Trek, Marin, Orange & Moustache Online or in-Store ✓ Next Day Delivery-

www.sprocketscycles.com

 

[Tonybro]

Thanks, @Jackware ordered knee and elbow protection.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

thats grim dude!
and thats why I dont like wearing my trousers on the bike, I cant fit the knee pads underneath..
GWS

 

[tomato paste]

Are 3/4 length shorts with integrated knee + butt pads a thing?

 

[Mcharza]

Are 3/4 length shorts with integrated knee + butt pads a thing?

I don't think so. Think about it when you fall. Do the knee pads stay in place?

 

[Coolcmsc]

Hmm..elbow pads ..

New pair / gym membership/ or garters ...decisions, decisions!?

Another trauma medic here.... sorry ??? But at least I’ve broken and or cut lots of bits riding bikes and horses...?

Definitely knee pads, the only thing to do putting a patella back together is wire stitch type things and in addition to often not being able to do that with, say your patella in 3 bits, the wire comes out the back — obviously — and that is inside your knee....

Concerning elbow pads: Just buy a set! Fox makes ones that stay up if you wear them next to your skin.

Why always wear elbow pads? Well, one of the very worst fractures to fix in your limbs is a fracture at the elbow at the bottom of your humerus. It’s a complicated bit of bone with clever joints to the two forearm bones. If you get a fracture there, it usually goes through both joints at the elbow and it’s common for it never to work correctly again when healed — mainly not being able to straighten your elbow and less commonly not being able to rotate your forearm. Look down at your hand now and rotate your forearm: imagine not being able to do that....

Dull medic preaching.... sorry ?

 

[The Hodge]

Another trauma medic here.... sorry ??? But at least I’ve broken and or cut lots of bits riding bikes and horses...?

Definitely knee pads, the only thing to do putting a patella back together is wire stitch type things and in addition to often not being able to do that with, say your patella in 3 bits, the wire comes out the back — obviously — and that is inside your knee....

Concerning elbow pads: Just buy a set! Fox makes ones that stay up if you wear them next to your skin.

Why always wear elbow pads? Well, one of the very worst fractures to fix in your limbs is a fracture at the elbow at the bottom of your humerus. It’s a complicated bit of bone with clever joints to the two forearm bones. If you get a fracture there, it usually goes through both joints at the elbow and it’s common for it never to work correctly again when healed — mainly not being able to straighten your elbow and less commonly not being able to rotate your forearm. Look down at your hand now and rotate your forearm: imagine not being able to do that....

Dull medic preaching.... sorry ?

Don't know why you are preaching at all ( well to me anyway ) ..I wear elbow pads ..just think I've ordered the wrong size ..
Cheers for the info though ..?

 

[Jackware]

I did say, I'll paint some eyes above when healed!

Doesn't hurt all all. A bit swollen today (naturally) but all good, hopefully. At least two weeks with no cycling!

Time to shop for some knee and elbow pads...

Hey @Tonybro How's the knee feeling now?

Which pads did you buy in the end?

 

[Tonybro]

Changed the dressing yesterday. healing nicely...

10 stitches in total...

They should be coming out Thursday...

Dainese elbow pads and Fox Enduro D30 knee pads from Sprocket Cycles (£114)

 

[Jackware]

Changed the dressing yesterday. healing nicely... View attachment 60553
10 stitches in total...

They should be coming out Thursday...

Dainese elbow pads and Fox Enduro D30 knee pads from Sprocket Cycles (£114)

Excellent, looks a lot better than the first post, I'm guessing you have to keep your leg straight though?

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Dainese elbow pads and Fox Enduro D30 knee pads from Sprocket Cycles (£114)

thats gonna be tight for a while I imagine
let us know how you get on with them pads.. I was about to buy the 7protection project knee pads but still unsure if they will fit under riding trousers and the Fox ones look pretty slimline

 

[chamaruco]

Talking about important things…what about the bike?

 

[Zimmerframe]

Excellent, looks a lot better than the first post, I'm guessing you have to keep your leg straight though?

He's strapped it to his todger and is consuming viagra via a pez dispenser .

 

[Jackware]

He's strapped it to his todger and is consuming viagra via a pez dispenser .