Nettles!

[Amber Valley Guy]

I #@¥ing hate them, especially at this time of year when they're drooping over the single-tracks, oh and brambles. Rant over.

 

[RustyMTB]

25 miles yesterday round the trails I know like the back of my hand. No chance of accidentally straying into the overgrown jungle and I am throbbing from the stings

 

[Amber Valley Guy]

Me too, went for a ride Friday after work, legs covered in blood from brambles, and legs and arms stung to high heaven. Oh, and ferns/bracken, got a good whipping from the blighters after they replanted themselves around the rear mech and cassette, so I'm going to add ferns to my rant.

 

[Tim1023]

OK, this might sound a tad sick, but I used to kinda like the glow from nettle stings once the initial pain has gone away.

 

[RustyMTB]

Nope, you massive weirdo.

 

[Tonybro]

Think yourself lucky most of the above are seasonal. Try Gorse, f**king all year round menace with those thorns...

 

[RustyMTB]

Hit a trail last week & an overhanging bramble caught in my helmet light mount, nearly pulling me off the bike! It's a jungle out there, literally.

Round here, we have a network of main drag trails that you can ride all year round but the real fun is in the warren of singletracks that really only locals know, much like anywhere I suppose but those trails often go from being impassable, waterlogged quagmires to impassable, overgrown jungle in the space of a fortnight. This year seems to have been particularly severe, we put it down to a mild very wet winter.

There's a fair few trails around called nettle this & nettle that & they're well named.

I'm trying to remember the last time I got in without bramble cuts on my arms. I'm amazed I haven't died of Tetanus.

 

[irie]

This is why even on hot days we wear lightweight long trousers and long sleeve light tops!

Post in thread 'Pic of the Day' Pic of the Day

Edit: and long sleeve light tops.

 

[steve_sordy]

The standard treatment for nettle stings is to rub several dock leaves hard between your palms until they suddenly release a load of moisture. Rub that over the area of the sting. It works for me, but maybe it's just a placebo.

Where I ride the most is infested with tall nasty stinging nettles, but there are no docks growing! Trust me, I've looked. It's the only place that I'm aware of where you find nettles without accompanying docks.

 

[Tim1023]

Where I ride the most is infested with tall nasty stinging nettles, but there are no docks growing! Trust me, I've looked. It's the only place that I've found nettles without accompanying docks.

Sadly there's no evidence that it works via any method other than placebo. Placebos, however, have been shown to be most effective in the context of handling pain.

One thing that may also work is simply rubbing (on the assumption that all of the nettle needles have already delivered all their stingy goodness and you're not releasing more). There's a theory called gate control theory which suggests that the rubbing signals get to the brain quicker than the pain signals and therefore reduce the significance of them. Otherwise known as "let mummy rub it better".

 

[Jokipea]

Using a crushed up docken leaf to treat nettle stings was much used in my childhood but very infrequently as an adult.
Some of the trails we ride are festooned with nettles, big bastards, and brambles, Nature's barbed wire, and it's just what we have to put up with. Don't stop to look for docken leaves, waste of ride time normally, but on a ride on my tod recently got stung and there close by were docken leaves. Thought I'd give it a go, it worked perfectly, stinging gone and no lingering stinging for days.

As to the effect of rubbing it like your mum did, nope doesn't work for me, keeps right on tingling for days. Besides asking a random mum to rub my leg, no there, higher, would soon see me on a register somewhere.
Surely if you are feeling the effect of the sting pain signal it has already reached your brain before you rub it? I've rubbed nettle stings immediately they've happened, no effect at all. Might even make them feel worse.

Steve_s maybe what you said about no docken near nettles is more common where the nettles are massive or it seems that way. The ones that stung me were shortish ones not these huge 5 and 6 feet high monsters which could just be choking them out.

 

[Tim1023]

Yup, the good 'ol placebo is truly mighty. There are whole industries based on it.

Re the rubbing thing, it only works when actually rubbing. It's effective with kids as it reduces the pain until the initial shock is over. And I guess pain is reduced because the kid gets confirmation of love and care from its parent. It's a brain chemistry thing.

 

[G-Sport]

Recently had rides where I've come back with Nettle, Gorse, Bramble and Hawthorn damage, at least I got some good Blackberries on my last ride...

 

[Redbikejohn]

Bloody brambles!

 

[folmonty]

It's that time of year. Here we have star thistle, and poison oak. Oak being the worst IMO as it's the gift which keeps on giving. Might not even show up for a day or two. Oil can get on your tires, frame or clothes then bite you later. The stuff is evil!

 

[Terry]

I use football shin pads* and knee pads. Hardly get scratched even though I go down some really overgrown trails. *£4.99 ISH from Sorts Direct.

 

[Amber Valley Guy]

I use football shin pads* and knee pads. Hardly get scratched even though I go down some really overgrown trails. *£4.99 ISH from Sorts Direct.

A bit overkill when the sun's out?

 

[Superses]

I #@¥ing hate them, especially at this time of year when they're drooping over the single-tracks, oh and brambles. Rant over.

Try taking cetirizine or other non sedating antihistamine 1h before ride

 

[jackamo]

I #@¥ing hate them, especially at this time of year when they're drooping over the single-tracks, oh and brambles. Rant over.

Bought me a set of these off ebay.
No stringy buggers or brambles try to cut my legs off .

 

[Superses]

This fixed it for me

 

[ianiention]

I #@¥ing hate them, especially at this time of year when they're drooping over the single-tracks, oh and brambles. Rant over.

Thorn bushes do it for me, they dig into your skin and then get ripped out. I finish my ride with blood dripping down my arms.

 

[G-Sport]

Bought me a set of these off ebay.
No stringy buggers or brambles try to cut my legs off .

View attachment 145826

Any good?
Are these sleeves? Are they the "reactive" (shear thickening) material?
I am a big fan of shin guards (at least when it isn't too hot), much more comfortable to wear full time than knee pads and shins take a lot of hits. I have several pairs of the G-Form ones but they start falling apart as soon as they take a hit and you wash them. I contacted G-Form and they said they cant be washed once the outer skin is damaged and being a shin guard that is almost immediately.

 

[jackamo]

Any good?
Are these sleeves? Are they the "reactive" (shear thickening) material?
I am a big fan of shin guards (at least when it isn't too hot), much more comfortable to wear full time than knee pads and shins take a lot of hits. I have several pairs of the G-Form ones but they start falling apart as soon as they take a hit and you wash them. I contacted G-Form and they said they cant be washed once the outer skin is damaged and being a shin guard that is almost immediately.

Yes sleeve type .They breath well and have taken some stick . Also saved my shines from pedal strike .