Today's lessons & knee/shin pad advice wanted

[Zimmerframe]

Afternoon world of wisdom and experience ..

It's been on of those days today.. You're busy, stressed, irritable - leading to being wound up and irrational .. you post things on a forum when you should just stay quiet, work and not feed the trolls and then you decide a nice short bike ride instead of work will make you feel better and lead to more productivity - wrong .. You're tense & not thinking clearly and have turned into a human potato who should not try throwing themselves down a hill .. where the potato would have the advantage.

The worlds shortest ride, 1.2km from door to incorrectly crested jump. Nicely cut open shin to the bone and a handy "emtb" diy ambulance home, which wasn't far - one advantage of crashing so close to home. Only yesterday I was wondering if "first aid kit" should also be included in the ruck sack.

Being a newby (and stupid) , I crash a lot .. less than I did .. but still a lot. so there's no such thing in my case as too much protection.

Presently have Sam Hill knee pads, which have transformed my crash experiences, though still leave my shins exposed.

Does anyone run something like that with separate shin pads ? Or go all in one. I quite like the look of the g-form pro-x knee-shin pads. But I think as someone else said, they're a bit confusing on sizing. My Sam-Hill's are Medium and fit perfectly.

 

[Eckythump]

Used to run combined knee/shin pads from POC, they didn't stay in place very well. I do still use them on serious days as they are hard shell.
Currently run Endura MT500 pads that run a little further down than just the knee and really like them.

If you want to try something with some added protection to go with your current pads without going the whole hog on shin pads have a gander at these.....

SingleTrack Shin Guard Sock | EnduraSport

Obviously, buy piles of Endura stuff as I'm clearly on a fantastic commission

 

[steve_sordy]

These are the kiddies to get, half price right now too!
Troy Lee Designs Knee/shin guards. By the way the size guide is accurate.

Troy Lee Designs KGL 5450 Knee-Shin Guards | Chain Reaction Cycles

 

[Zimmerframe]

I hate to say it, I quite like the look of those !

I just tried them in my basket and put the promo code "Thumpme" in and it immediately offered me 90% off in exchange for your commission ! -)

 

[Eckythump]

I hate to say it, I quite like the look of those !

I just tried them in my basket and put the promo code "Thumpme" in and it immediately offered me 90% off in exchange for your commission ! -)

It’s ok, I’m expecting a windfall from selling all the companies who produce the protection I use the 360 video of their gear saving me from near death when I ate dirt the other day ??
I mean, a new Bell helmet has deffo got to be in the bag.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Troy Lee Designs Knee/shin guards.

Thanks Steve, Great price ! I tried something similar a while ago, but with my leg shape I found they didn't really hold in place that well :-(

 

[33red]

Afternoon world of wisdom and experience ..

It's been on of those days today.. You're busy, stressed, irritable - leading to being wound up and irrational .. you post things on a forum when you should just stay quiet, work and not feed the trolls and then you decide a nice short bike ride instead of work will make you feel better and lead to more productivity - wrong .. You're tense & not thinking clearly and have turned into a human potato who should not try throwing themselves down a hill .. where the potato would have the advantage.

The worlds shortest ride, 1.2km from door to incorrectly crested jump. Nicely cut open shin to the bone and a handy "emtb" diy ambulance home, which wasn't far - one advantage of crashing so close to home. Only yesterday I was wondering if "first aid kit" should also be included in the ruck sack.

Being a newby (and stupid) , I crash a lot .. less than I did .. but still a lot. so there's no such thing in my case as too much protection.

Presently have Sam Hill knee pads, which have transformed my crash experiences, though still leave my shins exposed.

Does anyone run something like that with separate shin pads ? Or go all in one. I quite like the look of the g-form pro-x knee-shin pads. But I think as someone else said, they're a bit confusing on sizing. My Sam-Hill's are Medium and fit perfectly.

At our canadian outdoor coop there is a choice of first aid kits.
For me long pants and knee pads only but i do not ride agressively and off course helmet. This season my toes are unlucky. Even my good 5-10 are not enough.

 

[Zimmerframe]

It’s ok, I’m expecting a windfall from selling all the companies who produce the protection I use the 360 video of their gear saving me from near death when I ate dirt the other day ??
I mean, a new Bell helmet has deffo got to be in the bag.

For full on action packed bouncing, scraping and sliding like that it must easily be worth a full replacement set for your new 360 Degree Movie Franchises "The Flat and the Furious", "Gone in 360 Seconds" & "Fall Hard"

Remember to get Bell to send you one size up, you might need it by then !

Still liking the socks. Quite a few of the integrated knee/shin don't seem to come that far down the tibia, some barely more than the Sam Hills, so wouldn't have helped me today.

 

[Dax]

+1 for those tld pads. I think the advice is to go down a size. I've used a pair for years, they're comfy enough to pedal in, but still offer reasonable protection. I'll probably get another pair at that price

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

I use these below my knee pads, worn them for the past 2 years now.
Very simple, very easy to put on, stay in place, very easy to clean (just throw them in the washing machine) they protect your ankles as well and are very reasonably priced considering the protection they provide.
I am happy to confess that I have fallen from a number of my bikes and bashed various parts of my lower leg many times in the last 2 years and have so far suffered no shin damage while wearing these. There are many gouges and scraps but these bad boys have stood the test of time. I also have a number of slash marks from my very long stainless steel pedal pins where I have had the occasional lapse in concentration (senior moment) in the wet and my foot has slipped off my pedal...... I suspect a few of you may have had that painful experience
I have tried many knee pad/shin pad combos but have found a separate knee pad and these shin pads work best for me.

 

[Zimmerframe]

+1 for those tld pads

Thanks for all the suggestions !

Dax/Steve, I'm not sure they come down any lower than the Sam Hills and I'm either surgically precise on managing to injure myself just where I'm not armoured, or more likely I'd be injuring myself in even more places if it wasn't for the armour, but I'm still getting the other places too. Had a huge wipeout 2 nights ago and didn't have a scratch, though broke my trusty previously unbreakable front mudguard :-(

The g-form knee/shin I'd been thinking about looked perfect, but when I look at pictures of people wearing them, there's still a lot of shin exposed and I'm realising I'm a full suit of armour kind of guy.

Sadly, I don't think the fancy Endura socks will work, because the Sam Hill's come down too far to be compatible.

separate knee pad and these shin pads work best

I think the two part solution is looking like providing the largest protected area (other than a full storm trooper suit) and the separate shin pads would protect the puny weedy none Kevlar flesh that was damaged today.

 

[Bilko]

These might do the job Zimmerframe

 

[MitchF]

I use the G-form, there very comfortable but don’t come down to lower shin.
I didn’t have an issue with the sizing , just followed the website instructions, I use their elbow pads as well.
Good luck , you’ll have a tidy battle scar ?

 

[Bilko]

Or you could play it safe.

 

[Zimmerframe]

use the G-form, there very comfortable but don’t come down to lower shin.
I didn’t have an issue with the sizing , just followed the website instructions, I use their elbow pads as well.
Good luck , you’ll have a tidy battle scar

The way my Mountain biking is going, anyone exhuming my body in the future will presume I was a time travelling medieval warrior, who wasn't very good but somehow kept surviving to fight and lose another day .

I really like the look of the G-form gear, some of the shin options look like they might work on combination with the Sam Hill's to provide some lower shin protection, though at the moment I think @Kiwi in Wales's suggestion of the football knee pads or a derivative might fit the best with them.

Or you could play it safe.

It's perfect ! I know we're on e-bikes, but does it come in titanium or aluminium ? You just know I'm going to get a large branch right in the nuts the first time I ride in it though !

 

[Dax]

Try some of these below your pads like @Tunny

 

[Zimmerframe]

Try some of these below your pads like Tunny

I think this is our winner .. Should come up and lip over the bottom of the Sam Hills. Just been for a short ride to see if things still move properly (and discovered a few more bike things to fix at the same time). The cut starts immediately below the protection, but half covered by the cloth section - very unlucky ! Leg still works, if a little stiffly.

At £5.49 from sports direct they're almost a bargain too !

Or you could play it safe

I'm more concerned about the suit of armour than I was. The picture says "Nautical Mart", how does that work then ? Is this the latest style from Musto ? Is it the suggested clothing for the average piranha fisherman ? Or do wealthy boat owners put people they don't like in it and push them overboard ?

 

[steve_sordy]

When suits of armour were all the rage, people must have grown up wearing them. They are so heavy, the thought of fighting in one just wears me out let alone just walking about. And in the Summer, forget it!
Heavy Metal: Armor Drained Medieval Knights' Energy

 

[tedturbine]

@Zimmerframe I'm watching this thread with interest as I feel my lower legs are horribly exposed to my spikey pedals. I'm sure that once you receive whatever product you decide on, we won't have long to wait for a report on their effectiveness.

 

[Zimmerframe]

wait for a report on their effectiveness

Thankyou for your confidence in my abilities I expect a fully inclusive (lifetime equivalent) effectiveness report will be available a week after delivery.

 

[Adam]

Try some of these below your pads like @Tunny
View attachment 16596

Good old Sondico ?
Been using a pair of early 90s Bryan Robson signature shin pads for all my riding for years ?

Maybe it's time to buy some new ones for me and upgrade. Haha

 

[Mydriaze]

Afternoon world of wisdom and experience ..

It's been on of those days today.. You're busy, stressed, irritable - leading to being wound up and irrational .. you post things on a forum when you should just stay quiet, work and not feed the trolls and then you decide a nice short bike ride instead of work will make you feel better and lead to more productivity - wrong .. You're tense & not thinking clearly and have turned into a human potato who should not try throwing themselves down a hill .. where the potato would have the advantage.

The worlds shortest ride, 1.2km from door to incorrectly crested jump. Nicely cut open shin to the bone and a handy "emtb" diy ambulance home, which wasn't far - one advantage of crashing so close to home. Only yesterday I was wondering if "first aid kit" should also be included in the ruck sack.

Being a newby (and stupid) , I crash a lot .. less than I did .. but still a lot. so there's no such thing in my case as too much protection.

Presently have Sam Hill knee pads, which have transformed my crash experiences, though still leave my shins exposed.

Does anyone run something like that with separate shin pads ? Or go all in one. I quite like the look of the g-form pro-x knee-shin pads. But I think as someone else said, they're a bit confusing on sizing. My Sam-Hill's are Medium and fit perfectly.

There's one advantage to a 2-in-1 knee/shin protection: it avoid (a bit) rotation on your knee, who can do some knee strain with ligaments torn or shred. That's the main advantage in my opinion.

 

[Rich-Baillon]

Afternoon world of wisdom and experience ..

It's been on of those days today.. You're busy, stressed, irritable - leading to being wound up and irrational .. you post things on a forum when you should just stay quiet, work and not feed the trolls and then you decide a nice short bike ride instead of work will make you feel better and lead to more productivity - wrong .. You're tense & not thinking clearly and have turned into a human potato who should not try throwing themselves down a hill .. where the potato would have the advantage.

The worlds shortest ride, 1.2km from door to incorrectly crested jump. Nicely cut open shin to the bone and a handy "emtb" diy ambulance home, which wasn't far - one advantage of crashing so close to home. Only yesterday I was wondering if "first aid kit" should also be included in the ruck sack.

Being a newby (and stupid) , I crash a lot .. less than I did .. but still a lot. so there's no such thing in my case as too much protection.

Presently have Sam Hill knee pads, which have transformed my crash experiences, though still leave my shins exposed.

Does anyone run something like that with separate shin pads ? Or go all in one. I quite like the look of the g-form pro-x knee-shin pads. But I think as someone else said, they're a bit confusing on sizing. My Sam-Hill's are Medium and fit perfectly.

I would build slowly on those jumps and drop-offs rather than relying on pads etc. Pads etc do have their place but technique and skill is more important. Hope you are okay and keep enjoying your bike.

 

[Zimmerframe]

I would build slowly on those jumps and drop-offs rather than relying on pads etc.

Thanks. You are not wrong ! Part of it was "inspired confidence" ?!?

I'd put together a rideout on Monday night with the two guys who have the most KOM's in the area - they'd never met. They were on acoustics, Capra and s-works carbon enduro. Really amazing ride seeing two incredibly talented athletes laugh and joke with each other and build mutual respect for each other. I followed on the descents (or it would have been like being stuck behind an old lady towing a caravan with an old fiat 126 for them both). It was somewhat otherworldly seeing the speeds they carried everywhere. So when I went for my quick stress break on Wednesday I thought I could go at least a bit faster than normal .. (the inspired confidence) though without doing any work on my technique before hand. As it was, my technique on the day was like a first time ride... and kaboom .. So a bit (lot) dumb really !

Nothing broken this time, so not confidence shattering fortunately .. Had a short ride with Mr Capra yesterday and worked on a few techniques and received good tips and advice and have another ride out in an hour with Mr Capra, so should help a bit and I'm only going steady not wanting to open wounds up !

 

[TheBikePilot]

Try skateboarding socks which have basic Shin and ankle protectors if you want something a bit more incognito.

Had quite a few shin strikes and back of leg gouges. I have got some Fox Enduro pads with shin guards but they slip and aren’t comfortable for long rides as others have said..

 

[HORSPWR]

I don’t use anything. Skin, bones and cuts heal for free but damn I hate it when I break something on my bike!

 

[p060064h]

Just got the TRD 5550 Elbow and Knee/shin gurads.
Good fit and seem good quality.
Ace price at CRC.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Ok, so I decided on the Sondico ones from sports direct to try out . At £5.49 if they were crap it wasn't going to be the end of the world. For some reason they wouldn't ship them to France so ended up with some Adidas ones, they weren't colourful and I liked the strap going all the way round for longevity !

That's a 20cm leatherman so they're not enormously long. I was a bit concerned they wouldn't cover my injured area, but they do. Just overlap the bottom of the Sam Hill's, which is perfect.

Did a short test ride last night and other than some discomfort from the right hand one resting on my cut, they were comfortable and not hot. The little ankle section has two hard sections built in on eitherside of the ankle. So far, so good. Strangely, I didn't fall off - so they didn't get much of a proper test.

 

[TheBikePilot]

Have you got a mouth guard as well? ??

 

[Zimmerframe]

A dozen Haribo in one go - the poor man's mouth guard ...