What Protection

[Dazb]

Well had a fall today and wow it hurts, No bad cuts just grazes and sore ribs, My bars got caught and gorse bushes and threw me, I ended up landing on my left side and aching like crazy now, a few year ago I would have shook it off but not now with getting on the wrong side of 50, This leads me to what sort of protection do you lot wear and if any, I have ridden this trail a few times and its fairly flat so never even thought about wearing any but today has changed my outlook, I obviously wear my Helmet religiously but wonder if youse wear elbow and knee protection every time out or just occasionally

 

[Sapientiea]

I'm wearing Evoc back protector, knees and elbow. Always! when i'm going to do any enduro routes that require single track downhill type of riding. I'll pack most of the protection in backpack if there is a long safe ascent and put it on when going down. If route is difficult like red or double black enduro in the alps also full-face attachment on the helm or I go slow without. Period! I need my head and my limbs for work cannot or do not want to risk too much....although not riding would be best for that.......but then whats the fun in living

 

[RustyIron]

I wear a helmet, and frequently gloves. I'm 58. Even more in dog years. If the trail doesn't have any technical downhill singletrack... well... I generally don't ride mundane trails. Most of the ladies I ride with wear some kind of protection. Chicks are a little more cognizant of scars than are men.

 

[Funkeydunk]

I’m nearly 52, and use gloves (long fingers), shin and knee pads, elbow and forearm and a back protector. Just in case.

 

[Dazb]

Cheers folks, I'll look into what's about, I'm 54 and need to start looking after myself, The ride was an easy one so goes to show you can't take nothing for granted.

 

[The EMF]

I wear Fox knee and elbow pads, 100% of rides for the knee pads, 75% of rides elbow tubes.
My Fox winter Defend pants have Kevlar knee pads also.

 

[Yoak]

Getting closer to 50 and I always wear knee and elbow pads. I also wear a Poc shorts with hip protection and a backpack. Helmet and gloves are always on. It sounds a lot, but I always have a few steep of fast descents on my trails. I also crash regularly.
luckily learned good fall technique from alpine skiing my whole life so I usually don’t get seriously injured. But I do feel naked if I go out without pads on. It’s very easy to get used to

 

[Rahr85]

Not going to try and preach as everyone is different in where they see the risk and where they are riding. I'm almost always over protected in the eyes of most people. But having had a big off at wales and knowing what i was wearing saved me from a lot worse i feel the trade off is worth the extra bit of time getting ready and changed after the ride. All pain from my off ceased where the back protector started.

I would like to find a slightly more flexible enduro knee pad and elbow pad setup and when i'm just plodding around local stuff i'm normal trail helmet + gloves as i'm nowhere where i might come off the bike. If i have intentions of having the tyres off of the ground then i'm usually kitted up fully.

start from 5 mins in, all the stuff i have used is in the description. Not promoting anything, just showing what i use and am happy with. The knee pads are a big trade off on robustness vs ability to walk comfortably, they are fine on the bike but don't really like a straight leg.

 

[flash]

IXS padded lycra shorts and zip on knee pads plus the usual helmet and gloves.

I've broken ribs twice. Both times from a lack of concentration on easy trails. There's not much out there with good rib protection that doesn't weigh a ton and have an inbuilt heating unit. Most stuff concentrates on back (for good reason) and chest. The best I've seen that is cool enough to wear in Oz that gives some rib protection is the Fox Frame Roost. It's not impervious but it'll reduce the severity of rib impacts.

I don't wear it all the time, due to the heat but I never ride without the IXS shorts. Saved many, many bruises on the hips and arse.

Gordon

 

[JoeBlow]

I'm 73 and I've fallen off a few times. Each time I injure, not seriously I should add, a different part of my body which suggests the protection is working. Helmets are a given but after the first fall I invested in knee pads, then elbow pads, then more protective knee pads. Last time I fell off knees and elbows were fine but I hurt my ribs so I bought a G-Form Tee shirt. If I'm honest I do not like wearing it but I will put it on if riding more gnarly downhill. That's when I put the full face and better knee pads on as well.

I tend to fall off when the terrain is so gnarly that I have to ride slowly so I don't think I'm ever risking really serious injury. My falls tend to be because of my inexperience and not lots of air at high speed. I am conscious of being labelled as having all the gear and no idea but injuries are no joke at my age.

Al

 

[steve_sordy]

I didn't start mtb until I was 57 and didn't think I was good enough to wear knee and elbow guards. I stupidly though I was making a statement that I thought I was good enough to go fast enough to hurt myself. Like I said, STUPID. Anyway, I did hurt myself and soon bought knee and elbow guards (along with helmet, gloves, boots, and a backpack). I have been riding fully protected ever since and I'm 70 now. I have a full face helmet for when I'm going to somewhere like BPW, but apart from that my normal trail helmet does for me (Bell Super, open face). I have some 661 shirt and shorts that provide extra protection, but they are so hot that I no longer use them. I have been crashing for years and they don't protect the bits that I have hurt, so I don't feel I am losing out.

You may have seen/realised that knee and elbow guards come in a wide variety of designs. If you are facing pointy rocks at high speed then you will need hard faced guards. You can get guards that have a foam in there (D30?) that is flexible and comfy until you hit something and then they go hard instantly. The ones I bought worked but were bulky and I struggled to get them on under a long sleeved top or under trousers. For many years now I have been using Troy Lee Designs "Shock Doctor" range. They are slimline and fit under my clothing and provide more than enough protection for my needs. Sadly TLD has stopped making them, so it's a good job I have a spare set of knee&shin guards. The elbow guards will never wear out.

I wear my elbow and knee&shin guards every ride out, except when I'm just tootling about locally. I always wear my helmet, gloves and boots, even if just a short local ride in the village. Always.

 

[GMLS]

Mid 50's and ride alone more than 50% of the time. Came a right cropper last year in Redlands and I was very lucky not to break my leg, hip or ribs. Did a fair bit of research (notably including this forum) and went for this Troy Lee Designs 7855 Armoured Shirt - EMTB Forums and a pair of the Leatt impact shorts. Very happy with my choice and as they are so comfortable importantly wear them all the time.
Actually makes me more confident than I was before so still progressing!

 

[The Hodge]

I'm 64 ..and don't consider myself old at all ( possibly down to the fact that I have a much younger missus & an 18 Yr old son ) ..so you 50 yr olds need to get a grip ...
Age is just a number after all ..
As far as protection goes though ..age shouldn't be a factor at all..as a bare minimum helmet , knee & elbow pads ..and whatever else you think is necessary..

 

[Zimmerframe]

For the OP .. if you just search "protection" or look in the reviews section, there's lots of advice. We're all different, ride differently, have different restrictions on what we feel comfortable wearing - you have to read between the lines and make your own bat suit.

 

[Dazb]

Cheers for the replies, I have elbow and knee pads on order.

 

[Doomanic]

I’m still dumb enough to only wear a cup.

?

 

[Doomanic]

If I’m riding Park it’s Fox Proframe full face helmet, Raceface Flank D30 knee and shin pads and Fox Titan stormtrooper suit. I look effing rad as I wobble down the blues at BPW…

For trail rides it’s a normal helmet and D30 kneepads unless I know it’s going to be a day of super steep tech like Yair or Golfie where I’ll add padded undershorts and a Raceface Flank Core shirt. I’ll also take, but not wear, my Proframe…

 

[Calsun]

Joint injuries, ankles, elbow, and knees can take a very long time to heal and it is wise to protect them as much as possible. As I get older I am less patient with long recovery periods than when I was younger. Helmet and knee protection is something I wear on every ride as well as a gloves.

A not uncommon injury with motocross and ATV riders with an over the bars incident is a broken collar bone. I no longer feel invincible and avoid situations where I could seriously injure myself, keeping my ego in check. As Dirty Harry famously said "a man has got to know his limitations".

 

[maker]

I heard hard plastic protection is best in rocks as it slides.

 

[geehaw]

Since a Goup3 AC ligamet shoulder injury at 63, I use the Leatt 3DF Airfit lite body armour and Fox knee guards when doing more enduro riding and just knee and elbow protection on easier trails. The body armour does get hot but it fits well and is comfortable. I believe it prevented moderate injuries on a few occasions so it's worth it to me.

 

[Mikehorti]

Well had a fall today and wow it hurts, No bad cuts just grazes and sore ribs, My bars got caught and gorse bushes and threw me, I ended up landing on my left side and aching like crazy now, a few year ago I would have shook it off but not now with getting on the wrong side of 50, This leads me to what sort of protection do you lot wear and if any, I have ridden this trail a few times and its fairly flat so never even thought about wearing any but today has changed my outlook, I obviously wear my Helmet religiously but wonder if youse wear elbow and knee protection every time out or just occasionally

I use a Smith Forefront2 helmet. I’ve always worn knee and elbow pads (Raceface D30) and have found the elbow pads to be saviours every time I fall. I’ve had a couple of OTBs and somehow come out relatively unscathed thankfully, so I’m now considering getting the Leatt Body Tee AirFlex Stealth