shin and elbow guards?

[Acrophobia]

I took up mountain biking a few weeks ago, and it seems every time I go out on singletrack I get banged up one way or another. Thursday evening I lost traction in a turn and crashed. All bones and ligaments intact, just some "dirt rash" and bruises all along my right side. Ow.

So I'm thinking some armor might be a good idea, until I get the hang of things. I mean, I'm learning to rollerblade too, and I always go out with wrist, knee, and elbow pads.

Any recommendations for shin and elbow guards that are compatible with pedaling (i.e. not just for downhill)? Stays put, fits well, and not too warm are pluses.

 

[Consuela]

Hi Acro,

Welcom to the awesome world of MTB! I just took a similar pole earlier in this site called Are you a DH Safety Girl?

I ended up buying Fox Launch for both Knee/Shin and Elbow/Arm armor. They are a little pricey, but I liked the way they fit and am doing a little bit of DH at Tahoe this summer. There are some less expensive options out there, even by Fox.

I am very happy with my Fox Launch and wear them for more than just DH. There is a weekly 7 mile ride I do that has a fun bowl with some features and I ride this fully armored.

Most importantly, check out a couple of your local bike shops and try on whatever they have. Don't just buy the first or only brand you find.

Happy hunting! Please report back on what you end up with.

 

[Acrophobia]

Thanks, Connie.

I actually did a bit more research just now and ordered the Six Six One Evo d3o knee and elbow pads. They're made of a gel that instantly hardens to a stiff shell upon impact. So they're (allegedly) completely flexible and comfortable until you need them, at which point they become armor. They were crazy expensive, but...I'm a sucker for technology. And my elbow really hurts right now... :( And backcountry.com has an amazing return policy, so if they don't work as advertised, back they'll go.

 

[altagirl]

My husband has those for trail riding. He likes them a lot, but they're short so you can still scrape up your shins. He's learned that if he's riding with flat pedals he goes with longer shin guards. But for longer trail rides where he clips in, he loves them. I haven't tried them myself - I'm happy with the Fox Launch pads.

 

[Consuela]

So, are the Six Six One Evos a one time impact thing? Or do they turn back to gel at some point after the impact?

 

[altagirl]

So, are the Six Six One Evos a one time impact thing? Or do they turn back to gel at some point after the impact?

Nope, they go soft again immediately after impact.

 

[Acrophobia]

So I wore the Six One One elbow pads and shin guards on singletrack today...

...and took a switchback too fast and fell over, onto a pointy stump which got me in the ribs!

I can't win.



Fortunately the stump was pretty soft and rotted, and it looked like lots of people had fallen on it at some point! So only a flesh wound, no broken ribs. But still.

 

[altagirl]

I fell in a race at SolVista 10 days ago... I almost didn't wear shin guards but put them on at the last second. I washed both tires on a fast section and the first thing to slow me down was a jagged stump to my shin.

The damage (through the shin guard no less - part of the stump tore a hole through the neoprene and padding and the scrapes are from my skin peeling off as the guard shifted on impact):

3 stitches from the puncture wound:

and the nastiness - huge hematoma on my tendons that my PT said is going to take months to heal. If it's not clear - it's the big non-bruised looking section on the lower calf just above my ankle - that's where it took the impact. It swelled up so fast and off center people on the scene thought I had a tib-fib break.

I can't even imagine what my leg would look like if I had opted to not wear the shin guards.

 

[Consuela]

Ouch! So, what can you do the help the healing of the tendon?

 

[altagirl]

Ouch! So, what can you do the help the healing of the tendon?

My PT just said gentle stretching and movement. That riding my bike is good, but only on flat terrain, not pushing it - just as a range of motion sort of activity. That and ice/heat rotation and massage. Hopefully it'll get better faster than he was thinking.

 

[Acrophobia]

OW!

Okay Altagirl, you win on the injury contest. Hope you heal up fast!