Body Armour

[wavedancer]

I think it is time to give myself a little extra protection. Getting better in general about falling down and have been wearing some hip-padded shorts, but today's nothing-special fall involve a very painful hit on the outside of my knee. I noticed that most of the people riding the trails where we went were wearing shin and arm guards. So what have any of you found to be comfortable and protect well? I have short legs, but not skinny thighs I'm thinking that if I can feel a little more protected if I do fall, I may be able to develop more confidence on the rough stuff.

Linda

[Pebble]

I recently thought the same thing and ended up getting the Fox Launch Pads (knee/shin). A couple of rides on them and they're not as bulky as I imagined, have excellent ventillation and great clip system. They are surprisingly comfortable to pedal in as well.
But I did have some issues with rubbing above my knee. Only talking two rides though & I have a feeling that they need to sit a bit higher to what I had them, which would possibly solve the problem.
On the downside I noticed the stitching on the side of one of the elastic straps is already coming off. I've emailed the store where I brought them to see what the next step is - exchange etc, hopefully it's a warranty issue.

In summary I do like the fox launch pads but they have potential comfort issues and quality control (stitching looks good I just got a dud I think). And I reckon you could do better: Race Face (also known as Roach) Rally FR pads have heaps of good reviews and other's I'd maybe look at are the Mace Tectonic.

Prior to that I've had the 661 veggie knee wraps and found the stitching at the back used to rub badly & they were not comfortable.

But yeah I've found that wearing knee/shins gave me a secure sort of feeling, not invincible just secure. Haven't taken the step to elbow guards yet.

If you are riding clipless pedals you may also like to consider just knee guards instead of knee/shin as they are probably more comfy for pedalling. Knee/Shin is probably recommended if you're using platforms.

[TerraNik]

I have a pair of RaceFace/Roach FR shin/knees... They're pretty good. I find that when I pedal they don't slip or anything, but they are pretty bulky... A little difficult to pedal in, but you get that when you're wearing a whole bunch of plastic on your legs!!!!! I've been investigating getting the TLD T-bones or 661 Kyle Straits (just knee pads) for those not-so-rocky tracks. I've heard that they are really comfortable and give adequate protection.

I also have the RaceFace/Roach FR Elbow pads which are great... When riding they don't move at all, and although they get a bit hot I can hardly tell they're there in terms of comfort. Again, a little trouble bending at the elbow in them, but you don't do too much of that when you're riding!

I have no idea how they'll hold up in a crash... Hopefully I won't have to find out!

[Pebble]

The stitching came loose or something after 2 to 3 rides in the fox launch pads and the particular strap started deteriorating pretty quickly. So I sent them back & opted for a store credit rather than replacement.
Comfort factor - I think I may have been wearing them lower than I should have been (ie should have been more over the knee or something) and that probably would have taken care of the rubbing issue.

Thinking of trying Roach (or Race Face it's known as now) Rally FR pads. Concerned wether they will be much bulkier than the Fox Launch - anyone know?

Otherwise these look pretty good (Mace Tectonic) and sort of low profile, but provide the back calf protection too: the design was drastically changed for '07 though so having 2nd thoughts.

Interested in other suggestions as well as per Wavedancer's original thread.

[tattiefritter]

I have some RaceFace FR ones as well which I bought to wear on a biking holiday in Spain, they were comfortable enough on descents but too warm and annoying on the long climbs. The trails were very rocky there (and I'm used to rocky) but I didn't find they boosted my confidence as such, I rode as I normally do as the protection isn't that extensive really - they won't stop a broken wrist. One of the guys fell off and his nice dainese knee armour moved, so he hit his knee anyway! I have short legs and got their smallest size, fine in length and fine for the knee straps but the back of leg straps were a little short for my cyclists calves! The small elbow pads were a very good fit.

But.....I'd never bother wearing them in the UK, even though I ride on some pretty rocky, slippy, slimy tracks and do my fair share of falling. I don't want to rely on them for confidence which may happen if I wore them all the time. I also couldn't be bothered taking them on and off on climbs/descents, I'd end up carrying them for nothing. I'm not entirely convinced that putting armour on will stop you being scared (fear of falling is a good thing). Learning to handle your bike properly (say by going to a skills class) will probably do more for you - I know a skills class did a lot for me personally.

Armour is becoming more prevalent, we turned up at one of the UK forestry centres with specific built mountain bike trails and I've never seen so much armour (and the XC trails are smooth and pretty non-technical, no need for armour), particularly on women - I'm waiting to see them on roadies next.

Sorry, that was a bit of a rant, but I think that people coming into MTBing now see all these pictures of people wearing armour and think thats what you need to wear. When I started it wasn't the case and you just got on with it (ee them were the days! ) and learned to not fall off - there is a definite attitude difference.

So... RaceFace: I found them comfy, very warm, seemed to stay put but I never really tested them by landing on them, heavy.

Others I tried:

Dainese: a lot lighter, more mesh and cooler, but hated the fit, felt flimsy in comparison to the RaceFace.
661: Similar to Dainese but heavier and not as well made.

[madisongrrl]

It is really not necessary to buy body gear for standard mountain biking. I think it just gets in the way, its heavy, expensive and hot. The only thing that has ever given me confidence is riding more singletrack, riding with people who are better than me (watching them do difficult sections) and learning more about the techniques used in mountain biking.

Examine the situations when you hit the dirt. Think about what happended, why did it happen and how could you have approached it differently? And if your not sure of something, dismount and walk it. Then you can determine if you want to ride it or move on to the next thing. Good luck.