Armor Protection

stamkis scrawled in bright red lipstick:

Quoted message said:

Been riding this past year without any armor protection while riding in a wooded area with roots,
rocks, sand and other hazards. So far, I've been lucky... no spills yet. I don't ride that hard,
but have had my share of close calls.

.

Quoted message said:

Looking at the pictures they both seem like overkill unless you are a downhill bomber, which I'm
not. Then again, my arms and legs, chest do are worth the value of either jacket from an economic
stand point. The rider I saw today had a simple plastic jacket ($90) from Foxracing. He said it
was light and comfortable. Maybe something like that would be more ideal.

Also, I will need shin/leg-knee and arm protectors. Anybody feel all this protection is needed and
if so, which would you recommend.

think long and hard why you want this stuff. Surely if you aren't DH riding you dont' need a
full set up?

I have some 661 arm and legs that I only wear when I'm going out on hairball technical stuff or
trying something new and difficult. Not for everyday wear.

Penny

stamkis said:

Also, I will need shin/leg-knee and arm protectors. Anybody feel all

this

Quoted message said:

protection is needed and if so, which would you recommend.

For XC riding, even technical XC riding, it's unneccesary, not to mention impractical.

pete fagerlin

::Revolutionary! Evolutionary! Yet so retro! :www.yestubes.com

"stamkis" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Also, I will need shin/leg-knee and arm protectors. Anybody feel all this protection is needed and
if so, which would you recommend.

Do *you* crash a lot?

Are those crashes generally bad?

Do you anticipate upping the probability of such crashes in the future?

Pete

P e t e F a g e r l i n scrawled in bright red lipstick:

Quoted message said:

stamkis said:

Also, I will need shin/leg-knee and arm protectors. Anybody feel all this protection is needed
and if so, which would you recommend.

For XC riding, even technical XC riding, it's unneccesary, not to mention impractical.

I'd agree... it's a pain to ride with, **if** I wear mine I stop and put in on for a specific move,
section... not the whole ride.

Canada is different tho, everyone wears it for everything up there.

Penny

"stamkis" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Been riding this past year without any armor protection while riding in a wooded area with roots,
rocks, sand and other hazards.

<Snip>

Quoted message said:

other was the Dainese Safety Jacket $300 which had far fewer respondents maybe because it was a
bit pricey. All respondents were very happy with this product.

Although I agree with most of the other respondants - body armour is a little OTT for general
mountain biking unless you have a specific injury etc, I thought I'd contribute something a little
more helpful. Yep the Dainese is pricey but it fits excellently and covers all the major bits. The
mesh construction isn't the toughest but if you look after it it will last and means that it is only
slightly rediculously hot to wear. The hard plastic spine protector is the most bulky and
restrictive part of the suit but can be removed for lighter usage, which is how I normally wear it.
I have to admit though I have worn it only once or twice the last 2 years or so when I knew I wanted
some 'plastic courage', before that I would wear it regularly for blasts down the scousers track at
Nannerch (DH course).

Steve.

stamkis said:

Been riding this past year without any armor protection while riding in a wooded area with roots,
rocks, sand and other hazards. So far, I've been lucky... no spills yet. I don't ride that hard,
but have had my share of close calls.

<snip>

No armour. Take the pain, its character building.

--
Phil

Quoted message said:

Been riding this past year without any armor protection while riding in a wooded area with roots,
rocks, sand and other hazards. So far, I've been lucky... no spills yet. I don't ride that hard,
but have had my share of close calls.

It's called foresight. Don't be bashful. Use it.

Quoted message said:

Ran into a couple die-hard mountain bikers on the trail today. Both were wearing armor and got me
thinking, it's time to invest. One of them showed me a nasty scratch on his shoulder protector
(vest) that would otherwise have been his arm had he not worn any protection. This got me thinking
that I've put off buying this stuff for too long.

Yeah, I could show you some scratches. And I could show you a cracked knee pad that surely would
have been my knee cap had it not been in the way! Plus I could show you a nice scar on my shin from
my flats (from urban with out them one evening!)

Quoted message said:

I thought I would start by looking for a vest of some kind. Two brands stuck out. The first is
Rockgardn Flak jacket costing $180 or so. From reading the reviews most responders said it was
very comfortable, yet a couple said they were concerned about the lack of collar bone
protection.The other was the Dainese Safety Jacket $300 which had far fewer respondents maybe
because it was a bit pricey. All respondents were very happy with this product

Quoted message said:

Looking at the pictures they both seem like overkill unless you are a downhill bomber, which I'm
not. Then again, my arms and legs, chest do are worth the value of either jacket from an economic
stand point. The rider I saw today had a simple plastic jacket ($90) from Foxracing. He said it
was light and comfortable. Maybe something like that would be more ideal.

You are correct. It would be overkill for XC.

Quoted message said:

Also, I will need shin/leg-knee and arm protectors. Anybody feel all this protection is needed and
if so, which would you recommend.

Picked up the Fox 911 gear at pricepoint a couple of years ago. Been one of my best bike related
purchases, as it has helped KEEP ME ON the bike, and not layed up cuz some pointed rock pierced my
flesh. (Respect to the Z-boys JD, but they didn't ride some of the rock gardens we ride, they rode
sterile enviroments like empty pools! and take a look at Jay Adams, he looks like he fell off his
skateboard a few too many times)

Dave (embrace technology!)

"Penny S" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Canada is different tho, everyone wears it for everything up there.

Everyone is going for the "Dew" look, its the new rage in style...

- CA-G

Can-Am Girls Kick Ass!

"stamkis" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Also, I will need shin/leg-knee and arm protectors. Anybody feel all this protection is needed and
if so, which would you recommend.

Since you've been ok so far, I don't think you need it. I first bought my AXO knee and shin pads
because I was getting lots of scratches frequently and there was this period I crashed quite
consistently as well. That was in uk.

Haven't used them since while riding XC in Singapore and Malaysia, but very few XC riders use them
here. I read about this guy who did and got made fun of, but his reason was the same as yours, which
I think is a good reason if you're prone to crashing.

bloocow

P e t e F a g e r l i n said:

stamkis said:

Also, I will need shin/leg-knee and arm protectors. Anybody feel all

this

Quoted message said:

protection is needed and if so, which would you recommend.

For XC riding, even technical XC riding, it's unneccesary, not to mention impractical.

pete fagerlin

::Revolutionary! Evolutionary! Yet so retro! :www.yestubes.com

I dunno. I've pretty much switched to platforms for all my rides and consequently started wearing
shin and sometimes knee pads on all of my rides. They aren't too impractical and I've definatly
gotten some use out of them. If the temp gets over 90 then it's a hard choice but otherwise they
aren't too bad.

Quoted message said:

"Penny S" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Canada is different tho, everyone wears it for everything up there.

Everyone is going for the "Dew" look, its the new rage in style...

- CA-G

Can-Am Girls Kick Ass!

Kinda like Singlespeeds...

Dave (it's a hype driven world!)

Penny S said:

Canada is different tho, everyone wears it for everything up there.

Huh?

Not on the technical XC rides that I've been on in BC.

pete fagerlin

::Revolutionary! Evolutionary! Yet so retro! :www.yestubes.com

Carla A-G scrawled in bright red lipstick:

Quoted message said:

"Penny S" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Canada is different tho, everyone wears it for everything up there.

Everyone is going for the "Dew" look, its the new rage in style...

Not sure if it's a style issue, the only Canadian riders I've met were the gals at the camp. they
all had pads, the Yanks did not. I met a gal who went to a different session, she had the same
experience as me. Of course considering the vertical nature of the trails in that area I'm not so
surprised...

Penny

P e t e F a g e r l i n scrawled in bright red lipstick:

Quoted message said:

Penny S said:

Canada is different tho, everyone wears it for everything up there.

Huh?

Not on the technical XC rides that I've been on in BC.

pete fagerlin

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Revolutionary! Evolutionary! Yet so retro! www.yestubes.com

Pete, read my reply to Carla... just in my experience which I'll admit isn't very broad.

Penny

The famous reply to questions such as this: depends, depends on lots of variables quite framkly. For the riding and style you said you are into it doesn't really sound like a "necessity", but depending on many variables it could make sense. I started using leg old Lizard skins leg sleeves just to protect ink on my legs on pretty much every ride. Now that I do more and more technical junk and crashes are getting more likely I've stepped up to arm/elbow stuff as well to protect the ink.

Despite my initial interest being to protect my "artwork" I am finding I dig having the arm stuff on during most rides and wear them a lot. I tried some shin/knee armour and didn't like it for 75% of the riding I do, but I keep them for when we hit the full-on DH stuff. The old (6 or so years) Lizard skin shin protectors without the crappy plastic insert for the shins are great for the other riding though. They keep the pedals and other junk from tearing at the flesh without adding bulk. They go on like a big freakin' sock, without the sock part of course! It doesn't sound like you need the full DH suit, period. A bit of overkill for XC riding. Not to mention unfreakincomortable to wear for sustained periods. Have fun riding.

K.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Stamkis
Been riding this past year without any armor protection while riding in a wooded area with roots,
rocks, sand and other hazards. So far, I've been lucky... no spills yet. I don't ride that hard, but
have had my share of close calls.

Ran into a couple die-hard mountain bikers on the trail today. Both were wearing armor and got me
thinking, it's time to invest. One of them showed me a nasty scratch on his shoulder protector
(vest) that would otherwise have been his arm had he not worn any protection. This got me thinking
that I've put off buying this stuff for too long.

Researched the Mountain Bike Review for recommendations. (I know, take that info with a
grain of salt.)

I thought I would start by looking for a vest of some kind. Two brands stuck out. The first is
Rockgardn Flak jacket costing $180 or so. From reading the reviews most responders said it was very
comfortable, yet a couple said they were concerned about the lack of collar bone protection.The
other was the Dainese Safety Jacket $300 which had far fewer respondents maybe because it was a bit
pricey. All respondents were very happy with this product.

Looking at the pictures they both seem like overkill unless you are a downhill bomber, which I'm
not. Then again, my arms and legs, chest do are worth the value of either jacket from an economic
stand point. The rider I saw today had a simple plastic jacket ($90) from Foxracing. He said it was
light and comfortable. Maybe something like that would be more ideal.

Also, I will need shin/leg-knee and arm protectors. Anybody feel all this protection is needed and
if so, which would you recommend.

Penny S said:

P e t e F a g e r l i n scrawled in bright red lipstick:

Quoted message said:

Penny S said:

Canada is different tho, everyone wears it for everything up there.

Huh?

Not on the technical XC rides that I've been on in BC.

Quoted message said:

Pete, read my reply to Carla... just in my experience which I'll admit isn't very broad.

You'll usually find folks armored up on the Shore and at Whistler but there are plenty of other
places/rides where folks leave the armor at home.

pete fagerlin

::Revolutionary! Evolutionary! Yet so retro! :www.yestubes.com

P e t e F a g e r l i n scrawled in bright red lipstick:

Quoted message said:

Penny S said:

P e t e F a g e r l i n scrawled in bright red lipstick:

Quoted message said:

On Mon, 6 Oct 2003 21:53:36 -0700, "Penny S" <[email hidden]> wrote:

> Canada is different tho, everyone wears it for everything up there.

Huh?

Not on the technical XC rides that I've been on in BC.

Quoted message said:

Pete, read my reply to Carla... just in my experience which I'll admit isn't very broad.

You'll usually find folks armored up on the Shore and at Whistler but there are plenty of other
places/rides where folks leave the armor at home.

just curious, where all in BC have you been? Or is that top secret info. I've explored a bit
around Rossland and Nelson but that's it. It's pretty vertical around there, anything remotely
resembling an XC trail has a stupendous amount of climbing, and from what I've seen most are
inclined to shuttle.

Penny

Penny S said:

just curious, where all in BC have you been? Or is that top secret info. I've explored a bit
around Rossland and Nelson but that's it. It's pretty vertical around there, anything remotely
resembling an XC trail has a stupendous amount of climbing, and from what I've seen most are
inclined to shuttle.

Squamish Pemberton, Whister for XC rides.

Many of the climbs are done on gravel roads followed but ST descents.

petefagerlin.com9climb.jpgOpen ↗

pete fagerlin

::Revolutionary! Evolutionary! Yet so retro! :www.yestubes.com

stamkis said:

Been riding this past year without any armor protection while riding in a wooded area with roots,
rocks, sand and other hazards. So far, I've been lucky... no spills yet. I don't ride that hard,
but have had my share of close calls.

If you've ridden an entire summer without crashing even once, then you really shouldn't need
anything. I never wore "armor", but when I first was learning how to do technical stuff I got a pair
of X-small neopreme knee braces and wore them on my elbows and forearms. This did save a fair amount
of skin. There are shin guards that are more padding than plate that might be useful if you use flat
pedals and find them making lots of nasty marks.

Of course, these will all be fairly miserable in the summer. And you can still get hurt wearing
them. The biggest injuries I've had wouldn't have been avoided by wearing that stuff. Common sense
is the best protection you'll find.

--
-BB- To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail address, at least)