Body armour?

small change said:

In Canada, everyone wears it, they think we yanks are nuts for not, so it's
all a matter of perspective.

Delusional.

Not everyone in Canada wears body armor while riding their bikes.

Lotsa Freds like to excuse their fredliness by pointing north
of the border but the fact remains that plenty of people ride
sans armor in Canada.

That's perspective for you.

pete fagerlin said:

small change said:

In Canada, everyone wears it, they think we yanks are nuts for not, so
it's all a matter of perspective.

Delusional.

Not everyone in Canada wears body armor while riding their bikes.

Lotsa Freds like to excuse their fredliness by pointing north of the
border but the fact remains that plenty of people ride sans armor in
Canada.

That's perspective for you.

Riding XC or Free riding or Shore style which ever , armor is a must
whenever your pushing the envelope.The only people who don't are the
idiots,they might as well leave their helmets home and just off
themselves fast.

wizardB said:

Riding XC or Free riding or Shore style which ever , armor is a must
whenever your (sic) pushing the envelope.

You're(!)incredibly misinformed, and confused.

But you do make me laugh, so thanks for that.

pete fagerlin said:

wizardB said:

Riding XC or Free riding or Shore style which ever , armor is a must
whenever your (sic) pushing the envelope.

You're(!)incredibly misinformed, and confused.

But you do make me laugh, so thanks for that.

Been there, seen it, walked it. Broke my finger anyway.

CC

(PeteCresswell) said:

Per NotaKnob:

Quoted message said:

Not sure if this is funny or sad:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/12/13/sports/s173835S79.DTL

Couple years ago I was flipping channels and paused at some X-Games
interviews
with motorcycle freeride contestants.

Sat through a half-dozen-or-so interviews before the realization hit me:
"None
of these guys has even half their teeth."

Yeah, but some of that may have been due to the meth.
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i199/vaderrian/meth_mouth.jpg
--
Slack

armour is what got me on the trails and kept me going back. like some
sense of security, i knew i wouldn't have to show up to work the next
day with too many bruises and scrapes. After about a year of riding
MTB (I used to road bike) I was confident enough on the trails to do
without the armour. It was still a good investment or I would not have
liked it as much as I did. I fell alot, I'm very clumsy. This year,
I'm just getting back into mountain biking after being very ill, so I
may or may not need the armour again. I'll probably have it in the
trunk just in case. btw, the armour I used was full front leg shin &
knee plus elbow pads. Once at Dagmar, an old man walked up to me and
asked why I was all decked out and i had to tell him I fell alot. But
turns out Dagmar was easier than the one I kept trying to master: the
DVP. Out again I go this year though, armour or no armour.

NotaKnob said:

JD said:

Marz said:

Anyway, my question is, is body armour only for mad down hill and free
riders or is it ok for all mountain rides or extreme xc'ers to wear it
too?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Laters,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Marz

Quoted message said:

If you can handle a bicycle, you don't need it.So says the man with the low deductible on his health insurance...

I've thought about getting knee and elbow guards as my killer instincts
are not strong and I sometimes hesitate at the moment of truth. Then I
am in a world of [censored]. This often happens when there is some bad
"stuff" in the direction that I am soon to plummet.

Who cares if it's OK? Some need peer pressure, mental preparation,
physical protection or liquid courage (ummm, liquid courage...).
Whatever gets you on the trail.

Bruce

The dirty deed is done. I know I've gone OTT, but there is some logic
to my madness. I went an ordered Pro Pressure Suit from 661 (from
BeyondBikes for a lot less them mrrp), not a cheap suit and I could
have got same basic elbow pads for a lot less. I couldn't do any of the
neoprene wrap around soft pads as it just too warm here for that and
I've never found a set of elbow pads that stay in place for more than
30 seconds. The mesh that most pressure suits seem to be made of looks
good for airflow and the 661 suit has a couple of good looking cut outs
at important chaffing points.

I also picked up a pair of 661 race lite knee guards as they claim to
be well vented for warm weather and were the only pads that came in
different sizes. XL for lanky legs.

Oh and thumb holes, any suit with a normal cuff is just going to ride
up my long arms and be useless.

First ride's not going to be until the new year where the true test is
going to be not whether it'll save my skin in a crash, but whether I
mind wearing them for a 2-3 hour hack over the trails.

How do you wash these things? And is it possible to wear them without a
base layer or am I setting myself up for a chaffing nightmare?

Laters,

Marz

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

Quoted message said:

The dirty deed is done. I know I've gone OTT, but there is some logic
to my madness. I went an ordered Pro Pressure Suit from 661 (from
BeyondBikes for a lot less them mrrp), not a cheap suit and I could
have got same basic elbow pads for a lot less. I couldn't do any of the
neoprene wrap around soft pads as it just too warm here for that and
I've never found a set of elbow pads that stay in place for more than
30 seconds. The mesh that most pressure suits seem to be made of looks
good for airflow and the 661 suit has a couple of good looking cut outs
at important chaffing points.

I also picked up a pair of 661 race lite knee guards as they claim to
be well vented for warm weather and were the only pads that came in
different sizes. XL for lanky legs.

Oh and thumb holes, any suit with a normal cuff is just going to ride
up my long arms and be useless.

First ride's not going to be until the new year where the true test is
going to be not whether it'll save my skin in a crash, but whether I
mind wearing them for a 2-3 hour hack over the trails.

How do you wash these things? And is it possible to wear them without a
base layer or am I setting myself up for a chaffing nightmare?

Laters,

Marz

Just food for thought. Last December I went OTB and broke my collar. No
amount of armor would have prevented this....... I had no other scrapes and
only one other bruise where the bike hit me on it's way down.

It's still all JD's fault <VBG>

Gary

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

Quoted message said:

Anyway, my question is, is body armour only for mad down hill and free
riders or is it ok for all mountain rides or extreme xc'ers to wear it
too?

Laters,

Marz

Breaking bones or serious injury is not a necessary rite of passage for
mountain biking, XC or otherwise. For mere mortals who aren't born experts,
are we supposed to relish a learning curve of injuries to prove we have
courage? Gimme a break (pun intended).

Folks have similar opinions about helmets, which I would consider the most
fundamental form of body armor. I personally wear a helmet and wouldn't
ride without it. I don't use other forms of body armor, but then again my
injuries from mountain biking have been (thankfully) limited to cuts and
bruises. If I was riding really dangerous terrain, I wouldn't hesitate to
protect myself.

Just my $.02. I treat mountain biking as a passion and a recreational
sport. I don't need to bleed every time I ride. I also often ride with
novice and mellow friends as a social event on trails that are laughably
non-technical.

Marz said:

The dirty deed is done. I know I've gone OTT, but there is some logic
to my madness. I went an ordered Pro Pressure Suit from 661 (from
BeyondBikes for a lot less them mrrp), not a cheap suit and I could
have got same basic elbow pads for a lot less.

Does that suit come with a place on the back to mount your TRON disc?
;-)

For price comparison, my heavily-insured friend spent $600 in the
emergency room for a puncture to her knee. Less-well-insured folk like
myself would have spent four grand.

Be sure to post a review of how well it all works out when you get a
chance to ride with it.

-Beej

Beej said:

Be sure to post a review of how well it all works out when you get a
chance to ride with it.

-Beej

Review:

Day 1: 85F and 100% Humidity. Wore the suit and on the first climb I
noticed I was slowing down. Hmmm... What gives? Is there something
wrong with my derailleur? I make it to the top and boy is it hot. I've
already finished my camelbak and I still have 10 miles to go. I was
feeling a little itchy under the armor, but it's probably the soap I
used in the shower this morning. I crashed on the first downhill. I
hit managed to land my face on a protruding rock. Now I have a shiner.
I wonder if I need a full face helmet?

Day 2: 88F and 100% humidity. I've got the suit on but it feels really
awkward. It's kind of tacking and smells funny. Even slower going and
for some reason I feel the bike is heavier. Top of the hill again and
my camelbak is bone dry. I wore an underarmour headband today because
the salt in the sweat was running into my eyes. Why am I sweating so
much? Man it was hot today, too! On the downhill I smashed the end of
my bars into a tree. Damn bark ripped right through my glove. Now I
have a black and blue hand. Hurts like hell. Maybe I should fashion
some bubblewrap pads for my hands? Oh, than itch is back and this time
on more parts of my body. I switched soap but it still there. Hmmm...
Maybe I need hypoalergenic soap?

Day 3: 83F and 95% humidity. Finally a cool dry day in the tropics.
My wife is concerned that we have something dead under the house. I am
concerned to because I think it may have died in my pressure suit. Wow,
is that some odor! Only an animal can cause that kind of stench. I
have another problem today. The label on the suit said it weighed just
three pounds, but I put it on the scale and it says 11 pounds. Those
lying [censored]! Well, I don't want to get hurt so I put it on. No
wonder I'm slower! Getting to the top of the first climb has not gotten
easier and now I have some read blisters on my skin. Why can't we get
decent soap our here? It itches so bad and now it burns. I noticed
another problem too. The suit seems to be leaking some kind of liquid
all over my bike and it's drying with a crystal like substance. In
fact, my black pressure suit is now quite gray. Odd. The downhill
didn't go to well. I hit a ditch and launched OTB. I came down with
the back of my wrist against a log. The doc says its broken. He also
told me that I have a staff infection from the blisters. I said you
mean from the soap? No, they were from having something wet constantly
rubbing against your skin. He also said I had a bad odor. I told him
something died in my body armor.

8 weeks later: 89F and 80% humidity. Well, I'm finally cleared for
riding. I go to put the pressure suit on and there seems to be a
problem with it. Whatever died in it has left eggs which seem to have
sprouted some very unique organisms. My cat tried to eat it and now
he's running around in circles. he crystal stuff is now a few inches
thick as well. When I called the bike store they told me it was
probably a hazard to my health. And I thought all along it was supposed
to protect me. I did the ride today without the armor. Wow. I must of
had a great injury recovery because I climbed that hill in no time and I
hardly touched my camelback. Boy was the downhill fun! I didn't have
to stop every 20 feet to scratch those annoying itches. I did fall
once, but managed only a few scrapes. Life is good. My wife is still
complaining about the dead animal, though.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

GeeDubb said:

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

Quoted message said:

The dirty deed is done. I know I've gone OTT, but there is some logic
to my madness. I went an ordered Pro Pressure Suit from 661 (from
BeyondBikes for a lot less them mrrp), not a cheap suit and I could
have got same basic elbow pads for a lot less. I couldn't do any of the
neoprene wrap around soft pads as it just too warm here for that and
I've never found a set of elbow pads that stay in place for more than
30 seconds. The mesh that most pressure suits seem to be made of looks
good for airflow and the 661 suit has a couple of good looking cut outs
at important chaffing points.

I also picked up a pair of 661 race lite knee guards as they claim to
be well vented for warm weather and were the only pads that came in
different sizes. XL for lanky legs.

Oh and thumb holes, any suit with a normal cuff is just going to ride
up my long arms and be useless.

First ride's not going to be until the new year where the true test is
going to be not whether it'll save my skin in a crash, but whether I
mind wearing them for a 2-3 hour hack over the trails.

You gotta post pics of this lameness, it'll be a hoot. Disconnecting
yourself that far from the outdoors by layering yourself with
thermoplastic, you may as well be driving a car up and down the
singletracks.

Quoted message said:

Just food for thought. Last December I went OTB and broke my collar. No
amount of armor would have prevented this....... I had no other scrapes and
only one other bruise where the bike hit me on it's way down.

It's still all JD's fault <VBG>

That's cuz I wuz lernin' ya how ta ride, not how ta crash.

JD

On Dec 19, 2:05 pm, Ride-A-Lot <mitchell@[NOSPAM]schnauzers.ws

Quoted message said:

Review:

LOL!

-Beej

wizardB said:

Riding XC or Free riding or Shore style which ever , armor is a must
whenever your pushing the envelope.The only people who don't are the
idiots,they might as well leave their helmets home and just off
themselves fast.

You are truly programmed. I wonder how much your television viewing
over the years has created this phenomenon, or if you are just another
dullard lemming?

JD

JD said:

wizardB said:

Riding XC or Free riding or Shore style which ever , armor is a must
whenever your pushing the envelope.The only people who don't are the
idiots,they might as well leave their helmets home and just off
themselves fast.You are truly programmed. I wonder how much your television viewing

over the years has created this phenomenon, or if you are just another
dullard lemming?

JD

It's from too much time in front of the internet with no life as
reality and not enough time checking into the real reality.
Which is why you have a life and I gather lots of "balance" in your
life. Kinda lets all the other areas work at their best, esp. cycling,
no?

Giant Yukon MTB Girl said:

JD said:

wizardB said:

Riding XC or Free riding or Shore style which ever , armor is a must
whenever your pushing the envelope.The only people who don't are the
idiots,they might as well leave their helmets home and just off
themselves fast.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You are truly programmed. I wonder how much your television viewing
over the years has created this phenomenon, or if you are just another
dullard lemming?

JD

Quoted message said:

It's from too much time in front of the internet with no life as
reality and not enough time checking into the real reality.
Which is why you have a life and I gather lots of "balance" in your
life. Kinda lets all the other areas work at their best, esp. cycling,
no?

Most kids nowdays have no idea that there is a large world out there
with people who don't buy into the [censored] the media feeds them day in and
day out. They scarf it right up and some of us enjoy sitting back and
seeing just how severely impaired it makes some of them. Like this kid
whizzerp or whatever. Whizzerp is obviously convinced that armor is a
"must" for those who push the envelope and if they don't use it, they
are "idiots". He/she/it has been so programmed by what MBA or other
ragazines have told them, that is impossible to be sane and push one's
limits on a mountain bike without body armor. Their narrow view has
obviously blinded them to the fact that until a few years ago, NOBODY
WAS WEARING BODY ARMOR ON MOUNTAIN BIKES. Would it have been
impossible for people like Joe Murray, Ned Overend or John Tomac to
push their limits and if they did manage to push them, they were
idiots? This ridiculous little twit whizzerp only deserves to be
berated for their obvoius cluelessness and programmed mentality.

BTW, I'm imbalanced because I ride bicycles more than is socially
acceptable, especially where I reside. Then again, normalcy is
overrated and some societies just plain suck.

JD

NotaKnob said:

JD said:

Marz said:

Anyway, my question is, is body armour only for mad down hill and free
riders or is it ok for all mountain rides or extreme xc'ers to wear it
too?

Laters,

Marz

If you can handle a bicycle, you don't need it.

So says the man with the low deductible on his health insurance...

I've thought about getting knee and elbow guards as my killer instincts
are not strong and I sometimes hesitate at the moment of truth. Then I
am in a world of [censored]. This often happens when there is some bad
"stuff" in the direction that I am soon to plummet.

Should we rename you Bruise?

JD

JD said:

Giant Yukon MTB Girl said:

JD said:

wizardB wrote:
> Riding XC or Free riding or Shore style which ever , armor is a must
> whenever your pushing the envelope.The only people who don't are the
> idiots,they might as well leave their helmets home and just off
> themselves fast.
You are truly programmed. I wonder how much your television viewing
over the years has created this phenomenon, or if you are just another
dullard lemming?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

JD

It's from too much time in front of the internet with no life as
reality and not enough time checking into the real reality.
Which is why you have a life and I gather lots of "balance" in your
life. Kinda lets all the other areas work at their best, esp. cycling,
no?Most kids nowdays have no idea that there is a large world out there

with people who don't buy into the [censored] the media feeds them day in and
day out. They scarf it right up and some of us enjoy sitting back and
seeing just how severely impaired it makes some of them. Like this kid
whizzerp or whatever. Whizzerp is obviously convinced that armor is a
"must" for those who push the envelope and if they don't use it, they
are "idiots". He/she/it has been so programmed by what MBA or other
ragazines have told them, that is impossible to be sane and push one's
limits on a mountain bike without body armor. Their narrow view has
obviously blinded them to the fact that until a few years ago, NOBODY
WAS WEARING BODY ARMOR ON MOUNTAIN BIKES. Would it have been
impossible for people like Joe Murray, Ned Overend or John Tomac to
push their limits and if they did manage to push them, they were
idiots? This ridiculous little twit whizzerp only deserves to be
berated for their obvoius cluelessness and programmed mentality.

BTW, I'm imbalanced because I ride bicycles more than is socially
acceptable, especially where I reside. Then again, normalcy is
overrated and some societies just plain suck.

JD- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -

What is normal, balanced, anyways?? well, I also rode more than was
acceptable, esp for a girl, small town, all that. But I still made
some time for relationships, my family, keeping up in
school/university; so balance is different for everyone. But I'm going
to presume that if your child was ill or in the hospital, you're not
home on the internet trolling for an online hookup for an offline
hookup for a one night stand while your wife is with your child and/or
your child is alone. So, that extreme is what I'm referring to as
imbalanced. Priorities.

RE: my own use of armour: I would have to say the main reason I would
use it now in an unfamiliar trail would be b/c I now have an abnormal
sense of pain. For example, my dog scratching me in play sends searing
burning pain signals like I'm being cut with a knife. Likewise, if I
ran into a tree or fell down a steep slope and hit a rock or something,
it would be torture. To me the armour this Spring is like the diff
between going out there and doing a trail versus being too turned off
due to my pain condition; just the way it is. Yes, it may secretly be
an incentive to ride better so I can avoid falling but my balance also
went out the window when the pain took hold as well, so I have to be
extra careful there.

MTB Girl

JD said:

Giant Yukon MTB Girl said:

JD said:

wizardB wrote:
> Riding XC or Free riding or Shore style which ever , armor is a must
> whenever your pushing the envelope.The only people who don't are the
> idiots,they might as well leave their helmets home and just off
> themselves fast.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You are truly programmed. I wonder how much your television viewing
over the years has created this phenomenon, or if you are just another
dullard lemming?

JD

Quoted message said:

It's from too much time in front of the internet with no life as
reality and not enough time checking into the real reality.
Which is why you have a life and I gather lots of "balance" in your
life. Kinda lets all the other areas work at their best, esp. cycling,
no?

Most kids nowdays have no idea that there is a large world out there
with people who don't buy into the [censored] the media feeds them day in and
day out. They scarf it right up and some of us enjoy sitting back and
seeing just how severely impaired it makes some of them. Like this kid
whizzerp or whatever. Whizzerp is obviously convinced that armor is a
"must" for those who push the envelope and if they don't use it, they
are "idiots". He/she/it has been so programmed by what MBA or other
ragazines have told them, that is impossible to be sane and push one's
limits on a mountain bike without body armor. Their narrow view has
obviously blinded them to the fact that until a few years ago, NOBODY
WAS WEARING BODY ARMOR ON MOUNTAIN BIKES. Would it have been
impossible for people like Joe Murray, Ned Overend or John Tomac to
push their limits and if they did manage to push them, they were
idiots? This ridiculous little twit whizzerp only deserves to be
berated for their obvoius cluelessness and programmed mentality.

BTW, I'm imbalanced because I ride bicycles more than is socially
acceptable, especially where I reside. Then again, normalcy is
overrated and some societies just plain suck.

JD

I thought I'd a quick bit of research and guess what, a picture of John
Tomac pushing the limits winning the Kamikaze in 2004 while wearing,
yep you guessed it, body armour.

http://www.mbaction.com/archive/johntomackamikaze.jpg

Laters,

Marz

JD said:

Giant Yukon MTB Girl said:

JD said:

wizardB wrote:
> Riding XC or Free riding or Shore style which ever , armor is a must
> whenever your pushing the envelope.The only people who don't are the
> idiots,they might as well leave their helmets home and just off
> themselves fast.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You are truly programmed. I wonder how much your television viewing
over the years has created this phenomenon, or if you are just another
dullard lemming?

JD

Quoted message said:

It's from too much time in front of the internet with no life as
reality and not enough time checking into the real reality.
Which is why you have a life and I gather lots of "balance" in your
life. Kinda lets all the other areas work at their best, esp. cycling,
no?

Most kids nowdays have no idea that there is a large world out there
with people who don't buy into the [censored] the media feeds them day in and
day out. They scarf it right up and some of us enjoy sitting back and
seeing just how severely impaired it makes some of them. Like this kid
whizzerp or whatever. Whizzerp is obviously convinced that armor is a
"must" for those who push the envelope and if they don't use it, they
are "idiots". He/she/it has been so programmed by what MBA or other
ragazines have told them, that is impossible to be sane and push one's
limits on a mountain bike without body armor. Their narrow view has
obviously blinded them to the fact that until a few years ago, NOBODY
WAS WEARING BODY ARMOR ON MOUNTAIN BIKES. Would it have been
impossible for people like Joe Murray, Ned Overend or John Tomac to
push their limits and if they did manage to push them, they were
idiots? This ridiculous little twit whizzerp only deserves to be
berated for their obvoius cluelessness and programmed mentality.

BTW, I'm imbalanced because I ride bicycles more than is socially
acceptable, especially where I reside. Then again, normalcy is
overrated and some societies just plain suck.

JD

First JD I'm no kid and have been riding the shore since the 1980's
,having pulled many people off the mountain with major injuries many
which could have been avoided with the use of some simple armor that I
believe that to not wear armor where it is necessary is just plain
machismo bull.PS I never buy in to media hype about anything.So before
you start off on an other of your pinhead rants maybe your should look
at what's really out there other than those sidewalks you ride down there.