I just busted up my knee in a minor accident, and when I work my way up to doing rides outside on the bike I’m contemplating wearing some hard knee pads. Who here does anything like that either regularly or when recuperating from an injury? I’m talking things like elbow pads/knee pads/body armor/bulletproof vest/kevlar jumpsuit, etc.
Nope. Seems like knee pads would really restrict range of motion.
I have worn body armor when I used to do some downhill MTB’ing (no pedaling)…but not on the road.
Reasonable question. The best answer I could provide would be to always wear a helmet and work on bike handling skills and falling- not in any way inferring you, My Friend, are somehow derelict in either discipline. Everyone falls. There are two kinds of riders: The kind that has fallen, and the kind that will.
Learning to fall is a key skill that can save you a common cycling injury like a broken collarbone. Practicing bike handling skills can mean you never have to use your falling “skills”.
In general wearing stuff like knee and elbow pads isn;t common becasue it is uncomfortable and restricts your free range of motion (at least at the kness) when pedalling. That said, the downhill cycling guys wear armor all the time.
Nope. Seems like knee pads would really restrict range of motion.
Yeah, that’s my main concern. I’m hoping I can find some pads that aren’t too bad in that respect…
Edit: I have some soft knee pads that I used to use for Volleyball. Maybe those would be less restrictive than hard pads?
just a jock
:-0
Andrew
.
mtn bikers wear this stuff all the time. Volleyball kneepads are easy and cheap but they’re not very breathable. Mtn bikers wear shin guards that usually go up and cover the knee as well. Bulky but won’t restrict pedaling. Forearm guards are great too. But I don’t wear the stuff on the road…
Are you afraid of falling? Or do you want protection from the elements? mtn bikers also have kevlar pants etc. that come from motocross… Speaking of which, when I used to do mountain biking we didn’t have all this gear so I got a lot of stuff at the motorcycle store. Even now its a lot cheaper there than through bike shops. (My gf and I picked up some great full-finger gloves last fall.)
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/mountain-bikes/apparel/body-armor.474.html
Here is a link to Six Six One http://www.sixsixone.com/Catalog_661Bike.aspx?id=68CF7DDC-6791-4004-8FAD-D47CB7C112B8. They have a bunch of protective gear for the knee/elbow. I ride lots of technical single track during the fall/winter (also ride rollers on an older Trek 5500 with PowerCranks) and even though I have been mountain biking for eons, I still wear the Six Six One veggie wraps. They really have very little, if any, hindrance for me and they also seem to bring me good luck (even in the super knarly stuff). Might be worth taking a look. Hope this helps.
Chris
Tom, I’ve seen it posted before about the 2 kinds of riders. Last time I fell was probably back in grade school. I’m sure it’s bound to happen again, but you talk of training on how to fall correctly, and I’m not sure what positioning you would need? I’m guessing not to put your arm out to brace the impact, but what else? Me personally, I’d try everything I could to save it and once I’m past point of recovery, I’d think I’d instictively pull arms/legs in as much as I could. I would imagine some nasty road rash, but hopefully no broken bones. Though if I’m thrown and going ass over elbows, arms are going up to try to protect the head. Yes?
Jamma.
For the reasons already stated I wouldn’t want to wear protection (at least when road biridingking) but in any case are knees really the most vulnerable area? When I have fallen I tend to end up taking the impact on my hip, elbow and on one memorable occasion the back of my shoulder - never the knee directly.
I was talking to a friend about his new bike and his adapting to clip on pedals. It is very strange feeling wearing clip ons, especially when you get a new bike or are new to biking all together.
My recommendation to him is get knee pads and elbow pads along with his helmet etc. Go out to a large quiet location and ride for a week or two and get to know your bike. Work on clipping out and in at stop signs and timing stops etc.
This will save your knees a lot of pain and your skin a lot of cuts in the “Getting to know your bike” phase. Sure some will scream HTFU, but screw them and put on the pads. Eventually you will outgrow the pads.
Dave
Go to your LBS and try on some MTB knee pads. They don’t restrict your range of motion at all; though they can be bothersome if they slip around. After I broke my kneecap from an MTB adventure involving a rock, I now wear knee pads for all my MTB rides.
I ended up with Six Six One brand, the tomcat model. The neoprene can be hot but otherwise they work fine. I’ve already landed on it once and was pleased that I didn’t trash another kneecap, nor did I trash the kneepad.
Good luck.
BrokenSpoke
Are you afraid of falling?
I think I’m most afraid of re-injuring my knee, thus the desire to protect it at least until I’m 100% completely healed.
I’m sure I’m overreacting a bit to the dangers of cycling, etc, but much of my riding is of the “better safe than fast” type (commuting, long-distance touring), which may perhaps be more conducive to wearing additional protection.
I’ll check out some MTB pads at my LBS and see how they feel.
Does falling @ a traffic while unclipping with your “other foot” for a change counts as a fall?
How do you learn that?
Fred.
Probably WAY overkill for you, but when I injured my knee and wanted some protection for motorcycling the popular choices were Asterisk and CTi. Just another (expensive) option to throw out there. 
“falling @ a traffic while unclipping with your “other foot” for a change counts as a fall?”
**No, this just makes you look like and probably feel like an idiot. **
I always wear knee pads and other protective gears such as helmets, elbow pads and protective jackets to ensure safety during the riding. It is important to understand for us that these protective gears are important to ensure our safety because know one knows about the worst…