I'm looking at getting back into singletrack riding after being out of the game since i was about 13 y/o. back then, it was a helmet and a bike and you were on your way. being older and somewhat less resilient than i was back in the day- What gear should i be puting on if i plan to go ride the trails?

obviously i'm still going to wear a helmet and some gloves but i wondered about things like padded pants, knee/shin guards, wrist braces, and all the other pieces available to protect my body from serious injury when i part ways from my bike at high speed? i'm not going to be doing a lot of huge jumps or competeing against other riders, i'll just be out there for the fun of it. i guess i could wrap my whole body in bubble wrap before i go riding but that seems like it'd get really hot really quick. honestly my main question is how much am i going to get made fun of if i wear knee or knee+shin guards at my local MTB park? i think every wreck i had back when i used to ride tore up my knees. What do you guys/girls wear offroad?

Thanks,
HandsomeRyan

You should only need armor (other then helmet/gloves) for hucking/downhill unless you're a sketchy rider.

Personally, I've only worn full armor (see below) a handful of times and thats when I was 30+ feet in the air. When I hit the MTB parks it's helmet/gloves and shin/knee armor, thats it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v419/wethepeople101/me/invincible.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v419/wethepeople101/me/yup.jpg

But it's all up to you and it's your preferance, heres some food for thought.

Small jump, little armor:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v419/wethepeople101/me/wethepeople-untitled.jpg

Big jump, full armor:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v419/wethepeople101/other%20stuff/leathheadgap.jpg

cool cool. can anyone recomend a knee/shin guard for the budget minded?

I think you might want to ask this question in Mountain Bike forum. You will get more replies. This forum is more for people who like to rant about "cagers" or whatever the hell the new acronym of the week for drivers is. :rolleyes:

I see a guy wearing full body armor and full face helmet commuting in the city on a hardtail. It IS funny. but more power to him.

thanks for the input. i may go ask over at the mountain biking forum. i guess it doesnt matter how silly i look if its saves my arse in a fall its worth it.

You never mentioned how old you are or what shape your body is in. I know a guy who rides his bike only on paved paths. He's in his late 60s and has had back surgery more times than I've had wet dreams. He rides a full suspension mountain bike (boing boing) and calls the suspension his "safety gear" because it absorbs alot of shock that his back probably couldn't handle.
Just food for thought.

I see a guy wearing full body armor and full face helmet commuting in the city on a hardtail. It IS funny. but more power to him.

I do wear my fullface commuting in the winter as well, keeps my head warm with goggles and is way more comfortable than a fleece cap wedged under a road helmet.

Armour is taking it a bit far... but I guess it depends on how bad the drivers are :D

You never mentioned how old you are or what shape your body is in. I know a guy who rides his bike only on paved paths. He's in his late 60s and has had back surgery more times than I've had wet dreams. He rides a full suspension mountain bike (boing boing) and calls the suspension his "safety gear" because it absorbs alot of shock that his back probably couldn't handle.
Just food for thought.


i'm only 21. i'm mostly worried about my knees/legs in the event of a dismount on a rocky trail.

They look expensive but a Bear Suit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3CzYw5-qdA) seems to offer the best protection.

http://hometown.aol.com/chajonshim/images/red%20man%20instructor%20suit.jpg

They look expensive but a Bear Suit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3CzYw5-qdA) seems to offer the best protection.

I've always wanted to feel, sans pain, what it would be like to sail through the air after being hit by a car.

that bear suit owns. wonder how pedalling is though.

that bear suit owns. wonder how pedalling is though.

The bear-suit guy recently unveiled a newer version that gave up some of the impact-resistance for higher-mobility.

Wearing it, he looked a great deal like the lead character in "HALO 2" a marked improvement IMO.

You never mentioned how old you are or what shape your body is in. I know a guy who rides his bike only on paved paths. He's in his late 60s and has had back surgery more times than I've had wet dreams. He rides a full suspension mountain bike (boing boing) and calls the suspension his "safety gear" because it absorbs alot of shock that his back probably couldn't handle.
Just food for thought.

i can feel this guy's pain...literally. back problems made me look at full-suss (boingy post wasn't enough), and my size has required me to step up a bit further, into AM (5"r, 5.7"f). my bike is my only one at the moment -- old fs/xc is down to frame for paint, & build next year -- and it goes EVERYWHERE. commute, trails, long rides, errands, you name it.

I see a guy wearing full body armor and full face helmet commuting in the city on a hardtail. It IS funny. but more power to him.

Could he be on his way to ridding off road?

I had a good hour and a half to think about this same question in the hospital waiting room the last time I broke my collar bone, and also the six weeks of recovery time.
I felt really stupid because sitting at home was a great shoulder/chest protector that I use when racing my motorcycle.
The really stupid thing is, I still ride my bicycle with very minimal protection. Don't know why....maybe the extra weight...maybe cause it looks goofy on a bike...maybe cause I am in denial and think it was a fluke thing and won't happen again.....maybe the stupid part is the most accurate.

They look expensive but a Bear Suit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3CzYw5-qdA) seems to offer the best protection.


I don't know. Watching that video, I can just imagine the conversation between two grizzlies, "You know, it's filled with tasty nougat once you get through that hard outer shell."

I don't know. Watching that video, I can just imagine the conversation between two grizzlies, "You know, it's filled with tasty nougat once you get through that hard outer shell."

http://www.mathematik.tu-bs.de/FA-Workgroup/sschmidt/polarbears.jpg