Commuting - body armour for commuting?? lets get some protection !!

OK this might seem a bit paranoid but I have been commuting on my bikes for a few years now (all year round) and it seems to me that some body armour could come in quite handy when the s**t hits the fan (especially in winter). After all Rollerbladers often wear knee/elbow/wrist pads/helmets and they don´t go as fast as me (I like to go quite fast). It seems to me that if cycling was invented this week that people would think you were crazy to go tearing along between the cars with no protection.

So does anyone here use any type of body armour (apart from helmets) such as knee/elbow/wrist pads or other more extensive body protection and has it ever saved any broken bones?

The next step up is like BMX leg and arm protectors, catchers chest protectors and shin guards, and hockey gear....most of the time I see this kind of gear come out, it's for bike jousting, bombing, polo, rad singletrack mountain runs or some other edgy bike activity. :D

Dunno'bout armour, but I've seen and been tempted by sport-respirator/filter masks for cycling... they offer different ones for different environments... I forget where I saw them though.

Dunno'bout armour, but I've seen and been tempted by sport-respirator/filter masks for cycling... they offer different ones for different environments... I forget where I saw them though.


yeah me too- at this rate I am going to look like Darth Vader on a bike -cool or what?

The next step up is like BMX leg and arm protectors, catchers chest protectors and shin guards, and hockey gear....most of the time I see this kind of gear come out, it's for bike jousting, bombing, polo, rad singletrack mountain runs or some other edgy bike activity. :D

seriously though guys- commuting can be quite an edgy activity- only this morning I saw some guy unconscious next to his bike on the way to work- looked like he had been hit by some guy driving over the bike lane- its only a matter of time before the grim volvo driver comes to visit us!!! or maybe I am being unduly pessimistic

Wow, I guess you guys commute in a more violent enviroment than me. I do have a bit of road to cover where I am competing with cars, but 75% of my route is on surfaced bike trails...I almost hit a squirrel once, but that is as close as I've come to contact with another being. Sure there is a bit of traffic, but courtesy works pretty well in Ames.

The only rider I have seen with any kind of "extra" protection was last winter when I spotted a 20something approaching on the other side of the road wearing a pair of fishing hip waders. Kept his feet warm & dry. Don

seriously though guys- commuting can be quite an edgy activity- only this morning I saw some guy unconscious next to his bike on the way to work- looked like he had been hit by some guy driving over the bike lane- its only a matter of time before the grim volvo driver comes to visit us!!! or maybe I am being unduly pessimistic

To be honest I don't bother with any kind of body armour beyond my helmet. There are certian risks in every human activity, and I don't consider cycling to be among the more risky ones (and yes, I do ride in traffic, in fact, I actively seek it out). Even among the possible things that can happen to me while riding -- in our climate heat exhaustion is the most likely cause of death for at least 6 months of the year. I don't see how body armour can prevent that, in fact, it's likely to be a contributing factor.

seriously though guys- commuting can be quite an edgy activity- only this morning I saw some guy unconscious next to his bike on the way to work- looked like he had been hit by some guy driving over the bike lane- its only a matter of time before the grim volvo driver comes to visit us!!! or maybe I am being unduly pessimistic
Hope you stopped to help?

Hope you stopped to help?

there were already 2 guys helping

yeah me too- at this rate I am going to look like Darth Vader on a bike -cool or what?

I favor the D-Vader helmet but they're just too hot and heavy. Still looking for one with chin-guard that's under 1lb

there were already 2 guys helping
Thats good :D

Going by the several crashes I've had, the most common points of contact with the road are knees, shoulders, hips and elbows in that order. Knee pads would be the most useful, but I'm not sure any are made that allow sufficient freedom of movement for cycling. Shoulder/hip protection would have marginal benfit. Most of the injuries to those areas have been due to the impact (muscle pain etc.) rather than grazing, although that has been present to a degree. Elbow injuries have been minor and hardly worth the hassle of trying to prevent.

In all, for normal riding I find it's not worth the expense, weight, and as Chris said, the heat to use anything other than the legally mandated helmet (and if it weren't legally mandated, there are many situations where I'd even forego that).

Your best protection in a crash is to learn how to fall. I recommend judo lessons for this. Practice in a safe environment until it's instinctive.