Advocacy & Safety - Do you wear knee or elbow pads?

I'm a newbie to biking and am trying to "learn" about all the safety precautions before hitting the road.

So I have a cheapo K-Mart bike from many years back. Main point is to work out and get fit. Will use it to bike around neighborhood (hills + flats) and also to the nearby park.

Just got my helmet and fixed up my bike. My last concern is about knee or elbow pads. Do any of you wear them? Any suggestions?

Too much bulk and weight. ;)

The only protection I wear is gloves, helmet, and safety glasses (that look like sunglasses).

Can't be too careful. I wear one of these...always.

http://www.tvdance.com/shop/_images/halloween-costumes/5417.jpg

My last concern is about knee or elbow pads. Do any of you wear them? Any suggestions?

I only wear them in the bed room. :p



Seriously, IMO, that's overkill for the biking you’re going to do. If you were stunt riding, then most definitely wear them.

Knee-shin pads when riding off-road with jumps, drops, or elevated structures.

I might wear them riding on the street if I was on the way to MTB.

No elbow pads. I have a full upper-body suit for lift-serviced DH mountain biking.

None of the above...helmet and gloves only. Now if you were skateboarding, well...

I find elbow / knee pads are both too restrictive to movement and doesn't provide enough coverage. Better protection comes from a heavy leather jacket and pants, coupled with boots and a full face helmet

The only time my knee pads come with me is when my speed skates are on the back of the bike. Otherwise just helmet, eye protection, and sometimes half gloves. I honestly don't think more than a small percentage of bike injuries would be help by knee pads, which typically only offer primary protection for the front of the knee.

My two most important forms of protection are sunglasses and sunscreen.

My two most important forms of protection are sunglasses and sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.

Nah. Years of baseball on hardpan fields left me with inch-thick scar tissue on my knees and elbows.