Advocacy & Safety - Crash gear (elbow/knee pads)

I'm a naturally clumsy person, and tend to ride a stiff frame in relatively bumpy areas at times. Helmets are pretty easy to pick, find a certified one that fits the bumps you already have, but I haven't seen anything similar for elbow and knee pads.

Anyone know any trustworthy models/brands? In meatspace I've got mostly Razor brand stuff available from what I've seen, and walmart on occasion has mongoose branded stuffs, all for a price range of roughly $17-$25 for elbow+knee pads together.

I assume you went with a full face helmet. And you will need full cycling body armor.



Seriously, unless your doing downhill racing, a helmet and gloves are sufficient.

Perhaps cycling is not the best sport for you. The knee and elbow pads won't prevent broken collarbones, wrists, etc. A guy I know likes to ride, but has had at least 4 bad single bike road crashes (broken bones and ER visits) in the past 10 years. I really wonder why he keeps riding and crashing....and having surgery to repair his fractures.

Cycling is great fun, but pain is nature's way of saying Stop.

Do you guys troll every thread where someone asks for advice from people who know more than he does or just the one where it makes you feel smugly superior because you don't fall over as much? We weren't all gifted with perfect bodies or even ones where everything lines up the way it's supposed to and works properly, or enough money to get around with an air conditioned metal box on wheels, and we don't all live in places with trustworthy public transportation or a climate conducive to walking 12 mile round trips.

Seriously, I'm not bad enough to break anything I just scrape things pretty often, usually elbows and knees for biological reasons.

Believe it, when I tell you that your OP is the one that sounds like the troll here.

The responses were a little joking, along with some real advice.


I just scrape things pretty often, usually elbows and knees for biological reasons.
What does that mean, "biological reasons"?
How is it that you are scrapping up your elbows and knees, since you imply that you are not falling down in a way that could break your collar bone (one of the most common injures to cyclist).

The state of my body isn't your concern, it was pointless to say anything anyway. All I asked was a simple question about whether certain names of safety gear were trustworthy or just for show since unlike helmets they don't get certifications. Since all you seem to be interested in is continuing to spam the thread with useless and condescending posts and are now accusing me of being a troll I'll just ask for advice elsewhere.

Mods, please lock this before it devolves any further, I don't have any particular desire to be insulted further and apparently this thread isn't going to get any constructive posts.

You have really thin skin. CB HI was addressing your question, if anyone is being condescending it is you.

But there are plenty of professional elbow and knee pads on this site (http://www.aggressivemall.com/Protective-Gear-for-Aggressive-Skaters-s/34.htm). , it was the top result on google for "certified elbow pads"... They are going to be able to take more biological trauma than mongoose ones.

Are you riding on- or off-road?

When snow and ice show up on the roads I wear kneepads w/shinguards because riding with studded tires
makes me super-overconfident and I wipe every now and then, and when it's slippery i always manage to
bang my knees on the frame or hit a shin with a platform pedal. I also can't resist snowbanks and their
related crash incidents. My most common wipeout scenario is where the rear wheel slides out sideways
and I end up with one leg under the bike.(and my knee grinding along the road surface.)

I also put 'em on when I ride offroad where there's rocks or if the ground is frozen.

The pads I use i got from a used sporting goods store (Play it Again Sports) for about 20 bucks.
I don't remember what brand they are, I pulled the labels off a couple of years ago.
I think they're hockey pads. They also provide a few handy reflector mounting spots.

You might want to ask in the mountain biking subforum.
Also you're over-reacting to someone gently poking fun at you.

You have really thin skin. CB HI was addressing your question, if anyone is being condescending it is you.

But there are plenty of professional elbow and knee pads on this site (http://http://www.aggressivemall.com/Protective-Gear-for-Aggressive-Skaters-s/34.htm). , it was the top result on google for "certified elbow pads"... They are going to be able to take more biological trauma than mongoose ones.

I tried that but I can't find any certifying body for non-helmets, I just get results for where they quote the CPSC certification for their helmet. As for the rest... that's exactly what I'm asking, which names can be considered to produce a quality product and which is closer to the Magna of the trauma protection world. The triple-8 Second Skin's are close to what I was considering though, I'm not doing downhill racing (intentionally) but it should help keep some of my pink pieces attached when I inevitably take a spill.


Are you riding on- or off-road?

When snow and ice show up on the roads I wear kneepads w/shinguards because riding with studded tires
makes me super-overconfident and I wipe every now and then, and when it's slippery i always manage to
bang my knees on the frame or hit a shin with a platform pedal. I also can't resist snowbanks and their
related crash incidents. My most common wipeout scenario is where the rear wheel slides out sideways
and I end up with one leg under the bike.(and my knee grinding along the road surface.)

I also put 'em on when I ride offroad where there's rocks or if the ground is frozen.

The pads I use i got from a used sporting goods store (Play it Again Sports) for about 20 bucks.
I don't remember what brand they are, I pulled the labels off a couple of years ago.
I think they're hockey pads. They also provide a few handy reflector mounting spots.

You might want to ask in the mountain biking subforum.
Also you're over-reacting to someone gently poking fun at you.

Significant amounts of both, I'm in central florida so I spend a lot of time on slick and sometimes... untrustworthy... surfaces whether it's wet grass, oily pavement, or our wonderfully slick silty earth which always seems to find it's way out from under the sod and onto everything whenever the rain picks up. That and our trademark potholes, not all of which open up until right when you ride over them thanks to the damn fireants around here.

Also gently poking fun would be suggesting I drink less or to please read starting with "E" and then saying something productive. I have a sense of humor. I also have common sense. Suggesting I'm wearing a special ed helmet and being told to just stop cycling with nothing remotely helpful in either post is just plain trolling.

Mountain bikers know about protecting body parts.
Look at some reviews. (http://www.mtbr.com/cat/mtb-apparel-and-protection/armor-and-pads/PLS_134crx.aspx) Decide what level of protection and comfort you're after.

This would have gone far worse had it been posted in Road.

The time I fell it was not cuts and lacerations that injured me.. it was the impact to my shoulder. Don't think some kind of padding would have prevented that injury. Maybe a whoopee cushion...

Suggesting I'm wearing a special ed helmet and being told to just stop cycling with nothing remotely helpful in either post is just plain trolling.Lighten up or you will not last a week in BFs. A full face helmet in a cycling forum is not a "special ed helmet".
http://www.cambriabike.com/shopdisplayProducts.asp?id=499&cat=Full+Face+Helmets
If you really need pads, then you should consider getting the full face helmet (for real, this is not a joke).

Since it does seem that you are worried about skinning your elbows and knees when falling down/off your bike, you should be concerned about breaking your collar bone. Rather than the pads, you might be better off learning how to fall properly and avoid the knee, elbow and collar bone issues.

Mountain bikers know about protecting body parts.
Look at some reviews. (http://www.mtbr.com/cat/mtb-apparel-and-protection/armor-and-pads/PLS_134crx.aspx) Decide what level of protection and comfort you're after.

This would have gone far worse had it been posted in Road.Or from their prospective, been much more fun.
Mods, consider moving to Mountain Biking.
Or OP, just start a new thread in Mountain Biking, but do not mention that you plan on using the gear on the road.

Lighten up or you will not last a week in BFs. A full face helmet in a cycling forum is not a "special ed helmet".
http://www.cambriabike.com/shopdispl...l+Face+Helmets (http://www.cambriabike.com/shopdisplayProducts.asp?id=499&cat=Full+Face+Helmets)Jesus you were serious, those things are real!? I saw a green one with a fake head in it on halloween on a bike, i thought he'd made it as part of the masterchief model.


Since it does seem that you are worried about skinning your elbows and knees when falling down/off your bike, you should be concerned about breaking your collar bone. Rather than the pads, you might be better off learning how to fall properly and avoid the knee, elbow and collar bone issue****ting the ground hard isn't the issue so much as the sliding down the pavement afterwards. I can take even a pretty hard fall well and go down gracefully, but if you're at speed you're still going to lose some skin in a few key areas no matter how hard you try otherwise. Thank you for that link, it's pretty much exactly what I figured would be great but didn't exist.

I wear a full face helmet for commuting, but am going to "down grade" to a met parachute helmet. It gives me comfort knowing that my face isn't going to get severe road rash.

In terms of body road rash, I have read that if you layer your clothes then that can reduce it :)

I’m actually kind of surprised that more of the pro helmet crowd doesn’t support the use of other padding and safety equipment. Most of the arguments for helmets work for other padding as well don’t they? Why risk it? It’s simple insurance. Any protection is better than none just in case. Are the rest of us supposed to pay your medical bills when you break your knee cap?

I trust SixSixOne's stuff for bike polo. They've saved me alot of pain.

BTW,last week I avoided a right hook but still wiped out on some wet leaves. Bike was fine,I just got banged up a little,but afterwards I was thinking about how I'd have been fine if I'd been wearing my polo gear. :o

Jesus you were serious, those things are real!? I saw a green one with a fake head in it on halloween on a bike, i thought he'd made it as part of the masterchief model.

Hitting the ground hard isn't the issue so much as the sliding down the pavement afterwards. I can take even a pretty hard fall well and go down gracefully, but if you're at speed you're still going to lose some skin in a few key areas no matter how hard you try otherwise. Thank you for that link, it's pretty much exactly what I figured would be great but didn't exist.

Yes he was serious, some riders DO use those helmets.

In a fall, the injury most common is in fact the collar bone. The reason for that is because most people by natural reaction put their hands down to protect their head from hitting. When doing that you are going against the forces that cycling promotes and impact occurs. What I suggest to you (which has helped me MANY times) is to roll out rather than try to STOP the fall. I will tuck my elbows in towards my ribs, my fists up by my face and let the force roll you rather than slide. ROLL with it, don't fight it.

I'm amazed how in the *BF universe* suggesting that a regular helmet is not always necessary gets a bunch of safety nannies ragging you.

But then suggesting that additional protection might sometimes be a good idea gets many of the same people saying "give up riding".

As with many things on BF, it's bizarre.

Sometimes I ride with no helmet. Sometimes I ride with a full-face and body armour. Depends what I'm doing.

How weird is that?

Do you guys troll every thread where someone asks for advice from people who know more than he does or just the one where it makes you feel smugly superior because you don't fall over as much? We weren't all gifted with perfect bodies or even ones where everything lines up the way it's supposed to and works properly, or enough money to get around with an air conditioned metal box on wheels, and we don't all live in places with trustworthy public transportation or a climate conducive to walking 12 mile round trips.

Seriously, I'm not bad enough to break anything I just scrape things pretty often, usually elbows and knees for biological reasons.

These people weren't trolling: they were making a serious point that you should think about, instead of having a hissy fit.

Pads etc can help prevent scratches. But if you've having small accidents, say, 10 times as often as most people, then you probably *are* ten times more likely to have a serious accident than most people.

And an attitude that means that you respond with bad manners when people try to help you might be a large part of the problem.

If you want to what hardware options you have then type "cycling armor" into google - it's not rocket science.

I trust SixSixOne's stuff for bike polo. They've saved me alot of pain.

BTW,last week I avoided a right hook but still wiped out on some wet leaves. Bike was fine,I just got banged up a little,but afterwards I was thinking about how I'd have been fine if I'd been wearing my polo gear. :o

I'll second SixSixOne as a good brand, they make lots of safety gear from all kinds of helmets to simple elbow and knee pads to padded shorts that protect your hips and tailbone to full downhill armor

I'll second SixSixOne as a good brand, they make lots of safety gear from all kinds of helmets to simple elbow and knee pads to padded shorts that protect your hips and tailbone to full downhill armorI imagine he still thinks I am trolling with the mention of cycling body armor. But to clear things up:

http://www.sixsixone.com/Catalog_661Bike.aspx?id=46000965-d1f3-4875-ac43-0ea0ee9aff46&product=5b8eaa4e-58b7-4e36-8d47-fd71fa59be68

I imagine he still thinks I am trolling with the mention of cycling body armor. But to clear things up:

http://www.sixsixone.com/Catalog_661Bike.aspx?id=46000965-d1f3-4875-ac43-0ea0ee9aff46&product=5b8eaa4e-58b7-4e36-8d47-fd71fa59be68

no, you're trolling by suggesting that this discussion doesn't belong in the Advocacy and SAFETY section of BF. Clearly, the discussion was started with the intent of soliciting opinions about safety gear for personal protection. Just like helmets, some people use this type of gear and some people don't; as far as I can tell, the OP seemed completely honest and transparent about wanting suggestions for additional safety gear, and there's no reason whatsoever for you to make snide remarks and disrespect him because of that.

no, you're trolling by suggesting that this discussion doesn't belong in the Advocacy and SAFETY section of BF. Clearly, the discussion was started with the intent of soliciting opinions about safety gear for personal protection. Just like helmets, some people use this type of gear and some people don't; as far as I can tell, the OP seemed completely honest and transparent about wanting suggestions for additional safety gear, and there's no reason whatsoever for you to make snide remarks and disrespect him because of that.And there are more cyclist in the mountain bike forum that have used this type of gear and able to make good suggestions to him. Your reputation in the forums for swearing, trolling, snide, off topic, and rude remarks, is far greater than mine.

Each of my prior post added information or a link that should have been helpful to the OP. My post have shown him that there really are full face helmets and cycling body armor. Your post did not even link him to the SixSixOne body protection gear, as my post corrected for you. So take your animus for me to one of your own threads.

he wasn't asking about body armor, or full face helmets for that matter; that's all just part of your troll, and you weren't really being helpful by providing those links. anyone can google sixsixone once they know the company name, and find what they want for themselves.

he wasn't asking about body armor, or full face helmets for that matter;He did not even know they existed before this thread.

nevertheless it's clear that your tone and presentation was not constructive

nevertheless it's clear that your tone and presentation was not constructiveNow that is totally hilarious, coming from you. Thanks for a great laugh.:roflmao2:

you're welcome, although I see that you're clearly disappointed you couldn't get me to rise to your bait...

:D

:lol:

I wear a helmet because head injuries can take for ever to recover. Other injuries fix themselves in under 3 months. I also wear gloves becuase the hands are very tender.

I havent had lots of knee or elbow hurts, but plenty to the shins. Once when I went down on ice my elbow was pushed into my ribs and it was painful for about 3 months.

I wouldnt want the restriction on movement that a kneepad would give, but I cant see any downside to elbow pads.

Well you look like a power ranger but since I ride a red and white bike with a flourescent purple helmet I think that ship's already sailed.