iwegian

i'm not going to get bike snob nyc on you and start hating on people who have them, but i'm just a little confused by them because i've seen them on brakeless and bikes with front brakes

TX3.0

it has nothing to do with brakes. it's just fashion. practical to a point (keeps your top tube from getting marred if you're a fool and lock your bike improperly, can be helpful if you shoulder your bike a lot), but it's entirely fashion.

bitterspeak

It's also comfy for your balls.... when you land on your top tube that is.

iamtim

Like I said in another thread, I'm a child of the 1980s BMX scene. Top tube pads make me all reminiscent.

daybreak

it's never comfortable when you land on your top tube

TRaffic Jammer

Good for balls-to-stem misses, helps protect the paint in a rub against the post lockup, and protects the TT from dings from track bars in case the bar ends hit it.

Lager93

yeah good for skidding. also when im just hanging out id rather sit on my toptube with a pad on it.

dddave

yea, because a 1/2" piece of foam is going to keep it from hurting when you slam your balls on your top tube.

this reason always comes up when this topic comes up. i've never ever come close to hitting my balls on my top tube, how the eff would that even happen? you people are riding your bikes wrong.

thomas_at_BF

sp00ki

if you've ever ridden brakeless, you'd know how this could happen. the first few weeks involve occasional bails, though i doubt a top tube pad would do anything but make the bail look that much dorkier.

na975

maybe if you rap your balls with the foam as well.

jhaber

For those that shoulder their bikes a lot it is really helpful. I prefer the look without a pad but carrying my bike up and down flights of stairs everday makes me choose function over fashion.

iamtim

Not that I'm one to agree with old sp00ki here, but he's right. I was skidding to a stop one day and my foot slipped off the pedal because it wasn't in the clip far enough and the strap was loose -- my stupid fault, I know, but I still landed balls first right on my top tube.

It was more common back when I raced BMX before foot retention, but it can happen.

sneaky viking

I just wear a cup all the time.

TRaffic Jammer

I just play a cup on TV.

dddave

even if it does happen, like i said, a 1/2" piece of foam is going to make a negligible difference. nobody is going to hit their balls on their TT pad and say, "wow, i'm glad that was there. i don't feel any pain at all!" now, maybe if you had a nice big pillow wrapped around it, then it would make a difference. either way, i do ride brakeless and my balls have never come close to hitting my tt.

matt wisconsin

shake?

and if anyone is touching their balls to the TT when they skid, they're skidding REALLY inefficiently.

iamtim

You're right. It's more like you squeak out, "ohdeargodkillmenow," from the ground next to your bike as you writhe around in pain. It's not until later that you realize it would have hurt oh so much more if you didn't have the pad.

I can tell you this from experience: having slammed my balls into the reinforcement between the Torker 280x top tubes both padded and not, top tube pads do provide some protection.

nepg

I imagine it helps with heavy skidding as well.

blim8183

I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment in NYC so I'm constantly carrying my bike up and down stairs. I'm starting to consider getting a top tube pad just because it would be a lot more comfortable.

PanFry

By my count "Balls" is listed 11 times in this thread so far.

Correct?

dddave

11 including that post of yours.

balls.

12.

Markyshark

ha!

bbattle

I hope you aren't leaving a skid mark on your TT protector.

JayNev

hahaah, pretty good.


i havent really seen one top tube protector on a bike that has looked good and hasnt made me think "that bike would look better without that"