Hey guys, im finally buying a mountainbike, Ive been mountainbiking on holidays a few times with rentals now, and really enjoyed it, I mainly did some enduro type riding, pedaling uphill and then going down some flow trails, nothing too extreme.
I have already read around on this sub a bit about the topic. I come from road cycling and need some feedback on protectors I intend to buy. Ive had my fair share of crashes and injuries in other sports like skiing or falling of horses when I was younger, so I really put an emphasis on proper protection. I also dont want to go completely overkill on protectors and be that guy that looks like hes gonna endanger everyone else hiking /cycling in the area and stuff
First question is about upper body protectors, do I need one that also protects the shoulders? I dont think I will go to bikeparks and do extreme stuff, but in the medium term I do want to do some harder trails or maybe try riding a bit faster on trails with good conditions. My current choice is something like Alpinestars 6 Plasma which is level 2 back and level 1 chest protection and was recommended in some other threads. https://www.bike-discount.de/en/alpinestars-6-plasma-protector-vest
For elbow and knee protectors I am worried that the sleeve ones will make me sweat a lot and also bunch up when bending the knee, so I found these open ones from fox, the titan race CE https://foxracing.de/product/knie-schienbeinprotektoren-titan-race—ce/25191.html
For gloves, does it make sense to get ones with hard plastic knuckle protectors? I found some from Leatt, the MTB 3.0 that seemed quite cool, but im not sure a full glove like that might be a little hot in summer https://leatt.de/collections/mtb-riding-apparel/products/glove-mtb-3-0-lite?variant=46993060692121
For helmet I want to get something with full face protection but where I can remove the chinguard, in case im just doing some chill trails or riding around the country side, so I found the giro switchblade https://www.giro.com/product/switchblade-mips-helmet/100000001500000013.html another option was the uvex revolt, which is a lot light, idk if that makes a difference, but im also not sure if its actually rated as a full face helmet, I read some contradicting stuff about that.
Would love to hear some feedback, mainly on the chest protector and knee/elbowguards thing and want to hear what you guys use
by schnitzel-kuh
9 Comments
I’m assuming you’re going to be going to local trail centre and not entering in to the next Red Bull Hardline any time soon?
If so a lot of the gear you’re looking at is very heavy and rigid and imo overkill.
Gloves, helmet and knee protectors are in my opinion essential. Body armour is nice to have if you are doing some stuff that challenges your skill level.
The armour looks really heavy for mtb though.
Gloves and a MTB helmet. Don’t go out there looking like iron man. Take it slow and steady.
https://youtu.be/a2-WJHqWvwE?is=i-VwGfQ1xW7z1qfb
Gloves, helmet, knee pads and maybe elbow pads as well. As you increase your skill and start pushing yourself more then look into chest and back protection.
Wear what makes you comfortable and don’t put too much stock in what other people think about it. I usually wear a full face, elbows, knees and gloves and I sometimes wear a Leatt Reflex Stealth under my jersey.
People will tell you all sorts of tales about gear reducing your range of motion or whatever, but I’ve found this to be not true at all except for neck protection. Neck protectors make it hard to look up when you’re going downhill, which can make some things hard.
Everything else, you’ll forget about when you’re riding unless it’s too hot or fits poorly.
BTW – People will also tell you that you only need gear when you’re sending it Red Bull style, but ask people about their worst injury riding and it’s often just flying off the top of a typical berm or not paying enough attention on a run they’re familiar with. Just last night my buddy was telling me that his only serious OTB and injury was on a trail he rode several times / week, on something he never considered dangerous. Stuff happens.
It all comes down to your own personal tolerance for discomfort vs your tolerance for risk.
Having just gone down this road myself, all the stuff you’ve picked is really heavy duty downhill gear. I’d go lighter – a lot of the CE 1 protection is only semi rigid which is more comfortable to pedal in, especially if you’re doing Enduro style riding.
I’m in a hot country and have Alpinestars Paragon Plus knee/elbow pads, an Evoc Chest protector and a IXS Trigger full face helmet. It’s CERTAINLY overkill for my current riding level but fuck it – Dress for the Send you want, not the Send you have
Helmet and gloves are the essentials. Knee pads would be my next purchase after you get into it a bit more. The type of riding you sound like you are doing I would consider more light trail over enduro but I honestly dont split hairs too much.
Knee pads are on my list of items to get after last weekend where I narrowly missed messing up my knee again. Second time over the course of 10 years of doing more hard core mountain biking. On all my spills its always been my hands, knees and thighs that take the brunt of impacts.
A normal MTB helmet with the lower rear head protection is all I typically wear like the Bontrager Rally. Ive always just rented a full face when I go to downhill parks. A hybrid helmet might be nice but I find them to feel more uncomfortable than a dedicated full face or regular helmet.
Gloves also have no need to have the plastic armor unless you plan on knuckle busting through trees, the plastic wont help much in a crash. You just want scuff protection mostly and preventing sweaty hands from costing you grip.
Elbow pads and a maybe? I tend to fall where im tucking elbows so I’ve never had a serious encounter there either.
Chest and shoulde pads like what motocross riders wear I feel like is certainly overkill and more so to prevent impalement on stuff rather than preventing broken bones.
I’d suggest just starting on easier trails and progressing as you get more comfortable with it, but that all depends on you risk assessment and aversion too which sounds like from past experiences has made you more aware of the risks.
A lot of people are going to recommend gear for you based on THEIR risk tolerance and skill level.
Think of this, if you were running (not riding) as fast as you can down the trail and you veer off and jump as high as possible and land 10 feet off the trail what are you gonna my to hit?
Will you face plant into a tree stump or just flop onto some grass on a slope? Now imagine going 2-4 times that faster.
I never used to wear a full face helmet and then one day, on a trail I know well, I ended up going off trail and landed on all fours next to a giant log. If I had been 2 feet to the left I would have crushed every bone in my face.
I wear 7idp Transition elbow and knee which are sleeve style pads. When I first got them, I was worried I was going to bake to death but they’re super comfortable to the point where you forget they’re on.
For helmets, some companies don’t have a downhill cert on the chin bars. Comes down to weigh savings and breathability. Do you need a FF? Probably not. But if you’re worried about your face, even a uncertified one will do the job for regular trail riding.
Pads/protection are nice but they don’t make you iron man. They’re not a replacement for risk assessment and technique