Freeriding Armor

[Mason]

How many of you fellow riders out there ride with some sort of protection? Ranging from a simple cup for the boys, to a full DH racing jacket?

I wear my dainese :D

http://www.farkin.net/forums/albums/218.jpg

[josh]

holy shit, does it weigh much?

[Mason]

Its actually very light. I don't really notice it riding besides the fact of the sholder restraints that keep you from seperating your sholder, It is good to sacrafice a little movement for protection.

[CHEWY]

looks like some crustation or something. ive got some old motie armour and boots and helmet if im gonna try somethng really insane

[xxsethsxx]

I use roach legs and arms. I havent decided on chest armor yet, or even if i want it. doesnt that get really sweaty and hot when you ride? I was thinking it but im not even sure if the air from DHing can cool me down when in a suit like that. is it worth it?

[Mason]

It is actually very cool when riding. You just throw a wife beater in underneth it, with it over. It has air vents all over it. It works good for both DH and Freeriding it comes in VERY handy for crashing on the rocks or what ever you fall on.I would say that it is worth it.

[fastrider_ben]

all u need for freeride is sum knee/shinnies full face and gloves

[curtisrider]

I use gloves and shinnies

[fastrider gus]

armor??? lol
i got realy pissed at fastrider ben because he wouldnt do a road gap at our local spot if he didnt have all his gear on. so i took off everything appart from shorts and shoes and did it..
all you need is gloves and a potty-lid...

[Ride_Guy]

Racin i wear a 661 pressure suit but for the local dh or jump spot just shinnies elbows and a lid of some sort.

[Simo]

always wear atleast a helmet, if not a full face for doing stupid stuff.
If I could afford full armor i would buy it for DH'ing, to bad about the 400 dollar+ price tag tho :shock:

[kitakishi]

I know one guy who fell when riding a flat basic fire trail at manly dam. he had a shitload of pins and screws in his arm and now has less than 100% use.

If you wear a helmet to protect your face why not armour to protect your body?

I always wear elbows, shinnies, gloves and full face. The cost of the repair to your body if you damage it will always be more than the cost of the equipment to protect it.

Scott

[kalem]

most of the time i wear just a lid and gloves... When I go a bit more X-treme i put some knee/shinnies on. If i DH'd more i would get some sort of upper-body shit for sure.

[Simo]

i thought everyone wore gloves, lol, i have to otherwise my hands r fuked. I wear knee pads if I know im setting out for something less than safe, otherwise just a lid and gloves.
As I said, if i oculd afford ful larmour i would sure as hel lwear it

[fastrider gus]

i have all the elbow pads and shinnies and a big fox "roost" armour but most of it is to make my dad happy.. lol
he says i cant race with out wearing it all. but most of the races i got to he isnt there so i dont wear it.
im not a big armour fan.

[andrew]

ive got shinnies but i never use them, just gloves and a lid

[lupine128]

oh man,
the old and fat brigade better say something.
i use gloves and helmet just to ride to the shops :)
knee/shin for everything else, and if it even looks like it might be difficult, full armour.
i'm looking at full reconstructions of both knees, and probably my right shoulder, cause of stuff i did when i was young and dumb.
if you got it, use it. if you don't got it, get it.
the cost that i'm looking at for the knees and shoulder would buy me a damn good car, armour costs fark all compared to that.
oh, and don't listen to those dickheads that say armour doesn't realy do that much, the only reason i still have a right arm is because the shoulder guard in the armour i was wearing stopped a length of star picket taking the damn thing off.
to top it all off, my knees going to be fucked with arthritis within anouther 8-10 years and i'm only 35.

[Simo]

hope it all goes well lupine.
I've got arthritis in all my fingers and im 15, that's farked. Hey, if you dont want your armour you can send it to me, COD, lol

[Ryan]

Hmmm, I used to be a bit of a no-armour-I-don't-need-a-fullface-to-race-DH, terry tuff c*nt type of guy. Since I started riding, (7 years ago) I had genuinely never had a crash where afterwards I'd thought "gee a fullface / elbow guard / pressure suit / whatever would have been of any advantage. 7 weeks ago I had a serious off, which resulted in one seriously farked elbow (http://www.farkin.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=692), 4 days in hospital and a lot of painful rehabilitation (still only about 90% range of movement in the joint). The same crash also stoved in the side of my open face lid, an impact which I'm sure would have killed me had I not been wearing it. I know it's closing the gate after the horse has bolted, but I've now invested in a decent set of elbow guards and picked up a fullface that Dom discarded and I now wear the elbow guards whenever I ride seriously, even at the skatepark or on the street, feeling like an aboslute geeb is a small price to pay if it keeps me out of hospital and in one piece. When I get back to racing DH, it will be in a fullface lid and knee/shin and elbow/forearm guards. Don't be too cool to go without the safety gear that's available to us. It costs a damn sight less than the financial and quality-of-life costs of a serious crash, you'll be kicking yourself afterwards and you'll feel like a right tool for doing it, I know I do. :)

[ELX]

For any sort of DH , a full face, goggles, knee shin and soon elbow pads. I'v got body armour that Gav from Ashgrove cycles gave me but because i'm only 13 and it's his stuff it's a bit big. I probably wouldn't were it anyway. Too heavr and it resticts your movement too much.

[wombat]

armor??? lol
i got realy pissed at fastrider ben because he wouldnt do a road gap at our local spot if he didnt have all his gear on. so i took off everything appart from shorts and shoes and did it..
all you need is gloves and a potty-lid...

You got pissed at him coz he didnt want to do it without armour? If you were really trying to prove a point, then why leave on your shoes?

[S.]

armor??? lol
i got realy pissed at fastrider ben because he wouldnt do a road gap at our local spot if he didnt have all his gear on. so i took off everything appart from shorts and shoes and did it..
all you need is gloves and a potty-lid...

You got pissed at him coz he didnt want to do it without armour? If you were really trying to prove a point, then why leave on your shoes?

And if you were trying to show your manhood, what were you doing still wearing your shorts?

[Konaman]

socket, lack of evidence :lol:

[Turley]

Well, before my bike is even finished I have already got Knee/shins, Elbow/forearm and glove. I don't have a FF helmet yet but htat will come fast after I get my bike payed off.

Body armor will be on the way a short while after that.

[Adi]

A helmet and gloves usually, have to get some shinnies for the bigger stuff.

[Tasha]

I wear a helmet and gloves at all times, even when only riding into work, but if downhilling i'll also wear a pair of Ty's discarded shinnies.
After whats just happened to my flatemate Ryan, (see above) I'm also about to invest in Elbow pads. And maybe some tough riding pants to stop all those scratches on my legs. :)

[trobb]

i bought one of those, the exact same. i love it! i havent had a bad enough stack to see what will actually happen to me but it gives me more confidence in everything, mostly when im doing big stuff

[peachy]

Armor costs so much but hell yes its worth it.
Lupine - i agree with you, i wear gloves and a helmet just to ride to the local shops.
Is MX armor cheaper than MTB armor, cuz i don't have much money and getting some MX chest protector could be a cheaper alternative?

[peachy]

oh yeh, and on the trails i wear a full face with goggles, gloves, shinnies (well i did until i lost them), bike pants.. the full face and goggles have saved me a crap load

[alshogun]

i wear gloves & helmet no matter what type of riding i do, but also have shinnies & a FF for when i do other stuff. ive looked at armour but its too expensive for me at the moment! :(

Is MX armor cheaper than MTB armor, cuz i don't have much money and getting some MX chest protector could be a cheaper alternative?
i think that its probably better to muy mtb armour cos mx gear is probably designed for higher speed & impact stuff. but then again plenty of bike & moto places stock the same stuff. so overall, im not sure! :D

[lupine128]

stuff like rocket suits and the dainese armour suits were originaly desiged for gp and superbike. they were supposed to go under your leathers and provide the impact pro while the leather provided the sliding ripping protection.
mx pro is called a roost guard, and is mostly desgned to stop impact damage from rocks and dirt spun out from the rear wheels of motocrossers (called roost). as such it doesn't provide the kind of protection you're looking for. it is also a lot bulkier, and moves around more on the body.
dainese make an excellent range of pro. half suits with elbow/forearm, shoulder, light chest, and spine armour. full suits with all of the above, plus thigh and hip.
for MTB freeride/DH, probably the half suit, with a set o fknee/shin would do for all but the most leet riding.
don't forget that spine armour is probably the most important. even if it's just a camelback with 500 mls of water in it, it can keep you walking if you have a get off and land flat.
this is your mother signing off.

[Turley]

Thats a good point about hte camel bak.. Never even thought of it in that way.

[Simo]

camelback saved my spine in a huge skiing accident last year. Feel when setting up a cliff drop, 40 vertical feet down, landed on rocks covered in 4 cms of snow. Landed FLAT on my half full camelbak....thank God!!!!

[fastrider gus]

i would have done it in the nuddy but it was a bit nippy!
lol
and i like my shoes.

[Dan]

meh......who needs armour!!!! :D

(well actually i just cant afford any :( im gonna get some once i have a new frame and forks)

[peachy]

looking into buying a new set of shinpads, has anybody heard about the lizard skin knee/shin gaurds, they kinda look like the azonics. might be getting a pair of them cheap when i go overseas
what are some cheap good shoulder/chest protectors?

[wombat]

Armor costs so much but hell yes its worth it.
Lupine - i agree with you, i wear gloves and a helmet just to ride to the local shops.
Is MX armor cheaper than MTB armor, cuz i don't have much money and getting some MX chest protector could be a cheaper alternative?

Generally MX armour comes in the form of roost guards (those hard plactic things) which are designed to protect from flying debris, not soften crash impacts.

[SpectRe]

kaptin_9
Heh...i have the same armor as you - just in stealthy black :) (the older version).
Yeah i use my Dainese Gladiator Jacket and Freestyle knee/shins if im going to be doing anything remotely crazy or whatever(oh and full face helmet).
But for general freeride, just the knee/shins, gloves, smith glasses and my dirt lid.
Yeah, the roost motocross armour is pretty crap IMO for freeride :roll: - for reasons already stated - but i guess its better than no armour at all!

[bikeman_baldrik]

Most of the time I don't wear much armour when riding, At most it's just knee pads and elbow arm pads, i do have knee/shin guards but i don't wear them much coz they're a bit warm.
Mind you i've been pretty lucky crash wise, i've had 2 broken shoulders on separate occasions but no armour would have stopped that, but after a crash the other week I'm investing in some UFO armour (similar to the Dainese), I went over the bars after a drop and landed with my chest square on a sharp rock, came out unscathed but if i'd hit any harder it could have done serious damage. Anyway, thats my two cents on the topic,
Cyas later.

[Weasel]

I think i saw your armour on Transformers one day...
Can you turn into a VW Beetle like one of em too?

No but seriously
Its a mean suit but i cant cope with all that armour when im freeridin..
I ride a roadbike when i need to travel and i wear fully armoured jackets when i do.
And its good to have it but over time i just get sick of wearing it all the time.
When i ride i wear a full face helmet JARR knee/ shin guards and elbow protectors
that covers me for most things.

[lupine128]

well, after acting like your mum up the page, i find that i get to race fo rthe first time in a long time this weekend with nothing but knee/shin, some elbows, and gloves and full face. some bastard has ripped off my dainese.
so if anyone sees a full black dainese shuttel with tears inside both elbows, and a load of honda HRC stickers on it, mostly down the spine, give me a yell.
Mchappy meal offered as reward for information leading to the crap getting kicked out of some lowlife.

[duncan^kona]

armor??? lol
i got realy pissed at fastrider ben because he wouldnt do a road gap at our local spot if he didnt have all his gear on. so i took off everything appart from shorts and shoes and did it..
all you need is gloves and a potty-lid...

that was a farkin pissa, lol, stew was all like "ooh OH, he did it with no shirt on!!!" :shock: :shock:

[Simo]

i now wear my shinnies on pretty much every ride unless im jsut goin to the shops. Azonics hurt when u get hit in the shins!!

[grovesy]

Lid and gloves and wait for it........ steel capped boots.
Looking into full face,shins and elbows

[bazza]

buy a full face. it is the bomb. it dont matter how hot the are, you can get good ones for fairly cheap. value saftety first. it will save you. that and leg guards are the way to go. for some reason mine didnt protect my knees as well as the i thought they would. thats why you buy dianese. dont substitue quality for price.

[fastrider gus]

not good in hot weather...

[bikeman_baldrik]

I've probably said this already, but i don't wear much armour usually. Generally just a helmet and knee pads. Oh and i never ride without gloves.

[freerider215]

damn i have too much free time and an opinion about everything it seems. roost guards arent the best, but better than nothing. mtb body armour is a very good idea. i don't know what you guys consider freeriding, but if you go big and your not wearing some sort of spine protection your crazy. you might pull stuff off a hundred times, but it only takes one fall on your back the right way to get a chair with wheels on it all for yourself and a bag to piss in. i wonder how many of you that just wear dirt lids and knee pads have taken serious falls and broken something that kept you from riding for a period of time? i know it seems to make you "tough" to go it without the gear, but you'll learn, almost all do. body armour seems like it would be hot and cumbersome and it is somewhat, but the materials they use wick sweat and you stay fairly dry and comfortable. plus, it instills convidence and you won't have the fear factor buzzing in your head as much. Rockgardn makes a kick ass one called the "Flak Jacket". the guys at Transend e-mag get incredible prices on Dianese so you check that out too.

[mtbdh_girl]

I tend to weat shins and gloves whenever I hop on the bike just in case i see something i wanna try- even just going to the shops. At skate parks/dj s i wear elbows- just the soft armourdillo ones- If i wanna try anything im not sure on then i go for the ff helmet and body armour too.

[Tyler]

I ride with the fox 360 shorts and leg protection and 661 pressure suit.

Tyler

[phreeky]

gloves and brain bucket when goin to the shops dianese knee shin and azonic elbow arm pads every where else

[Kram]

I've got 661 shin/knee 4x4's.
Plus I just got a Dianese Next Gladiator jacket. It's got a vented spine guard, so it's actually quite cool, though it's not summer yet so I'll see how it goes.

I've smacked my shoulder twice on trees at high speed, and I know I would have potentially broken colarbones, or at least spent a week or two off the bike in pain. I also took a roll in a rock garden the other day and it felt like I was on a mattress.

I've had so many injuries in the last few years so I'd rather spend more time on my bike and wear my armour.

[fastrider gus]

[quote="Kram"]I also took a roll in a rock garden the other day and it felt like I was on a mattress.[quote]

lol.. man i gotta get me somma that! im used to it being like a bed of big rocks ( :? ) and owieness..

[bazza]

did yous see sam hill on nwd3 no gloves needed but he had a full face on. herm. must be a personal thing.

[Agent Orange]

armour isn't to do with confidence at all....if you wanna go hard then wrap urself up....dont try and be macho.....armour means nothing to me....one or off...but be smart why risk a 6month injury or worse to try and get sum other dude hard over you?? if i race i wear full face and gloves...elbow and shin if it rocky and full body if its fast....personally i choose hoots gear cause its the bomb over dainese..but thats just me......

long story short what are you trying to proove by having no armour?? or at least baggin sumone for wanting it.....

[monkeymagic]

i wear gloves, lid, and shinnies every where and thats all i have so thats all i can wear... im looking at getting some fox 911 shin and knee

[dropbm]

with that arumur the dam trees should jump out of your way. i always wear a full face lid cause my mate lost half his face the worst part was his helmet was in the car he said it was to hot to wear it

[Jordy]

normaly when im out on the street or at a few local jumps i just wear skid lid, gloves and some of those fox knee pads that haven't got plastic but for dh i wear the dainese knee/shins and soon the top model dainese coz im gettin a good deal and i wear a full face

[norco_nono]

just dirt lid, gloves and shin and today i put my knees on, but thats only coz i was at the skat park.