Fullface Helmet & other gear...........

[Gripper]

If I'm going to give DHing a try I'll need some kit.

As far as helemts go I'm wanting one ie. FF that is going to be light, as well as being able to be used (legally) for motorcycles too.... is this possible.

Was looking at the FOX Tracer, as it's stylish and affordable and can be ridden on a moto, but is it to heavy for MTB use, what are some reccomendations

A TLD helemet might be ok, but that's more $'s than I want to spend on a MTB helmet.

Also I'd love a helmet that is plain white in colour.

Now on to armour....was looking at some 661 RaceLite knee/shin guard combined with the 661 dirtjumper elbow guards as I don't want to be too restricted in movement.

Again what's some recommendations for limb protection and what's really needed.

[Kammy]

the armour you would be better of getting a 661 pressure suit :p
or a pair of dainese shinguards
and some fox north shore elbows or something along those lines. with the shinguards i would recommend something that goes right the way around the leg.

[Superman]

the armour you would be better of getting a 661 pressure suit :p
or a pair of dainese shinguards
and some fox north shore elbows or something along those lines. with the shinguards i would recommend something that goes right the way around the leg.

1. i think he just wanted elbow guards, but if you wanted full body armour, my pressure suit protected me well in the crashes if had with it on, and i can say that they are good value.

2. dainese shinguards and 661 pressure suits are completly different things, i hope gripper is aware of this.

3. 661 pressure suits come with elbow guards, why get elbow guards and a pressure suit?

4. mtb dirt, can you tell me a manufacturer that makes shin/knee guards that dont wrap right the way around the leg?, unless you glue yours on every ride?

[Gripper]

Thanks guys.

I don't want to go the whole hogg so to speak, with a pressure suit.

This is only a bit of fun, so may just use some mx body armour for the chest/body if I feel the need.

Any ways what about helmets?

[Mugger]

Could always go to a motocross store and get yourself a nice cheap full face designed for motocross. Seen some preety good deals and i'm sure they're more than happy to give you a discount providing you pay cash. I got a Netti AXN Full Face, protects well and is bloody cool. Not very preety but i stuck a few stickers on and now it looks alright.

I'd highly recommend you get yourself body armour, i am glad i got mine because the day after i bought the SP-1 Pressure Suit i was sent over the bars into some nice jaggy big rocks and didn't feel a thing. I picked up my 661 Pressure Suit for 160 dollers from a motocross store.

For shinnies, i like my Roach FR shinnies. They're very cool, protect well but don't have protection at the back just straps. 661 have a nice range but on a hot day your legs will die in the heat because they're very thick and wrap around the entire leg.

Hope this helps somehow....

[No_dice]

as far as i kno...which aint very far....most moto-x helmets r going to be heavy. so you might just have to either put up with the weight or get a dh full face. i recomend bell! 661 full faces look pretty damn gud. as for knee and elbow pads. i have azonic shin and knees an they rule, had them for 4 years+ n they still do the job! sure there cracked an hacked to buggery, but i started riding on them, an as a beginner i was a stack-a-holic. elbow pads...the fox 911 look gud, but i got some kona ones an they kick ass. there a bit chunky but they rock. i would recomend full wrap around knee-shin guards, specially if ur jus starting out....
i was going to get sum pics but they dont make the kona ones i have anymore an the azonic site aint working.
jus go to ur lbs or nearest moto shop an have a look around. ull find sumfing.
hope this ramblimg helps..
cheers
lex

[ajay]

its hard to recommend a helmet as most of them are really good (troylee, 661, etc) get the one that fits your head right, cos if it dont fit good then it's as uselful as tits on a bull.

[andy73]

tough to get a moto helmet that's not too heavy. The mad max II is super comfy i reckon and it has good ventilation. (I have one for sale ;) )

knee and shin guards? i tried every brand and the Roach FRs kick butt. The shin section is long so you don't have the base of your shin exposed, they sit on your leg beautifully and the straps aren't hot.

[FR Drew]

For forearm/elbow armour and knee/shin armour that breathes ok and doesn't seem to slip out of place ever one of my buddies (and now me too) are using Roach Rally FR pads.

Roach were recently purchased by Raceface so now the pads are Raceface Rally FR and after being out of stock for about half a year it looks like Advance Traders have got their shirt together and they're now avaialble in Aust again (after 3 attempts at different shops over a 5 month peroid, in the end I had to go offshore to buy the legs, I got the arms from my LBS)

They are really comfy to wear. The rear of the legs has no coverage which makes them heaps cooler in the hot but also means that if you ever go rag doll and scrape pedal pins down the back of your calf you'll have the scars to tell the story with later.

661 do make an "assault pressure suit" which is like a heavily padded t shirt kind of thingy with plastic shoulder cups and a fair wad of padding on spine and chest. It also serves as a kidney belt and can be worn with elbow/forearm coverage.

My call would be roach arms for normal stuff and swap to a full pressure suit for the silly stuff (the hard armadillo spine protection would be worth it I think).

For now I'm just using the Roach stuff.

Drew

[bazza]

I have tried a few different full faces and this is pretty important. find the one you are most comfy with. I found the mad max II to fit me wayyyy better and was way more comfy than a TLD helmet. The 661 looked ugly and luckily didnt fit my headshape either.

As for armour I am using hoots gear which is kinda new but works awesome. the leg guards have more robust padding than the dianese stuff but not as hot and restricting as the 661 one gear. They also have a great strapping set up with the top of the legs which stops them from sliding down/sliding out of place and I already had a few crashes on them to test that out! I dont wear a jacket/vest as its not really needed where i ride however the hoots short liner is pretty awesome which I wear under the groove shorts. The groove shorts are pretty rad, have ventilated inside legs to keep the boys nice and cool. They also have proper pockets!!! Similar to a cargo short with normal pockets and also with awesome full velcro pockets. which means nothing is going to fall out of them! The gloves I havent got a hold of yet but look bloody strong. and they do call them the 'only glove'. They look like they will be the only glove you will ever need as well. my tld gloves are starting to fall apart already after bugger all time so it looks like i will probably go with the hoots again.

[demo man]

hey,

i ride with 661 RaceLite knee shin guards and i have to say, i like them more than my old dainese pro air (or something). they stay in place well, are cool, cheap, and very effective.

as for elbow guards, just go for 661 again, or race face's stuff looks pretty cool too. i use a rare version of a pressure suite (so has in-built elbow) thingys, so i can't really comment on what is best as i dont use them.

helmet wise;
i ride with a m2r full face moto helmet that cost $180. it is fully moto-able, and is huge (so my mates say)! i don't find the weight of the helmet a problem at all, it never bothers me, i could be riding in a open face for all i care/know. it is hot though, as it has minimal venting because it's designed for higher speeds.
another thing i the paint - BAD. but, if you have say 350 cash to spend, buy a moto helmet for 200ish, and get it sprayed whatever colour you damn well want! simple!! it'll look sick, be tank, and still be cheaper than other helmets. plus it's able to do moto-x duties! :D

how can you go wrong? :cool:

[Kammy]

1. i think he just wanted elbow guards, but if you wanted full body armour, my pressure suit protected me well in the crashes if had with it on, and i can say that they are good value.

2. dainese shinguards and 661 pressure suits are completly different things, i hope gripper is aware of this.

3. 661 pressure suits come with elbow guards, why get elbow guards and a pressure suit?

4. mtb dirt, can you tell me a manufacturer that makes shin/knee guards that dont wrap right the way around the leg?, unless you glue yours on every ride?
.
fox, im using pivot at the moment that dont wrap all the way around ;)

[kemmo]

I wear a full Dainese body suit when doin the spastic stuff, but have found my old O'Neil knee/shin guards & Fox Elbow/forearm guards that I used to motocross with, are light enough for the day to day use, but give you enough protection not to loose layers of skin if you have a mishap. I use a 661 helmet as well.
As for the helmet to be legal on the road, it must have an AS1698 sticker on it, which usually means that it is too bloody hot & heavy to use for when mountain biking. If you ride on the street with a helmet that dosen't carry one of the Aus Standards stickers, you get pulled up by the coppers & they ask you for your helmet to check it, you cop an extra fine & possible demerit points. I also think you are a bit daft too, because how much do you think your head is really worth to you???
If you are prepared to spend big bucks ie well over the Grand mark, you can get a full carbon fiber MX helmet that is light enough to wear mountain biking & still be legal on the streets, but very few motor bike shops will do them now because of the low demand & high cost.

[GrimReeper]

661 Flight helmet looks good (imo) and can be used for both dh and motocross. Made of Kevlar, carbon fiber and fiberglass. Pitty I dont own one. Better yet its well under the one grand mark.

[kemmo]

661 Flight helmet looks good (imo) and can be used for both dh and motocross. Made of Kevlar, carbon fiber and fiberglass. Pitty I dont own one. Better yet its well under the one grand mark.

Do they have the AS1698 sticker on them, coz if they don't you are mad, as they are not designed for high speed impacts (in motocross), & if you race motocross you won't get through scrutineering without it & thay are illegal to use on the streets without it, but by all means if they have a legit sticker on them go for it.

[FR Drew]

The Flight is designed by 661 specifically for Motorcross use (as is the Launch).

They are both Snell 2000 and DOT approved. Not sure about the AS1698 sticker, I've never seen either one in the flesh in Australia.

But they are manufactured to be used with motorbikes. (as opposed to the Full Bravo Carbon, Full Bravo and Full Comp which are all mountain bike only)

[udi]

Wouldn't MX helmets be designed to take harder and higher speed impacts, thus not offering as much protection in smaller crashes that are common in DH? Like i'd assume that DH specific helmets would be "softer" than MX helmets and would compress more easily. I'm not sure where I pulled that from but i'm sure i've read it somewhere before, might be something to consider.

[donthucktoflat]

Do they have the AS1698 sticker on them, coz if they don'tyou are mad, as they are not designed for high speed impacts (inmotocross), & if you race motocross you won't get throughscrutineering without it & thay are illegal to use on the streetswithout it, but by all means if they have a legit sticker on them gofor it.

http://www.vsportgroup.com/gearmoto/helmet_flight.htm

made for motos

[kemmo]

The Flight is designed by 661 specifically for Motorcross use (as is the Launch).

They are both Snell 2000 and DOT approved. Not sure about the AS1698 sticker, I've never seen either one in the flesh in Australia.

But they are manufactured to be used with motorbikes. (as opposed to the Full Bravo Carbon, Full Bravo and Full Comp which are all mountain bike only)

I agree after looking up the ratings etc, that they are both good helmets, but both the the SNELL & the DOT (Department of Transport) ratings are American standards. To be legally used in Australia they need the AS1698 sticker & like you, I havn't seen them here in the flesh either, so I couldn't tell you if they have one.
Something else to keep in mind is that officially a helmet is supposed to be good for only one impact, i.e. you fall off & scratch through the paint to expose raw material underneath, you should replace it. So why not look at 2 helmets in the low to mid price range till you get a little more confident with the downhill riding. It would be a pitty to stuff up a good motorcross helmet learning to downhill.
Also, neither the Flight or the Launch helmet has any ventilation, which can possibly cause a minor problem of over heating for some riders and note that the prices quoted on the site are US dollars not aussie dollars.

[FR Drew]

One thing that I did notice when I got my 661 Full Bravo 2 weeks ago, there's no Australian Standards sticker in that either.

however, on the issue of helmet replacement, 661 are pretty good. If you postthem your receipt, the damaged helmet and as detailed a description as you can of the accident including your injuries, for a nominal fee (50 bucks US in the case of a full bravo, 10 for a dirt lid, 40 for a full comp, 90 for a full bravo carbon) they'll send you a brand new one. They're far more interested in building better helmets than they are in mega profits. And 50 US plus postage to the states is WAAAAY cheaper than 300+ for a full bravo.

Don't know who else does crash replacement but I think it's an awesome idea.

Oh, and that crash replacement is LIFETIME

[Deleted-User-001]

I got dainese downhill bibn brace shorts from Phantom cycles for only $55 on sale and i run Dainese knee shins aswell, top half is covered by 661 pressure suit! These are tops for the money and inspire so much confidence its dangerous! As far as helmets go i know that the Santa cruz team now wear TLD motox helmets since Waddels crash! So i cant imagine them to be that heavy. Hope that helps.

[2 smooth 4 u]

go to your local moto shop and ask fo a carbon full face there usualy lighter
but there still heavy compared to a mtb helmet


and for shin gards look at roach(raceface) or 661 race shin knee there pretty good also the 661 race elbo arm protectors are pretty sweet

[Fallsrider]

I'v been using the 661 Race knee/shin pads for over a year and had no problems. They don't move around, I'v never crashed only to find that the pads have moved and I'v obtained a graze, good gear, good price.