Mountain Biking info

DEKA3

DEKA3

Registered User, A.K.A. "elias"
I know this is not a 5th gen specific thread, but I have posted other topics in the General Forum before and have gotten just a couple of responses. So i figured I would post here since I know for sure there are many 5th gen members who ride.

I have a couple of questions regarding mountain biking.
I just started riding a couple weeks ago. I have since been subjected to what we would call "pinstriping", except not on my truck, but on my shins.

I have decided to invest in some protection.
I would like to minimize bulk, and since I do not know anything about this stuff, I ask for your input.
I experienced the need for shin guards first hand. That goes without saying. Now, should I get the shin/knee combos or go the separate route?
Also, should I get into the body armor stuff, such as this?
I dont see myself doing anything hardcore right away, but no one knows when they are going to get hurt.

ANY input or suggestions would be appreciated!

Mods, please try not to move this into the General Discussion section of the site. :thanks:
 
Register to hide this ad

Attachments

  • 85629-batman-bat-signal.jpeg
    85629-batman-bat-signal.jpeg
    33.7 KB · Views: 4,025
A lot comes down to personal preference. Personally I like the knee shin combo, less likely for rocks or branches to get between the knee and shin protection which I have seen happen, also if they do move around they move as one.

As far as full body goes whatever makes you feel comfortable, back in the day I wouldn't wear anything except a helmet and gloves, didn't matter if I got scrapped or bashed up I only miss some school. Now with kids, mortgage, 4runner, and all that fun stuff to pay for I can't afford to miss work.

Best thing to do is go to a shop and try stuff on and ride around the parking lot, you'll know right away if it'll work for you or not.

Armor has really come along way and is very comfortable, most stuff is made specifically for riding and cut the proper way when sitting on a bike.
 
Questions:
How old are you?
Are you riding clipless or flat pedals?
Are you riding downhill or singletrack?
Are you wrecking a lot?
Are you putting your feet down around corners?

I only wear a helmet and armored full finger gloves. Anything else will weigh you down and burn you up unless you are riding just downhill. I get cut and scratches on my legs and arms all the time from briars and limbs . No big deal though. I have ridden with tons of people and lots of races once upon a time and if you are just riding singletrack no armor is needed. I ride about 50-75 miles a week now. Let me know and quintin rides a lot too and hopefully he will chime in.
 
lezavw90 said:
As far as full body goes whatever makes you feel comfortable, back in the day I wouldn't wear anything except a helmet and gloves, didn't matter if I got scrapped or bashed up I only miss some school. Now with kids, mortgage, 4runner, and all that fun stuff to pay for I can't afford to miss work.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly. My job is very labor intensive, so any hurtin' from the bike will be felt at work.

Thanks for the reply!
 
1engineer said:
Questions:
How old are you? 36 with plenty of old knee injuries
Are you riding clipless or flat pedals? Pedals
Are you riding downhill or singletrack? singletrack so far
Are you wrecking a lot? not yet
Are you putting your feet down around corners? kind of


I only wear a helmet and armored full finger gloves. Anything else will weigh you down and burn you up unless you are riding just downhill. I get cut and scratches on my legs and arms all the time from briars and limbs . No big deal though. I have ridden with tons of people and lots of races once upon a time and if you are just riding singletrack no armor is needed. I ride about 50-75 miles a week now. Let me know and quintin rides a lot too and hopefully he will chime in.
Click to expand...


Thanks for your response! My responses to your questions are in red above.
My main concern is getting hurt to where I cant get to work or do the things I do with my kids.
I ride probably 2-3 hours a week, nothing crazy. Wish I had more time to ride more. Not too many places around here in Queens that I can get to during the P.M. rush, after work, in a timely manner.
 
I'm a CAT 1 XC Mountain Bike racer, and a USA Cycling Coach. And I just got home from a cyclocross race in Milwaukee! It's a good topic to see talked about on here...:nicethread:

Engineer1 has a great start to your dilemma. Answers his above questions, and we can go from there.

I like Fall XC riding in WI. I can now start wearing my arm and leg warmers, which help protect my arms/legs just enough from the dreaded "pinstriping" from the pickers/weeds/branches on my local trails. I don't need shin guards, as our local singletrack in WI is fairly tame, in relation to say the Rocky Mountains.

You might want to also checking MTBR.com forums as well for your biking questions.
 
veloindy said:
Ahhh, WI. When I lived in the midwest, I raced 24 Hours of 9 Mile, solo, several times. Fun race! It was great racing next to mountain bike hall of famer, Tinker.
Click to expand...

Nice! I've had a bunch of close friends do solo's here too. We won the 4-man team race there this year! Always a great venue!(now called Wausau24)

Sidenote: I also took your advice on the Cooper AT3's and they will be installed on Tuesday!

Sorry in advance for the thread hijack.
 
j_shoe99 said:
I'm a CAT 1 XC Mountain Bike racer, and a USA Cycling Coach. And I just got home from a cyclocross race in Milwaukee! It's a good topic to see talked about on here...:nicethread:

Engineer1 has a great start to your dilemma. Answers his above questions, and we can go from there.

I like Fall XC riding in WI. I can now start wearing my arm and leg warmers, which help protect my arms/legs just enough from the dreaded "pinstriping" from the pickers/weeds/branches on my local trails. I don't need shin guards, as our local singletrack in WI is fairly tame, in relation to say the Rocky Mountains.

You might want to also checking MTBR.com forums as well for your biking questions.
Click to expand...

I have checked out mtbr.com, nycmtb.com, climbonline.org, and plenty more.
I feel like I know you guys on here, so I would trust your opinions a lot more!
 
DEKA3 said:
Thanks for your response! My responses to your questions are in red above.
My main concern is getting hurt to where I cant get to work or do the things I do with my kids.
I ride probably 2-3 hours a week, nothing crazy. Wish I had more time to ride more. Not too many places around here in Queens that I can get to during the P.M. rush, after work, in a timely manner.
Click to expand...

My advice:
Go slow to start. I'm 50 years old and I have slowed down quite a bit, especially after breaking several ribs and a shoulder last year practicing for time trials.

Ride as much as you can even around the house or yard. This will give you much practice as you are learning. The more you ride the more confidence you will get and the less you will worry about minor cuts and scrapes. The big issue is your head so wear a good helmet! Good luck and have fun!
 
and that's good advice above, from 1Engineer

If your main goal is to not get hurt.......your main goal should be to not CRASH. That means riding within your ability. Ride trails made for your ability, ride a safe comfortable speed, and don't do anything too crazy. There's no shame in walking a section you are not comfortable with riding. Maybe, eventually after you gain more experience, you'll be able to clean it.

Take baby steps, and don't overdue it! = live to ride another day. (and allows you to go to work the next day and bring home a paycheck to pay your mortgage)
:thumb3:

PS: Be sure to get a decent pair of cycling specific glasses(to protect your eyes. You only get one set!) and gloves(to protect your hands/fingers. It's the first thing to hit the ground usually)
 
Last edited:
I knew I could count on the 4runner community for bike riding info!
:cheers:
 
Been mtn biking now for about 6-7 years now, competitively for 3 years...mainly in the endurance XC category. LOVE IT! I would suggest getting clip in pedals as soon as possible, especially for single track. It is tough to keep your footing on those flat pedals when riding over rough sections and they will continue to fall off and scrape your leg. They are a little intimidating at first...just take it easy for one of your rides and you will have it down. Just like the other posters have said, take it slow at first. You have to push and challenge yourself though, or you will never get better. I promise you I and probably anyone else fell over a few times in a parking lot the first time we clipped in. Good luck and keep those Fat Tires Rolling!
 
I've done my fair share of riding, and while not doing much now due to school, I still know a few things. My background riding is alot of downhill, but with a little bit of everything thrown into the mixture. I've worn/ tried out a good bit of body protection from the 661 pressure suits, to knee pads, knee/shin combos, leatts, full faces. A little bit of it all in a way.

When I first started racing downhill, my shins were always all torn to heck and back. I quickly invested into the 661 comp knee/shin combos. I absolutely loved them for the time being. They didn't move a whole lot in my opinion, but I had buddies who preferred the Fox rampage ones.

As I gained more experience and more confidence with my riding, I moved into just knee pads. Not the big hardshell ones that tony hawk use to wear though. I preferred 661 evo knees. Those were the most comfortable for me and did not slide around. My biggest swap to these was they felt a little more "free" then the knee/shins and I wasn't getting that pedal slip anymore.

The pressure suits I wasn't a huge fan of. I felt very limited and restricted when wearing them. Yes it was piece of mind that I could slam and be good. The shoulder plates were too much and the chest plate wasn't much. The biggest pro of the suit was the spinal protection in my opinion. I raced a season on that and decided I'd change it up.

Getting a little faster and scarier, I decided to move to a chest protector and a Leatt neck brace. When they were pair together I wasn't a huge fan of them. When they were separate they were great. The neck brace is definitely a huge adjustment as some of your movement in you neck becomes restricted, but I would for sure wear it again if I ever went and started racing competitively again. The chest protector by itself was great also, but I quick developed the personal preference of anything much more then a jersey over me.

All of that is based off of my usages when I was racing downhill. When I would ride XC, I would not wear that stuff. My riding gear consisted of clipless shoes (definitely worth it), a helmet, and occasionally a pair of gloves(always wore a pair in downhill that had the two outer fingers on each hand protected by a carbon molded knuckle). IMHO knee pads, knee/ shin pads, or pressure suits would get wayyyy too hot on any sort of XC. If you're dead set on getting some gear like that. I'd look into the 661 Riot stuff or Rhythm stuff. It won't be as thick but will still provide some protection and should suit your needs just fine.

Also, I'm not affiliated with 661, I just always enjoyed the quality of their products. They can handle the abuse and they are at a manageable price point.
 
I do not know anything about mountain biking but I do see deals on bike stuff on The Clymb from time to time. Right now the have race tires, helmets, shoe clips and other accessories. Check them out and other discounts sites in my other thread (see sig).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 424 (members: 4, guests: 420)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,307
Messages
3,554,056
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top