Shin protection for trail/enduro

[XXX-er]

the pad that is easy to put on is also likely to slip and not protect you which is why pads with a sleeve are good

you want full ankle to over the knee not just the knee right thats usually pretty hot and sweatey?


https://www.dakine.com/en-ca/sport/b...waArkzEALw_wcB

I got the Dakine Slayer, not only do you need to remember to put them on before your mom ties your shoes they are marked L & R for fit


You should all be carrying tourniquets eh?

[LC]

If it's just to protect the stitches until they heal then look for the old 661 Veggie Shins - http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/f...1/rp-prod30895

Light, thin foam and thin plastic. Pretty minimal. I wore these for a while as a teenager, but no kneepads, just to save blood on my jeans from pedal strikes.

[ridinshockgun]

I've been confused on the whole knee but not shin protection for a while. Although, I did bang my knee on a pedal once in a wreck and it hurt like hell.

I ride clipless but I've been hit in the shin with baseball to golf ball sized rocks 5-10 times over the past few years and it is painful if you don't have a pad there, hard to rip confidently through sections like that without some kind of shin protection.

I've been using the G form knee and shin protector combo and while I hate everything about it, I also find it's the best option I've tried and it does the job. Also super easy to roll them up and stuff in your pack on a real hot day...and on a cold day they make great "tights"

Also feel like if you have any kind of a high cadence pedal from road riding... pads just don't work while pedaling, any pads.

[adrenalated]

That's a weird injury, ain't it? I had this happen last fall and I bled like a stuck pig. A couple bands from my Garmin and a baby wipe got me back to the car.

I have never understood why mountain bikers rarely carry first aid kits.

[ridinshockgun]

I have never understood why mountain bikers rarely carry first aid kits.

Yep. Couple gauze pads, alcohol wipes, self adherent wrap, antihistamine and some ibuprofen doesn't weigh anything and can save your ass....and even your ride.

[Andeh]

Getting OT, but any recommendations for a tiny tube of super glue that won't randomly rupture or dry out? Ever since I split my chin open and couldn't get it to stop bleeding with band-aids, I've wanted to keep a mini tube of super glue in my first aid kit. I got a set of vet grade tubes, but they kept rupturing and drying out.

[Dantheman]

If it's just to protect the stitches until they heal then look for the old 661 Veggie Shins - http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/f...1/rp-prod30895

Light, thin foam and thin plastic. Pretty minimal. I wore these for a while as a teenager, but no kneepads, just to save blood on my jeans from pedal strikes.

That is definitely the droid I'm looking for. Unfortunately, they appear to be unobtanium.

I've been confused on the whole knee but not shin protection for a while. Although, I did bang my knee on a pedal once in a wreck and it hurt like hell.

There's damn near literally a hundred different knee pads out there, maybe a dozen knee/shin combos that almost all lean heavily toward park/shuttle riding, and as far as I can tell not a single shin-only like those 661 Veggies. With the resurgent popularity of flat pedals for XC/all-mountaining, I don't get it. The soccer shin guard idea is starting to feel inevitable. The Shadow Shinners are $50 at the only place I can find them in stock, and I'm not sure they're worth the premium over $15 soccer shin guards.

I ride clipless but I've been hit in the shin with baseball to golf ball sized rocks 5-10 times over the past few years and it is painful if you don't have a pad there, hard to rip confidently through sections like that without some kind of shin protection.

Yeah, the deflected rock-to-shin thing happens with some regularity. Though nothing that ever required stitches or remotely approaches this instance. I could see three inches worth of my tibia.

pads just don't work while pedaling, any pads.

FIFY. Every day here for the next 3 months is a "real hot" day. Climbing for 2-4 hours in full knee/shin guards is lunacy.

I have never understood why mountain bikers rarely carry first aid kits.

Wait, people do that? I don't pack a tourniquet, but I never head out without some basics at least. I suppose the packless fad is to blame.

[El Chupacabra]

I have the old 661 4x4 arm/elbow and knee/shin pads that I never use. Interested? Looks like this:

http://www.mtbr.com/product/mtb-appa...in-guards.html

Soft pad, lots of mesh for vents, still hot to wear. IIRC you do have to take off your shoes to put them on.

[LC]

That is definitely the droid I'm looking for. Unfortunately, they appear to be unobtanium.

Ask on Pinkbike/etc for the current equivalent. Someone will surely know. Soccer shin guards will do the same job but look (even) lame(r).

[reckless toboggan]

Thin d3o sewn into the shin and the ankle.

https://www.concrete-visionary.com/h...le-protection/

Guys. Seriously.

[John_B]

Guys. Seriously.

How well can you slide the sock down for the uphills? Those look dorky but awesome and affordable.

[reckless toboggan]

How well can you slide the sock down for the uphills? Those look dorky but awesome and affordable.

Once the d3o (they call it Artilage* - Artificial Cartilage Foam, but it's the same thing) warms up, you can fold them over to get some air.

However, you don't have to fold/slide them down. They breathe unbelievably well through the rest of the sock.

If you're looking for a trail/endiro pad to climb in, and have pedal slip protection on the way down, as stated in the OP, this is the solution.

They are machine washable. They are bamboo and charcoal anti-bacterial. When you are riding, they feel like normal socks, which is to say, you don't feel them at all. They disappear. Especially when comparing them to other thicker d3o strap on/slip on pads, or to ancient neoprene.

I have the POC knee/shin d3o for the bike park days and for shuttle days. We have pretty serious technical trails here in the Canadian Rockies, the Koots, Revy, Golden, Fernie.

These socks are better for the up, and adaquate for the down, particularly when considering the OP's needs for trail riding.

Will they stop you from breaking your leg when disembiked and colliding head height at high speed and wrapping your leg around a tree through the dense forest, like the old full-hockey Roach plastic pads did?

No.

But that's not what the OP asked, or what this thread is about.

Thus far, the thread has been about protection from pedal slips and random rocks and pebbles that kick up, while climbing and descending, and something that provides good breathability and flexibility (ie. Non-restrictive).

The thread does mention the ability to take on or off without removing shoes (within the context of traditional thick and restrictive pads); however, with these socks, you put them on and take them off at home. There is no need to remove them.

For extra protection, strap on a knee pad for the way down.


*Artilage is a unique type of memory foam that becomes firm when impacted therefore allowing the socks to be comfortable and form fitting like a normal sock while still being very protective.

[Dantheman]

So you actually own a few pairs of those? And they actually stay in place during a wreck?

Can you buy raw sheets of D3O anywhere? The socks give me the idea of sewing/glueing some lengths of velcro onewrap onto some custom-cut pieces.

[reckless toboggan]

Yes. I own several pairs of the socks.

Initially bought them for skating, so I wouldn't get boarded or shinned on ledges, flat bar, boxes, etc.

Tried them for trail riding, as protection for pedal slips, kicked up rocks and trail riding type spills, at trail riding type speeds, and they are great.

Are they built for gnarly, high speed, you fall you're breaking bones type Enduro, shuttling, bike park, and downhill applications.

No.

But I have other burly pads for that.

[reckless toboggan]

Can you buy raw sheets of D3O anywhere? The socks give me the idea of sewing/glueing some lengths of velcro onewrap onto some custom-cut pieces.

LMGTFY.

https://www.d3o.com/products/solid-mesh-sheet/

Maybe tell them you're a company and you'd like a sample sheet for free to see if it would work for your ground-breaking new application.

[Dantheman]

Yes. I own several pairs of the socks.

Initially bought them for skating, so I wouldn't get boarded or shinned on ledges, flat bar, boxes, etc.

Tried them for trail riding, as protection for pedal slips, kicked up rocks and trail riding type spills, at trail riding type speeds, and they are great

Cool, thanks.

LMGTFY.

https://www.d3o.com/products/solid-mesh-sheet/

Maybe tell them you're a company and you'd like a sample sheet for free to see if it would work for your ground-breaking new application.

Yeah, I had looked on the D3O site. They are quite explicit that they don't provide samples.

[forty]

Getting OT, but any recommendations for a tiny tube of super glue that won't randomly rupture or dry out? Ever since I split my chin open and couldn't get it to stop bleeding with band-aids, I've wanted to keep a mini tube of super glue in my first aid kit. I got a set of vet grade tubes, but they kept rupturing and drying out.

i keep one of the small 1 time use 5 pack versions in my pack and never had an issue with explosion or leaking, use them regularly for early dig season blisters

There's damn near literally a hundred different knee pads out there, maybe a dozen knee/shin combos that almost all lean heavily toward park/shuttle riding, and as far as I can tell not a single shin-only like those 661 Veggies. With the resurgent popularity of flat pedals for XC/all-mountaining, I don't get it. The soccer shin guard idea is starting to feel inevitable. The Shadow Shinners are $50 at the only place I can find them in stock, and I'm not sure they're worth the premium over $15 soccer shin guards.

https://www.planetbmx.com/shop/prote....html?page=all
shinners for 37...

fwiw i find the invisilites very similar to old veggies but better in every way

Yes. I own several pairs of the socks.

Initially bought them for skating, so I wouldn't get boarded or shinned on ledges, flat bar, boxes, etc.

Tried them for trail riding, as protection for pedal slips, kicked up rocks and trail riding type spills, at trail riding type speeds, and they are great.

Are they built for gnarly, high speed, you fall you're breaking bones type Enduro, shuttling, bike park, and downhill applications.

No.

But I have other burly pads for that.

how do these hold up to pins?

i use tall socks as light abrasion protection on the mtb, my shin damage is usually done when hike a biking and not from pedal slips, the pins will catch the fabric rather than my flesh, a worthy trade imo, but i trash socks regularly...

[reckless toboggan]

how do these hold up to pins?

i use tall socks as light abrasion protection on the mtb, my shin damage is usually done when hike a biking and not from pedal slips, the pins will catch the fabric rather than my flesh, a worthy trade imo, but i trash socks regularly...

The pins won't make it through the d3o in the front.

The calf of the sock will hold up about as well as any other sock. Learn some pushing/hike-a-bike technique.

[Dantheman]

Getting OT, but any recommendations for a tiny tube of super glue that won't randomly rupture or dry out? Ever since I split my chin open and couldn't get it to stop bleeding with band-aids, I've wanted to keep a mini tube of super glue in my first aid kit. I got a set of vet grade tubes, but they kept rupturing and drying out.

I would not recommend this. Closing up a stitch-worthy wound in the field without irrigating it carries a high probability of trapping foreign material that will lead to infection. Carry some 2x2 and 3x4 non-stick pads and a roll of self-adhering bandage so you can cover it up well, but save closure for when you can properly irrigate and disinfect. Great for blisters, though.

ETA: Not that superglue would have closed up my new shin vagina, but they probably used 100 cc of saline to irrigate it, then doused it in a shitload of betadine before they closed it.

[reckless toboggan]

Yeah, I had looked on the D3O site. They are quite explicit that they don't provide samples.

1. Buy the socks and try them.

2. If you don't like them, cut the d3o pads out.

3. Make your version using the pads from the socks.

4. Profit?

[reckless toboggan]

BTW, I have absolutely zero affiliation with the sock company, and don't have a dog in this fight.

I just found a solution that works for me, for trail riding and light Enduro, and I believe will work for 90% of riders out there that are over padded for the trail riding they're doing, hate taking off shoes for pads, hate suffering with hot and restrictive pads, hate heavy pads, hate uncomfortable pads that rub and dig in, want something for the climb, etc.

If you're looking for high-speed gnar-tech Enduro, shuttling, bike park, DH pads, go with a different solution.

[Dantheman]

What's the deal with the foam in the bamboo vs non-bamboo ones? They list different names, Artilage and Fluid X, but the description sounds like its the same stuff.

[reckless toboggan]

What's the deal with the foam in the bamboo vs non-bamboo ones? They list different names, Artilage and Fluid X, but the description sounds like its the same stuff.

I have both. It seems like the same thing to me.

[jm2e]

Shin guards for xc riding? Seems like crazy talk.

OP, sorry about your injury. But seriously, that shit is never going to happen again. Lightning Strike odds.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[SchralphMacchio]

If you're looking for a trail/endiro pad to climb in, and have pedal slip protection on the way down, as stated in the OP, this is the solution.

They are machine washable. They are bamboo and charcoal anti-bacterial. When you are riding, they feel like normal socks, which is to say, you don't feel them at all. They disappear. Especially when comparing them to other thicker d3o strap on/slip on pads, or to ancient neoprene.

Thanks for being so persistent, I’m switching from clipless to flats on my 160mm bike, gonna give these a try!