the_wes
Grey Hound
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2007
- Messages
- 8,751
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- Location
- Brackenfell, Cape Town
- Bike
- Harley Davidson (all models)
I'm busy looking at a couple of knee guards to double up on both mountain bike and motorcycle duty...
My crash earlier this year that opened up my knee and left me out of action for a while awakened me to the importance of having knee guards that stay where they need to be in a crash (yes, I was wearing knee guards when it happened).
I know a lot of people are going to jump on here and preach the importance of knee braces. I get it - it's the ultimate solution (depending who you speak to mind you - I know of people that avoid knee braces for fear of femur breaks) - but it's also the expensive one! You can state the fact that a set of knee braces is cheaper than a new knee as much as you like, but if you ain't got R6k you ain't got R6k (to be fair, you can get a set of EVS RS-8s for R4k, but it's still a hell of a lot of moola).
So - what's wrong with my knee guards? Simply put, they are not secure. I have a pair of your typical run of the mill entry level MX knee guard - that is, a shin guard, secured with 2 straps, with a floating knee section (Fox). Since nothing secures the top of the knee section to my leg, it is free to shift around at any given time, as it did when I came off, exposing my knee to the handlebars and popping it like a ripe tomato.
The fact is, the position of your knee cap moves during riding - the best options are split designs with 2 protective layers shifting over each other (such as the RS 8 brace - google it) or a floating patella guard big enough to protect it. Thor has 1 option - which some people have complained is bulky and uncomfortable. Acerbis have another option that is very comfortable (I have tried them on) but ridiculously thin.
I have come across 2 that I quite like - the Knox Cross Lite (+- R480) and the Lizard Skins Knee Armour (+- R280). Both are "sock" type knee guards that secure with 1 or 2 straps - meaning that they should stay put in case of an off.
The Knox are a CE protector wrapped in neoprene and other materials. The Lizard Skins are a hard shell protector backed by 6mm EVA foam. I honestly don't know which is the better setup.
My only concern is that neither have a shin section. I do however wear the BMW GS Enduro boots when riding, which comes up fairly high and has a substantial front section, and both of these are fairly long, which means the gap (if any) should be minimal. I still wonder if that extra layer of protection wouldn't be nice though.
What I do know is that, because of how secure they are, they will offer more patella protection than my current guards, AND they will be more secure than the built-in armour in most pants (which can also shift in a crash, easier than you think - scary stuff).
What are your thoughts and insights? What are you riding with?
My crash earlier this year that opened up my knee and left me out of action for a while awakened me to the importance of having knee guards that stay where they need to be in a crash (yes, I was wearing knee guards when it happened).
I know a lot of people are going to jump on here and preach the importance of knee braces. I get it - it's the ultimate solution (depending who you speak to mind you - I know of people that avoid knee braces for fear of femur breaks) - but it's also the expensive one! You can state the fact that a set of knee braces is cheaper than a new knee as much as you like, but if you ain't got R6k you ain't got R6k (to be fair, you can get a set of EVS RS-8s for R4k, but it's still a hell of a lot of moola).
So - what's wrong with my knee guards? Simply put, they are not secure. I have a pair of your typical run of the mill entry level MX knee guard - that is, a shin guard, secured with 2 straps, with a floating knee section (Fox). Since nothing secures the top of the knee section to my leg, it is free to shift around at any given time, as it did when I came off, exposing my knee to the handlebars and popping it like a ripe tomato.
The fact is, the position of your knee cap moves during riding - the best options are split designs with 2 protective layers shifting over each other (such as the RS 8 brace - google it) or a floating patella guard big enough to protect it. Thor has 1 option - which some people have complained is bulky and uncomfortable. Acerbis have another option that is very comfortable (I have tried them on) but ridiculously thin.
I have come across 2 that I quite like - the Knox Cross Lite (+- R480) and the Lizard Skins Knee Armour (+- R280). Both are "sock" type knee guards that secure with 1 or 2 straps - meaning that they should stay put in case of an off.
The Knox are a CE protector wrapped in neoprene and other materials. The Lizard Skins are a hard shell protector backed by 6mm EVA foam. I honestly don't know which is the better setup.
My only concern is that neither have a shin section. I do however wear the BMW GS Enduro boots when riding, which comes up fairly high and has a substantial front section, and both of these are fairly long, which means the gap (if any) should be minimal. I still wonder if that extra layer of protection wouldn't be nice though.
What I do know is that, because of how secure they are, they will offer more patella protection than my current guards, AND they will be more secure than the built-in armour in most pants (which can also shift in a crash, easier than you think - scary stuff).
What are your thoughts and insights? What are you riding with?
