After enjoying a quick session on some fairly tame local downhill trails, I went for one last run before heading home to get ready for a business appointment. On that last run, I washed out, and my right shin slid across the bare outer chainring of my 3x drivetrain. I got up, saw the skin hanging off my shin, strapped a cloth around it, and started hobbling down the trail calling for help. Two other bikers happened to be there, and they helped me down the trail to the very conveniently-placed urgent care next door. Fifteen stitches later, I made it to my business appointment, in full MTB regalia and with a huge bandage around my leg.
I’ve worn knee pads (with integrated shin guards) ever since.
Recently, I took an easy ride up a large jump that is way out of my league. I thought I would just ride onto the top of the table. Turns out that the table had been dug out into a gap, and my front wheel went down and I was thrown over the bars. I landed hard, tore a hole in the palm of a glove, and skidded down the dirt and gravel of the jump on my knee pads. There’s now a deep cut in the hard plastic, but my knees were totally fine, with only some scrapes—ABOVE the knee pads.
I’m becoming a big believer in protection.