Elbow or Knee Pads?

[Matthew Bonner]

I’ve been thinking, and have decided to get pads for either my elbows or knees. I’m going to use the Bliss ARG Minimalist pads. I feel like for protection purposes the pads would get more use on my knees, but I also feel as if they would interfere with pealing comfort. Elbows wouldn’t annoy me as much but it wouldn’t be use for crashing much either.

Thanks,

Cavermatthew

[Brian87]

I would have to say that knee pads are the way to go.  I have crashed many times and never really hit my elbows. Knee pads can get a little annoying while pedaling, but even with hard pads like fox launch it isn’t to hard on pedaling.  They can get a little hot, but if you ever crash you will sure be glad you had them.

[John Fisch]

Matthew,

I don’t know, if I had to choose between one and the other, which I would pick.  I have had some painful hits on my elbows that hurt for a week or more.  However less frequent the knee shots have been, my knees are the only joints that have required stitches.

Much to my surprise, the Bliss Minimalist knee pads didn’t seem to interfere with my pedaling.  Even if they did, that wouldn’t deter me from using them as they go on and off easily and pack down and fit easily in a Camelbak.

 

[Matthew Bonner]

Great, I’ll just get the knees first, then the elbows later. Talking about injuries, once over half a year I received a series of bad knee skinnings, one skinning off the scab of the last one. The actual injuries weren’t bad and only hurt a little, but it left a big black spot on my knee.

[Jared13 ✓ supporter]

I wear a set of minimalist knee pads (g-forms) and they work great. They won’t stop sharp puncture wounds like hard-shell pads will, but I have no problem wearing them while pedaling. And now that it’s colder they help keep my knees warm!

I didn’t buy them for crash protection as much as protection from the bike. I have this “amazing” talent to hit my top tube with my knees and I was getting sick of it! (Don’t ask me how, but I’d hit them at least once on every ride.)

FWIW, I also picked up a set of the g-form elbow pads, but I don’t wear those as much. Mostly when I’m riding something lift or shuttle assisted.

[musikron]

I wear my Race Face Ambush knee pads on every ride. I’ve had a knee surgery and even a slight bump on my left knee is excruciatingly painful, and the probability of serious injury to that joint in a crash is much higher than normal. The RF pads have D3O foam padding that is soft and flexible until it’s hit, then it stiffens up instantly. They pedal great and have velcro closure so you don’t have to take your shoes on and off to put them on. Helmet, glasses, gloves and knees on every ride for me. I’ve thought about elbow protection, but haven’t really found anything I like.

[superfly66]

Why not go with both elbow & knee pads? There’s no way to predict what body parts will get banged up in a wreck…or whether elbow or knee pads will be more helpful. After riding with pads a few times (especially those like the Bliss) you’ll start to forget they’re there.

[Alvin Mullen]

A friend let me try his G-Form Pro-x pads,, great pads, do not bother pedaling at all. comfortable and not to hot. But they are pricey..

 

also they are not hard pads, so probably not enough protection for really hard runs. But great for normal riding.

[Aaron Chamberlain ✓ supporter]

I just got a pair of these: http://7protection.com/product/transition-knee/

and they are supremely comfortable, even while pedaling. The mesh on the sides is a bit fragile, but I guess that’s the tradeoff for having something so breathable and comfortable. About the only time I’ve worn elbow pads is riding in the bike park.

[Alvin Mullen]

Wow, nice but more expensive than the G-Form.

[trek is amazing]

I only where a helmet. the other stuff isn’t required to ride, so I see it as a waste of money.

[triton189]

I wear both elbow and knee and don’t regret it at all.  On warmer days I don’t seem to notice them till I remove them.  I’m an older rider and want to continue riding so injury prevention has become more important.

[Alvin Mullen]

If I’m riding beginner or easy intermediate trails I don’t wear knee or elbow pads, anything harder I actually wear hard knee and elbow armor much like the stuff I used to wear riding motocross. And if I ever try downhill, I still have (from my motocross days) my 661 full armored suit.

[Author]

Posts