Knee/Shinguard Recommendation

[Rorroheht]

I am looking to get a set of knee/shin guards to help keep the skin on my legs and the blood inside of them. My main reason for getting them is pedal slipping, with crash protection a close second. For this reason I think I am set on hard shell guards, but if the soft shell ones don't blow up when pedals smack them then it is of no difference to me what kind I get. I will be pedaling in them, but it will just be the DJ bike so they need to be pedally, but not for hours on end. Does anyone have any recommendations? I am hoping to keep them around 50 bucks, give or take a few.

[gtyee]

I have Lizard skins knee and shin gaurds and you can pedal all day without knowing you have them on. Cost $60 pr.

[midwestfan266]

Got a set of alpinestars moabs on sale at Huck n roll. Have only used them at rays for the dj but love them so far. You have to pay attention to when you wrap the Velcro around the back of your knees. As long as you line them up good they don't rub at all at Rays. I think they look sweet in the white black and red color too.

[SoulCycleRider2]

661 veggie.  love 'em

[keithzim]

I got a set of 661 comp they are great. I got them off pinkbike for like $25

[f]

+1 for 661 comps, i even race bmx with them, and they fit decent under a pair of baggy jeans

[TrailJumper]

I've got 661 Veggie's. They're cool, but I'd go a size smaller then you'd think.

They are elastic, so they will stretch out. What feels good in the store does not after many rides and washings.

[Rorroheht]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I went with the Alpinestars ALines, but I am having a small amount of buyers remorse as I had initially planned on the 661 Comps . The Alines were a game-time decision. Oh well, I am sure I am over-thinking it anyway and if the ALines don' work out I can always sell 'em and pick up the 661s. Thanks again and I will post a report after Ray's next weekend.

[TrailJumper]

I will add that the Veggies are not the toughest. Mine have been through 2 season, and I didn't wear them much for one season. They are breaking down a bit after washing and regular wear. Although they don't cost too much, so it's a trade off.

[Huckster McPlush]

661 race knee/shin combo work great and really protect well.  A bit restrictive for pedaling, but they are very breathable and offer great protection that doesn't slip down even in the gnar

[char gnar]

Just to throw another response into the mix - I have Fox Launch Knee Shin Guards, have had them for years and work great.  Looks like they retail for about $70 these days.

[Rorroheht]

Well I am back from my weekend at Ray's and the shinguards worked pretty well. They were not really noticeable while pedaling and have pretty good ventilation. They are darn light weight too and were not irritating to wear. For reference I wore them with shorts on bare legs, not over or under my jeans or other pants. I did notice one small stretching related tear on the elastic that wraps around the back of your knee. I saw it after the ride Friday, and it was no worse after riding Saturday so I am not too worried about it. My legs are kind of thick so I did notice that they would slide down a bit while riding but it was not enough to affect performance really. I would just pull them back up and re-situate the Velcro when we would take breaks. I only bounced my knee of a few structures and did not take any falls to my knees so I can't speak to the impact protection but I will say that I felt much more confident wearing them and can't imagine riding at Ray's or jumping/park riding without them. My riding partner skipped the free pads when we got there and promptly landed knee first on his stem after slipping a tire off a ladder on our second run through the sport section. It was one of those everything is fine then all of a sudden you are on your side moments. Kind of funny really, but he was pretty banged up. He toughed out the rest of the day and Saturday too but it was less fun . I will say that I am very much not good at bike riding so a better or more experienced rider may have a different viewpoint. From my perspective they worked great and I will be using them until they blow up.

On a side note, Ray's was silly fun and I can't wait to go back. It's an amazing set up and extremely family friendly. We talked to a guy who was there with his wife and 3 young kids. She had a nice park bike and he was taking his extra-fat fat bike for a spin. His youngest could not have been more than 4-5 and was having a blast. We got there around 2ish on Friday and practically had the place to ourselves. It is definitely day-trippable and we rolled up from the waaaay south suburbs.