Knee and elbow pads?

[Wes Turner]

I used to have that problem.

Previously had flat pedals with the screw in steel pins. But as you mentioned, if you slip and catch them, ouch.

I now use flat pedals with moulded studs. Work just as well, but don’t do as much damage.

Never have a problem lifting my foot off this type of pedal and I use 510 shoes. They are the Stealth model and you can walk in them just fine.

DG…

Are these the right ones?

https://www.perennialcycle.com/vpe-527-low-profile-platform-pedal.html

It says only 2 left. I found them a couple of other places, but they were sold out. Are they that hot or is the company not making them anymore?

 

[DiggyGun]

Are these the right ones?

They appear to be.

I’m in the UK and did have to shop around to find them.

VP Components appear to make a large range of pedals, but not all of them are available I’ve found.

DG…

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Raceface Ride Pedals

 

[Wes Turner]

Raceface Ride Pedals

Do you use these? They appear to be even less "sharp" (ie, harmful to legs) than the VP pedals.

 

[DiggyGun]

Do you use these? They appear to be even less "sharp" (ie, harmful to legs) than the VP pedals.

I have used similar in the past, but the lugs, being Nylon, wore down quite quickly.

Plus in the UK, we have a requirement that pedals have to be fitted with reflectors.

DG...

 

[Wes Turner]

I have used similar in the past, but the lugs, being Nylon, wore down quite quickly.

Plus in the UK, we have a requirement that pedals have to be fitted with reflectors.

DG...

Ah, two good points. Thanks

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Do you use these? They appear to be even less "sharp" (ie, harmful to legs) than the VP pedals.

I have a spare pair in my drawer. I have standardized on Crankbrothers Stamp pedals (1, 3 or 7) because I learned how to not hurt my legs with them, they are available as Large, and they give me excellent grip at any conditions, also off-road (I ride a lot). I agree with DG the Rides wear down quickly if you ride a lot.

Interestingly, the bicycle laws are more relaxed for Poland than they are for the UK or (shudder!) Germany. The law of Poland requires that a bicycle has a headlight, tail-light, a rear reflector, at least one operable brake, and a bell. Meanwhile, the German rules require, for instance, reflective strips on tyre sidewalls, reflectors on pedals and many more.

You do not need to wear a helmet throughout Europe on a bike or e-bike. If you ride an S-Pedelec (a fast e-bike), you just have to wear a helmet in Poland. It is the full-face helmet for the UK...

 

[PDoz]

Can we take a step back and look at the nature of both falls - they sound like falls, not bike crashes? If so, I'd suggest working on flexibility / falls prevention before exploring the equipment suggestions above.

NB , I have spent a small fortune on protective equipment / appropriate shoes and pedals , and am a firm believer in wearing ATGAT . Three kids and myself mountain bike riding.... I'm more than happy to start discussing choices - short answer is go for impact absorbing padding, ideally with an abrasion resistant outer. Go as light and flexible / perforated as you need for the type of crash you intend to have - that way you will be wearing it. Think very carefully before installing spiked pedals - they can shred shins in seconds. If you really desire to go this way, then it's time to consider if the knee pads should extend to shins.

Brands? Go for the one that fits you and feels comfortable and you can afford - but ONLY if it's got padding that dissipates impact / hardens on impact. Try them on in shops!

BTW, the specialized guards are OK but not spectacular. They're a bit hot for the level of protection needed, don't feel as impact adsorbing as , eg my IXS or even g form. Pearl izumi feel a bit stiff for my liking but harden up slightly quicker on impact to the ixs. Fox fall down my legs. Leatt make great gear but it doesn't fit my legs. 100% make a nice compromise - good abrasion layer, flexible but impact absorbing pads, reasonabl shin cover, open weave behind the knee - but just a bit too hot for me.

 

[PDoz]

Re pedals - crank brothers stamp are the most slippery of all the pedals in my fleet. I don't understand why so many people recommend them. I've put them onto my middle daughters bike because she is the least crazy shild

One up components are the grippiest, and their alloy is grippier than their composite. But VICIOUS to shins. LONG pointy pins.....which are replaceable and adjustable. I have the allow, my son has the composites.

Funn produce an interesting alternative - their alloy pedal is tough an reasonably grippy. I just find the shaft a bit obtrusive , and they're a little too vague as they engage with my five tens

 

[PDoz]

My daughter used a set of specialized pads for a year, they were reasonable but not outstanding. The pads offer poor impact absorption, and they fell apart on the first crash. Admittedly that was a few years ago and there may have been improvements in design, but I'd suggest buying protective equipment from companies that design protective equipment ratherthan offer them as an option for brand conscious consumers.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The pads offer poor impact absorption, and they fell apart on the first crash.

This is their function, same as a helmet that shall be replaced after the first hit.

Yes, I am a Specialized fan but recommended a Gazelle C380 to Wes.
I recommended Crankbrothers or RaceFace pedals.
I recommended Adidas 510 shoes. The FiveTens hold to the CrankBros Stamp as if they were glued. You might wonder why these pedals are so popular as long as you want.
Wes only wants to safely ride for 5 miles one way to play his tennis and then safely return!

 

[PDoz]

Stefan, knee and shin pads are NOT designed to be single use like a helmet. Helmets rely on polystyrene foam for impact absorption, modern pads use much more sophisticated products. Perhaps start your research with d30 , it was one of the earlier impact hardening foams. There have been significant advances from then , but that should start to help you understand why the basic non hardening sponge in the specialized pads are below modern expectations.

The hostility is developing because you seem intent on pushing specialized products even when they are not the wise choice. When a yamaha thread becomes another preaching session for the virtues of your preferred brand, AND you are recommending sub standard branded pads for no logical reason, it's time to accept you have a problem.

Wes, I don't pretend to be an expert . Yes, I ride rock gardens and have decades of dirt bike experience. So lots of opportunity to have tested old fashioned protective gear, as well as a near death incident at home at low speed - one of very few gravity attacks without ATGAT.

So I've spent a lot of time and money trying to ensure my kids have functional and comfortable protection that they wear. But lets be honest here, I've only tested my modern guards in anger a handful of times. Because as I originally suggested, working on balance and flexibility ( primary prevention) is more important that what brand of guards you wear ( secondary prevention) .

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The hostility is developing because you seem intent on pushing specialized products even when they are not the wise choice. When a yamaha thread becomes another preaching session for the virtues of your preferred brand, AND you are recommending sub standard branded pads for no logical reason, it's time to accept you have a problem.

You refer to totally unrelated thread to sow discord in this Forum and in this very thread. It is totally unfair.

Of various products I recommended to Wes, only one was a Specialized one. You are riding a Specialized e-bike yourself. Fair? Not.
As you are only riding dangerous trails, you do not seem to be the best adviser on a city cycling safety. Perhaps you should recommend a body armour and a full face helmet to Wes, because I would not. You do not ride in the cities, man! You transport your mountain bikes to the trail by car! You have no experience in the city e-biking at all! While I crashed in the city (and survived) often enough to offer Wes my expertise.

 

[PDoz]

You refer to totally unrelated thread to sow discord in this Forum and in this very thread. It is totally unfair.

Of various products I recommended to Wes, only one was a Specialized one. You are riding a Specialized e-bike yourself. Fair? Not.
As you are only riding dangerous trails, you do not seem to be the best adviser on a city cycling safety. Perhaps you should recommend a body armour and a full face helmet to Wes, because I would not. You do not ride in the cities, man! You transport your mountain bikes to the trail by car! You have no experience in the city e-biking at all! While I crashed in the city (and survived) often enough to offer Wes my expertise.

Seven years of commuting 30,000 km per year by motorbike when at uni.
A life threatening crash in my own back yard.
And 40+ years of experiencing the advances in protective gear whilst riding motorbikes ( road, trail and adventure) as well as more recently mtb AND riding boring stuff.
Oh, and I pay for my protective gear with $ earned fixing the consequences when people get poor health advice .

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Seven years of commuting 30,000 km per year by motorbike when at uni.

How many kilometres on e-bikes this year? A 20 mph city e-bike is neither a motorcycle nor a mountain bike.

 

[Djangodog]

What is your problem with him? I find his comments useful.

Stefan is a prolific poster on here. He rubs some people the wrong way, but I have always found him to be interesting, informative and engaging. He gets a lot of people talking and tends to keep the conversations lively, so in my opinion, he adds a lot to this forum.

Stefan is also proud of his journey from poor health to avid e-cyclist, (as he should be). He is quite outspoken about his love of Specialized, (I don’t know why that seems to bother some). In my opinion, the forum would be a much less interesting place without Stefan.

 

[Wes Turner]

Can we take a step back and look at the nature of both falls - they sound like falls, not bike crashes?

Yes, quite right. The first was in the driveway and caused by a tennis racket sticking up too high in back. I fixed that problem. And a step-through bike will fix it even better.

If so, I'd suggest working on flexibility / falls prevention before exploring the equipment suggestions above.

Why not do both?

NB , I have spent a small fortune on protective equipment / appropriate shoes and pedals , and am a firm believer in wearing ATGAT.

Do you mean ATTGAT? I had to look that up. It seems that is more about motorcycling, than biking, no?

Three kids and myself mountain bike riding.... I'm more than happy to start discussing choices - short answer is go for impact absorbing padding, ideally with an abrasion resistant outer. Go as light and flexible / perforated as you need for the type of crash you intend to have - that way you will be wearing it.

Ok, that sounds like good advice.

Think very carefully before installing spiked pedals - they can shred shins in seconds.

Yikes! Even the nylon ones? I probably won't be riding more than 25 miles a week, so even if they do wear out quickly, it may not be a serious problem for me. And I do like that they help keep the feet on the pedals. I have noticed that my shoes tend to slip around a bit.

If you really desire to go this way, then it's time to consider if the knee pads should extend to shins.

Good point.

Brands? Go for the one that fits you and feels comfortable and you can afford - but ONLY if it's got padding that dissipates impact / hardens on impact. Try them on in shops!

BTW, the specialized guards are OK but not spectacular. They're a bit hot for the level of protection needed, don't feel as impact adsorbing as , eg my IXS or even g form. Pearl izumi feel a bit stiff for my liking but harden up slightly quicker on impact to the ixs. Fox fall down my legs. Leatt make great gear but it doesn't fit my legs. 100% make a nice compromise - good abrasion layer, flexible but impact absorbing pads, reasonabl shin cover, open weave behind the knee - but just a bit too hot for me.

Thanks. I'll look into all that.

 

[Wes Turner]

You will eventually notice he has a special interest.

Don't we all?

DO NOT follow his advice re specialized pads. My daughter used a set for a year, they were reasonable but not outstanding. The pads offer poor impact absorption, and they fell apart on the first crash. Admittedly that was a few years ago and there may have been improvements in design, but I'd suggest buying protective equipment from companies that design protective equipment ratherthan offer them as an option for brand conscious consumers.

I think I am able to compare comments and adapt recommendations to my particular needs. I appreciate his suggestions as I do yours. I am new to all this, so I appreciate a variety of opinions from people with different backgrounds.

Thanks

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Even the nylon ones?

Nah...

I bought the pair of Raceface Ride pedals for my gf (she stays overseas and we meet each other not often, and when we do, we rarely ride e-bikes). She has a treasure of long legs, and the Rides were meant to save the beauty of her limbs. She was twice on our rides with a bad crash on the first one of them. The pedals did not hurt her. Later, I rode with those pedals myself until they got worn. Still keep the pair as a backup.

 

[PDoz]

There are 2 types of nylon pedals, the following is mostly satire, but contains some unfortunate truths.

1 Nylon with studs, eg https://int.oneupcomponents.com/products/comp-pedal
These grip amazingly, but have the potential to attack you. Sometimes, it feels like being in the same room as them can be dangerous ,, at least that's why my shins bleed before a ride. - nothing at all to do with me being clumbsy.
They are adjustable - you can adjust the height or number of spikes , even place them where your foot likes ( great for those of os with weird shaped feet) .
The studs can be replaced as they wear , AND you can speed up that process with eg a file to make them bumps rather than spikes. Or just insert them backwards to have allen heads for grips instead of spikes.

So mountain bike tech - designed for people with dubious risk / reward algorithms to mostly keep sticky shoes on dangerous platforms. BUT VERY ADAPTABLE to normal cyclists if you can decide on a grip vs grief preference.

2 Showroom specials. These evil creatures were designed to be put on kids bikes so unsuspecting parents think their child has grippy pedals Made from various types of plastic, including nylon which is a relatively hard wearing low friction surface in other industries..... When new, they give the illusion of grip - at least untill they are wet. But over time those nylon ribs will round, so one day you will be relying on a rounded slippery wet surface for traction. I remember having these on my bmx as a child, it was a great way to develop crash skills.