I kind of agree, I am just persevering though in the hope that the inconvenience will pay off one day.

 

Yup! I’m the same. I like gripping the bike with my lower legs quite firmly. I too use Leatt knee guards but mine are d30 hybrid extension ones. Hard where needed. Soft everywhere else. Based on comfort alone, you’ll struggle to find better.

The big question with braces is do they stop certain injuries to knees. The answer is yes. Can they cause other injuries to you? The answer is also yes.

I’ve yet to see any clear proof that a brace will prevent an injury under some circumstances. Even Jarvis destroyed a knee wearing the very type of brace that is supposed to stop it from happening. Any human joint is very weak if loaded in the wrong direction.

If you choose not to use braces, decent technique is more important. Understand the danger zones and avoid dangling legs in odd places. You also need to do specific exercises to strengthen knees and the tendons and ligaments that support them. The boots we wear to protect feet are heavy. These add mass in an area that our knees are not designed to be loaded with. Sticking feet out at the wrong time or in the wrong way is dangerous. Aim to keep weight on the pegs and you’ll struggle to hurt a knee I reckon.

Pray for luck too. That injury can always happen like any other can. You just have to be proportional in how you accept the risk and deal with it.

 

I often find too when I'm wearing Knee pads rather than braces, my legs are more agile too, I am able to get them out the way quicker or get a foot down quickly when needed.

I am still not sold on the knee brace idea for enduro

 

No experience of the open sided guards… but get the point. I’ve been happy with my K8 V2’s, don’t tweak my knee as much as I used to… could also be experience regarding flappy feet. [emoji2957] Main protection interest for me is surviving 4th gear plus dismounts. [emoji2957][emoji43]‍[emoji94][emoji28]

When I ride the 300EXC on the scrubland out back of here, I just ride in trials boots and pants. Much better feeling/grip. Think you just have to consciously work on the former.

According to AJ Catanzaro we should try and think about standing on the balls of our feet, with our toes slightly turned in (not quite hen-toed) to lock our knees in…

According to Ryan Hughes we should ditch all the braces and raw dawg it…

Answers on a postcard to the above address… [emoji2957][emoji28]

Pindie’s knee guards sound good… Mrs uses the A* Bionic ones which are decent too. Won’t fit me to trial unfortunately. [emoji23]

 

POD K8’s for me, never tried anything else. Agree they are slightly cumbersome and restrictive but I feel safer in them. Regarding gripping the bike, I have gone through numerous pairs of MX trousers on the inside knee from the hinge wearing through. On the plus side I now have plenty of riding shorts for the summer😎

 

I am finding it a real struggle to get on with knee braces, I have tried 3 pairs now POD K4, K8 & Leatt X Frame and I just can't get on with them!

The issue I have, apart from being uncomfortable, is I can't grip the bike with my legs very well with them as the hinge it the only part gripping the bike and therefore my arms just get tired and my riding goes crap, and they are becoming a hindrance rather than a positive, causing me to make mistakes when riding.

As soon as I put my Leatt dual axis knee pads on it transforms my riding, I can grip the bike much better with my legs and feel exactly what is going on and I feel part of the bike rather than a passenger!

Anyone had this issue? Are Leatt C frames better as they don't have an inside hinge?

I feel the same mate, I've got the leat z frame I think they called. Just feel like my legs slide everywhere

 

Maybe background influences this choice? I’ve never been a big MX fan so there’s been no need for me to have braces for that. I’ve messed about with trials so if you don’t have a pre existing injury to a knee, movement is everything. You also learn to keep feet on pegs and out of harms way like AJ says. If you have a previous injury then I can see the benefit but only up to the point your knee can’t work naturally like Ryno says. They both have a point.

How many times have you seen someone riding around a turn with a leg just dangling in the breeze with a very weak plan it’ll save them in a crash. It won’t. The leg will just become a victim of the forward motion, bike weight and the foot gripping the floor- the weak point is then the knee joint. In their head they are emulating an MX pro….

If riding wet grass you try to keep your foot high, up by the mudguard so well out the way or its feet’s solidly on pegs. If you then crash due to slippage? Your ass hits the floor or your whole side goes down so you slide. Nothing is sticking out and dangling.

Everts stands a lot through corners that many would stick the MX leg out. Maybe Stefan has worked out this non leg out is the safest method as well as faster and less fatiguing? Watch any pro and they don’t dangle any legs. It’s right up by the mudguard or on the pegs. No dangling legs.

Maybe the question should be are you a leg dangler or not? This all comes back to technique I suppose. What we feel we are doing when riding, isn’t what we are actually doing. Look at Knighters TBi vids. The dudes got false hips but his leg is never just dangling waiting to get battered.

 

I love my Leatt dual axis knee protectors. Like you I tried several knee braces after I had a torn ligament and the doc said get some. Only ones I could get on with were the Leatt X-Frame. It took me about 4 or 5 rides till I got used to them. No problem anymore but I admit I don't grab the bike with my knees as much as I should and I am not a good rider.

What annoys me is getting them on with all the straps and then struggling getting the trousers over them, so haven't used them recently and used the dual axis instead....

 

Yes starting to think stick with my Leatt dual axis, yes they wont stop hyper extension, but they do infact surround the knee and shin better than the knee braces when falling off and landing on knees.

 

Comfort breeds confidence… probably better off sticking with what makes you feel better on the bike. That way you can concentrate on stopping on which will reduce the risk of potential hyper extension. [emoji28]

 

You've got to look at knee braces like you look at helmets....

They will help in 99% of cases, you can still die wearing a helmet, you can still become a cabbage wearing a helmet, but you still wear one.

Braces are the same, they will help in 99% of cases but you can still fuck your knee up wearing one, yes you can break your femur or other bones but what else would you have fucked up by not wearing one?

Get the best you can afford, if you can twist or bend the brace it's going to be useless, it's surprising how much crap is out there.

 

If you have got the money go CTI knee brace. They are made to measure

 

Yeah, customs aren't cheap but really comfy

 

Pod K8 V2’s are every bit as good IMHO.

 

I ride trails - slow compared to any racing, I don't dangle my leg, typically falling off involves hitting the deck before reflexes start to wake up for a foot dab ;-)

Occasionally fo dab foot, but lowish speeds mean lower risks, and dabbing tends to be whilst barely above walking pace.

What I find is on an enduro fun day I may find myself wanting to dab in faster corners (local place has an MX track and enduro loop) and that is where I feel the risk, although what I find a dab does is whip my leg back / out real quick and tweaks my upper / inner thigh as i start going towards a position my legs have not been able to attain for 30 years.

I think if I was racing I would try anything and everything, but for slow trails I just find comfort and flexibility is my primary concern, I also find MX style boots awful and use trail / adventure style ones - which aggravate dabbing as they have grippy soles, no gliding sideways with foot skimming floor possible with these - or my abilities ;-)

 

Well I made the switch to Leatt C frames and they are much more comfortable and I can actually grip the bike with my knees so they are almost as comfy as my old knee pads.

But...... there are loads of gapped areas where debris e.g. branch or rocks could smash in to my knees should I fall off! the knee pads complete covered my knee cap from this!

I am being too paranoid?

 

Well I made the switch to Leatt C frames and they are much more comfortable and I can actually grip the bike with my knees so they are almost as comfy as my old knee pads.

But...... there are loads of gapped areas where debris e.g. branch or rocks could smash in to my knees should I fall off! the knee pads complete covered my knee cap from this!

I am being too paranoid?

No you aren't. When my doc and former riding buddy recommended to get knee braces instead of knee guards I went through all of this. After sitting hours and hours in front of my laptop, talking to almost every rider I know I came to the conclusion that there are no knee braces that provide good protection for the knee and knee cap. Saying protection I mean impact protection.
The so called shin and knee guards like the Leatt Dual Axis or Fox D3O and others protect our knees well but aren't made to avoid hyperextension or simply avoid a twisted knee. The knee braces can protect against twisted knees and hyperextension but don't offer good knee impact protection. So whatever you wear your knees never have perfect protection.

I found a company in Germany and they are specialized in producing super expensive, individually customized braces. But apart from the fact that I would have to travel to Germany twice for the fitment, I could probably get a plane for that price. And if I'm unlucky, these braces could fail too.

 

I was once out on my trials bike messing about on some big grassy banks that had just had all the brambles cut. Lots of short stalks about 200mm long. No knee guards of any sort…..🙈.

I did a tight off camber turn and lost balance. Fell downhill and jumped free of the bike. Tripped on the bramble stubs and fell over. I went to get up and couldn’t. My left knee was stuck to the floor somehow. I looked down to find a bramble stump had gone through my trousers, through the skin on my knee, glanced off the knee cap and back out the skin. Bugger! Harpooned!

I had wire cutters in my bumbag. I used these to nip the bramble stalk off at ground level so could extract myself from my predicament. Then (in a lot of pain!) got the bike up and going to get home and remove the bramble section from my knee.

After this incident I’ve never ridden trials or enduro without something that covers my knees.

Do the Leatt braces have an extra cup you can add for more protection from a poke type injury?

 

No the C frames in particular have lots of areas for pokey things to enter which is concerning me!

 

If anyone's interested, I have a pair of CTI braces that I bought and have never really worn.
I bought them on a whim at one of the shows and never got into the habit of wearing them.
Complete with rucksack bag and a load of extra fittings.

 

Stefan Everts stylee…..

 

 

Beardy guy talks a lot of sense!

 

You all ride with big gaps in the front of your helmets...

Just sayin....

 

But there's nothing important inside the helmet....

😜

 

Yea If I was ringing MX then I would probably wear braces, but as they say in the video with knee guards I have much more control of the bike and therefore ride better and less accident prone, braces I just feel clumsy doing hills or over rocks, tyres, logs etc.