Leg Protection: The forgotten limbs...

I wear Levi's with icon Stryker shorts and Thor knee pads and alpinestars smx-1 boots for streets.

I hope I get Gtam approval to continue riding
 
With full race boots you are limited to what knee protection you can get (normally the ones without the full shin guard).

I am wearing Arcteryx knee guards. They are not 'motorcycle' grade but they are very comfortable, don't move around, and WILL stay in place and resist abrasion. They are tough but flexible so they won't crack open in an impact, but aren't as impact resistant as say an icon stryker guard. I am looking into a few other smaller knee guards but that is what I'm wearing atm as I also use them for snowboarding and ice climbing.
 
I slid my first year in jeans....not fun or pretty. Jeans almost "melt" into your skin. Getting them off was way worse than the crash!

I've still got the scars 24 years later.

Wear something other than just denim is my advice
 
I have a pair of Bristol leather jeans which I wear when the weather permits or on long trips but they're hot in summer. They are heavy solid pants, but no armour.

I normally wear jeans, but if I'm going far or doing dirt/gravel, I have a set of good rollerblade knee pads that fit under my pants.

I've wiped out on my rollerblades and they did the job.
 
Thanks for all the input so far as it has given me a much better perspective on leg protection. To answer a few of the questions that came up I wanted to firstly address that I have a huge respect for bikes as a machine and a hobby and have dedicated my first two seasons entirely to reading, learning and practicing the skill.

Like many I am sure, when I am on my bike, it is one of the best feelings in the world and nothing seems to make me happier. However given my extremely active lifestyle, I occasionally find myself balancing if this "feeling" is worth it as a serious injury would be absolutely devastating to me. I am not riding around in worry or anything to that extent at all. It is merely a thought that I sometimes get and of course friends and family consistently remind me of. This is a personal thing and of course writing this on a motorcycle forum I am going to get basically everyone telling me that it is okay and I will have to make the decision for myself.

In terms of protection, I feel I have done everything right up to this point and was simply looking for some guidance to help clarify if my current leg protection would protect me against rash and if more impact resistance was needed. Many options have been outlined and I greatly thank you all. Lastly for those that mentioned it, additional courses and training are a fantastic idea and are actually planned for first thing this season if I do continue riding. As soon as I fire up the ol' beast, I have a feeling my decision will be made very easy!:)
 
I wear Forcefield Knee protectors under my jeans in the summer time when it's hot out. I bought them from Tony at Bluestreak. The knee protectors are flexible and very comfortable.

During the spring and fall, when it's cooler out, I wear Joe Rocket Ballistic pants with built-in knee armour. I might consider tossing that armour and wearing the Forcefield knee protectors under those pants, as someone posted that built-in armour doesn't stay in place very well.

I should really look into mesh pants for hot weather riding, but I don't like the inconvenience of changing when I get to the office.
 
conundrum said:
forum crashed when I posted and I lost my message...

Anyhow, the jist of what I had typed was I use Joe Rocket Alter Ego pants, and found the knee protection to be completely useless. I removed them and replaced them with a pair of Dainese Knee V Guards, and couldn't be happier with them (GP Sells them for around $80 -- http://gpbikes.com/dainese-knee-v.html).

dainese-knee-v-black_700_600_3nm0s.jpg


The important thing is to get ones that have the strap above the knee -- Originally I picked up a pair of Icon Strykers which didn't, and promptly took them back for an exchange (since they didn't articulate at all.

Also as others have mentioned outside of pants a back protector might be a good idea -- I removed the foam pad in my jacket and bought an AlpineStars Bionic back protector instead.
Click to expand...

+1 for these!!! I ahve them too, and can't believe more people aren't wearing them. You could wear them for HOURS comfortably... and they were cheap as hell (~$75). I'll be wearing them under kevlar jeans this year... can't WAIT!!!
 
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