Some noob questions regarding Enduro Gear..

kiwi

kiwi

Well-known member
Hi Guys,

so It looks like dirt riding will be in my future :) I'm primarily interested in doing technical trails and woods riding.. Enduro pretty much rather than MX..
Had a few questions as a noob to all this . (Well , I've been to trail tours in Ganaraska Forest about 7 or 8 times now.. )

* What kind of protection do you guys use? traditional roost protection or an under jersey armoured shirt? Is this just a personal preference thing or is one more suited to one type of riding. Now I have had my fair share of spills, both big and small, and I am sure that will continue ;-)

* Pants/Jersey - I figure anything from the major brands would be fine.. AlpineStars, Fox, Fly, Shift, Thor? More airflow the better?

any comments, links to other sites with information etc all appreciated!

Cheers
 
kiwi said:
* What kind of protection do you guys use?
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Roost guard, knee and elbow armor. MX Jersey over everything. MX boots.

I have the armored shirt held together by mesh, but even with the mesh, I tend to overheat a lot so that piece of gear has pretty much taken up permanent residence in the closet.

kiwi said:
* Pants/Jersey - I figure anything from the major brands would be fine.. AlpineStars, Fox, Fly, Shift, Thor? More airflow the better?
Click to expand...

Thor and Fox for me, but I don't see any difference in brands - a jersey is a jersey, pants are pants. Shopping around for armor is probably more important - protection, articulation, comfort, etc. If it's uncomfortable or restricts your movement, it's gonna stay in the closet, no matter how good the protection is.

Bottom line, airflow is the most important for me, because I get so hot on the trails.
 
Real MX boots are the top priority for me, followed by knee protectors. Everything else prioritizes airflow.

I gotta say that I don't really understand solid textile MX pants; it seems like they would just be a bag of sweat in the woods. I am going to have to switch to vented MX pants next season though, as Walmart stopped carrying the $15 carpenter pants that I've been using.
 
Lightcycle said:
Roost guard, knee and elbow armor. MX Jersey over everything. MX boots.

I have the armored shirt held together by mesh, but even with the mesh, I tend to overheat a lot so that piece of gear has pretty much taken up permanent residence in the closet.
Thor and Fox for me, but I don't see any difference in brands - a jersey is a jersey, pants are pants. Shopping around for armor is probably more important - protection, articulation, comfort, etc. If it's uncomfortable or restricts your movement, it's gonna stay in the closet, no matter how good the protection is.

Bottom line, airflow is the most important for me, because I get so hot on the trails.
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thanks,, kinda along the lines of what I was thinking.. so you do the jersey over the roost etc? any particular reason? Does it affect the airflow?


Ash said:
Real MX boots are the top priority for me, followed by knee protectors. Everything else prioritizes airflow.

I gotta say that I don't really understand solid textile MX pants; it seems like they would just be a bag of sweat in the woods. I am going to have to switch to vented MX pants next season though, as Walmart stopped carrying the $15 carpenter pants that I've been using.
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That was my thoughts too.. but I think the solid material is for abrasion reasons. I have seen a few late model pants and jerseys that are full on mesh.. Looks like a lot of recent years gear use panels that allow airflow though.

I guess the more the airflow the better. If its cold out.. ie Spring/Autumn I can always layer up underneath.

Yeah, other than Helmet $$$ going into decent footware

thanks for the comments
 
Lightcycle said:
No sorry, roost guard over the jersey, everything else underneath.
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Roost guard is a waste of time in the woods armoured undershirt with Jersey over it. You arent on a mx track no one is roosting you.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
 
^^Same here. Armour underneath jersey, elbow/knee pads, pants and boots, no roost guard. Most importantly, a hydration pack if you don't already have one.

Sent from my SM-A500W using Tapatalk
 
Scuba Steve said:
Roost guard is a waste of time in the woods armoured undershirt with Jersey over it. You arent on a mx track no one is roosting you.
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Alpinestars Titan seems to be the more popular one.. I also saw one made by Leatt that looked good. Having hit the bars with my chest and gone over the front before, I'm leary of the zipper through the middle of the AlpineStars model..

Iceman said:
^^Same here. Armour underneath jersey, elbow/knee pads, pants and boots, no roost guard. Most importantly, a hydration pack if you don't already have one.
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yep. Got an old camelpak which I have used in the past. Best thing to have with you for sure!
 
All I'll add, is get a boot that is designed for enduro riding. Most MX specific boots have no tread on the sole. Real crappy when the terrain is wet.

Also, I lot of woods crashes involve shoulder impacts. I use a full upper body armour suit from my DH mountain biking days. As a rider who's had both shoulders operated on, the rigid armour on my shoulders is the cats meow!!

Protect your noodle, and your knees!
 
I wear MX gear. A chest protector will protect you from being impaled by small branches or if you go for a slide. Most also have a webbing that sits on your shoulder to protect them from impacts. The MX pants help with abrasion but get a pair of padded shorts, they'll save your hips. Proper knee pads protect your knees/schins but also make your boots fit properly. Always worn MX boots, muddy or not I'm not walking so...
 
Some good advice in here already.

Spend the money on a good helmet and boots. If I was buying right now I'd only be looking at helmets either from 6d or one of the manufacturers that uses mips technology. I'm not a smart guy but if you read about either products it makes sense how it works over traditional helmet tech. Boots something like the Tech 7 or Tech 10 from Alpinestars, stay away from the entry level models. A lot of high end boots offer an enduro version of the mx boot like mentioned.

I wear long knee pads not braces. Something's got to give at a certain point, I'd rather blow out a knee then break a femur. Again not a smart guy just my thinking and my comfort.

Generally I use a Troy Lee Designs mesh short sleeve upper body protection. I mainly want some protection for my back and shoulders and I find roost protectors can be lacking in this area. Occasionally when I'm racing mx I'll run a Thor sentinel roost guard but I feel a lot less protected with it but it is much less bulky which is a bonus.

I'm starting to wear my elbow pads less and less. I find I get arm pump more often with them on so I've sort of decided against wearing them.

Try googles on with the helmet you will be wearing. They all fit slightly different and you don't want something that will push down on your nose and restrict breathing.

I wear athletic base layers it helps to keep you cool and the gear from chafing.

Gear I like something with leather or a thicker material in the knees. My current Shift stuff just has textile over the knees and has worn a hole in them rather quickly.
 
fantastic information from everyone!

Seems just like street gear, everyone has a different combination of protection/flexibility/comfort level.

I'm sure gear will change as I get more into it and see what works for me..

I was wondering about all the MX gear boots I keep seeing with what I considered "smooth" soles. From my previous woods riding experiences I do spend a bit of time picking my bike up and pushing it around obstacles ;-)
 
If you wrap yourself around a tree and there is a small branch sticking out? don't you want the roost protection your chest where things like you know, your heart are :)
Edit: didn't realize you said armored under suit, so I digress.


OP
I am coming by tonight to pickup the rain gear, I'm coming from the ganny and I can show you what equipment I have since I will have it with me.

Most important things for me:
MX pants, they save me from branch scratches and they have some padding for when you have an off, not much but I find the little they have help
MX boots, this is a must, here is where your money should go
Goggles - here is also were I spare no expense. Ventilation is a must and fit
Helmet - whatever, all of them are good, the more expensive the lighter they are and better ventilation
Knee guards - i started without them and now I feel they are a must.
A good water pack - small but big enough to carry spare goggles, some basic tools and some basic spares like leavers. I have two the Klim and the Zac pack. I use the Klim mostly but when i go out with a group of faster riders I use the Zac because it has the roost protection. When alone since I don't ride fast alone I use the klim.
Gloves - just make sure they fit. More important are the grips on the bike.

Good knee braces should be used but I don't yet, mix of wanting to be comfortable and not wanting to spend 800 bucks. for now the knee pads will do.

Scuba Steve said:
Roost guard is a waste of time in the woods armoured undershirt with Jersey over it. You arent on a mx track no one is roosting you.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
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All these replies so far and no one has mentioned a neck brace? I use an Atlas neck brace all the time.

Personally when I was riding woods only I wore a Leatt armour suit thing with full protection. Now that I ride MX a lot more I've gone to just a "roost guard" and kidney belt for upper body. I put roost guard in quotes because there is also a back panel that is padded for impacts.

Everyone else here has given great advice so I won't repeat the redundant stuff.
 
Scuba Steve said:
Roost guard is a waste of time in the woods armoured undershirt with Jersey over it. You arent on a mx track no one is roosting you.
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I like it because it's got chest protection, back protection and shoulder guards.

As mentioned before, I have an armored undershirt but it's not enough airflow for me, so I overheat in it.
 
Handguards - sure they'll halp save your levers but they're mostly for personal protection against losing fingers. These are a must for single track. I don't mean the cheap ones that only attach at the front of the grip. You need one's with metal that attach on both ends of the grip and wrap around your hands.
Roost protection but mostly tree protection - you may start out riding alone but chances are you're going to meet people and ride with them. You will get roosted in singletrack and on main trails in between singletrack. Mostly though you're going to bash trees with your shoulders and forearms/elbows on daily occurances and like with more of your body when you crash.

Knee pads/braces - protects your knees for obvious reasons as stated but also adds some width to your knees and helps you grip the bike and reduce arm-pump.
 
I crash a lot, so I wear the following:

Helmet
Goggles
Neck Brace
Full upper body armor
Mesh jersey
MX gloves
Hydration pack
Hip/tailbone padded shorts
MX pants
Knee/shin protection
MX boots
 
All good comments above.

I started riding with what I thought was good safety gear and after each crash I would learn what I needed for MY style of riding (probably Gumby style).
I would highly suggest trying on the products together if possible. For example I have a short neck and find certain helmets don't work with leatt brace, and leatt fit better with certain roost guards. The last jersey I bought online had tight forearms which don't work well with elbow guards.

Most important for me in order of importance:
Helmet

Neck Brace - crashed over bars at speed while wearing leatt and cracked my helmet open. After crash I did not even have a sore neck or scratch. (should have bought a lottery ticket). At 5'10" I often go over the handlebars trying to get over big logs and neck brace gives me comfort to try it.

Boots - Started with Fox enduro boots (softer boot with treads) but after a whiskey throttle crash my foot peg went thru the shin area and I was on crutches for weeks. Now I ride with Sidi Crossfire boots which have a hard outer surface to prevent punctures from sticks, foot pegs etc.

Knee guards - started with a normal pair (similar to hockey version) but crashed and hit right above my pad on knee (limping for weeks), then bought a pair of Thor Force knee guards which strap both above and below the knee with joints on the side. At C$110 it is a cheap alternative to knee braces.

Leatt Roost Guard - one with the webbing under the shoulder for crashing especially in trees/stumps. I wore a friends under armor jacket but I boiled.

Elbow guard - knock on wood I have not replaced these. I wear a pair of six six one comp elbow guards with hard plastic down to wrist as I tend to fall on rocks.

Clearly I should simply become a better rider, but at 47 I don't think I will ever become a great rider so I simply assume I am going to eat it when riding too hard and dress for it. Some of the gear (like boots) are really expensive but cheap when compared to not working when on crutches.

Cheers!
 
Hardwrkr13 said:
Handguards - sure they'll halp save your levers but they're mostly for personal protection against losing fingers. These are a must for single track. I don't mean the cheap ones that only attach at the front of the grip. You need one's with metal that attach on both ends of the grip and wrap around your hands.
Roost protection but mostly tree protection - you may start out riding alone but chances are you're going to meet people and ride with them. You will get roosted in singletrack and on main trails in between singletrack. Mostly though you're going to bash trees with your shoulders and forearms/elbows on daily occurances and like with more of your body when you crash.

Knee pads/braces - protects your knees for obvious reasons as stated but also adds some width to your knees and helps you grip the bike and reduce arm-pump.
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The better riders ( top level woods racers) dont and wont run handguards due to the broken wrist injuries they tend to cause. For me I run them and have bashed them good a few times but can see how not having them can be safer at times.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
 
Scuba Steve said:
The better riders ( top level woods racers) dont and wont run handguards due to the broken wrist injuries they tend to cause. For me I run them and have bashed them good a few times but can see how not having them can be safer at times.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
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Interesting. That seems like it could be solved with hinges that allowed the guards to open forward but not push back. I haven't watched or taken part in enough dirt bike crashes to know if this would work.
 
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