Elbow Pads really all that necessary?

661 2x4 arm guards can be strapped to your top or down tube, so the weather here in Socal is not an excuse not to have them if you want the extra protection on the down hill trails. Most of the spills that I have taken where I put the pads to use was when I wasn't doing anything very extreme, and got lazy towards the end of a long ride. Bottom line, there's no inconvenience strapping them to your frame and using them for th DH's. I'm sure Maxwell and Painfreak would've been wearing their pads if they were strapped to their frames. One thing I know for certain is every time I go OTB on a steep trail and take a good tumble I know the pads where my best dollar per dollar investment. Helmets on the otherhand are optional.

 

eiw maxwell. too early to see that. bleagh.

 

I would not suggest continuing this method. If you use your hand to soften your fall you may end up with a broken wrist. I learned that at 8 years old racing motocross.
I just bought some elbow pads on chainlove for 12 dollars and was kind of questioning if I should keep them or not. But then after seeing a few of the pictures on this thread, I may want to keep them. #-o

 

i rarely used them before i smashed my elbow a year ago on rock-it. it still won't straighten all the way...

shit happens--you spin out on a climb, wash-out in the sand, etc. so i got some cheap 661's. they're light, comfy, and if it's hot i just slide them down to my wrist on climbs.

also, i feel a lot more confident with them on, but i still "forget" to wear them sometimes and often pay the price.

 

I think the answer here is yes they are very important pads are pads for a reason.:-kas a matter a fact i think i saw some cheap elbow pads at the dollar store!

 

I never thought i would need any pads until I saw my friend eat it and then I went out and bought some. 661 has some sick deals on their website from time to time on their closeout section. I think my friend got the 2x4 arm and 4x4 knee for less then $30 combined but that was a while ago.

 

I always wear pads and a full face helmet. I even have sexy ass padded shorts for under my DH shorts! I also wear DH gloves etc... the whole works. I'd rather be uncomfortable and hot than all bloody and scraped up.

It seems as though EVERYTIME that I "forget" certain items to wear, that is EXACTLY where I injure myself. So I've learned my lesson. Wear the pads and stuff and enjoy the ride.

Sometimes I take the stuff off when I am pushing my bike up to the top of a run. The Camelbak Havoc has a lot of room to hold your gear.

When I ride the DJ's at Kenter, I wear a mullet helmet. I should wear the FF but it seems like too much. I don't go crazy, I know my limits....usually.

 

dont put your hand out to stop you fall, your wrist will give out sooner or later. get elbow pads, if not, at least wear long sleeves. long sleeves help with sun exposure too.

 

dont like them but they have saved me a few times. i just wear them on the decent and throw in the pack for the way back up. better to have them and not need them to not have them and need them

 

I just have this to say, my friend never believed in pads, but one day I talked him into getting some elbow pads since he had been scrappen em up quite a bit recently. That afternoon we went to the shoots, and he went otb, right on to his elbow. It tore a gash when he landed on a rock, through the pad. If he hadn't been wearing em, it would have really been serious, now he won't go without them. What I'm trying to get at, is gear is a nuisance when you aren't falling, but O so worth it when you do.

 

I sure know that one!...four broken wrists later.#-o


Some bad habits are harder to break than wrists.

 

I wear them, religiously. Even on the easiest of trails. However I have a decent excuse. Full sleeve tattoo's. Even the slightest boo-boo can make a EXPENSIVE repair. I've tried several pairs and never been really happy. Same with knee pads. I have one fully tattooed lower leg and all the leg pads i've not liked. I have fox, Roach and protecs. Im thinking of giving knees a shot those.

 

or how about a dislocated shoulder..:-k tell me about it

 

Should have had mine on last weekend! Now I'm nursing my elbow (and my shoulder)... Oh, and I'm heading to Fruita / Moab / Hurricane for 10 days tomorrow.

Come on body, heal up, heal up quickly. #-o

 

I only think they are worth wearing when I crash. If only I could perfect the art of pulling them out of my pack and putting them on just before I hit the ground, I would never wear them while riding.
Seriously though, I have ridden hundreds of times when I could have worn no protection at all: it is that one ride where it goes wrong that I am very happy I padded up (again) before the ride. The pictures of injuries in this post speak for themselves and it is a risk every rider faces and every rider has to come to terms with.
As for me: always knee pads on descents (and quite often climbs if i am too lazy to put them in my pack) and sometimes elbows. The full finger glove thing is a must for me.

 

Depends what you mean by "necessary"...

 

I did not wear elbow pads on a ride in SJT, crashed in one of many ruts, got an infection and my testicles swelled up and had to be drained of green liquid, anyone wanna ride with me.

 

thinking of these since they are so lite. Any body have trail time with them?661 xc lite http://www.sixsixone.com/Catalog_661Bike.aspx?id=1ad81d1b-70d2-4da3-9a01-9f847b6a83c7&product=27b844d0-b734-4005-b7d6-39cddd59d959