Crash Protection

[DorsetPootler]

This thread stems from me coming off my bike a few days ago, leading to a dislocated thumb and a grazed knee.

I wonder why cyclists are so blase about injuries, relative to (say) roller bladers, who typically wear wrist, knee and elbow protectors, as well as helmets. Falling off roller blades is relatively benign, not far to fall, and evolution has given us an excellent automatic response that spreads the impact across wrists and knees. The automatic falling response can't cater for the presence and twisting effect of a bike.

Can readers suggest any protective wear for cyclists, besides the obvious helmets and gloves?

I intend to start wearing knee protectors, but skaters wrist guards are not suitable as they prevent gripping the handlebars.

 

[MichaelW2]

Skaters are either novices who fall over a lot, or experienced ones who do extreme stunts and fall over a lot. Padding protection is only used by stunt cyclists who fall ovet a lot. See the stuff used by BMX, MTB slope and downhill riders. Unless you have a medical condition, additional protection is never considered worthwhile. A grazed knee or elbow heals up quickly. Gloves provide essential crash protection because hands dont heal up quickly. The next most useful protection is hip protection because a bad crash can break a hip with serious consequences.

The novice reaction to a bike fall us to put your hand out to break your fall. Wrong! You will break your shoulder. You hold the bars, tuck in your elbows and chin and take the impact on your upper arm, if possible leaning down to let your arm impact before your hips.

 

[vickster]

No typical protective gear would have prevented the injuries I sustained in August crash, namely haematoma from knee to ankle, torn ankle ligaments, torn meniscus. bruised hip, ok possibly elbow scrape might have been prevented by elbow pads
So I stick with helmet and mitts (although my palms were still bruised, just not shredded). Each to their own, many don’t even feel those are of benefit.
I doubt anything would have prevented your dislocated thumb, other than not coming off

 

[Profpointy]

Despite your recent experience it's actually pretty rare to fall off a bike in the normal course of things. When skateboarding and the like I assume people fall off a lot, several times a day evenas the whole thing is about doing tricks. I've come of my bike twice in the last 15 years - once landing on my shoulder - and I think shoulder pads would be wholly impractical for cycling (incidentally my bare head missed the ground by maybe the thickness of a helmet !) and other occasion I was badly winded and ended up vomiting and quite poorly in bed for a few days, yet hardly had a mark on me so again, not sure what protective gear would have helped (symptoms could have been coincidence)

 

[iluvmybike]

This thread stems from me coming off my bike a few days ago, leading to a dislocated thumb and a grazed knee.

I wonder why cyclists are so blaze about injuries, relative to (say) roller bladers, who typically wear wrist, knee and elbow protectors, as well as helmets. Falling off roller blades is relatively benign, not far to fall, and evolution has given us an excellent automatic response that spreads the impact across wrists and knees. The automatic falling response can't cater for the presence and twisting effect of a bike.

Can readers suggest any protective wear for cyclists, besides the obvious helmets and gloves?

I intend to start wearing knee protectors, but skaters wrist guards are not suitable as they prevent gripping the handlebars.

There are a shed load of protective items - leg pads, knee pads, arm pads, elbow pads, shoulde rpads, padded shorts the list is endless- mostly designed for mtb. Just google it...but none will stop you damaging yourself somehow just mitigate the effects.

 

[Drago]

Who says that thinking cyclists are blase about the possibility of injuries?

it needs to be put into context. For example, you're more likely to die of a head injury while travelling in a car, yet which group is the one pressured to wear lids?

You are correct. Evolution has adapted the human body with certain mechanisms to absorb impact. For example, wrists and collarbones will usually break first, thus reducing forces experienced by the rest of the body and helping to protect the vital injuries.

It's small consolation to you, but your injuries are relatively unusual. There's no limit to the PPE you can wear, but there has to be a sensible balance. For normal riding gloves or mitts, eye protection, and (if you blieve in their efficacy) a lid is all that is required. If you're a serious of roader going to extremes then leg, arm, chest and back protection might be worth considering. that said, I'm an MTB trainer and don't wear any of that.

your best defence is to ride dilligently, ensure your skills and roadcraft are genuinely up to what you're trying to do, and maintaining your machine in good order.

Good luck.

 

[MichaelW2]

One type crash protection is to wear two shirts. This may help against grazing not impact as the two layers slide against each other. This can also work with shorts with cycling shorts inner layer and polyester gym/sports shorts outer layer.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Your other posts refer to mainly off road riding, so that's relevant.
However, you also mention using pipe lagging on your handlebars for insulation and a loose gel cover for your saddle.
I'd concentrate, as @Drago says, on skills and setup.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Okay the risk manager in me is going to come out here.... I think one's personal perception of a need for protective equipment in any endeavour is coloured by how likely you are to come a cropper, and what the consequence might be. You do a bit of an internal risk assessment, (however subconscious and informal that might be), and you weigh up how comfortable you are with the risk.

I roller skate, and I'm relatively newish to it still.... When I started to learn (about 4 years ago), I wore wrist protectors, knee pads and elbow pads, but that was because (a) I was in my 40s and injuries take longer to heal and (b) I was new to it so I was falling over really quite a bit. I'd have at least a stumble per session. The pads helped me gain confidence, knowing that a spill was likely going to be less painful. (My most painful bump was hitting my unpadded forearm flat against the ground, so pads are no panacaea). I've now dropped the knee pads as they're bulky and I've not fallen in a long time. For now I keep the wrist protectors but I imagine they'll go eventually.

I've also not fallen off a bike in a very, very long time, so heading out on my bike I wouldn't even consider, let alone feel a need for knee pads etc. I'll put a helmet on (that's chiefly to keep my wife and kids happy) and I'll put gloves on because gravel rash on palms is nasty, and I put glasses on because I've taken a sting in the eye more than I've fallen off, and it hurt. But that's all I feel I need for say, a couple of hours out on a road.
If on the other hand I was setting out to learn some BMX stunts, then that internal risk assessment would lead to pads I'm sure, because I know the likelihood of falling has just gone up to the point that I need to mitigate it.

 

[fossyant]

Road none (other than two layers). MTB, then my camelbak has spinal protection (previousl bad accident vs a car), and I'll use knee pads or elbow pads if I don't know where I'm going - knee pads very rarely though.

Advice, don't go putting your hand out in a crash, try and roll it.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Unless you wear boxing 🥊 gloves when riding not sure what you’d wear to prevent your dislocated thumb. A grazed knee is just a scrape like the many you had as a kid. No big deal, it’ll heal soon enough. Wearing knee pads not practical for anything other than short rides and do you really want to wear pads doing your shopping?

 

[Beespoke]

Hey you can never be too careful... I mean we should all look to take team sky's stance on it... because you just never know 🤣

In all honesty though, you can only go so far... skills session is a best way to improve.

The key is to either improve your skills level, to a point that you ride within a comfort zone 95% of the time, or improve your landing technique... both of which you've got to be prepared to take the rough with the smooth.

🐝

 

[Dave Davenport]

The only bit of 'safety' equipment I make a point of wearing whilst cycling is a pair of glasses, tiny pieces of various gritty matter seem to be excessively attracted to my eyeballs, having ended up having my peelers poked about at the eye hospital on three occasions already, I'm quite keen on avoiding the place in future.

 

[DCBassman]

and take the impact on your upper arm

And then break your shoulder. DAMHIKT...

 

[MichaelW2]

And then break your shoulder. DAMHIKT...

You can shoulder barge with considerable force without causing serious injury.