Why no one wears protection?

[ToniG123]

Having suffered a nasty fall (thanks to v1.2.6), I am definitely considering getting good protection (helmet, knee, wrist and elbow protection) when I get back on (still healing wounds).

The thing that puzzles me is that everyone says you must wear it, if you fall and hurt yourself it is your fault if you're not wearing it but if you check on the video threads and on facebook NO ONE WEARS IT !!

Show me one video of someone riding an EUC with protection and I'll show you thousands of people not wearing them.

Why, even Lewis Hamilton rides unprotected and he's risking big business !!

 

[Tom]

This is more a question of human nature  I think it takes one injury to learn that wearing protective gear is a requirement, but we're all guilty at some point!

[Chrisxr2]

I don't really go fast enough to need it I don't think.

[Paddylaz]

Probably a factor is also the relationship of someone's age to how fast their euc can go. 

Most of the YouTube videos are young guys...and of course most eucs don't go faster than 27km/h.....so I suppose at that speed and if you're young it's easy to run it off if you have a cutout.

Obviously as more and more eucs develop kingsong/gotway performance levels padding is going to become necessary.....unless you're Patrick swayze at the end of Point Break and you're willing to pay the ultimate price for the ultimate rush ?

[DangerousDick]

Guilty as charged here - think I'd feel very embarrassed if I was riding around with all the protective gear on, but then again better to feel the embarrassment than the road-rash you get WHEN you do come off!

Sorry, even though I've torn some skin off, and taken a few weeks to get my ankles / shins / knees looking 'normal' again I'm still riding around with nothing more than a pair of jeans / t-shirt!  Good job the temperature is falling around here, I'll HAVE TO put more layers on just to keep warm!

Common sense = zero (at least until the next time?)

Cool factor = only slightly above where it was before I stepped onto the Ninebotone in the first place but now that Lewis Hamilton has 'joined the club' this has risen considerably

[RidingInTheRain]

Well, I ride an Airwheel Q3, which is pretty slow, so I don't feel I need it. I plan to upgrade to the 16" KS though and I think I'll wear at least a helmet and wrist guards then. I already felt a bit unsafe on my brother's 9B1 because of the higher speed...

[Colestien]

  The first week I had two bloody elbows, and a sore rib.   It hurt me more when my son got hurt.  He is still having to keep a wrist wrapped.   I have wrist guards and pads still coming from Bang Good, and when they get here I'll use them.  After my last big spill I went out and bought a helmet. 

  I feel it has a lot to do with your confidence, and maybe pride.  " If I'm good enough and know my wheel, why would I need it?"   The more I ride the less I spill.  I haven't took a dive in a week now.  I'm not saying I've become a Pro overnight.   I'm saying somewhere in learning how to ride I've picked up a new skill set.  Now when something goes wrong I just "step away".   

We talked on a different thread about there not being very many ladies here.......

[Tom]

Whilst learning I wore helmet, knee pads, wrist guards and elbow pads. So yeah it does have lots to do with confidence because now I can ride I don't wear anything. That being said, I'm looking for better wrist guards to wear every time, they must be smaller and easy to slip on/off. A large part is owning protective gear that doesn't look clumsy and can easily be put on, that makes it more effective because I'm 10x more likely to want to wear it 

[carniflex]

When I was learning how to ride I used wrist guards but as my confidence grew I skipped em and just use some thicker leathergloves due to weather.

Now that I own a unlocked ips Zero Im going to buy some serious protection including a helmet, Im also buying a new set of baggy clothes so the protection dont stick out as much.

 

Even got a few stickers on the zero to cover all the scrapings.

[RichieV]

If I'm riding on unfamiliar ground or at speed, my tendency is to wear protective gear.  If I'm going over well known terrain or at a more leisurely pace, I will go without.

[Kevin]

Prime example of sampling bias. The people who wear protective gear are not the people who take videos 

I don't wear protective gear. This is mostly because I'm too lazy (both to buy and to wear the gear). Also, I ride slower on rough ground - generally if I fall off due to bad terrain, I fly forward and can run it off. The real dangers for me are cars backing out of parking spots, and people exiting shops - so in these situations I ride very slowly, pay more attention and give a very wide space to any parked cars or shop doors.

[Hank]

Well, I plan on wearing a helmet and plenty of gear as I learn to ride...  Probably use downhill mountain bike gear. 

 

I don't care how I look, I've seen enough road rash on people to learn from their mistakes...

[Rafał]

Sorry, but not wearing at least a helmet and wrist guards might end bad and everybody knows that but want to deny it. It is only a matter Of time and maybe how many km you will ride. The reason I always put them on while I feel quite confident right now is that I never know when it fails like it might because Of wrong firmware, weak battery, overcharging protection or maybe moisture getting into board compartment. 

From the other side people usually prefer learning on their own mistakes :-) 

[MrBump]

If I'm riding on unfamiliar ground or at speed, my tendency is to wear protective gear.  If I'm going over well known terrain or at a more leisurely pace, I will go without.

Same here - minimum of wrist guards and knee pads when scoping out a new route.

[MarkoMarjamaa]

Prime example of sampling bias. The people who wear protective gear are not the people who take videos 

 

Not entirely true. @esaj  and @vee73  use protection because they ride faster. Generally if you ride faster than your running speed, you need protection.

 

[James C. Smith]

I had protection on in the video I posted. I do cheat once in a while and go on a short trip with no protection. But I usually wear it and I was especially sure to put on the gear before recording myself. I wouldn't want any evidence of my cheating (not wearing protection)

[trya]

I'm using protection for all types of sessions - learning tricks, commuting, leisure runs, teaching others. This is my insurance, I hope it will not be put to actual use
On another hand, I'm 59 and had quite regular (2-3 a year) wipe-outs while cruising on a skateboard, so I know pretty well why I'm doing this.

[dpong]

The standard protections would have helped me very little in my accident because I bruised my ribs.  A skin abrasion on my palms or knees is not really my concern.  I do wear a helmet, but without a chin strap.  A head injury would be bad.  Bruised ribs or organs would be bad.  Skinned knees or elbows or palms..  I could deal with that. 

[Villac]

I wear protection.

Thinking about upgrading actually.

 https://vimeo.com/142474166

  https://vimeo.com/142474166

[ToniG123]

To those who think that it is a matter of speed, my faceplant ocurred totally unexpected, at slow speed (I figure I was doing around 10-12 km/h) as I was approaching a pedestrian crossing and on a completely flat surface (bycicle lane), nothing could have made me think I was going to be flying the next second. In just the blink of the eye I found myself on the floor without knowing what happened. I hurt my wrist and elbow by instinctively putting my hands first, I guess the wrist absorbed the impact and transmitted it to the elbow (or I took a blow to the elbow also, I can't really tell as it ocurred so quickly).

I know you are supposed to "run" off the euc (I have done it many times) and if you have to fall, try to roll (done it too) but as I said, when the fall is totally unexpected you don't have time to think or react, you just find yourself on the floor without a clue on what happened. It is different also if you are riding on rough terrain or you can see an obstacle coming, in which case you prepare and are very alert and probably can react much rapidly in that state.

My advice is to lose the cool and be safe.

 

[Rick McWilliams]

I wear a bicycle helmet and wrist protectors. Beginner falls often have palm contact. This is painful and can discourage a new euc rider. I do not post much as my ninebot is just transportation. I am surprised that people seei ti as unusual.

[Chuts]

I think it just depends on your skill level and how competent you are at riding your EU.  Faceplanted twice the first week when I was learning, while not wearing any protective gear.  Now 7 months riding  I have only experience one shutoff as I over leaned going uphill with low battery.  Managed to stay on my feet and run off it.  Second time traveling close to top speed I wasn't fast enough turning right on a rural pathway and went off the path and wheel dug into the soft ground and sent me flying but still managed to stay on my feet.

[Nevin@Tec-toyz.com]

Most people know right from wrong but choose not get equipment either

1. they are too lazy to do so

2. dont want to spend the money for good protective gear

3. Think it will never happen to me, I'm too good at this.

4. All of the above. (I might of miss one or two, but you get the point)

I've been riding with FOX racing enduro elbow and knee pads. They are for bmx/mountain biking. But as EU pads, they work like a charm! Pricy but they are comfortable and allow full range of movement. Just bought a light weight giant bike helmet as well vs. a skate board helmet. I wanted something light that provide good protection. Still looking for good wrist guards. 

I've been lucky so far not to get injuried during high speed mishaps. Had one on my Mten. I was able to  bail out at 12mph no problem. Msuper is another story, I don't think I can bail out at 21mph unscratched.

Get yourself good gear, I'm sure it will come in handy one day! Esp. if you push it ?

[Viktiga]

Why do people smoke cigarettes? Why does people drink and drive etc etc. We are just people. Unless something happens like a hard fall with broken bones we lie to ourselves and say "that will not happen to me."

But to be completely honest I would have to sell my ninebot one in case some law made it illegal for me to drive without headgear, kneepads etc.

[zlymex]

Below are something IMO related to incident and protection. 

Levels of incident:
1. Dismount, no ground touching other than rider's feet.
2. Fall with hand touching ground.
3. Fall and bruise hand/knee/elbow, takes several days to heal.
4. Fall with serious injures such as head/face, broken bones, internal organs.

Reasons of incident:
1. EUC problems.
2. Riding skill is not good enough.
3. Bad road and pay no attention or over confident.
4. Going too fast or accelerate too hard.
5. Others(such as traffics, show off).

Show off vs danger level:
1. Negative show off, riding carefully and slow, wearing protective gear. This is the least dangerous level.
2. Normal show off, normal riding with no/less protective gear. This is the normal dangerous level.
3. Active show off, accelerate hard, fast, perform skills that above one's ability with no protecting gear on. This is the most dangerous level.

Here is my story:
1. After 1 hour practicing my first EUC, I thought I've mastered how to ride and give a demo run to my wife and daughter. At the end, I made a sharp turn and off balanced(at slow speed), my hands and one knee touched the ground with no injury.
2. About one month later, I climb a steep slop, fell the 1st time(Only my hands touched the ground and got a minor bruise) but successful the 2nd time(see photo below). Since then, I always wear gloves when riding. Later I figured it out that it is the short pedals' fault so we all added pedal extensions for our IPS 122 afterwards.
3. Ten months later, I got my MSuper and some protective gear(for wrist, elbow and knee). I wear them when I do tests or riding alone. I don't wear protective gears other than gloves when riding with others because the speed would be reasonably low.
4. We brought two dozen pair of knee pads having seen two incidents that some one bruised their knees.
5. I have ridden my MSuper more than 4000km with no serious incident. I did fall once when I rode down a staircase and ill positioned the feet at the bottom because the slippery of the pedal. Since then I added bike pins to my pedals.