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Knee braces (motocross, not medical)


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Does anybody wear knee braces when they ride? I have a few knee pads that I wear, but from what I understand knee braces also provide twisting and hyperextension protection in addition to impact protection. My knees are bad due to years of doing jujitsu and skiing.

I'm looking into knee braces and man are they expensive. Like we're talking close to a grand or more. I have found two brands that are fairly affordable, one by a company called RXR protect ($240), and another by EVS (model SX02 $150). The EVS looks like really crap quality though.

I'm wondering, as EUC riders, if we even need that kind of protection. Motocross riders do of course. I saw a video where a motocross rider hyperextended his knee just by dabbing the ground while making a turn. It looked like nothing on video but he said he needed two years to fully recover.

We likely don't need that level of hyperextension or twisting protection, and knee braces are really cumbersome but it gives extra peace of mind. And I like to wear my pads under my pants, because I think it looks dorky with the pads over the pants. This is obviously not possible with braces.

Any experiences?

Edited by Esso
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Motorcycle gear guy here (currently work at a dealership). The EVS pads are by no means crap, though, those are definitely much more entry level. I personally use the RS9 ones from EVS ($330/pair) and they work wonders on my EUC. I also tend to ride with MX pants anyway, and they go over the braces just fine. I do wear a brace sock so they're comfortable. 

Unfortunately, my dealership isn't a dealer for the RXR Protect brand, though I have a few friends who have them and like them well enough. Haven't had much opportunity to take a close look at them to give you any real personal impressions of quality, though again, those I know who have them like them. 

As for if we need that kind of protection? Falls suck. Badly. I'm nursing a fracture of my left radius right at the elbow as I type this from a fall off my EUC. And I was geared up. Personal opinion? You can never be geared up enough. It's all risk mitigation. A lot of people here are fine with regular knee pads, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'm not, as I've taken a couple of spills on wheels (both 2 wheeled and one wheeled) to know you can go down in really weird ways that hurt.

All that being said, between the 2 specific ones you mentioned, the RXR ones are probably going to be much more of what you're looking for though, so I'd say give them a shot.

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Thanks for the info. I'm currently using the EVS TP199s which I like (a lot more than the Leatts that everyone seems to love) but I think I'm going to give those RXRs a try for some more protection.

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I have a chronic knee issue on my left side that acts up with any activity, and years ago I started wearing a basic thin compression sleeve for any exercise.  When riding, I've stuck with the sleeve under a knee/shin pad.  Between the sleeve and the structure of the knee pad, I get some buffering of a bumpy EUC ride.  I can tell a difference after rides without wearing the sleeve.

Even though my right knee is fine, I've gotten in the habit of wearing compression on it as well.  I've heard people complain about joint pain on yt vids while riding, and if so, I recommend trying some slim compression sleeves while riding.  I was super stubborn on making this change as a runner and hiker, but once I started regularly wearing compression, I never went back

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  • 2 weeks later...

Back to knee braces.

The RXRs seem fine but also very budget. I've been doing a ton of research on more established brands. I almost pulled the trigger on a pair of Leatt C Frames. 

The good thing about those is that they only have the hinge on the outside, so you can feel the wheel with the inside of your leg. Not as strong as other one braces but we probably don't encounter the same level of forces that motocross riders do.

But then I saw a post on a forum where moto riders said it's junk, that pieces were breaking off during rides. Those guys seem to not like Leatt in general.

So I'm still looking for a good pair of braces.

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