Singletrack Gear - What I Wear & Why

[BlckRck2014]

My Riding Gear (for singletrack)

In this video I walk through each piece of my gear and why I feel each is important for SINGLETRACK. 

I can't underscore how important of an asset having a complete setup of riding gear. I know this topic has been well covered before (ie by Chance Hinz/wattssignletrack ), but safety can't be discussed too often. 

Let me know if you have any questions (comments preferred at YouTube). I am happy to share my thoughts and approach here.

The point of this post is not to chastise those that choose a different approach (no gear, less gear, different gear). I am just sharing my setup and offering to answer questions for those that are interested.

P.S.  Forgive my somewhat of a slow start to the video.  I took this video on my phone camera in one take, at about 5am in the morning before a ride, and I had not had my coffee yet.

 

 

[mike_bike_kite]

37 minutes ago, BlckRck2014 said:

but safety can't be discussed too often. 

Honestly, I suspect it can.

Do you wear all that stuff each time you go out on your EUC and how long does it take you to get ready? What is singletrack?

Edited July 4, 2022 by mike_bike_kite

[sbb]

1 hour ago, mike_bike_kite said:

What is singletrack?

[Funky]

Some people fall more than rest. Some people are afraid of getting hurt. The thing is - everybody is different. One ridder can ride whole life without getting hurt. Next guy will fall weekly. You still can get hurt with all that gear.. The only gear that i personally will never leave house without - are wristguards. Even if i had all that gear, for ~5km rides i would not gear up. I simply ride slower on those trips..

Everyone is responsible for themselves - they chose what to wear and so on.

Same for riding conductions - are you riding in very busy city on street with cars, gong 60+kph. (Then yes, i would use all the GEAR!!!) But if you live in ghost town, riding max 30-35kph and going straight empty path/sidewalk. (I would only use helmet wrist/knee/elbow guards..) If i go 20-25kph (The 5km trip..), i use only wristguards.

I don't hate the gear - i just hate wasting money on things that i don't need.  

Btw  for all the gear. And staying safe.

Edited July 4, 2022 by Funky

[mike_bike_kite]

1 hour ago, sbb said:

Ahhhh - now I understand why all that protection was needed 

Actually very sensible.

[Tawpie]

Great video, thanks! "Why" is often overlooked, you covered that nicely.

@mike_bike_kite it is possible to ride singletrack at something other than breakneck speeds. Singletrack is my preferred riding environment, but being generally too old for this activity I only go at a brisk jogging pace and the 'danger' is reduced (at least this is the story I tell myself during pre-flight). Because I'm not really ripping along I allow myself to skip the neck brace and make do with moto jacket and pants/jeans that have built in Level 2 padding. But for the reasons @BlckRck2014 mentioned, I really need to look at boots. The hiking boots I wear are arguably better than trainers, but I can attest to pedal strikes being the primary cause for unplanned dismounts and should up my foot protection game accordingly.

@BlckRck2014 I presume I should be researching motocross, not 'street' boots?

Edited July 4, 2022 by Tawpie

[WillCO]

2 hours ago, Tawpie said:

...but I can attest to pedal strikes being the primary cause for unplanned dismounts and should up my foot protection game accordingly.

This...
Both of my single-track falls were from pedal strikes.  First one was relatively slow, most recent one (a week ago) was a bit faster, and I'd just upped the speed due to over-confidence.  Stupid rocks!
Geared up, so no injuries other than pride (wife saw the whole thing on this last one, sigh).

Anyone who uses MX boots, how much does it "rob" you of feel on the pedals?  I've got a whole dirt-bike kit (have a KTM EXC), but usually only wear the helmet/knee/elbow/wrist protection.