Is it good to have riding protection?

[Mono]

This is the rather unusual answer of isthereanyfood

though probably somewhat true: armor allows daring to ride faster and with less risk avoidance such that the net effect could be small or zero or even negative, maybe also depending on the specs of the wheel.

This is a question about human behavior and psychology and in the end an empirical question that can only be answered with data, not anecdotes.

[Funky]

True.

Job rides i wear only wrist guards. And go ~20km/h. Mostly because i need to travel ~3km one way. At fun rides i wear same wrist guards + knee guards and full face helmet. And go around ~35km/h.

Only time i would fall - is if wheel would stop working mid ride. Especially riding at first mentioned speed. (That's how/where i ride..) At ~20km/h i'm okay with that. Riding faster i would want some protection.

Edited January 7, 2023 by Funky

[Mike Sacristan]

44 minutes ago, Mono said:

This is the rather unusual answer of isthereanyfood

though probably somewhat true: armor allows daring to ride faster and with less risk avoidance such that the net effect could be small or zero or even negative, maybe also depending on the specs of the wheel.

This is a question about human behavior and psychology and in the end an empirical question that can only be answered with data, not anecdotes.

Oh boy... that sure is an old clip and a lot has happened since then.

These days I almost always wear full body armor in the form av kevlar pants + jacket and level 2 pads. I have two helmets, a Lazer Phoenix and a TSG Pass Pro that i very rarely use. I prefer my wind reducing earmuffs so that I can hear my environment and I prefer having 100% of my peripheral vision.

Riders here and there in the world have taken their spills. Mostly user error. Dawn recently high speed over leaned her Master. Ronnie did the same on his S22 but it was more of a high speed cut off. Another rider in our group high speed overtorqued his Nikola Plus a couple of years back. Simon high speed over leaned his S18 pushed the tilt back like crazy. Most of them are more careful now.

Search for the limits and you will find them. Dress for and accident and you will have one.

Armor and helmets are great though. Imagine Apple Valley without protection.

So yes, it is definitely good to have riding protection. Just remember what you are protecting yourself from. Armor and a helmet won't help you when you get run over by a truck. And there are other things out there beyond ourselves... cats, dogs, birds, kids, people. 
 

[Clem604]

I would say that its is good to have riding protection. I've now had crashes at 20km/h and 45km/h and both times my Lazyrolling Hoodie, Leatt Dual Axis shin guards, and wrist guards saved me from serious injury. My TSG Pass Pro saved my head/face twice as I slid on my face in both crashes.

[UPONIT]

I'm a pretty slow rider. But I wear wrist guards every time. Every fall involves the wrists. (Bonus: I rigged a bike bell onto the back of one wrist guard for overtaking pedestrians. Saying "Excuse me" rarely works. Pedestrians assume you're a pedestrian too. The bell lets people know you're on a vehicle. They usually make room unless they are on the phone or have earbuds, or don't think you belong on the path/sidewalk/earth with them. I always say "thank you!" so EUCs keep a good reputation.

I wear a full face helmet 90% of the time. Concussions and jaw fractures are brutal. Bonus: Tinted visor = don't have to eff with sunglasses. Bonus #2: keeps chilly wind off face. Bonus #3: no bugs, rocks, watery eyes or dry mouth. If I'm just leisurely cruising on a smooth empty path or side street below 20mph, I will sometimes not wear one.

I have shin/knee guards and elbow guards. I should wear them more, but impatience...

Edited January 8, 2023 by UPONIT

[JeremySPFF]

On 1/7/2023 at 3:13 PM, Mono said:

armor allows daring to ride faster and with less risk avoidance

For me, the gear helps remind me that what I am doing is dangerous.

[bpong]

hmmmmm, lets answer a question with a question:

is it good NOT to have riding protection ?

- if you are at home comfortable, sitting in your favorite chair or sofa, watching your fav series or movie; NO, you dont need riding protection

- if you are on a date with your wife, life partner, significant other, "soul mate (over-used BS expression...)", whomever floats your boat; NO, you dont need riding protection, but perhaps some other form of 'protection'...

- if you are attending a family function, work function, social function, etc,.... you dont need riding protection.

BUT:

if you are riding your euc at any speed (10kph -> 100+kph);  sharing the road with other vehicles that out-weigh you, out-speed you, out-handle you;  riding in an environment that contains obstacles that can kill or injure you such as telephone poles,  unmoveable fire hydrants, parked cars and trucks, construction sites;  riding an EUC that offers ZERO rider protection.....

THEN YOU NEED RIDING PROTECTION

this is not up for debate... ask any euc rider that has suffered minor or major accidents and they can easily tell you that an euc rider is virtually a sitting duck for any accident or mishap while riding their expensive hi-tech toy.  its all sunshine, lollipops, rainbows, etc,... (leslie gore) while your are gliding along at whatever speed you choose.  only after suffering an accident, you realize either "WOW, im glad i took the advice of other euc riders and wore protection !!!" OR "DAMN, i wish i wore a helmet, pads etc,..." as you are slowly picking yourself up and realize, you have a massive scrap on your forearm, or worse still, broken or factured bones,  missing a tooth, etc,....

i was lucky on the first of a couple of 45+kph forward face plants where i basically destroyed my riding clothes but suffered NO major injuries cause i wore a hockey helmet with front cage, pads and gloves.  now, i wear stuff on every ride.

my apologies for sounding like an old-lady but im pretty sure there is no better way to emphasize safety other than thru repetition...

 

[Scubadragonsan]

Little is mentioned about riding protection by having a chest bag in front of your chest. That's what saved me a couple of times. I also wear a bicycle helmet. One time when I fell from a bad wheel cutout, the top of my helmet hit the ground, at the same time, my chest bag which kept my chest about one foot from the ground from hitting the ground, saved my face from hitting the ground...unscathed! Is a chest bag another way to protect a rider? A lot of it has to do with how is placed on the chest. One has to test it out before actually apply it.

[bpong]

42 minutes ago, Scubadragonsan said:

Little is mentioned about riding protection by having a chest bag in front of your chest,...

i use a tactical vest but have eva inserts instead of the bullet-proof sheilds.... interesting thought about the chest bag though....

[Mono]

@bpong it's also a matter of culture and experience whether you think you need riding protection. To think that everybody  else riding at a speed above 10km/h needs riding protect, I would say, shows a lack of imagination of how the world in which other people live can look differently from the world you happen to know and live in.

6 hours ago, bpong said:

i was lucky on the first of a couple of 45+kph forward face plants

I suggest it's also a matter of culture and attitude whether you have had (or will have) a couple of 45+km/h faceplants and like to brag about it. I never had and never will, so there is a difference 

[bpong]

22 minutes ago, Mono said:

I suggest it's also a matter of culture and attitude whether you have had (or will have) a couple of 45+km/h faceplants and like to brag about it. I never had and never will, so there is a difference 

mono,

im not bragging - however,  im very very grateful it didnt turn into a hospital stay...

[Funky]

1 hour ago, Mono said:

I never had and never will, so there is a difference 

Famous last words.. Never say never.

You may never fall. But wheel may power off out of blue someday.

 

I personally also don't see myself falling off the wheel when going 10-20km/h speeds. Doh i know the wheel itself may be the weak link, that may fail me someday.  That's why i never leave house without wrist guards. Just in case - even when i'm riding at "slower" speeds.

[bpong]

3 minutes ago, Funky said:

Famous last words.. Never say never.

i agree 110%....infinity plus one, etc,...always be wary of mr. fall...

[bpong]

mr. fall.

always present, always looking over your shoulder when you ride, always hovering about while stopped at the traffic light...always quietly planning your next fall,  always looking forward to mocking you during your recovery from a fall....

damn mr. fall,  you are the bain of our existence as an euc rider...

[Mono]

It's easy to say never because I never go this fast on an EUC, never have and never will. There is a tremendous amount of things I will never do.

Can the wheel fail under me at 20km/h? Of course. Will I faceplant in this case? Probably not. I have lost the wheel dozens of times, usually at lower speed though, and never touched ground with my head in the last five years.

Edited April 6, 2023 by Mono

[litewave]

My worst injuries and faceplants have occurred at 15mph or less.

[Circuitmage]

I would qualify the whole thing with "relatively good armor".

You want to have good armor if you are going to wear anything. That means armor suited for the task. For EUC's the main things for me are knee pads, wrist pads and helmet, in that order. If you are going fast (over 30mph), then maybe ever more armor. I , personally, add elbow pads when I know I will be out for awhile and going over 20mph.

And you want "relatively" good armor. If you are known streets going 5-10 mph for 1 block and are experienced, you probably don't need to put on anything. For me, if I am going over 1 mile I try and wear my gear. And you want the TYPE of gear you might need. Over 30mph you prob need a motorcycle helmet.

I tried to wear my really good Scorpion mc helmet for a while, but quickly realized it was just a bit uncomfortably heavy and distracting for me. I really like being able to quickly turn my head and have good peripheral vision. I am now trying a lighter full face helmet for longer rides.

[Cerbera]

Yep, as Ozzyman constantly reminds us, we are only ever one short step away from 'Destination fucked' !

 

 

[Cerbera]

On 1/7/2023 at 9:07 PM, Mike Sacristan said:

Armor and a helmet won't help you when you get run over by a truck.

Yes they will  Certainly more than being run over by a truck without any !

Edited April 6, 2023 by Cerbera

[Mono]

On 4/4/2023 at 12:34 AM, bpong said:

im not bragging - however,  im very very grateful it didnt turn into a hospital stay...

I wrote bragging, because you wrote that it happened to you more than once. In my world, being very very grateful to not be hospitalized and it happened again does not compute together for something which can be quite easily prevented.

Which goes right back to the original topic: it seems like you take additional risks because you feel your gear allows you too.

Edited April 12, 2023 by Mono

[Mono]

1 hour ago, Cerbera said:

Yes they will  Certainly more than being run over by a truck without any !

Maybe, but I am absolutely sure you don't wear gear when you walk around even though that's how people most often get run over by a truck.

[KiwiMark]

When isthereanyfood claims that he doesn't make mistakes - it really gets hard to take what he says seriously (no offense intended Mike). Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. It may be not noticing a pothole or riding a bit quicker than you thought you were or whatever. Then there is the reality that you have to share the path/road/bike track/etc with others and they being normal human beings will also make mistakes sometimes. Even riding at 20kph there is a risk and a fall can go very wrong if you are unlucky. Breaking a bone would be very bad and a traumatic brain injury would be 100x worse.

I always wear wrist guards, a full face helmet, knee guards and almost always an armoured jacket of some sort. I have armoured shorts (hip & coccyx protection) that I sometimes wear as well. I'm aware that I enjoy a bit of speed and often hit a speed of over 60kph at some point during a ride and I spend a decent amount of most rides at above 40kph - I could get hurt really badly if I was unlucky so the gear I wear does lower the risks of serious injury somewhat. If I rode without any gear then I'd probably still exceed 40kph, I just can't help myself. I also have a mirror on my helmet and one on my wrist, mainly to see cars when I have to use the road.

Edited April 6, 2023 by KiwiMark

[KiwiMark]

On 1/8/2023 at 10:07 AM, Mike Sacristan said:

Search for the limits and you will find them.

Yes you will and yes I have. Luckily I was wearing gear that let me live with my mistakes and learn from them. There are plenty of videos on youtube of people having accidents while not wearing suitable gear, people do take risks even when not dressed for the crash, that's why I don't believe the idea of not wearing gear means you won't take risks and therefore you won't crash.

Shit happens - protect yourself!

[Paul A]

Onewheel CEO: "Why all that EUC safety gear?"

Freshly Charged

Nov 6, 2022

 

Future Motion invited me to visit and sit down for their Onewheel Podcast with Kyle Doerksen, founder and CEO of Future Motion.

We also got to hang out with and for more group ride fun.

 

 

[OldFartRides]

Some riders come from the skate scene. For some of them, injuries count as cred.