Body armour? - Page 6 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

12-22-2006, 07:42 AM

JD wrote:

> Marz wrote:
> > I linked to Tomac's picture because JD the wonder child suggested that
> > awesome riders like John ride without armour.
>
>
> In their heyday (80's-mid 90's), I doubt you'll find a photo of either
> of those three in body armor. Look at the old photos from the 80's,
> they were all riding rigid bikes and hauling ass, sans body armor.
> Twist it any way you want, you're still taking the wimpy "instant
> gratification" road.
>
> As an afterthought, I'd wager that at least one of them still hauls ass
> on hardtail bikes and doesn't wear body armor while doing so. If you'd
> care to put your money where your mouth is, you would LOSE.
>
> JD

Back in the 80 and mid 90s, nobody was ridding the stuff being ridden
today and if they were then they picked their way through rock gardens
using huge skill and poise and not trying to blast over them at full
speed. Does it require less skill to ride quickly and smoothly over a
pile of rocks than to find a line through them and ride that line with
out falling? No, different skill sets and different styles in riding,
both required by the complete mtber.

I started out riding rigid (+20 yrs ago) and it taught me how to ride a
certain way, a way I still enjoy when I take the hardtail out for a
spin. For the last few years I've been learning a different way where I
take old and familar routes at a different pace and a different line on
the trail. The increased speed leads to a whole bunch of more pain when
it goes wrong and hence my recent then need for body armour.

I ridden some awesome trails in Oregon that flow and carve through the
forest, body armour not required. And I've ridden the trails through
Whistler at the Bike Park and only a complete ****tard would attempt
most of those trails without body armour.

I've seen Ned and the lads haul arse without body armour, but I've also
seen them wear it when the riding required it.

Armour is not going to help me attempt things I haven't tried before,
but it may mean if I come off again I may get another chance to clean a
section instead of limping home.

Laters,

Marz

12-24-2006, 07:08 PM

Marz wrote:
> Bill Sornson wrote:
>
>> Marz wrote:
>>
>>> I thought I'd a quick bit of research and guess what, a picture of
>>> John Tomac pushing the limits winning the Kamikaze in 2004 while
>>> wearing, yep you guessed it, body armour.
>>>
>>> http://www.mbaction.com/archive/johntomackamikaze.jpg
>> Funny, I thought the subject was plastic courage for *XC* riding?
>>
>> Bill "although there is the old question of why Kamikaze /pilots/ wore
>> helmets" S.
>
> Not for XC, but for All Mountain or what ever the catch phase is this
> month. I used the term extreme XC to cover the type of riding I do down
> here. With very few managed bike trails in Trinidad ( less than 10miles
> ) most iof my riding is along hiking or farm trails which require a
> combination of ride, push, carry and climb to get up and a whole buinch
> of oh****oh****oh**** to get down. Plus I usualy ride alone and out in
> the middle of nowhere (beyond cell phone coverage) and after my last
> fall I had to ride the last 4 miles of trail home with a broken left
> hand which ment reduced control and no rear brake.

You're dreadfully mistaken if you think that any of that armor is going
to prevent a ride ending injury. You may avoid some nasty stitches
and/or bruises but none of that stuff is going to save you from broken
bones.

Greg

--
"All my time I spent in heaven
Revelries of dance and wine
Waking to the sound of laughter
Up I'd rise and kiss the sky" - The Mekons

12-24-2006, 07:37 PM

G.T. wrote:
> Marz wrote:
> > Bill Sornson wrote:
> >
> >> Marz wrote:
> >>
> >>> I thought I'd a quick bit of research and guess what, a picture of
> >>> John Tomac pushing the limits winning the Kamikaze in 2004 while
> >>> wearing, yep you guessed it, body armour.
> >>>
> >>> http://www.mbaction.com/archive/johntomackamikaze.jpg
> >> Funny, I thought the subject was plastic courage for *XC* riding?
> >>
> >> Bill "although there is the old question of why Kamikaze /pilots/ wore
> >> helmets" S.
> >
> > Not for XC, but for All Mountain or what ever the catch phase is this
> > month. I used the term extreme XC to cover the type of riding I do down
> > here. With very few managed bike trails in Trinidad ( less than 10miles
> > ) most iof my riding is along hiking or farm trails which require a
> > combination of ride, push, carry and climb to get up and a whole buinch
> > of oh****oh****oh**** to get down. Plus I usualy ride alone and out in
> > the middle of nowhere (beyond cell phone coverage) and after my last
> > fall I had to ride the last 4 miles of trail home with a broken left
> > hand which ment reduced control and no rear brake.
>
> You're dreadfully mistaken if you think that any of that armor is going
> to prevent a ride ending injury. You may avoid some nasty stitches
> and/or bruises but none of that stuff is going to save you from broken
> bones.
>
> Greg
>
> --
> "All my time I spent in heaven
> Revelries of dance and wine
> Waking to the sound of laughter
> Up I'd rise and kiss the sky" - The Mekons

No, I don't think any armour would have saved me from breaking my hand
in my last fall, but I do think that it may have help lessen the
injurys I received to my elbow, a bash and deep scratch. Which
strangely enough has turned out to be the worst injury.

Happy Christmas,

Marz

12-24-2006, 09:29 PM

"Marz" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:1167017871.877102.166070@n51g2000cwc.googlegr oups.com...
>
> G.T. wrote:
>> Marz wrote:
>> > Bill Sornson wrote:
>> >
>> >> Marz wrote:
>> >>
>> >>> I thought I'd a quick bit of research and guess what, a picture of
>> >>> John Tomac pushing the limits winning the Kamikaze in 2004 while
>> >>> wearing, yep you guessed it, body armour.
>> >>>
>> >>> http://www.mbaction.com/archive/johntomackamikaze.jpg
>> >> Funny, I thought the subject was plastic courage for *XC* riding?
>> >>
>> >> Bill "although there is the old question of why Kamikaze /pilots/ wore
>> >> helmets" S.
>> >
>> > Not for XC, but for All Mountain or what ever the catch phase is this
>> > month. I used the term extreme XC to cover the type of riding I do down
>> > here. With very few managed bike trails in Trinidad ( less than 10miles
>> > ) most iof my riding is along hiking or farm trails which require a
>> > combination of ride, push, carry and climb to get up and a whole buinch
>> > of oh****oh****oh**** to get down. Plus I usualy ride alone and out in
>> > the middle of nowhere (beyond cell phone coverage) and after my last
>> > fall I had to ride the last 4 miles of trail home with a broken left
>> > hand which ment reduced control and no rear brake.
>>
>> You're dreadfully mistaken if you think that any of that armor is going
>> to prevent a ride ending injury. You may avoid some nasty stitches
>> and/or bruises but none of that stuff is going to save you from broken
>> bones.
>>
>> Greg
>>
>> --
>> "All my time I spent in heaven
>> Revelries of dance and wine
>> Waking to the sound of laughter
>> Up I'd rise and kiss the sky" - The Mekons
>
> No, I don't think any armour would have saved me from breaking my hand
> in my last fall, but I do think that it may have help lessen the
> injurys I received to my elbow, a bash and deep scratch. Which
> strangely enough has turned out to be the worst injury.
>
> Happy Christmas,
>
> Marz
>

nope, won't protect agains't broken bones, but will protect againt road
rash, cuts, scraps and dis-location...I know my knee would have been riding
above my calf ON THE SAME SIDE had I not had it on! Do what you want, and
say what you will but if it keeps a rider riding, than I have ZERO problem
with it, and those that do are just foolish...period.

Dave

12-25-2006, 05:34 AM

Per G.T.:
>You're dreadfully mistaken if you think that any of that armor is going
>to prevent a ride ending injury. You may avoid some nasty stitches
>and/or bruises but none of that stuff is going to save you from broken
>bones.

Couple years back I had a ride-ending knee puncture that shin guards/knee pads
would have prevented 100%.
--
PeteCresswell

12-25-2006, 07:33 AM

On Thu, 21 Dec 2006 10:45:40 -0800, Bill Sornson wrote:

> Marz wrote:
>
>> I thought I'd a quick bit of research and guess what, a picture of
>> John Tomac pushing the limits winning the Kamikaze in 2004 while
>> wearing, yep you guessed it, body armour.
>>
>> http://www.mbaction.com/archive/johntomackamikaze.jpg
>
> Funny, I thought the subject was plastic courage for *XC* riding?
>
> Bill "although there is the old question of why Kamikaze /pilots/ wore
> helmets" S.

Sake my man! :-)

12-25-2006, 09:04 AM

daddy wrote:
> On Thu, 21 Dec 2006 10:45:40 -0800, Bill Sornson wrote:
>
>> Marz wrote:
>>
>>> I thought I'd a quick bit of research and guess what, a picture of
>>> John Tomac pushing the limits winning the Kamikaze in 2004 while
>>> wearing, yep you guessed it, body armour.
>>>
>>> http://www.mbaction.com/archive/johntomackamikaze.jpg
>>
>> Funny, I thought the subject was plastic courage for *XC* riding?
>>
>> Bill "although there is the old question of why Kamikaze /pilots/
>> wore helmets" S.
>
>
> Sake my man! :-)

The helmets were vomit receptacles?

12-25-2006, 12:49 PM

Marz wrote:
> JD wrote:
>
> > Marz wrote:
> > > I linked to Tomac's picture because JD the wonder child suggested that
> > > awesome riders like John ride without armour.
> >
> >
> > In their heyday (80's-mid 90's), I doubt you'll find a photo of either
> > of those three in body armor. Look at the old photos from the 80's,
> > they were all riding rigid bikes and hauling ass, sans body armor.
> > Twist it any way you want, you're still taking the wimpy "instant
> > gratification" road.
> >
> > As an afterthought, I'd wager that at least one of them still hauls ass
> > on hardtail bikes and doesn't wear body armor while doing so. If you'd
> > care to put your money where your mouth is, you would LOSE.
> >
> > JD
>
>
> Back in the 80 and mid 90s, nobody was ridding the stuff being ridden
> today and if they were then they picked their way through rock gardens
> using huge skill and poise and not trying to blast over them at full
> speed.

You have no friggin' idea, do you, neophyte?

> Does it require less skill to ride quickly and smoothly over a
> pile of rocks than to find a line through them and ride that line with
> out falling?

Without the skill to pick a line at any speed, you suck. However,
being able to pick a line at slower speeds and use that skill to ride
"bigger" as the speeds increase is what makes a skilled rider. If you
don't have the slow speed skills to begin with, you are just another
dip**** on a bike. If you have attained skill through dilligence and
natural ability, you don't need to worry about encasing yourself in
plastic every time you ride.

Again, the problem is with the media and instant gratification it
sells. Any dumbass can buy full suspension and a Darth Vader suit,
jack up the trails on their "bought" skills and then threaten access
for everyone on a bicycle. You must live in one friggin' small world
if you can't see this happening.

> No, different skill sets and different styles in riding,
> both required by the complete mtber.

If you think that handling skills and being able to pick a line at
lower speeds aren't immediately transferable to higher speeds, then you
are just as retarded as the mtbidiots bunch. More dollar signs for
those who feed off of the fear of pussies on bicycles.

JD

12-25-2006, 02:42 PM

> You have no friggin' idea, do you, neophyte?
>
>> Does it require less skill to ride quickly and smoothly over a
>> pile of rocks than to find a line through them and ride that line with
>> out falling?
>
>
> Without the skill to pick a line at any speed, you suck. However,
> being able to pick a line at slower speeds and use that skill to ride
> "bigger" as the speeds increase is what makes a skilled rider. If you
> don't have the slow speed skills to begin with, you are just another
> dip**** on a bike. If you have attained skill through dilligence and
> natural ability, you don't need to worry about encasing yourself in
> plastic every time you ride.
>
> Again, the problem is with the media and instant gratification it
> sells. Any dumbass can buy full suspension and a Darth Vader suit,
> jack up the trails on their "bought" skills and then threaten access
> for everyone on a bicycle. You must live in one friggin' small world
> if you can't see this happening.
>
>> No, different skill sets and different styles in riding,
>> both required by the complete mtber.
>
>
> If you think that handling skills and being able to pick a line at
> lower speeds aren't immediately transferable to higher speeds, then you
> are just as retarded as the mtbidiots bunch. More dollar signs for
> those who feed off of the fear of pussies on bicycles.
>
> JD
>

JD your such a miserable **** your life must just suck am I ever glad
that I no where as puckered as you.No need to reply ******* as your on
my troll list and won't even show.Bye bye dick head

12-25-2006, 04:31 PM

"Marz" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:1166410241.217764.256480@j72g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> Ok so I fell 3 weeks ago. Broken hand (almost fine again) and badly
> bruised and swollen elbow. The elbow injury led to an burst bursa (some
> gland at the elbow) and possibly a touch of gout. A large amount of
> swelling and pain which went down after two huge antibiotic injections
> and a course of pills.
> I've got about another 3 weeks before I can ride again and the wife
> wants to know what I'm going to do about avoiding a similiar accident
> again (this was my first big crash in 5 years and the one before that
> was on the road). She'd be very happy if I took up golf or maybe
> squash, but I like mtbing, a lot. I also like taking my 6 inch travel
> all mountain baby up and down any trail I can find; picking my way
> across a jumble of rocks and roots is half the fun.
>
> Anyway, my question is, is body armour only for mad down hill and free
> riders or is it ok for all mountain rides or extreme xc'ers to wear it
> too?
>
> Laters,
>
> Marz
>

Kind of a silly question to ask, my man. Ask yourself a question. If there
were a .01% chance of you getting a career ending injury riding 100x a year,
would you pay, let's say, $500 for body armor which would diminish those
chances to .0001%? If you care more about what ****heads like JD think than
about your own safety, that's your call. Also, ask yourself what the true
cost of an injury would be if it prevented you from working for 3 months,
or 6 months, or... forever.