I’m a strong advocate for full face helmet. Two years ago split my lower lip down to the gums. Surgical adhesive on upper lip and nose, two interior and nine exterior stitches in lower lip. I was only going about 15mph on a trail I frequent but a slight change in bike angle resulted in a rear tire slide on a root I’d hardly previously considered the sudden impact with tree broke my GPS mount, cracked my helmet and nearly knocked me out. Below freezing temps, only the most necessary attire and riding alone left me feeling lucky to have walked out alive. Additionally I was very lucky to have had a very skilled Doctor working in the emergency room. It was a sobering reminder to the inherent dangers of mountain biking.
Heal up soon Clint! Ribs are the worst and take forever to get better. Broken collarbone, better the day after surgery, cracked ribs...4 months to not feel it.
I sometimes feel like the nerd out there, but I’m wearing the elbow and knee pads all the time. I just got tired of having to heal up after that 40th ride crash. This was a great public service video. Heal fast and completely.
100% agree. Got some pads a couple a years ago for enduro and now wear them for trail and lots of XC riding too. The minor heat/constriction is nothing compared to avoiding injury. And those tip overs are worse than slide out crashes - tip overs are all impact... but better than endo I guess! ;)
Nice example of a vertical mattress suture to close the wound over a high tension area instead of using 4 interrupted sutures. Not a newbie Dr. This confirms my decision to get some ixs elbow pads in addition to my ixs knee pads.
I'm so used to knee and elbow pads, that I feel unsecure if riding without them. The one time I didn't wear knee pads (you know, just a short ride in the woods near the neighborhood) ended up with messed up knee. Nothing too serious, but it took a long time to heal, since the skin there is always moving when you walk. I also have two sets of elbow pads - one lighter for longer AM rides, that I can wear all day, and one more bulky set for gnarlier trails, bikeparks and enduro races.
Amen. I had a freak accident on the trails and now have a terrible triad injury on my right elbow. Surgery is tomorrow. Not paying full attention is what got me!
I’ve Learned the hard way as well. I wear gloves and helmet on any ride. After a few minor crashes I advanced to very light kneepads. At the end of last year season I had a big crash where I hurt my knee and really hurt my elbow. Now I’m full on good kneepads and good elbow pads !!!
I did EXACTLY the same thing a few years back, and now throw elbow guards in my pack every single time I go out. Light, Easy to carry, and well worth it!
Thanks for the reminder Clint. It's so easy to blow off the pads and just hit the trail! Glad you're healing well. Pads are definitely cheaper than the ER visit!
Hi Clint, Last friday I had every protection except chest protector, I flow quite fast over the bar , landed on my right chest and broke 3 ribs. Mayby you could tell soething about how to avoid going over the bar. This was extremly terrifying caus I didnt get any controll over the fly. Keep going like this.
I wear hydradration pack with spine and rib protector now after last year I landed on some rocks and broke my ribs , elbow pads too, and knee pads ... I have learned my lesson..lol
I crashed 1 year ago on my time trial bike, going downhill in the aero-bars at 40mph. First thing to hit the ground was my elbow. Trip to the er, Doc said that the gaping wound couldn't be stitched and it would eventually close and heal. One year later and you can barely see the scarring. Skin is an amazing organ!
I always ride with knee and elbow pads, but lately I've been riding a fair bit of XC/trail and thought I don't need to wear them. That was until a couple of weeks ago and I had a slow speed OTB in a techy little rock garden and smashed my knee open on a sharp rock requiring the rest of the afternoon in the hospital waiting room to get stitched back up. Had I been wearing the pads that I always wear (except for on these types of rides) I wouldn't be telling this story. I've since purchased a pair of lighter-type pads that I don't leave home without. I don't even pull them down on the climbs. Note to self, Always wear as much protection as you can, regardless of the ride.
Great video, happened to me at whistler couple years ago, last trail of the day was tired and finishing a long run. Fortunately was my second to last day there, never went riding bp again without elbow pads, uncomfortable but necessary. This kind of injury is underrated
Live in Oz, was descending last year and had a full enduro bro try to squeeze by in a corner, clip me, and I ate it. Broke and dislocated my shoulder, opened my elbow up with dirt getting into the joint space. Nice trip to the operating room that could have been saved with elbow pads.
Well said... Slide out for me too. Looked down at my 1" scar on my left elbow, near the funny bone, while watching this video. My wreck happened 5-minutes in. Spent 45-minutes waiting to not bleed out to make the solo 15-minute ride back. Anyway, limped thru the next day of work... lucky as can be to just simply be there.
I know the feeling , I had a tree jump into the middle of the trail the other day. Next thing I know I'm on the ground bashed up knee ,bent wheel , it wasn't a serious wreck but now I've got the right gear now, like most of us we don't think of it. glad you're getting better
Yeah I ride without pads way too much. Probably because I’m building a bike park and ride it a lot so I get too complacent riding it. Appreciate the reminder to wear gear.
Man, I started wearing knees pads after a simple workout tore all the skin off my knee. Haven’t crashed since but feel naked without them. Maybe it’s time to grab matching elbow pads.
You are so right. Also a great idea for newer riders. Riding is a bit like skiing - it you push it, you will go down - its just a function of how bad it is will be. Most of the time you are just fine but you might as well be protected.
Watching this video with 5 stitches below my left elbow and bruised ribs after an extremely unspectacular slide out. It’s only been 6 months since last time.. never wore protectors apart from helmet and gloves, but I am finally conceding
Use protections constantly, until you feel uncomfortable without them. I haven't had yet a bad fall on bike, but many years ago, when I started street skating, I wore everything, even a backpack with my shoes. It wasn't to comfortable, specially with elbow pads until I accidentally rolled over steep stairs at night. I lost orientation and finished over my back. Without moving, I scanned myself to find what part of my body was broken. I noticed just a small pain in my hip and all protections (except for the helmet) were scratched or out of place, but I was fine. The fall was so spectacular that cars passing by stopped to see if I was OK and my friends wanted to take me home, but I decided to skate immediately or I wouldn't skate again. Never again felt uncomfortable with protections, in fact, if I don't wear the minimum (helmet, gloves and kneepads), I actually feel uncomfortable. Cheers!
An ounce of prevention… 3+ months out from radial/ulna head fracture and severe elbow dislocation…have to wear a serious metal brace to ride at all. Will be sporting my new POC Joint VPD system elbow pads in addition to my existing VPD knee pads for pretty much every ride going forward!
I just bashed my elbow on a wipeout (front wheel washed out on to fast on turn)....and the stupid thing is...I have a nice pair of elbow/forearm pads....still in package :(
I was a road racer for over 25 years, and got tired of getting road rash, especially on hips and shoulder/upper back, from crashes in races, so I started wearing 2 jersies, then a cycling undershirt under one jersey, plus 2 pair of shorts with Scott hip pads between the layers. They moved around too much while racing, so I switched to placing large pieces of synthetic chamois in their place. All this did help some with preventing scrapes. Crashing still hurts, regardless.
I broke my wrist and got a fracture in the elbow-end of my radius from falling over at 0 mph, just spun out a bit and stalled, was off balance when I got my foot down and went over. Nothing would have really protected the wrist, but elbow would have been fine if I had pads. The year before I had a similar crash to yours and got some ribs and chipped the other elbow. Also, a friend of mine shattered his elbow/upper arm roller blading with a brand new set of elbow pads sitting in the car. Since then, for me it's elbow and knee pads every time. Sometimes I can feel that people think it's overkill on the easier trails, but I almost feel naked without pads now. I'm 50, and tired of injuring things when there is an easy solution.
Yep completely understand . I have had to crashes my last 2 rides . The first was at slow speeds losing my line and ran over a bowling ball size rock where i cleared it but going so slow I lost the bike and tipped over and hit some rocks ( my high desert location is made up of mostly rock ) like you I felt my ribs as the first sign of pain . I broke my collar bone 1.5 years ago and I try to protect that when I fall . I hit my shoulder and scraped it up and bruised my thigh . I wasn't wearing knee pads but a neoprene type knee brace which seemed to give the knee protection . I felt good 6 days latter and went for a 20 mile ride . I was a bit tired and was going down a section at speed and hit a loose softball size rock on my front tire which turned my wheel and down i went with force . I covered myself into a tight ball and hit my left side which is my normal crash position ( weak side I guess) . I hit hard and It's all loose type volcanic rock . After a few minutes I was not severely injured but like you my left elbow was bloody . My left knee brace was torn with some scrapes and a small bump on my knee . If I wore my regular knee pads that would have been avoided but it did offer some protection . I hit my palm which my gloves protected it from being scraped but some impact on the bone and pain . Shoulder also got scraped . The scape on my left elbow was the worse and elbow pads would have reduced that injury depending how much protection they would have provided . These were not an extreme technical situations but just bad luck . Just taking your eye off the line for a split second . Technically mountain bikers riding rocky areas should be geared up like moto riders with full body protection but in general most dont like that type of restriction riding a bike . I need to at least be wearing knee pads and arm pads on all rides on my local trails . I have improved my falling position at least for these last 2 crashes . You are going to crash and fall and what you do to prepare for that changes can change your outcome .
If you're an MTB lifer an accident or two that results in a decent injury is inevitable. In terms of long term pain during healing and beyond, broken bibs are on top of my list. I broke 3 going OTB as I washed out the front wheel in a downhill berm turn. Basically went Superman over the bars. I knew immediately the ribs were damaged. In my great wisdom of stupid decisions, I decided NOT to visit the ER because it didn't feel that bad. 12 hours later after inflammation set in I could hardly move with screaming pain. ER determined 3 ribs cracked (no surgery) and I thankfully took both a muscle relaxer and pain pills. Could not lay down for 3 weeks, slept downstairs in a lazy boy. I'm not here to brag but I've separated the shoulder twice (extremely painfully initially, football), broken the collarbone, broken the hand (MTB), and two hip replacement surgeries along with the broken ribs. I would not wish broken ribs on my worst enemy.
I do both biking & inline skating. Here's a weird elbow injury for ya: One time I was street skating with friends, and had my skating elbow pads on over my sweatshirt. At some point I tripped over a metal plate in a construction area, fell, and skidded a short way on my elbow pads. They stayed in place, did their job, and I felt no pain. I got right back up and finished the route. When I got back to my car and was removing the elbow pads, my sweatshirt under one pad was soaked in blood. When I took off my sweatshirt, I had a deep gash on my elbow that just wouldn't stop bleeding. It turns out the gash had been caused by the seam of my sweatshirt (!), which had moved and scraped along the outside of the elbow joint on impact, gouging out a big deep rut. The pad saved me from a fracture and dissipated some of the impact by sliding, as it was designed to do. But the seam of the sweatshirt arm still got me! I have MTN bike specific knee pads (that go against the skin, under clothing) for biking, and plan to heed your warning and get elbow pads for biking, too. For skating, I just make sure the sleeve of any clothing worn under the skate pads is turned so that the seam runs on the inside of my elbow, not the outside.
In forty years of cycling I broke a few bones and a bunch of abrasions but nothing too horrendous. I'm mostly a roadie but if I bombed down trails I'd armor up! Heal well.
I also wear a small type of pad turned around for the back of my ankle since I use 5/10 shoes and don’t want to hit the cleat with the back of my ankle. Knee pads and elbow pads are good info.
ugh. I crashed today. no knee/elbow pads on...also in truck. crash would have resulted in nothing with pads on. now I have a couple days of sticking to everything like the sheets. thanks Clint.
I never wear elbow pads, but there's been many times I go flying by w my elbows inches from trees and it does cross my mind "what if?"..."maybe I should buy a pair." I do wear IXS Flow knee pads, a full face Fox Proframe helmet and of course gloves for every trail, Enduro or DH ride though. Will sometimes wear knee pads on XC rides too just depends on what the route includes, anything gnarly I wear them bc better safe than sorry. Esp if I'm bombing down roads too hitting 40+ mph I always wear knee pads, helmet and gloves.
Thanks clint, going to add some double pads to my hydration pack. Also, if you're learning to ride clips, pick up some soccer shin guards and throw them underneath your socks. Trust me.... Shin guards...
Great video, Clint! Nobody does explanatory videos like you. Appreciate how much goes into this, and a high signal to noise ratio… Hope your elbow is all healed by now so you can go shred some more trails for great videos…
Rode Garden of Gods last weekend and debated my POC elbows, and wound up putting them on last minute. Ended up doing a medium speed OTB and landed a full body weight direct hit on my elbow. Was a non issue, not a scratch because i decided to wear my POC elbows!
My experience shows just falling over or crashing going slow, the impact is like plowing the ground vs. skipping and sliding. For me it's usually with my noggin and proven by my wide assortment of broken lids!
When I ride bike park I wear knee pads, elbow pads, shoulder chest and back protector (POC tee) and full face. Even though I ride only blues and red lines, no excuses, armor up! Now I’m so used to it, I wouldn’t go without it. Also, my mantra is, the more noobie you are (I.e. me) the more protection you should wear.
Great PSA for the MTB community, I see way too many people without elbow pads. I snapped the point of my elbow off last season (olecranon fracture). 7 screws and a metal plate. Took 2 surgeries and 8 months of physical therapy before I could ride again. Still not right, won’t be for the rest of my life. I make do though, still riding!
I was lucky enough that, the last time I fell off my bike, all I got a few weeks ago was some road rash on my left arm. Put some anti-biotic on it and just taped a gauze in place. I won't go out biking without knee and elbow pads anymore.
Not only should you wear elbow pads, you should make sure they are secured properly. I had a crash while wearing elbow pads but the slide from the momentum caused the pad to slide up my arm therefore bruising my elbow. I could feel the burn but I couldn't understand why as the pad had gone back to its original position. I removed the pad and was shocked when I saw blood.
I recently added a tld 7855 armored shirt to my kit. If I'm doing anything but xc type trails I'll wrap it around my handle bars and put it under my jersey at the top, along with a full face, knee pads, armored shami, and now a wrist brace 🤦♂️. Had a nasty tumble on natural selection a few weeks ago on the big off camber rock roll. Head over heels about 30ft down the mountain. Only sprain my wrist, woulda been much worse. I could feel rock impacts on my back and every limb as I tumbled. The armored shirt saved my tail
This literally JUST happened to me as well. Whenever I ride bike park or Enduro (races etc) I always wear a plastic chest/back protector, full face helmet, big knee pads and DH pants. I have slim elbow pads which i’ve only used when in big mountain stuff. I’ve been really increasing my speeds lately and nowadays i really rarely crash. Well, last run at the local bike park the other day - super dry and loose over rock hard berms. Front wheel got stuck in a hardened rut In the berm and bike washed out. I hit my elbow so hard on the inside of the track - like sliding across concrete with loose gravel on top. Nasty scrapes on elbow (was wearing a short sleevee shirt). had I used the slim elbow pads, i’m pretty sure my elbow would have just been a bit sore and not a gorey mess. So, yeah, will be putting them on going forward… And probably should use beefier ones for gnarly stuff. Funny because I never ever fool around with my chest/back armour.
Wish I saw your video before riding the Santiago Oak Peak trail over the weekend. With only 1/5 of the way left and sure enough the front wheel washed out from not slowing down enough before the turn. Like you said, nothing would have happened had I put the elbow and knee pads on instead of leaving them in the car ;-/
I wear the POC VPD Air elbow pads - sometimes. The reason is that it is 'sometimes' is that they are for ever sliding down my arms and spend most of the time around my wrists! Not much good there! Other than putting an elastic up around my shoulders like a nursery school child - I can't seem to get them to work. Really annoying.
Riding clip in - clipped a rock while chatting and fell on my elbow . Really innocent mistake that could happen anytime and landed on the point of my elbow and dislocated my elbow and fracture the elbow joint and 12 weeks no riding and _12 month to fully recover .. lesson is protective gear keep you riding , better than watching your buddies have all the fun
my worst injuries are the small stupid ones. Ive gone otb down a a rock slab and landed in a hole and was able to finish my ride. Ive had tip overs that forced me to cut my ride short. I think its because mentally you are preparing for a crash through more dangerous terrain. When youre hanging out going slow you probably get a little complacent
Ha. I did the same thing! Got to trail head and figured...'eh don't need elbo pads for this trail. So left them in the truck. Sure enough had a pedal strike on a hidden obstacle and down I went. what got banged up..yep the elbo. 🤦♂️. Thinking to myself "Just wear them dummy"
I have seriously been thinking about elbow pads, especially as I start riding faster and the margins for error shrink. All my wrecks so far, the knees and hands have taken the most impact, but when I had a OTB that dislocated my thumb, I also tore my lat and my whole forearm got cut up and that was from a trail that was not very rocky.
I wear a chesty too , seen too many broken ribs and you never where you’re going to land ..on a sharp object , branch , rock etc... no impalements for me !
I wrecked and a rock severed my ulnar nerve (funny bone). I now have permanent nerve damage and my hand will never work the same again. I never ride without knee or elbow pads, even in XC races.
While I TOTALLY agree with you on the importance of elbow and knee protection, it's so hard to comply while dealing with the miserable mid-summer Florida heat and humidity.
Fortunately the speeds and terrain in Florida aren't as much of a high consequence as downhills in North Carolina. So pads aren't quite as crucial. Though I do often wear knee pads on the red trails at Santos if I'm on my trail bike.
I had a bad crash last fall. Front wheel slipped out and I went down fracturing ribs and banging up my arm. The strangest thing though was I cut my hand really bad between the ring finger and pinky on my right hand, the side I went down on, requiring 8 stitches. The thing is, I was wearing long fingered gloves. The only thing I can figure is I hit the brake lever. Didn’t tear the gloves and didn’t even realize I was cut until I saw blood on the ground as I pulled myself together. I didn’t take off the glove but sort of stuffed it into the wound to stop the bleeding. Totally shocked when I took off the glove back at the car. Don’t know how I cut it so bad through the glove.
I suffer most with knees and shoulders, my handle bars tend to protect my wrists and elbows (I don't let go that much). In Spain, 30C plus, in summer, no way am I going to wear body protection apart from helmet (usually second or third point of impact)
5 hrs too late for me. would’ve saved some arm abrasions on a “controlled” 2 wheel drift for a few feet. Was going to take it easy. always happens when you go over small unknowns or put your guard down. had two pairs g form light and fox thick ones sitting in trunk too. even went out again for jumps after having a chance to get them. i never learn.
I'm lickings my weekend wounds and wasn't able to ride Sunday due to chunks of my elbow being removed by the trail. My knee is missing a chunk too. I could have avoided all this if I'd only put my poc knee and elbow pads on. It was a stupid crash. Going slow and not paying attention to the loose corner. Slowmo crashes do the most damage. The jagged rocks embedded in the trail acted like a cheese grater to my exposed bits. I'm a idiot for not wearing my protective gear. I used to wear it all the time because of a simmilar crash years ago. Then I got lazy and carless. Thank goodness I didn't need to go to the er. But I probably should have.
I keep telling myself I need to wear pads, but never do cuz after dozens of crashes over quite a few years I always land hand-hip/shoulders-back. Probs from street skateboarding when young we never wore pads and learned how to roll on crashes. Now, you will never catch me without gloves. I wear armored shorts more than I do knee/elbow.
Poc elbows are short. They protect the main elbow bone but each time i crash i get wounded below the elbow because while crashing and contacting the mud the elastic band moves and leaves the area exposed. I am looking for something more efficient.
Fox make some good ones that have plastic on the outside. At least with plastic you can slide more versus having the elbow pad grab and move up your arm.
Being able to do body weight exercises like push-ups is essential to maintaining muscle mass in older people. How can you do that if you get seriously/permanently injured on a mountain bike not wearing elbow pads?
Mistook my knee pad for my left elbow pad during my pre-ride pack.. As fate would have it, I crashed and scraped up my left elbow. I'll never ride without pads again! I'm getting too old to heal fast.
When you fall you typically hit your knees on something. I’m other words they are more prone to injury than elbows but not by much. On rough down hills I think elbow pads should be standard equipment.
My stance is always like - I have to get up tomorrow and work, cook, mow grass, take sprint rides after work. All that is also an excuse for me NOT to send it as I coward down sketchy descents. And I almost always use knee pads.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #1 НАЧАЛО ПУТЕШЕСТВИЯ [Новый сезон] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/380Q7gLWGvk/mqdefault.jpg)
I’m wrapped up fully for any ride on dirt especially in Pisgah. I’m self employed with no sick days. 😁
I’m a strong advocate for full face helmet.
Two years ago split my lower lip down to the gums. Surgical adhesive on upper lip and nose, two interior and nine exterior stitches in lower lip.
I was only going about 15mph on a trail I frequent but a slight change in bike angle resulted in a rear tire slide on a root I’d hardly previously considered the sudden impact with tree broke my GPS mount, cracked my helmet and nearly knocked me out.
Below freezing temps, only the most necessary attire and riding alone left me feeling lucky to have walked out alive. Additionally I was very lucky to have had a very skilled Doctor working in the emergency room. It was a sobering reminder to the inherent dangers of mountain biking.
I don"t have a plan to buy any elbow pads until i saw this.. I will diffinitely buy one now. Thanks Clint!
Heal up soon Clint! Ribs are the worst and take forever to get better. Broken collarbone, better the day after surgery, cracked ribs...4 months to not feel it.
Consider getting the POC body armor too if you're riding double black, extra insurance for the spine and ribs
Thanks for the wake up call! I've not been good about wearing my pads lately.
Sorry about that crash. Remember AGATT = All Gear All The Time
Yep. Just like the moto riders will tell you.
This is the way! :)
AGATT is my mantra for skating. As a newbie mountain biker, my mantra will also be AGATT. It's cheap insurance!
I sometimes feel like the nerd out there, but I’m wearing the elbow and knee pads all the time. I just got tired of having to heal up after that 40th ride crash. This was a great public service video. Heal fast and completely.
Don't feel like a nerd, you do whatever you want to make yourself feel secure
I truly appreciate hearing an expert rider endorse the wisdom of using elbow pads for descents....it means a lot coming from you. Thank you.
100% agree. Got some pads a couple a years ago for enduro and now wear them for trail and lots of XC riding too. The minor heat/constriction is nothing compared to avoiding injury. And those tip overs are worse than slide out crashes - tip overs are all impact... but better than endo I guess! ;)
Nice example of a vertical mattress suture to close the wound over a high tension area instead of using 4 interrupted sutures. Not a newbie Dr. This confirms my decision to get some ixs elbow pads in addition to my ixs knee pads.
Have been thinking about pads now I’m going to invest.
Many thanks.
Wish you good recovery !
I'm so used to knee and elbow pads, that I feel unsecure if riding without them. The one time I didn't wear knee pads (you know, just a short ride in the woods near the neighborhood) ended up with messed up knee. Nothing too serious, but it took a long time to heal, since the skin there is always moving when you walk. I also have two sets of elbow pads - one lighter for longer AM rides, that I can wear all day, and one more bulky set for gnarlier trails, bikeparks and enduro races.
Amen. I had a freak accident on the trails and now have a terrible triad injury on my right elbow. Surgery is tomorrow. Not paying full attention is what got me!
I’ve Learned the hard way as well. I wear gloves and helmet on any ride. After a few minor crashes I advanced to very light kneepads. At the end of last year season I had a big crash where I hurt my knee and really hurt my elbow. Now I’m full on good kneepads and good elbow pads !!!
Just when I thought knee pads were enough .. now shopping for a matching set for my IXS flows, great protection by the way..
Natural Selection is the funniest name I have ever heard for a technical trail.
I did EXACTLY the same thing a few years back, and now throw elbow guards in my pack every single time I go out. Light, Easy to carry, and well worth it!
Thanks for the reminder Clint. It's so easy to blow off the pads and just hit the trail! Glad you're healing well. Pads are definitely cheaper than the ER visit!
Hi Clint,
Last friday I had every protection except chest protector, I flow quite fast over the bar , landed on my right chest and broke 3 ribs.
Mayby you could tell soething about how to avoid going over the bar. This was extremly terrifying caus I didnt get any controll over the fly.
Keep going like this.
I wear hydradration pack with spine and rib protector now after last year I landed on some rocks and broke my ribs , elbow pads too, and knee pads ... I have learned my lesson..lol
I crashed 1 year ago on my time trial bike, going downhill in the aero-bars at 40mph. First thing to hit the ground was my elbow. Trip to the er, Doc said that the gaping wound couldn't be stitched and it would eventually close and heal. One year later and you can barely see the scarring. Skin is an amazing organ!
I always ride with knee and elbow pads, but lately I've been riding a fair bit of XC/trail and thought I don't need to wear them. That was until a couple of weeks ago and I had a slow speed OTB in a techy little rock garden and smashed my knee open on a sharp rock requiring the rest of the afternoon in the hospital waiting room to get stitched back up. Had I been wearing the pads that I always wear (except for on these types of rides) I wouldn't be telling this story. I've since purchased a pair of lighter-type pads that I don't leave home without. I don't even pull them down on the climbs. Note to self, Always wear as much protection as you can, regardless of the ride.
Great video, happened to me at whistler couple years ago, last trail of the day was tired and finishing a long run. Fortunately was my second to last day there, never went riding bp again without elbow pads, uncomfortable but necessary. This kind of injury is underrated
Live in Oz, was descending last year and had a full enduro bro try to squeeze by in a corner, clip me, and I ate it. Broke and dislocated my shoulder, opened my elbow up with dirt getting into the joint space. Nice trip to the operating room that could have been saved with elbow pads.
Well said... Slide out for me too.
Looked down at my 1" scar on my left elbow, near the funny bone, while watching this video.
My wreck happened 5-minutes in. Spent 45-minutes waiting to not bleed out to make the solo 15-minute ride back.
Anyway, limped thru the next day of work... lucky as can be to just simply be there.
I know the feeling , I had a tree jump into the middle of the trail the other day. Next thing I know I'm on the ground bashed up knee ,bent wheel , it wasn't a serious wreck but now I've got the right gear now, like most of us we don't think of it. glad you're getting better
Hate it when some tree decides to casually jump on the trail out of nowhere :D. Good it wasn't serious.
Nature has spoken. Glad that you took the hint wisely.....
Yeah I ride without pads way too much. Probably because I’m building a bike park and ride it a lot so I get too complacent riding it. Appreciate the reminder to wear gear.
Man, I started wearing knees pads after a simple workout tore all the skin off my knee. Haven’t crashed since but feel naked without them. Maybe it’s time to grab matching elbow pads.
Same, I feel so insecure on the trail without elbow and knee pads... I even race XC with them when I can't pre-ride the trail before the race
You are so right. Also a great idea for newer riders. Riding is a bit like skiing - it you push it, you will go down - its just a function of how bad it is will be. Most of the time you are just fine but you might as well be protected.
Watching this video with 5 stitches below my left elbow and bruised ribs after an extremely unspectacular slide out. It’s only been 6 months since last time.. never wore protectors apart from helmet and gloves, but I am finally conceding
Most common part - knee/shins. So I wear a kneepad that extends to shin. I won't wear kneepads without shin protection. Elbow protection as well.
Use protections constantly, until you feel uncomfortable without them.
I haven't had yet a bad fall on bike, but many years ago, when I started street skating, I wore everything, even a backpack with my shoes. It wasn't to comfortable, specially with elbow pads until I accidentally rolled over steep stairs at night. I lost orientation and finished over my back. Without moving, I scanned myself to find what part of my body was broken. I noticed just a small pain in my hip and all protections (except for the helmet) were scratched or out of place, but I was fine. The fall was so spectacular that cars passing by stopped to see if I was OK and my friends wanted to take me home, but I decided to skate immediately or I wouldn't skate again.
Never again felt uncomfortable with protections, in fact, if I don't wear the minimum (helmet, gloves and kneepads), I actually feel uncomfortable. Cheers!
I just go into MTB and I wasn’t thinking about knee and elbow protection. But I think I had a change of mind.
An ounce of prevention…
3+ months out from radial/ulna head fracture and severe elbow dislocation…have to wear a serious metal brace to ride at all. Will be sporting my new POC Joint VPD system elbow pads in addition to my existing VPD knee pads for pretty much every ride going forward!
Great vid! Elbow pads on my purchase list now.
I just bashed my elbow on a wipeout (front wheel washed out on to fast on turn)....and the stupid thing is...I have a nice pair of elbow/forearm pads....still in package :(
Last few owies have been knees, but your point is well taken.
I was a road racer for over 25 years, and got tired of getting road rash, especially on hips and shoulder/upper back, from crashes in races, so I started wearing 2 jersies, then a cycling undershirt under one jersey, plus 2 pair of shorts with Scott hip pads between the layers. They moved around too much while racing, so I switched to placing large pieces of synthetic chamois in their place. All this did help some with preventing scrapes. Crashing still hurts, regardless.
Yep pads are a must I am now wearing Seven idp Sam Hill knee pads they completely shroud the knee 👌.
“Safety is not accident”
adding to that never ride when u are very tired. Gravity MTB is one of this sports where u cannot push yourself to exhaustion.
Good point!
Great advice. Had the same thing happened to me weeks ago. I hit my elbow on a rock and had a deep nasty wound
I broke my wrist and got a fracture in the elbow-end of my radius from falling over at 0 mph, just spun out a bit and stalled, was off balance when I got my foot down and went over. Nothing would have really protected the wrist, but elbow would have been fine if I had pads. The year before I had a similar crash to yours and got some ribs and chipped the other elbow. Also, a friend of mine shattered his elbow/upper arm roller blading with a brand new set of elbow pads sitting in the car. Since then, for me it's elbow and knee pads every time. Sometimes I can feel that people think it's overkill on the easier trails, but I almost feel naked without pads now. I'm 50, and tired of injuring things when there is an easy solution.
Yep completely understand . I have had to crashes my last 2 rides . The first was at slow speeds losing my line and ran over a bowling ball size rock where i cleared it but going so slow I lost the bike and tipped over and hit some rocks ( my high desert location is made up of mostly rock ) like you I felt my ribs as the first sign of pain . I broke my collar bone 1.5 years ago and I try to protect that when I fall . I hit my shoulder and scraped it up and bruised my thigh . I wasn't wearing knee pads but a neoprene type knee brace which seemed to give the knee protection . I felt good 6 days latter and went for a 20 mile ride . I was a bit tired and was going down a section at speed and hit a loose softball size rock on my front tire which turned my wheel and down i went with force . I covered myself into a tight ball and hit my left side which is my normal crash position ( weak side I guess) . I hit hard and It's all loose type volcanic rock . After a few minutes I was not severely injured but like you my left elbow was bloody . My left knee brace was torn with some scrapes and a small bump on my knee . If I wore my regular knee pads that would have been avoided but it did offer some protection . I hit my palm which my gloves protected it from being scraped but some impact on the bone and pain . Shoulder also got scraped . The scape on my left elbow was the worse and elbow pads would have reduced that injury depending how much protection they would have provided . These were not an extreme technical situations but just bad luck . Just taking your eye off the line for a split second . Technically mountain bikers riding rocky areas should be geared up like moto riders with full body protection but in general most dont like that type of restriction riding a bike . I need to at least be wearing knee pads and arm pads on all rides on my local trails . I have improved my falling position at least for these last 2 crashes . You are going to crash and fall and what you do to prepare for that changes can change your outcome .
If you're an MTB lifer an accident or two that results in a decent injury is inevitable. In terms of long term pain during healing and beyond, broken bibs are on top of my list. I broke 3 going OTB as I washed out the front wheel in a downhill berm turn. Basically went Superman over the bars. I knew immediately the ribs were damaged. In my great wisdom of stupid decisions, I decided NOT to visit the ER because it didn't feel that bad. 12 hours later after inflammation set in I could hardly move with screaming pain. ER determined 3 ribs cracked (no surgery) and I thankfully took both a muscle relaxer and pain pills. Could not lay down for 3 weeks, slept downstairs in a lazy boy. I'm not here to brag but I've separated the shoulder twice (extremely painfully initially, football), broken the collarbone, broken the hand (MTB), and two hip replacement surgeries along with the broken ribs. I would not wish broken ribs on my worst enemy.
When you fall, it goes in this order: knees, wrists, forearms, head.
I found it hard to get blood stains out of jerseys. Bought some from Amazon. Not as good as yours, but they work. Thanks for the video!
I do both biking & inline skating. Here's a weird elbow injury for ya: One time I was street skating with friends, and had my skating elbow pads on over my sweatshirt. At some point I tripped over a metal plate in a construction area, fell, and skidded a short way on my elbow pads. They stayed in place, did their job, and I felt no pain. I got right back up and finished the route. When I got back to my car and was removing the elbow pads, my sweatshirt under one pad was soaked in blood. When I took off my sweatshirt, I had a deep gash on my elbow that just wouldn't stop bleeding. It turns out the gash had been caused by the seam of my sweatshirt (!), which had moved and scraped along the outside of the elbow joint on impact, gouging out a big deep rut. The pad saved me from a fracture and dissipated some of the impact by sliding, as it was designed to do. But the seam of the sweatshirt arm still got me! I have MTN bike specific knee pads (that go against the skin, under clothing) for biking, and plan to heed your warning and get elbow pads for biking, too. For skating, I just make sure the sleeve of any clothing worn under the skate pads is turned so that the seam runs on the inside of my elbow, not the outside.
I guess if you get out there and live life stuff happens. That's kind of crazy.
In forty years of cycling I broke a few bones and a bunch of abrasions but nothing too horrendous. I'm mostly a roadie but if I bombed down trails I'd armor up! Heal well.
I agree 100%... I just bought new elbow pads Fox Enduro D30
I also wear a small type of pad turned around for the back of my ankle since I use 5/10 shoes and don’t want to hit the cleat with the back of my ankle. Knee pads and elbow pads are good info.
ugh. I crashed today. no knee/elbow pads on...also in truck. crash would have resulted in nothing with pads on. now I have a couple days of sticking to everything like the sheets. thanks Clint.
I never wear elbow pads, but there's been many times I go flying by w my elbows inches from trees and it does cross my mind "what if?"..."maybe I should buy a pair." I do wear IXS Flow knee pads, a full face Fox Proframe helmet and of course gloves for every trail, Enduro or DH ride though. Will sometimes wear knee pads on XC rides too just depends on what the route includes, anything gnarly I wear them bc better safe than sorry. Esp if I'm bombing down roads too hitting 40+ mph I always wear knee pads, helmet and gloves.
Thanks clint, going to add some double pads to my hydration pack. Also, if you're learning to ride clips, pick up some soccer shin guards and throw them underneath your socks. Trust me.... Shin guards...
Great video, Clint! Nobody does explanatory videos like you. Appreciate how much goes into this, and a high signal to noise ratio… Hope your elbow is all healed by now so you can go shred some more trails for great videos…
Great advice!
Rode Garden of Gods last weekend and debated my POC elbows, and wound up putting them on last minute. Ended up doing a medium speed OTB and landed a full body weight direct hit on my elbow. Was a non issue, not a scratch because i decided to wear my POC elbows!
I've done the same thing; bought some great elbow/knee pads, busted my ass while not wearing them. My elbow injury lingered for months.
My experience shows just falling over or crashing going slow, the impact is like plowing the ground vs. skipping and sliding. For me it's usually with my noggin and proven by my wide assortment of broken lids!
When I ride bike park I wear knee pads, elbow pads, shoulder chest and back protector (POC tee) and full face. Even though I ride only blues and red lines, no excuses, armor up! Now I’m so used to it, I wouldn’t go without it. Also, my mantra is, the more noobie you are (I.e. me) the more protection you should wear.
I always wear elbow pads and by the looks of them, they saved me from many injuries! Yes they are POC elbow pads! 😉🇨🇦
And my kneepads are Raceface, simply because they can be put on or off without taking the shoes off!
Great PSA for the MTB community, I see way too many people without elbow pads. I snapped the point of my elbow off last season (olecranon fracture). 7 screws and a metal plate. Took 2 surgeries and 8 months of physical therapy before I could ride again. Still not right, won’t be for the rest of my life. I make do though, still riding!
I was lucky enough that, the last time I fell off my bike, all I got a few weeks ago was some road rash on my left arm. Put some anti-biotic on it and just taped a gauze in place. I won't go out biking without knee and elbow pads anymore.
Saw that gash of Cam Zink's. It was indeed a super deep cut. Looks like it peeled most of his knee back.
Not only should you wear elbow pads, you should make sure they are secured properly. I had a crash while wearing elbow pads but the slide from the momentum caused the pad to slide up my arm therefore bruising my elbow. I could feel the burn but I couldn't understand why as the pad had gone back to its original position. I removed the pad and was shocked when I saw blood.
recently added elbow pads as well after scraping up my elbows at a teeter-totter... of all places.
I recently added a tld 7855 armored shirt to my kit. If I'm doing anything but xc type trails I'll wrap it around my handle bars and put it under my jersey at the top, along with a full face, knee pads, armored shami, and now a wrist brace 🤦♂️. Had a nasty tumble on natural selection a few weeks ago on the big off camber rock roll. Head over heels about 30ft down the mountain. Only sprain my wrist, woulda been much worse. I could feel rock impacts on my back and every limb as I tumbled. The armored shirt saved my tail
That rock roll is gnarly. Glad you are ok.
The POC ones I also used to have but they were not working as they always slip down. That's the problem I always have with slip-on elbow pads..
This literally JUST happened to me as well. Whenever I ride bike park or Enduro (races etc) I always wear a plastic chest/back protector, full face helmet, big knee pads and DH pants. I have slim elbow pads which i’ve only used when in big mountain stuff. I’ve been really increasing my speeds lately and nowadays i really rarely crash. Well, last run at the local bike park the other day - super dry and loose over rock hard berms. Front wheel got stuck in a hardened rut
In the berm and bike washed out. I hit my elbow so hard on the inside of the track - like sliding across concrete with loose gravel on top. Nasty scrapes on elbow (was wearing a short sleevee shirt). had I used the slim elbow pads, i’m pretty sure my elbow would have just been a bit sore and not a gorey mess. So, yeah, will be putting them on going forward… And probably should use beefier ones for gnarly stuff. Funny because I never ever fool around with my chest/back armour.
Wish I saw your video before riding the Santiago Oak Peak trail over the weekend. With only 1/5 of the way left and sure enough the front wheel washed out from not slowing down enough before the turn. Like you said, nothing would have happened had I put the elbow and knee pads on instead of leaving them in the car ;-/
I wear the POC VPD Air elbow pads - sometimes. The reason is that it is 'sometimes' is that they are for ever sliding down my arms and spend most of the time around my wrists! Not much good there! Other than putting an elastic up around my shoulders like a nursery school child - I can't seem to get them to work. Really annoying.
Riding clip in - clipped a rock while chatting and fell on my elbow . Really innocent mistake that could happen anytime and landed on the point of my elbow and dislocated my elbow and fracture the elbow joint and 12 weeks no riding and _12 month to fully recover .. lesson is protective gear keep you riding , better than watching your buddies have all the fun
Great advice! I’m getting my pads!
my worst injuries are the small stupid ones. Ive gone otb down a a rock slab and landed in a hole and was able to finish my ride. Ive had tip overs that forced me to cut my ride short. I think its because mentally you are preparing for a crash through more dangerous terrain. When youre hanging out going slow you probably get a little complacent
about to head out for a ride..gonna wear everything
Started wearing elbow pads after a bad crash on my ktm 450 left me with only 50 % mobility in my right elbow, wish i had them on that day
Ha. I did the same thing! Got to trail head and figured...'eh don't need elbo pads for this trail. So left them in the truck. Sure enough had a pedal strike on a hidden obstacle and down I went. what got banged up..yep the elbo. 🤦♂️. Thinking to myself "Just wear them dummy"
I have seriously been thinking about elbow pads, especially as I start riding faster and the margins for error shrink. All my wrecks so far, the knees and hands have taken the most impact, but when I had a OTB that dislocated my thumb, I also tore my lat and my whole forearm got cut up and that was from a trail that was not very rocky.
Maybe I should be wearing pads for my next crit ha ha. Thanks for the video!
I wear a chesty too , seen too many broken ribs and you never where you’re going to land ..on a sharp object , branch , rock etc... no impalements for me !
I wrecked and a rock severed my ulnar nerve (funny bone). I now have permanent nerve damage and my hand will never work the same again.
I never ride without knee or elbow pads, even in XC races.
Thx for the message! Volume is kind of low in this video btw just fyi
While I TOTALLY agree with you on the importance of elbow and knee protection, it's so hard to comply while dealing with the miserable mid-summer Florida heat and humidity.
Fortunately the speeds and terrain in Florida aren't as much of a high consequence as downhills in North Carolina. So pads aren't quite as crucial. Though I do often wear knee pads on the red trails at Santos if I'm on my trail bike.
I had a bad crash last fall. Front wheel slipped out and I went down fracturing ribs and banging up my arm. The strangest thing though was I cut my hand really bad between the ring finger and pinky on my right hand, the side I went down on, requiring 8 stitches. The thing is, I was wearing long fingered gloves. The only thing I can figure is I hit the brake lever. Didn’t tear the gloves and didn’t even realize I was cut until I saw blood on the ground as I pulled myself together. I didn’t take off the glove but sort of stuffed it into the wound to stop the bleeding. Totally shocked when I took off the glove back at the car. Don’t know how I cut it so bad through the glove.
Mom always told me that “ the fall would never hurt you, it only the sudden stop”.
I suffer most with knees and shoulders, my handle bars tend to protect my wrists and elbows (I don't let go that much). In Spain, 30C plus, in summer, no way am I going to wear body protection apart from helmet (usually second or third point of impact)
5 hrs too late for me. would’ve saved some arm abrasions on a “controlled” 2 wheel drift for a few feet. Was going to take it easy. always happens when you go over small unknowns or put your guard down. had two pairs g form light and fox thick ones sitting in trunk too. even went out again for jumps after having a chance to get them. i never learn.
I'm lickings my weekend wounds and wasn't able to ride Sunday due to chunks of my elbow being removed by the trail. My knee is missing a chunk too. I could have avoided all this if I'd only put my poc knee and elbow pads on. It was a stupid crash. Going slow and not paying attention to the loose corner. Slowmo crashes do the most damage. The jagged rocks embedded in the trail acted like a cheese grater to my exposed bits. I'm a idiot for not wearing my protective gear. I used to wear it all the time because of a simmilar crash years ago. Then I got lazy and carless. Thank goodness I didn't need to go to the er. But I probably should have.
Some lessons are hard to learn. Sorry about that! We’ve all been there.
Just ordered a set. Scared straight.
Uh huh! Experience is a crappy teacher..
You are a mountain biker, you'll be fine.
Stress less, Ride more!! Stay safe.
I keep telling myself I need to wear pads, but never do cuz after dozens of crashes over quite a few years I always land hand-hip/shoulders-back. Probs from street skateboarding when young we never wore pads and learned how to roll on crashes.
Now, you will never catch me without gloves. I wear armored shorts more than I do knee/elbow.
Poc elbows are short. They protect the main elbow bone but each time i crash i get wounded below the elbow because while crashing and contacting the mud the elastic band moves and leaves the area exposed. I am looking for something more efficient.
Fox make some good ones that have plastic on the outside. At least with plastic you can slide more versus having the elbow pad grab and move up your arm.
Are the POC elbow pads EVA foam??
Being able to do body weight exercises like push-ups is essential to maintaining muscle mass in older people. How can you do that if you get seriously/permanently injured on a mountain bike not wearing elbow pads?
Mistook my knee pad for my left elbow pad during my pre-ride pack.. As fate would have it, I crashed and scraped up my left elbow. I'll never ride without pads again! I'm getting too old to heal fast.
I'm new to mountain biking and was wondering why I don't see anyone wearing elbow pads but everyone wears knee pads?
When you fall you typically hit your knees on something. I’m other words they are more prone to injury than elbows but not by much. On rough down hills I think elbow pads should be standard equipment.
My stance is always like - I have to get up tomorrow and work, cook, mow grass, take sprint rides after work. All that is also an excuse for me NOT to send it as I coward down sketchy descents. And I almost always use knee pads.