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Why are so few adventure riders use proper knee-braces?


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Proper knee braces should be part of every serious adventure or dual-sport riders kit  

And also a review on the Leatt C-frame knee braces we have been using the last 2years and 30000km

It is a good question, and we only really came to think about it when Elsebie ran out of luck fifteen years after starting to ride off-road on dual-sport bikes. But we’ll get on to that a little bit later.

Most riders buy the obligatory protection for use with a dual sport adventure bike. Helmet, jacket, pants, gloves, super strong enduro boots and they are off. Why riders would think buying super protective enduro boots but not proper knee-braces is a mystery. At least these days more riders use neck braces as part of their kit. I think because suits and pants normally come standard with knee pads, riders accept that they are adequate enough for protecting knees and trust the clothing brand to know best.

We have better technology today, lighter stronger materials to offer us protection so why not use these advantages? The same with neck braces. Obviously it feels much better having less kit than more, and you do not want to get to a point where it is better to just not ride and get a safer hobby instead, like playing chess. Many riders today can not afford costly medical bills or be off work or suffer ailments from injuries when older. Most importantly why risk injury and thus not being able to ride when it is possible to utilise the technologies, advances and materials we have today to stay safe?

More: https://www.pikipikioverland.com/why-are-so-few-adventure-riders-using-knee-braces/

leatt-c-frame-knee-braces-pikipikioverla

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I wore good knee pads under the Klim pants. I would have bought braces had I ever found that they actually provided support, for instance, in standing.

But I guess they don't. Mainly they are for if you have a knee injury to protect, or, they are for aid in keeping your knees from twisting.

Not many pro riders wear them I suspect.

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17 hours ago, Rapid Dog said:

I wore good knee pads under the Klim pants. I would have bought braces had I ever found that they actually provided support, for instance, in standing.

But I guess they don't. Mainly they are for if you have a knee injury to protect, or, they are for aid in keeping your knees from twisting.

Not many pro riders wear them I suspect.

Nope, they are not jsut for people with knee injuries, they actually prevent knee and ligament injuries. That's part the reason for my article. Adventure riders on big bikes are much more at risk with knee and ligament injuries.  Most pro riders actually do use proper knee braces :)

On 22/04/2018 at 11:57 PM, MtnRider said:

Sadly I would have to compromise with boots if I were even able to find a knee brace that would fit me due to the size of my legs.  I'll look for the custom made kneeboot 🙄 whenever it's made

They have sizes and it is adjustable, I am big build and they fit me well with the adjustments :)

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Researching knee braces has been informative. It became easy to sort through search results that often included knee/shin guards. There are knee braces that seem to non-motorcycle related and closer to medical/injury related. These do not have a knee cap guard. So, during the research I simply eliminated those without a knee cap guard and of coarse the simple knee/shin guards.

There is a good selection out there. EVS, Leatt, POD, and Asterisk for example. Prices vary a bit. I find myself gravitating to the Leatt X-Frame. I like the knee cap guard and how it is supported by the other parts of the brace; so, it appears that an impact to the knee can be absorbed into areas above and below the knee. Also, that there is attention to the construction in that the lower support is claimed to be thinner and fit into boots better. The X-Frame cost seems to be in the middle range.

If one can wear a sm/med size brace, Revzilla/CycleGear have the C-Frame on close-out. Wish I could. 

Here is a link to an article written by a first-time use of knee braces. https://www.keeferinctesting.com/gear-2/2018/4/9/leatt-x-frame-knee-brace-review

Maybe it is time for me to get a pair.

 

 

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I don't know one person who wears knee braces.

...My thoughts.... Too many alternatives out there. "Good enough" alternatives. Broken feet, ankles, toes are more common. DS riders rarely see a knee injury. 

if a rider injures a knee, chances are nothing would have prevented it from happening. Speed, severity of the crash, force of impact, factors like that. It's like a helmet doesn't protect the rider at speeds above 25mph... If the rider suffers a blow to the head. 

Im not trying to argue... Just My opinion...

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have ‘em. Don’t wear ‘em. Part of the HUGE pile of what I consider unnecessary that I have/had left over from motocross. 

I bought literally EVERY piece of protective gear sold back in ‘12 when I got back in due to caution and not wanting my Son or his bestie to get hurt while I burned the Vidya out of them learning the ropes again. Leatt GPXs for all and sundry, roost protectors, Rock Gardn Flak Jacks, you name it.

By and large going upsize to a 500+ lb. bike has meant a LOT of changes and re-evaluations of what is really necessary for a distance tour, which IS after all why I’m on such a large bike Vs. a KTM or my former XR650. I LIKE to have my cake and eat it to so to speak, so I’ll run hard boxes in the Summer when the footing is sure and just a tail pack or tank bag in Winter when things are slick. At ALL times I wear basic CE minimal armor in my pants and jacket, Moto boots, leather gloves with thick palms and of course a helmet. 

The only real damage I’ve suffered in over 30k US miles of Tiger beating on me is a dislocated shoulder and a bunch of swelling/bruising from a lowside (on pavement) where the trac control went wonky in some moss and I wasn’t watching closely enough OR wearing the pants with hip armor like is my norm. Now my Tiger is another matter entirely as I’l pretty sure it lives on my knuckle blood, small birds, bats and expensive Hinckley plastic in equal measure, but that is another matter.

My point was condensed for brevity, that we tend to both overpack and overprepare. There are of course schools that will teach you these things, but I can’t imagine EVER receiving the education I have from practical experience. Pain has a way of educating you about your bad habits and if you survive long enough you WILL figure out what is essential for you and your bike’s comfort out in the big empty.  Plus although my Wife bears the Hinckley plastic bill stoicly, she balks at 600.00 plus campouts in the mud with the Boys for ADV cred. YMMV.

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I don't know one person who wears knee braces.
...My thoughts.... Too many alternatives out there. "Good enough" alternatives. Broken feet, ankles, toes are more common. DS riders rarely see a knee injury. 
if a rider injures a knee, chances are nothing would have prevented it from happening. Speed, severity of the crash, force of impact, factors like that. It's like a helmet doesn't protect the rider at speeds above 25mph... If the rider suffers a blow to the head. 
Im not trying to argue... Just My opinion...
I smashed my knee recently and had soft knee armour. I've now got very comfortable (and very hard) knee guards. Trust me, you will want and get used to them fast after taking a big hit.
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I have a set of Mobius braces, I wear them on the XR mostly, but not the Tenere. If I need them on the Tenere it is related to bike weight and may transfer the injury to a bone above/below.

On the Honda I play harder and am more likely to get a knee injury. That being said I did 90% tear ACL and MCL with good quality braces about 9 years ago. Basically ended my racing endeavors after that.

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