by downhillingdemon » Fri Aug 26, 2011 8:28 pm
[quote="wannalift"]
I don't think wrist guards would put your arms at risk anymore than neck protection would put your lower back at risk. The wrist guards keep your wrists from flexing and the forces are absorbed by the guards. I've never heard of anyone attributing a broken arm to wrist protection.
I would suggest not ditching the rest of the gear either. Landing on an unprotected shoulder or elbow is no fun. Not sure what advantages it would give to wear less gear other than enhanced climbing/endurance? You'll never crash and wish afterwards that you wore less gear.
Ah, yes, but improperly used neck protection (i.e. without a full face helmet) may increase your risk of spinal/neck damage because of the change to the pivot point in the neck and shock transfer. Braces are designed to be worn with full face helmets only to disperse the force. In fact it is recommended that neck braces are taken off when pushing uphill if the fullface helmet is removed, because of the risk of slipping and landing awkwardly and the brace providing an unnatural pivot for the neck. I would want to see studies which prove that a wrist guard would absorb the force and not transmit it. In addition, I didn't just land on my hands, I dropped from well above head height, with the bike and landed still holding onto the bars, that's a lot of force for a guard to absorb.
The advantage of loosing the upper body armour (especially shoulder and elbows) is increased movement, freedom, and flow on the bike. Some of my most comfortable times on the bike have been when I have left the armour at home. I don't believe that outer shoulder coverings prevent broken bones anywhere as near as the companies would have you believe. Grazes, yes, but shoulder injuries, I have my doubts. Again, I would like to see some extensive studies.
Training:
Wednesday- so the cold didn't improve much, but I did manage to get out for the last 15 minutes of evening sunlight



Thursday and Friday - the cold hit me full force, just in time for two site days - gawd blimy haven't felt soooo rough for a very long time. Plus my arm got really tired working and I dropped a cup of hot water on my foot. Proper in the wars

Still the aches and sore throat have eased off, now I'm just coughing relentlessly so I am praying for some sleep and a bit of riding over the bank holiday weekend

Oh, and one more thing - I finally sold that Marin Attack frame and brought, well, this little piece of far-heavier-than-a-trail-frame-that-small-should-be cuteness
If it rides ok with the bits off the chammy, it'll be built up asap to be ready for when I get back out on the trails. OH AND......I got an op date!! 23rd Sept, tfft! Only one month to go!!!
