Anyone ride with knee guards?


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Superzoom

New Member


Does anyone use knee guards when they ride? I have some Firstgear overpants with armour, but will once in a while wear regular jeans. I feel pretty unprotected with jeans on. I know I could get Kevlar jeans, but I don't think Kevlar provides impact protection, only abrasion resistance.

I'm thinking I could wear knee guards with jeans. Take one minute to put them on, then just take them off when I get to my destination. I know there's no hip armour, but in my last accident, I really bashed the hell out of my knee.
 
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dart1963

Super Moderator
Elite Member
a lot of the guys I ride with wear the kevlar jeans and these... makes it easier to go to events in jeans instead of leather or textile pants.. when they get there, they just pull out the knee guards for comfort.

of course, don't forget to look into hip armor as well. and they go under your jeans, not over... or at least that's how the guys I ride with do it.

most, on regular rides will gear up, but for food/night out... jeans and these
 
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dmkun

Member
I fell hard recently, ripped my jeans and bruised both knees ... I am deciding between riding pants with built-in guards or just the knee guards that i can wear under any jeans or pants. I think i will probably end up going with just the knee guards...

I am also looking at the armored shorts with hip protectors...
 
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Alex6

New Member
Yes, I always ride with the knee guards and when I wear the summer mesh pants I use exactly the same the OP posted. They are very light and comfortable, the only issue I have they might slide a bit if I did not secure the bottoms with the boots.
My mesh pants offer the hip and removable knee protection, but the knee pads in the pants were not aligned with my knees in the riding position. The A* are way more protective than many inserts I've seen.
 
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richierich781

New Member
I wear the Icon field armor knee guards all the time with my sliders kevlar jeans, I dont leave home without them. I'm so used to wearing them that sometimes I forget that they are there. I've had them for 3 years and the quality is pretty good. I also got the A* shorts that I wear for hip and rear end protection.
 
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Invader Jim

New Member
summer pants

My summer pants - Firstgear Mesh-Tex 2.0 Pants - BikeBandit.com - Firstgear Mesh-Tex 2.0 Pants

They are cooler to wear than jeans. However, the padding is light. You get more protection than jeans but I would never recommend them for track day if you do that sort of thing. They provide more comfort in hot weather and more protection than jeans but I am not sure how much they would really do in a high speed slide and the padding seems more about abrasion resistance than impact resistance.

The knee pads over jeans would actually provide a lot more knee impact protection but would be a lot hotter.
 
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MNGreg

waiting out winter
Elite Member
I wear ICON Field Armor Stryker Knee/Shin pads ALL the time when I ride now also after having my crash that caused skinned knees. If I wear my Draggin Jeans then they go under. If I wear my riding pants (like going to work) then I just strap them on top of my work pants but under my riding pants. If I am going to do a "fun" ride then I strap them under my kevlar jeans, then wear my riding pants also.... I dont want to crash again but if I do, I want most protection possible... And I am still flexible so it is ok.
 
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Detrich

New Member
Yes.

CE Knee guards + armored shorts + Kevlar jeans -ALWAYS- unless I'm in a full suit.

When you've seen in-person what a knee looks like chipped to the bone, then u WILL see the light...

Don't risk letting it happen to you. ride safely, and always wear protective gear.
 
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MNGreg

waiting out winter
Elite Member
Detrich said:
Yes.

CE Knee guards + armored shorts + Kevlar jeans -ALWAYS- unless I'm in a full suit.

When you've seen in-person what a knee looks like chipped to the bone, then u WILL see the light...

Don't risk letting it happen to you. ride safely, and always wear protective gear.
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:thumbup: all this!!
Just wish they made armored shorts, or even those BHON (spelling?) protective undergear for those of us bigger guys..
 
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Detrich

New Member
I have both Knox armored shorts and the Icon Stryker, which I modified by sewing in a 3DO piece of tailbone armor.

The Knox are clearly superior, but they are extremely bulky. :(. As of late, I've just been wearing the Icons more- only because they are more comfortable & less bulky.

Something is always better than nothing.
 
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Superzoom

New Member
Thanks a lot for all the replies, everyone.

So no one wears them on top of jeans, unless it's under riding pants? Is it because it fits better or is more comfortable under jeans, or is it for cosmetic reasons?

Alex, the Knox guards look interesting because they look like they strap above the knee as well.

Will knee guards fit under skinnyish jeans? My boot cut Gap jeans are pretty tight down most of the leg. I don't relish looking like I'm wearing "Dad" jeans (no offense to any dads, or guys who like baggy jeans!).
 
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madmike

Lord Humongous
Elite Member
Knee guards and riding jeans, at a minimum, every time.
 
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Nastybutler

Cynical Member
Elite Member
I've got some Forcefield armored under leggings that are a little bulky but fit reasonably well under my boot cut jeans, but I've lost some weight recently so my jeans are looser than when I bought them. They fit great under my Shift Kevlar riding jeans, but they are definitely baggier than my normal jeans.

The Forcefield armor is great. They have tailbone, hip, knee/shin, and thigh protection. I took out the thigh protector plates as they made me look, and felt, way too bulky, and other than femur breaks (which I'm not sure the padding would prevent) you usually don't hear about the front of the thigh getting messed up in a wreck.
 
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MNGreg

waiting out winter
Elite Member
Superzoom said:
Thanks a lot for all the replies, everyone.

So no one wears them on top of jeans, unless it's under riding pants? Is it because it fits better or is more comfortable under jeans, or is it for cosmetic reasons?

Alex, the Knox guards look interesting because they look like they strap above the knee as well.

Will knee guards fit under skinnyish jeans? My boot cut Gap jeans are pretty tight down most of the leg. I don't relish looking like I'm wearing "Dad" jeans (no offense to any dads, or guys who like baggy jeans!).
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I wear them as I mentioned for both cosmetic and for protection.. I feel there could be a risk of it scratching the paint if I wear them above everything else.. Plus I feel, say I go down while fun riding.. the road will first go through my riding pants, then my kevlar jeans, then finally grind through my knee pads.. I figure odds of doing all that is somewhat unlikely. Maybe saving the best protection as the last resort??

I think with boot cut jeans sized properly you will not have a problem wearing them.. You will however, most likely have a situation where you have to go into the bathroom and undo your pants to get them on/off.. I am kind of mixed.. With my riding jeans I can NOT put my knee pads on without pulling down my pants. It is about a 50/50 ration on being able to take them off by sliding out front the ankle without pulling pants down.. it is tight though so I am always concerned about damaging them pulling on them. I do have the Icon Stryker Armor w/ D3O though, it is comfortable to wear, but it is a tiny bit bulky on the knee cap area.
 
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buzzbomb

Senior Member
Elite Member
Superzoom said:


Does anyone use knee guards when they ride? I have some Firstgear overpants with armour, but will once in a while wear regular jeans. I feel pretty unprotected with jeans on. I know I could get Kevlar jeans, but I don't think Kevlar provides impact protection, only abrasion resistance.

I'm thinking I could wear knee guards with jeans. Take one minute to put them on, then just take them off when I get to my destination. I know there's no hip armour, but in my last accident, I really bashed the hell out of my knee.
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What if you had really bashed the hell out of your hip? You would be looking for hip armor and not knee armor. Sorry, man. There's just no substitute for good riding pants. Or boots, gloves, jacket and helmet.

Having busted up one part of your body, I hope you realize that it could be any part of your body. There are recent posts concerning how kevlar jeans didn't do dick to save the rider.

The strap-on knee pads might help your knees, but you've already settled the question in your mind when you asked about hips.

There's just no substitute for ATGATT. ATGATT doesn't mean full leather all the time. If a body part is unprotected, that bodypart is subject to serious damage. So the ATGATT rider tries to cover their vulnerable bodyparts with suitable armor.

Living where I live I ride in mostly all textile. It was in the 90s today, and damn if I wasn't hot. Not going to give up the ATGATT just so I could be cool though. In any sense of the word "cool."
 

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Superzoom

New Member
buzzbomb said:
What if you had really bashed the hell out of your hip? You would be looking for hip armor and not knee armor. Sorry, man. There's just no substitute for good riding pants. Or boots, gloves, jacket and helmet.

Having busted up one part of your body, I hope you realize that it could be any part of your body. There are recent posts concerning how kevlar jeans didn't do dick to save the rider.

The strap-on knee pads might help your knees, but you've already settled the question in your mind when you asked about hips.

There's just no substitute for ATGATT. ATGATT doesn't mean full leather all the time. If a body part is unprotected, that bodypart is subject to serious damage. So the ATGATT rider tries to cover their vulnerable bodyparts with suitable armor.

Living where I live I ride in mostly all textile. It was in the 90s today, and damn if I wasn't hot. Not going to give up the ATGATT just so I could be cool though. In any sense of the word "cool."
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Very good points, of course. I wear my fully armoured riding pants as often as I can.

When I had my collision with a deer and went flying off the bike and down the highway, I had no armour in my pants. I ended up bashing one knee, requiring stitches, but I had absolutely no bruising to my hips or tailbone. And I went tumbling a LONG way.

I realize that wearing hip armour is of course better than no hip armour, but armour use is an exercise in compromises. For instance, back armour is optional on many suits. And if you really want protection, you should wear a Leatt brace to protect your neck. Pro riders are experimenting with air bags to protect the neck and spine as well.

I was looking into the knee braces as a substantial boost to protection over wearing jeans alone. Not the best protection overall, but a compromise I can probably live with.
 
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