Elbow pads

Louis Zegarra

Louis Zegarra

Member
Guys, I'm looking to buy a good pair of elbow pads but I would like it to run down the forearm almost to the wrist. I have learned that if you fall forward, the forearms gets all scratched up by dirt.

Someone told me that paintball elbow pads are the best for MTbing. What is your experience?
 
Hey Louis, I too am a guy who likes to protect my forearms. Seems when I fall, it's my forearms that hit the ground first. All the cool riders on the gravity side wear kneepads, but no arm guards. I rarely hit my knees - but always hit my forearms.

Join the herd that's using the Troy Lee elbow/forearm guards (EGL 5550). They are light, comfy, fit in a pack easily and provide first impact protection. Like all pads, they will slide of you slide, but they will take that initial impact to minimize the damage. Also comes in handy when bashing through overgrown trails in an aggressive, elbows out posture.

Here they are at Jenson.
TroyLee5550elbow.jpg
 
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Those are nice too. I noticed MTB padding are designed mostly for the first big impact situation, hence, the thickness. The slide scenario is very common is our sport but it seems to be more prevalent in paint-ball wars, hence, they are lighter with the design more for sliding when people dive in the ground. This pair I tried at my local paint-ball store felt light and there is a thumb elastic to prevent the elbow pad from pushing up in a slide. Still haven't decided which one I'll get.

Exalt.jpg
 
wow those Exalt pads look nice. I don't pb but did a quick search and another brand has good reps, Planet Eclipse.
Did your pb store carry the PEs as well? opinions?

I have several sets of pads and often don't wear them because they don't fit under longsleeve shirts.
 
@Louis Zegarra ,
Are you talking about just for DH efforts or a long day out on the Enduro trail? Those Exalts look awesome!
First thought was how cool would they be in regards to temperature. They look like they "could be" hot to wear.
I like them though! They need to come in blue (naturally o_O)...
 
Mikie said:
@Louis Zegarra ,
Are you talking about just for DH efforts or a long day out on the Enduro trail? Those Exalts look awesome!
First thought was how cool would they be in regards to temperature. They look like they "could be" hot to wear.
I like them though! They need to come in blue (naturally o_O)...
Click to expand...

I was talking for more everyday AM riding. The DH ones are too restrictive for AM. Yes, I was thinking about how would they do when is above 90+ I have to admit, they look very well ventilated on the forearm part.
 
herzalot said:
Hey Louis, I too am a guy who likes to protect my forearms. Seems when I fall, it's my forearms that hit the ground first. All the cool riders on the gravity side wear kneepads, but no arm guards. I rarely hit my knees - but always hit my forearms.

Join the herd that's using the Troy Lee elbow/forearm guards (EGL 5550). They are light, comfy, fit in a pack easily and provide first impact protection. Like all pads, they will slide of you slide, but they will take that initial impact to minimize the damage. Also comes in handy when bashing through overgrown trails in an aggressive, elbows out posture.

Here they are at Jenson.
View attachment 13683
Click to expand...

I've been using these for the last couple of years, and unfortunately have decent amount of experience crash testing them. I agree with everything Herzalot said about them, but I've actually had pretty good luck with them not sliding too much ... maybe I'm not going fast enough when I crash. :whistling: They're comfortable enough that I usually just leave them on for the whole ride, but they can get hot in the summer, so fitting well in a pack does come in handy. I'll definitely buy another pair when these wear out.
 
Well, it's only been 5 years since I posted here. In that time Troy Lee designed an even-lighter elbow forearm guard that I used regularly. Unfortunately they also had a tendency to slide down my arm over bumpy terrain. On a recent nothing slide-out fall, the pad was still in place, but my forearm got significantly bruised and shredded.

Rather than grow huge biceps, I decided to try the G-Form Pro-Rugged Elbow guards. These are also slide-on, no strap pads. I was attracted to these because they did not look like or feel like the lighter weird-looking G-Form pads with the exposed rubbery pads. These are covered in "Armortex."

So far, they stay up waaaaay better than the Troy Lees. Whether it's The Luge, Rock-It, Lynx or T and A - these high speed choppy descents are a good test of the stability and grip of the pads. They stayed in place. That's impressive. They are also comfortable, and while not as lightweight or airy as their little brother, they appear to be more likely to do the job in a crash. I hope to never find out, but I am sure I will.

G-Form Pro Rugged Elbow.png
 
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herzalot said:
Well, it's only been 5 years since I posted here. In that time Troy Lee designed an even-lighter elbow forearm guard that I used regularly. Unfortunately they also had a tendency to slide down my arm over bumpy terrain. On a recent nothing slide-out fall, the pad was still in place, but my forearm got significantly bruised and shredded.

Rather than grow huge biceps, I decided to give the G-Form Pro-Rugged Elbow guards. These are also slide-on, no strap pads. I was attracted to these because they did not look like or feel like the lighter weird-looking G-Form pads with the exposed rubbery pads. These are covered in "Armortex."

So far, they stay up waaaaay better than the Troy Lees. Whether it's The Luge, Rock-It, Lynx or T and A - these high speed choppy descents are a good test of the stability and grip of the pads. They stayed in place. That's impressive. They are also comfortable, and while not as lightweight or airy as their little brother, they appear to be more likely to do the job in a crash. I hope to never find out, but I am sure I will.

View attachment 75645
Click to expand...

its difficult for me to find elbow guards that fit my arms. Anyone have any suggestions for xxl elbow guards? Also looking for good forearm coverage
 
herzalot said:
Well, it's only been 5 years since I posted here. In that time Troy Lee designed an even-lighter elbow forearm guard that I used regularly. Unfortunately they also had a tendency to slide down my arm over bumpy terrain. On a recent nothing slide-out fall, the pad was still in place, but my forearm got significantly bruised and shredded.

Rather than grow huge biceps, I decided to try the G-Form Pro-Rugged Elbow guards. These are also slide-on, no strap pads. I was attracted to these because they did not look like or feel like the lighter weird-looking G-Form pads with the exposed rubbery pads. These are covered in "Armortex."

So far, they stay up waaaaay better than the Troy Lees. Whether it's The Luge, Rock-It, Lynx or T and A - these high speed choppy descents are a good test of the stability and grip of the pads. They stayed in place. That's impressive. They are also comfortable, and while not as lightweight or airy as their little brother, they appear to be more likely to do the job in a crash. I hope to never find out, but I am sure I will.

View attachment 75645
Click to expand...
Planet Cyclery has G Form on a 15% off sale right now. Not huge, but helps: https://planetcyclery.com/g-form-pro-rugged-elbow-black
 
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