Is it worth investing in some full knee/shin armor?
I have skinned my knees twice since i began unicycling but i am much better now and i have a better falling-off technique to avoid injury.
I have got some basic knee pads now, but i see lots of people have full leg armor. Is it worth getting full armor when i start getting into MUni? So far I have never been really hit in the shins.
If/when i do get some i’m looking at the KH set, must be good being KH right?
Thanks
You are lucky if you don’t hit your shins. I always seem to hit my shins even if I am just riding around. I am pretty clumsy though. I find that the leg armor gives me a little bit more confidence to try things. I would get some.
I just started using knee pads and I have noticed that I am trying lots of new things, still only basic stuff like riding up little curbs, but I don’t worry as much when I try things.
I might be even better again with full leg armor.
Check out this thread - it may convince you…
I nearly always ride with leg armour if I’m using metal pedals. It’s much more convenient than stiches. If I’m using twisted pc’s, I only wear leg armour if I’m wearing shorts. Odessey twisted pc’s are fairly forgiving, but fairly grippy as well. I still have a very visible set of “claw marks” from the single-cage bmx racing pedals I used to ride with over a year ago. I was wearing pants, and still almost needed stitches! My shins are also full of divots from my bmx days.
I would seriously recommend purchasing leg armour that covers the back of the leg. I use neoprene guards with a plastic insert in the front. The back portion is double thick from ankle to knee because of the velcro closure. Unfortunately, they don’t protect my knees. I wish they did, but they’re way more comfortable than anything that has built in knee protection and they’re just like a second skin.
I ride plastic pedals and don’t wear leg armor but I ride non-flip flatland most of the time. So I guess it depends on your style.
(In my opinion)
Need Armor: Street, Trials, Muni, Metal Pedals
Don’t Need Armor: Flatland, Freestyle, 36er, Plastic Pedals
I still wear leg armor with plastic pedals, although mostly all i am doing right now is unispins and I hit my shins quit a lot doing those
YES.
If I never wore shin pads I have no doubt I would not be able to ride right now or any time because of torn-up legs. They have saved me from stitches more times than I care to count and have dozens of holes in them that would have been in my legs. If my shin pads were to suddenly become un-usable I would not ride until I had another pair shipped to me.
Pros: No stitches, more confidence, and no stitches. Oh, and no stitches.
Cons: They get hot during the summer (any other time of the year I don’t notice a difference), they cost money.
Help yourself out and get some shinpads. I would recommend the 661’s.
Do you guys think something like this http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3050416 would work decently. It says it protects against cuts and stuff. A peddle to the leg would take “cuts” to the extreme, but it’s a lot cheaper than cycling specific leg protection.
i don’t think so…It looks too thin…
Break down, pay the money and get KH or 661 armour. It’s worth it.
I would definitely recommend leg armor, (if you’re still thinking on it a month later). Especially if you use metal pedals. I usually use plastic, and I still wear shin guards.
I have the older version of the KH ones, and they’re really good. SixSixOne’s are also good. I hardly ever ride without shinguards now (I do muni and trials). If I only I had had them when I was learning to ride/free-mount… That would have been great 
Unfortunately, when it’s warm out they do get uncomfortable & hot. Not to mention really stinky unless you wash them often.
Mine smell horible!
+1 mine are brutal
They get pretty stinky, but I always use 'em.
Even if banging your shins isn’t an issue, I find they add a bit of confidence to my riding. And if I neglect to wear them, you can bet that’s the time I get nasty pedal-bites and ruin my socks.
Do i need leg armor?
yes
I regret not wearing my leg armor for the ride I started my day with. I was going for a new top speed record on my ungeared N36 and did a UPD at about 20mph. I managed to roll out of it but still got quite a bit of scratches on my hip and left leg. Banged my knee a bit on the asphalt as I was coming out of the roll as well 
I was wearing my bicycling tights over my shorts as it was a bit cold, but it didn’t offer much protection.
Luckily I was able to ride back home (about half a mile) after “walking it off” for a while. Next time I feel like going for a record I will be wearing my 661’s 
Compared to some of the pedal bites I have seen pictures of these are nothing, but they sure sting! I have also attached a picture of the perpetrator 
