Riding in snow and ice this month I have had three falls where the unicycle slid out under me and I landed on my right hip very hard all three times. I ride a 36" so it is a long way down! I did not get hurt, but had some bad bruising on my hip. I always wear a helmet and really good knee pads, but does anyone sell hip pads? Thanks for your input.
Do these pads make my butt look big?
We’re not getting any younger; probably time to start thinking about such things, especially if we’re riding around on ice on big wheels…
I know there are products on the market, if not for mountain biking then for other sports, but no direct experience myself. Anyone got any suggestions with links?
Shorter uni for snow?
My hip pads consist a 20 x 20 cm x 25 mm thick piece of high density closed-cell foam inside a calico coin bag. They are worn inside my overshorts with the top of the coin bag folded over the waist band.
The closed cell foam prevents them absorbing sweat and allows them to go straight in the wash but dry quickly. Foams used in soft furniture are unsuitable because they are open cell and would absorb vast quantities of water.
I bought a roll of the foam for $5 at my local Tip Shop (recycling centre at a garbage depot). It has a very thin (micrometre scale) aluminiumised surface on one side so I suspect it is some kind of refrigeration insulation though not the typically yellow polyurethane used in refrigerators.
The pads have saved me from some very serious falls. The worst was from my 29 where I went straight down onto concrete when the wheel slid out on mud covering the concrete on a bend. The other time was when I came off the back of my 36 in heavy rain while going down a steep hill.
I have never seen a commercial hip pad that offered anywhere near that much protection.
That foam might be similar to the camping pads I cut up for packing my unis for air travel. Thin, dense and light! Try sporting goods or camping-type stores.
Walmart has 1/2" thick closed cell foam camping pads for about $7.00.
Jim
Football (US = “soccer”) goalkeeper’s tights? Also, of course, there are specialist mountainbike garments available.
I have in the past used large sheets of bubble wrap folded into shape and slipped into place under my shorts. The biggest problem was i that i tended to get very sweaty in that area.
Could be onto something there. My material is composed of two half inch layers bonded together. It is not unusual for a thin reflective lay to be included on that kind of thing too. The piece I found would be about big enough to sleep on.
It wouldn’t stay flat though due to being rolled up. This was perfect because the curve was ideal for the side of my hips.
The calico bags help wick away the sweat. You can get them from a bank.
I have a pair of TSG padded shorts that have hip and tailbone pads. They’re meant to be used under baggy type shorts (and over lycra bike shorts if you wear them). They didn’t get in the way, but they did make my butt look big. I don’t wear them anymore, but if I were riding on ice I probably would.
UDC sells the similar Hillbilly CYA shorts that have hip and tailbone pads, but all I see there is the extra small.
And if you google “padded impact shorts” or something similar you’ll find lots of others.
Searching for “hockey hip pads” might be fruitful. Our hockey friends have lots of experience falling on ice.
Hi there
I’ve fallen many times on my ass so I finally bought some riding pants with protection. The ones I bought they are mainly designed to protect your hips but they have also very good protection around your coccyx. They are called POC Hip VPD 2.0 Protection Shorts and you can buying them with an incorporated pad/chamois for cycling. I have now been using them for almost a year and they are fantastic. The hip/coccyx protection pads are made of a material similar to D30 so they are really light, comfortable/flexible but the hardened on impact. I wear them on their own (nothing over it) and they are great: I have fallen a few times on my ass/hip and I didn’t feel the impact. They are a bit pricey though… I use them now all the time if doing Muni or Trials…
Put your pride aside and google “football girdle”
Fox Racing sells hip pads:
Here’s what you need; a studded 26x4 fat bike tire:
I thought I remember seeing somebody create their own studded unicycle tire; would it be possible to create one for a 36" tire?
Maybe you could drive nails or studs through the backside of the tire, having them poke out just enough to get some grip, but not enough to adversely affect the ride on pavement. Then you would need some way to ensure the studs did not back out.
I have a pair of paintball sliding shorts I wear any time I muni. Baseball sliding shorts are easier to find but those made for paintball seem longer. When I lived in Seattle is was common to slide off raised skinnies because they are usually wet. Sliding off a skinny, down your leg, and over your hip bone hurts!
Thanks everyone for all the great tips! I’m using bubble wrap for now until I can find something more practical. It does make my butt look big, but at least it is protecting my hips.
You’re right, it could be in the “product review” part of this forum.
Bit of google got me good info:
It has a “do it yourself” part at the bottom of the page.
A norwegian company has developed a sort of studded bicycle tyre that you put on top of your “summer”-tyre. I am hoping to get this fitted to my 36’er in the near future.
That’s an ingenious idea with the zipper.
Yours and pierrox posts gave me another idea – take a piece of used bike tubing, possibly a heavy-duty DH tube, and cut it into a long strip. Poke studs through the tubing at key points, or attach tractionable material on the outside of the tube again at key points, and wrap it spiral-wise around the circumference of the rim, threading it through the spokes. Of course this would not work with some brakes.