My hip is looking ugly from repeated falls. One side only. And it seems to have a homing beacon for rocks.
Any suggestions for hip pads? I only need it on one side. I looked at hockey and football pads/girdles today, but they seem to be overkill. And not sure if the actual hip protection is in the right spot or thick enough. Don’t want something overly restrictive – just need to cover that one hip point that always seems to find the rocks.
You could try 661 bomber shorts. I use em and they work fine for me. I’ve had some pretty good falls on rock involving my hips with them. They don’t completely eliminate injury but it’s way better than nothing.
I’ve got a pair of those too, but I find they cause more injury than they protect from. Because the hard foam segments are joined on the outside of the shorts, the segments seem to angle in and pinch. In particular, they tend to pinch soft fleshy external organs, resulting in a less than enjoyable ride.
STM
Hey Cliff, I have the bomber shorts. I wear them over biking shorts. Haven’t had any pinching so far. I think that they’re just what you’re looking for. You can see them tomorrow when we ride.
You could also check out Dead Dog Shorts, which are made for skateboarding but also feature hip pads. I don’t own them, so can’t recommend other than to say lots of old-school skater types really like them.
I have the 661 Bomber Pro shorts. I bet the perferated fabric keeps me a tad cooler and the hard plastic gives more protection. There are many scratches on the hard plastic bits (some deep) and I noticed a small dent once after falling w/ my hip on a rock 
.
I got them in size small and they were still too big w/ my skinny but (I normally wear size small cycling shorts and med. regular shorts and I had the same problem w/ another brand’s size small padded shorts), but I sowed the pads together to reduce stretch in the back and eliminate the gaps. I wear them over cycling shorts and under regular shorts/pants. To keep movement unrestricted, I sometimes have to go up a size in shorts or pants, esp. w/ jeans.
If you want something that flexes well, the crash pads work best. I cut off the pads and put them where I need them. I also double it up in spots where I hit a lot or am hurting with a volleyball knee pad I put under the compression shorts.
baseball girdle
Baseball players wear something that is like biker shorts with hip padding under thier pants for sliding. I’ve been using them for years racing off-road motorycles. You cant even tell you are wearing them. You can get them at most good sporting goods stores.
A lot of people I know have grown their own padding over their hips. Try pastry, fries, pizza, beer, chocolate…
I knew that I had a master plan with regard to the above mentioned diet - I just didn’t know what it was until now!