I know that the Roach Leg Armor is the protection of choice for Muni, but mine so far have given me more trouble than protection. Between the loss of motion and catching them on frame or tire during turns, I’ve taken a couple hard falls because of them so decided to seek out some sleeker alternatives.
The Nike Tri Shield is a pretty basic soccer strap-on shin guard, which includes an ankle protection cup. The ankle part slips on easily over socks, and the top part of the shin guard is secured with a velcro strap around the upper calf. The material is a really high-density foam versus hard-shell, but it seems more than dense enough to protect against Tenderizers, rocks, or branches. Combined with a pair of decent knee-pads like Harbingers, it gives pretty much the same protection as the Roaches, but with a lot more freedom of movement, plus the ankle protection. If I had been wearing these last weekend when I crashed my Coker and took a serious blunt force peddle blow to my ankle, I wouldn’t have spent the last several days icing it and admiring all the new interesting colors it was turning.
Anyway, they cost me $14.99 at a local sporting goods store, and I will never ride without them again. Two Thumbs and one ankle Up!