Just got my Torker LX yesterday, learning to ride again 25 years later…my kids were amused anyway…
The safety gear I am wearing :
helmet
knee pads
wrist guards
I’m not planning to jump down stairs, pedal grind, etc. Just riding for exercise, short distance, etc. If I was 20 rather than 45, I might consider more radical stuff.
The knee pads I have (especially the knee pads, cheap ones) do not flex well and I’d like to try something different that gives me a bit more mobility. I looked through the old threads, but questions on safety gear seem to be mostly addressed to more agressive styles of riding.
I’m thinking for the kind of riding I’ll probably do, I should at least replace the kneepads with something like the 661 knee/shin guards, keeping my existing helmet and wrist guards (cheap ones). That way I can protect my shins from the pedals while learning and still retain some flexibility.
Any other suggestions? Upgraded wrist guards? Gloves? My budget is not limitless, but I want to buy good stuff.
661 4x4s are deffinitely a good idea, as they cover you both for pedal strikes and for falling on the ground. Wrist guards are also a deffinite must in my book, some with a good thick splint on the front and back of your wrist are well worth it, some people prefer gloves, or a cross of the two like the KH Pulse glove, which is very popular. I wouldn’t bother with the helmet for casual riding, unicycling head injuries are pretty rare, and as you are wearing leg and wrist guards you can almost always land on these and keep your head off the floor. I wear a helmet for blasting through the woods over jumps, or riding trials, but for riding on roads and pavements to get to the woods I don’t bother.
I am returning to unicycles after a 30 year hiatus. I’ve got a couple years on you! And am doing stuff more radical than I ever did as a kid. Don’t sell yourself short and be old to soon!
personally i feel that a knee/shin guard and a pair of gloves (preferably with wrist guards) would be enough for a casual rider
knee/shin for the falls and the pedal bites
and gloves for you to protect your palms when you try to break a fall using your hands, and those wrist guards to take the impact
Helmets are not a must but still its best to have it with you even you’re casual riding because the wheel is round - Anything can happen, its best to be safe than to be sorry
Try not to be over-geared because it could obstruct your flexibility.
For riding around on pavement you should probably wear a helmet. I would, especially for freestyle type stuff. Falling backwards and landing on your head isn’t very fun. I don’t usually care abound any of my limbs, they grow back :), but kneepads could save you from a bit of pain if you land hard.
Helmet is a must. I have a cousin who sustained a closed head injury in an accident after not wearing a helmet.
I was reading up on the 661 4x4…I presume the sizing refers to the circumference of the top and bottom openings? Large is listed as 18.5 in top, 9.5 in bottom.
I never wear helmets… just never been something I did. If I get into anything remotely trials-related, I’ll probably pick one up though. I wear wrist guards and some knee pads though.
On Tue, 13 Jun 2006, tomkarches <> wrote:
>
> cathwood wrote:
> > Well I always wear a helmet (having been a nurse and seen the
> > consequences of when people don’t)
Bad logic.
> Helmet is a must. I have a cousin who sustained a closed head injury in
> an accident after not wearing a helmet.
Bad logic.
Personally, for casual riding, I don’t wear anything (well, maybe I
should rephrase that as I don’t wear anything other than what I would
wear for casual walking).
My vote goes for 661 4x4s. Mine have saved my legs many a time during the Dreaded UPD.Plus if you ever decide to go off road with it they will still be there for you.
Advice would be to steer clear of the KH gloves. I bought mine and they already have big holes in the fingers because of the single stitching.
661 4x4’s are good. This is because of the obvious knee and shin protection and the less obvious back of leg protection (it isnt great, just can stoppedal scratches on the leg, not the bruises).
I’m sure if you do a quick search then you will find hundreds of threads on helmets, so you can decide for yourself.
Do you wear a car racing helmet when you drive? Well why not, it’s something you can easily do to stop brain damage in a nasty accident surely? In the group that I ride there have been 2 severe car crashes but no head impacts while unicycling in the last few years, so which should we wear helmets for? My point is that you can’t be that simplistic in assessing risk, you need to consider both the severity of a possible injury and the frequency of occurence before you make decisions about wearing protection, and you have to draw a line somewhere. It just so happens that wearing helmets for slow, flat street riding is the other side of my personal line.
Thats good logic, kington! Its all about drawing the line. I wear nothing for casual riding. Long legged trousers, bike gloves and a helmet for muniing.
The only things I injure are my shins, but thy heal.
Ok, I know thats stupid, I’m gonna buy 4x4 pretty soon, but part from that its all sweet.
I only ever fall on my knees (4x4 will protect that) and my hands.
Mate, not being funny, but no one goes out looking for a crash. It’s the last thing you expect. Speaking as a mountain biker who stupidly thought that a bad crash would never happen to me, believe me when I say, WEAR A HELMET.
The same applies for unis.
I won’t go out without one these days.
Mountain biking gloves too.
Even if it does give you a funny tan line on your arms.
Your line is in a different place. This argument has nothing to do with logic and everything to do with personal risk assessment. I would say that you choose to be simplistic in your assessment of the risk. This is my opinion, and it is not provable.
I believe that wearing a helmet gives me an added protection factor over not wearing a helmet. I believe that this is obvious to most people. However, it is not provable.
In a motor vehicle, you are surrounded by sheet metal and cushioned by an airbag in accidents. You can’t directly compare riding a unicycle to driving a car. Well, you could, but it wouldn’t be logical.
You believe that a helmet doesn’t reduce your risk enough to be worth the trouble. That is your opinion. It is not provable.
My line is in a different place. Considering the situation (riding a unicycle), I want the best possible chance of not sustaining a head injury in an accident. I am willing to wear a helmet to decrease the risk of injury. This proves nothing.
It was actually good to think about this and articulate it, though this is enough.
Apparently, both the 2005 and 2006 versions of the 4x4’s are available. The 2005 is actually a few dollars more. Can anyone articulate the differences?
