No Knee Pads for Me, Just Shin Guards Please

Dedicated shin guards protect against pedal strikes and trail ejecta without the discomfort of knee pads.

By Jeff Barber
May 24, 2022 Last Updated: August 6, 2024

20 comments

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Photo: Leah Barber

After decades of use and abuse, my shins are pockmarked with scars. For me, pedal strikes are right up there with both the most painful and most frequent MTB injuries. On more than one occasion I was sure I snapped my tibia in half the pain was so bad. My friend Mike was recently “just riding along” downhill at moderate speed when a stick in the trail kicked up and gored him in the shin, resulting in a trip to the emergency room and a handful of stitches to show for it. That was it for me; it was time to investigate riding with shin protection.

Some brands, like Fox and POC, don’t sell shin guards by themselves; they’re only available attached to a knee protector. I’ve ridden with knee guards plenty of times and unfortunately I’ve never found any of them comfortable enough to wear regularly. Not only that, I don’t think I’ve ever so much as scraped a knee on the trail, unless you count banging into the handlebars as a result of a crash. Pokey shifter bolts do tend to leave a small puncture wound or two, but for me it’s never a full-on scraped or banged up knee.

After doing a bit of research online (and coming up short for the most part) my friend with the gored shin and newfound habit of riding with shin guards told me he picked up a pair from Shadow Conspiracy. The BMX-oriented brand sells three models of standalone shin guards (four if you count the kids version). I ordered a pair of Invsa-Lites ($35.99 at Performance Bike), essentially slip-on sleeves with lightweight, stiff padding that runs from the ankle up to about the spot where a pair of knee pads would end.

On my first ride with the guards there were jokes about heading out to play soccer, but by the second ride I was sold on shin protection for mountain biking. Flat pedal riders in particular know the pain of not just pedal strikes, but pedal pin scrapes which can be incredibly painful (and bloody). I also found shin guards do an excellent job protecting against rocks and sticks kicked up on the trail, thorny vegetation, and even against brushes with calf-high poison ivy.

The thing about shins, unlike knees, is they remain completely straight and rigid while pedaling. Knee guards get tiresome, for me anyway, because my knee is constantly moving during the ride leading to bunching, slipping, and rubbing. A well-fitted knee guard can certainly minimize these issues, though ultimately there will always be some amount of restriction at the joint. Sliding on a set of shin guards without knees is like putting on a helmet; there’s no internal debate over whether I really need to wear them for this particular ride. Aside from the risk of sweaty shins and calves on a hot day, shin guards aren’t as likely as knees to harsh my ride.

Endura Singletrack shin socks. Photo: Endura.

G-Form Pro-X3 shin guards. Photo: G-Form.

After picking up the Shadow Conspiracy shin guards a few weeks ago I’ve since found a few more options like these from G-Form and Endura. The Endura shin guards look particularly interesting because they combine shin protection with a long sock that suggests a comfortable fit.

Your turn: Do you ride with dedicated shin protection?

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20 Comments

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weaselsmopar Georgia // 2022
Jun 19, 2022

I made the mistake one time not wearing knee pads and I truly paid for it when I was doing a jump and got the notorious buck forward. Mid flight I had to do a bail and ended up landing of all places on my knees. So need less to say when I got up my right knee was hurting alot but I shrugged it off. The next morning I got up to go-to work and the knee was like nope not going to happen. So I went to the doctor got an x-ray. Well go figure I had a V shaped fracture in my tibia plateau. 4 weeks in a leg brace and no bike for the same time. I never ride without knee pads ever again.

3 reply

Beancounter84 Georgia // 2021
May 24, 2022

I scraped my legs and shins several times when I changed to flats. I got some Storelli Leg Guards. There is a pocket where a plastic shin guard goes. The material is thin, but covers the entire lower leg and ankle. I do wear Leatt Airflex Knee Guards, which I find very comfortable. I’m sure people laugh, but this setup has saved me from injury several times.

swvasasquatch Virginia // 2009
May 25, 2022

Take it from a 64 year old dirt rider, your shins are better designed for abuse than your knees are. The knee joint is poorly designed/evolved when it comes to contact sports. Take care of your knees or you will end up like me. My heart is totally committed to ride like a silver haired Jeff Kendall-Weed, but my knees will sooner than later push me towards riding rail trails vs. schooling the youngsters on the gnar. When that day gets here, it's down to golf, watching some birds, death will be a blessing. Take care of your knees, fuck your shins they may bleed some, but they are designed to get bashed.

2 reply

AUTHOR

Jeff Barber Georgia // 1998
May 25, 2022

Thanks for the perspective! It seems many knee problems are due to overuse injuries and/or poor form, rather than crashes, at least among the folks I know. Do you find knee pads help with these types of injuries, or would a compression sleeve work just as well?

0 reply

swvasasquatch Virginia // 2009
May 26, 2022

Yes, I agree that the majority knee issues for bikers in general are linked to overuse, poor form/mechanics due to bike fit issues. What I'm getting at is the same reason we promote helmet use. Our chosen sport of mountain biking is a contact sport, and head protection to guard against impact injuries is the rule and not considered an exception. Impact protection for your knees, elbows, shins, hands, etc is available in many flavors, is not a fashion or choice faux pas, and that's good. Based on my 30 some years of riding mountain and gravel bikes, my head has probably taken more licks than anything else on my body, but I always had a helmet on. So worse case scenario instead of brain damage, I only ended up with a mild concussion perhaps (that's open for debate, ask my wife). But until I warmed up to wearing knee pads all the time and elbow pads when things really get sporty, those particular joints always seemed to be the sacrificial lambs that my reptile brain would choose to throw under the bus when the front wheel washed out or a tree/boulder hooked the handlebar. As an old sage, I'm just trying to hand down some wisdom--if you are passionate about riding your bike for all it's worth with good measures of risk/reward, you are going to find yourself somewhat older but still game to ride on the edge fast--your 58 Chevy has high mileage, diminished sightlines through its scratchy windshield, and its leaking engine oil. I'm pretty sure that unprotected impacts to my knees earlier in life has resulted in leaky bursae, shredded synovial capsules, and scar tissue that irritates my right patella when I still got 1500' of climbing to do. The leaky stuff results in synovial fluid pushing on the sciatic nerve where its piped behind my left knee, which really sucks when both of the above things happen on the same day.
And yes, compression helps a ton. My pads of choice are the old style Dakine Slayers. The pad faces skid on impact, so the pads stay in place during a crash. There is some upper shin protection. The sleeves offer up enough compression to help keep the worn parts in some degree of acceptable tolerances. Keeping my knee pads in place when climbing has definitely helped me manage episodes of pain and discomfort due to the compression, which helps keep the focus on skills and mechanics. I still enjoy technical single track climbing just as much as I rue taking a fire road up to get to the down.
So there you go, I tried to answer your question or two simply. That didn't go well, but the message I was hoping to convey here is 'keep an open mind when it comes to personal preservation, and keep riding the dirt until your heart gives out, not your knees'.

7 reply

Oldandrolling South Carolina // 2018
May 26, 2022

I have found over many years of riding that my shins take the vast majority of the damage. Maybe it is the way I ride or fall. I typically wear shin guards, a helmet, glasses and gloves for rides. If I decided to get really courageous, then it is full on body protection.

1 reply

landonarkens Wisconsin // 2019
May 26, 2022

I used to use shinguards but then switched to 25nine Ronin pedals, which have fatter metal pins than the spiky nails on most mountain bike pedals. Now I’m happy just with long pants to protect from trail brush and insects.

flyingchipmunk 2017
May 25, 2022

I've got plenty of scars on my shins, but nothing that's ever taken me off the bike for an extended period. On the other hand, i got 12 stitches in my knee from a not too bad fall, and have also bruised my knee cap bad enough I couldn't walk for weeks. I just wear pants most rides unless it's super hot, and the Evo knee pads from g form are super comfortable and easy to take off without removing shoes for big fire road climbs.

brett.williams Colorado // 2013
May 26, 2022

I have the Shadow Conspiracy guards (just switched to flats). For me, protection goes helmet, then gloves (I'm always hitting brush etc with my hands), then light elbow pads (I like to push off granite with my elbows in a tight squeeze). I nearly always wear knee pads but probably could skip those most of the time.

I can't see myself ever going without gloves though -- my hands are often nicked up through the gloves, without them it would be so much worse.

woodworkerjoe Washington // 2018
May 25, 2022

I heard that Endura and Ion have both discontinued the adult size shin guards.

gerryg New Mexico // 2019
May 29, 2022

I occasionally ride with shinguards. I get annoyed at the heat/sweaty/sticky feeling and stop wearing them, then get hit with a rock or a pedal and start wearing them again. I agree about knee protectors, I'm having trouble finding a good comfortable pair that doesn't slide down or cut off my circulation, and I don't want to spend $100 an attempt to find out they aren't any good.

wvcatman Kentucky // 2022
May 24, 2022

Ion BD socks. Just enough shin padding and super comfortable. Hard to find though.

Mark Obsniuk 2018
May 24, 2022

Nope, I might not even wear gloves. Never felt the need to put on pads. I just don't ride over my limit. Which is nearly any black trail in BC.

I like skipping gloves on my road bike, but for mountain biking my hands sweat so much that I can't hold the grips without gloves. I actually often take the gloves off for climbs so they don't get as soaked with sweat to preserve grip on the way back down

4 reply

Jeff Barber Georgia // 1998
May 24, 2022

I've stopped wearing gloves and I have to say it's pretty great. No chamois either which makes it much easier to just hop on the bike for a quick ride anytime. 😎

-4 reply

I generally only wear road bike gloves when MTBing with light padding on the palms and a soft terry panel to wipe away sweat and 'stuff'. They have saved my palms a few times when I hit the dirt, too, but I ride in a high desert area with lots of rocks, gravel, and coarse sand that can be like sandpaper plus open areas where sunburns are easy to get. I suspect if I were in a more woodsy/loamy area I would skip the gloves.

Sunspot Colorado // 2019
May 26, 2022

The scars on shins n calves are part of the game. Some have a backstory that is a history lesson of the evolution of the mountain bike.
I have welded up plenty of Ti, 4130/4140 and am not shy when it comes to my bikes placing territorial markings on their rider...

owlsmyles Maryland // 2021
May 24, 2022

for the year or so I rode flats with pins I did wear shin guards, however they were integrated with knee protection. It sucked in a long list of ways. This was many years ago and I would hope those products fit better now. Just the same I went back to clipless and never looked back.

Studly Budly Louisiana // 2022
Nov 25, 2022

I really appreciate the accumulated wisdom here. I am reading and researching due to my recent discovery of inherent dangers of flat petals. Pics included if you dare to look. This is just my 4th ride and I am personally searching every decision made that lead to this experience. This injury is fairly low on my shin resulting from right foot slipping off as i went over the bars, but not enough to clear the bike. The petal came back somehow and my foot was trapped between the petal and the soil as my body went forward (I think). So now I want shin guards, which I am used to as a lifelong soccer player. Interesting that I don’t think soccer shin guards offer enough protection for an injury like this. This pair of Shadow conspiracy does seem to be an improvement over the GForm, which my son wears for soccer. Any shared experience is appreciated.

-1 reply

CowdreyC California // 2013
May 26, 2022

I never wear pads. Been riding technical trails for 2 decades and only went down 1 or 2 times which were controlled slides. Always ride within your ability. I don’t even wear gloves. I have better control without gloves.

-5 reply

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