Shin guards are used as safety measures to protect the rider’s knees, ankles, toe, and feet area between the ankle and the knees, Here’s everything from buying guide to best brands.
Shin guards are different in their looks and each have their own individual benefits over each other.
shin guards are perfect for beginners as well as vetran riders, they are not so heavy so they do not become a burden on the rider as well they are usually really light and are mobile enough to allow your legs to move freely, football/hockey shin guards are different than mountain bike shin guards.
In case you are wondering if you can use hockey/football shin guards for mountain biking.
You can use football,hockey shin guards for mountain biking but they do not provide enough protection for the back parts of your legs mountain bike shin guards wrap your legs from front and back.
in case you dont know what shin guards are then
Shin guards are protective wearings used for the knees, while riding uphills the pedal of the bike slips and hits the shin places below the knee and it causes pain a lot, to avoid such unpleasant conditions of the single trails shin guards are used for wearing to provide protection to that place.
seasonal shin guards:
Shin guards are divided into their seasonal categories depending on the seasons(summer & winter). if you wear a winter shin guard in the summer season probably will irritate you and feels a little bit warmer and give sweat.
The best shin guards used in the winter season are:
- G-Form Pro X2/X3 Knee guard
- G-Form Pro-S Elite Shin Guards
- Leatt Brace 3DF Hybrid EXT Knee & Shin Guards
- Venum Kontact Lycra/Gel
- G-Form Pro X2 Elbow guard
- Demon Enduro Mountain bike knee guards
- Fox Head Men’s Launch D30
- Bodyprox Elbow Protection
- Fox Racing Enduro Elbow Sleeve, Mountain bike Elbow guards/MTB protective gear
These are the best quality shin guards mostly used to ride in the winter seasons which include rainy days, snowy trails, etc. Their prices range from 15$ to 80$.
The best shin guards used in the summer season are:
- POC, VPD Air Legs, Mountain Biking Armor for Men And Women.
- JBM Adult/Child Knee Pads/Elbow Pads/Wristguards.
- Launch Pro D30 Knee Guard
These are the summer shin guards and do not become much warm while wearing and riding on the single trails. their prices are also affordable. you have easy access to get them through online stores.
Popular brands of shin guards:
- Twin
- Fairtex
- Windy
- Venum
- Top King
- Hayabusa
- Combat Corner Elite Spar
- Yakkao
- Adidas
- Valour Strike
These are the most popular brands of shin guards mostly used on daily basis by the riders .some brands are cheap and some are heavy in price. it depends on your budget range which you can afford for yourself. while the best brands among these are Twins and Fairtex.
Material:
Different materials are used in their manufacturing. Silicon shin guards are the modern best quality shin guards it contain a rubber in the upper part which does not slip when you are riding single trails and climbing uphills. good quality shin guards fit properly with your skin and do not slip downward. Shin guards are made with the different materials which are given below:
- Polyester
- Fiberglass
- Polypropylene
- Plastic
- Foam rubber
- Leather shin guards
- Cloth shin guards
- Fabric soak
- coated foam
Shin guards are made up of these materials. leather shin guards are much strong with a big life span .these are a little bit heavier but they do not expire till many years made for all the seasons, mostly providing the advantage in winters make your knees and ankles warm even if you are not wearing socks.
Length:
Their lengths vary differently(small, medium, and large). their lengths are measured in inches. the most fit-sized shin guide would be that which is entirely fits your knee shin place because every rider is different in height and size.
Shin guards are wider enough to provide full protective coverage to the lower section of the knee thoroughly. these are soft and painless.
- 15-inch shin guards are used for 5.5 to 6 feet tall riders
- 16-inch shin guards are for 6 to 6.5 feet tall riders
- 13-inch shin guards are used for 5 to 5.3 feet height
These values of shin guards also vary differently if two riders with the same height have different body sizes. one is fat, chubby and the other has thin knees and ankles. in this condition, you can choose the size of the chin bar by wearing them and check whether which size will fit entirely on your torsos.
Shin guards are available in small and large sizes.
- length of small size: 35-45cm
- Length of large size:45-55cm
Weight:
Shin guards are different in their weights depending on the size you choose. the smaller shin guards have 35 to 42 grams and larger sized shin guards have 42 to 55 grams of weight. It has a little bit of weight and does not feel like you are wearing something heavy on your knees.
these are much lighter in weight it feels like you are wearing socks instead of shin guards. the most important thing to notice the weight of shin guards is which type of material has been used in the shin guard which you are going to buy it. Some materials are heavier and some are lighter due to which difference occurs in the weight of the shin guards.
Lifespan:
They have long-life durability of up to 3 years. their durability totally depends on the accidents, hits, and crashes that you had faced on the trails because in these circumstances shin guards will protect you in any way but these will hit the trees and rocks which will reduce their life span. sometimes the rigid part of the shin guard present in the center place rip into two pieces and sometimes the foam and the cloth are cut on the outer surface of the shin guard in such a way that it would be not possible to wear them again.
the safety of the shin guard depends on you, how you can treat them in every ride, and then they will respond much better.don’t stretch them left and right and never pull the straps with a large force because these have been shaped in such a way that these are fragile, the straps will break and then they become loose to wear them.
Saves from injuries:
while riding a bike on the harsh trails, it saves you from any injury caused by a bike crash or hitting anything on a single trail.it contains pads, hooks, and staps that will fit tightly around the feet.it covers both of your knees and shin places. after wearing a shin guard you can wear socks above them, your feet remain warm and save from any serious injury. shin guards provide good mobility to your knees.
Do shin guards really help?
There is a big difference between wearing the shin guards and not having the guards on the trails. shin guards are a good boost for the confidence and your riding style, its like wearing a helmet but in this case itprotects your most injury prone parts(your legs). .it is a safety kit which helps a lot on the single trails. They are not an excessive accessory but a good gear addition that may end up saving your legs from some crashes.
They are especially great if you are a competitive person ofcourse everyone wants to go wild on trails from time to time they are a great boost for your confidence and a sense of security.
How do shin guards fit?
The correct way of wearing the shin guards is that shin guards contain 3 to 4 straps in the backside, they will stick in the back of the foot in the shin area and hold the guard in a good manner. the ankle place contains soft bones which hurts much in case of any accidents .so buy a pair of shin guards which will cover up entirely the knee and the ankles.
Always buy a shin guard which will cover the distance between the ankle toe and the knees entirely. Shin guard has different types and shapes. do not use the soccer and football shin guard for bike riding, because riding through the single trails on a bike is different from the other sports which can be played on smooth surfaces.
Do Shin guards go under socks?
yes, you can wear anything above the shin guards depending on the season. shin guards are larger than the socks so half-wearing socks can cover the lower end of the shin guard. the reason is that bike shin guards are different from the other sports games and large-sized because these will cover up entirely the naked area of the knee and the toe.
What are shin guards called?
Shin guards are usually called shin pads(knee pads and elbow pads).their is a little difference between the shin guards and the shin pads. you can use shin pads instead of shin guards for biking because usually, both are the same thing with the same material, size, shape, and protection level.
Comfortable shin guards:
Here are the most comfortable and affordable shin guards for bike riding:
- Fox launch
- G-Form
- POC VPD
- TLD KG5450
- SixSixOne(661) knee shin guards.
- Adidas f50 tech
How to prevent shin guards from slipping?
If your shin guards are slipping too much down, it means surely the socks and the straps of the shin guards you are wearing become old in this case the most appropriate method which the riders are using to avoid slipping is that use electrical or athlete tape to wrap around the shin guard which will prevent them from slipping when you are pedaling uphills, downhills, and through the bumpy trails.
Never give too many rounds of wrapping because it will also cost much time when you are getting off the shin guards also if you are want to reposition them on the trails it will create much trouble for you.
So apply 4 to 5 rounds of tape around the shin guard so that it would easily be repositioned and removable for you.