I'm after a full face lid and a bit of knee/leg protection.

thing is, i don't want to spend an absolute fortune, particularly on the helmet.

any suggestions?

661 race lite pads any good, or is it worth forking out the extra few quid for dianese?

the cheepest, but most reasonable stuff i've found is fox tracer helmet for £50 and 661 racelite pads for £31

with protection you want to spend as much as you possibly can, not find the chepest. If you think you need a full face helmit then it is worth putting every penny you have in to getting one. If you don't have muh money at the moment (like most of us) leave the leg protection and at least your head will be safe.

yeah you've got a point there.

this fox tracer helmet (£50 on stiff). on all the reviews, it says it costs around £90

well i've read some really good reviews for the fox, so i reckon i'm gonna go for it.

hmmm £15 postage. might as well get something over here.

Ste,

I have Race Lite pads for my legs (£30/35 I think), pretty comfortable and you can strap them on without removing shoes which puts them up from dianese offerings.

I found the Race Lite arm guards to be too big even the small size, apparently you need forearms like tree trunks to get the strap to tighten enough! I got Dianese arm and elbow guards instead (£30) which are great and very comfortable and DEFINITELY work - witnessed by one f*ck off bruise which could well have been a shattered elbow without them.

For my tete I have a Met Parachute, not a real full facer bit adds a bit of protection whilst giving the chance to breath still.

The Met isn't cheap though, that Fox tracer is half its price.

You'd have to try the Fox on first of course to get the fit so mail order buying is going to be tricky....

ill second dianese's elbow/forearm guards, really good fit and stay where they should.
just be carefull as the sizes tend to vary a lot so trying on is a must, infact have a good old brake dance round the shop to make sure it stays on.

i also use the old style roach indie shin/knee guards which are good but a bit warm compared to the newer ones, and i wear a switchblade which is ace but apparently they dont make em anymore (?)

im going to replace the indies with some dianese when ive got the dosh just to make the matching pair (tart)and becuase i like the feel and fit.

as for the fox lid as long as its got a kite mark on it then its going to be good enough, maybe not the best money can buy but it wouldnt be on sale in the UK unless it was safe.

tried on my mates sm/med dianese elbow and leg pads lastnight. nice fit.

i saw a review of the fox lid on a MX website, so it must be pretty safe.

the £15 postage and the fact stif don'e even say if it is or isn't in stock puts me off a little.

might have a cruise around the shops tomorrow. 661 lids start at around £60, plus with my discount....

Apparently the Fox Tracer is HUGE compared to other full facers. It's really a a MX helmet not an mtb one.

My friend has Dainese knee/shin guards and he is very pleased with them. Not too sweaty either.

fox gear is very hot and sticky

i have the 661 race knee/shin pads and they are fine although not offering rear protection

and i have a £30 trax crome dome helmet that did me fine and saved me from dying, what more can you want?

you have 3 considerations to help decide

budget
fit
heat problems

"I'm after a full face lid and a bit of knee/leg protection."

For XC riding or knarlier stuff?

knarly or gnarly ?

ive always wondered, is it a real word ?

gnarly


•adj. (gnarlier, gnarliest)
1. gnarled.
2. (N. Amer.) informal difficult, dangerous, or challenging. →unpleasant or unattractive.





cool :)

more gnarly stuff, pad

like DH and falling off the northshore type stuff we're making.

Oh, ok. I was going to suggest a Met Parachute helmet, but I don't think that'd stand up to the test...

mate of mine (same mate with the dianese armour) bought one of them too.

not convinced. maybe for XC, but £100 for a helmet that i'm not sure would stand up to a big crash..... nah, i'd prefer to get a full facer

for a good strong but light full facer your talking big bucks ste.

i drool over troy lee tank lids but i think they retail at over £200 ouch!

ive tried one on and they are unbelievably light for there size

ok, what's best:

bell balistic
661 comp
azonic T-55