knee armor under kevlar jeans?

[spicy]

I have some kevlar-reinforced riding jeans, but it feels like I'm riding naked, since I pretty much always ride in my textile 2-piece.

I'd like to be a little more incognito when I ride to class, but not wearing anything w/ armor in it leaves me with that super unprotected feeling (anyone who rides in leathers and then occasionally rides in normal jeans and a jacket should know what I'm talking about). Last year I'd get all these weird looks/stupid comments while walking around campus. It was pretty amusing, but got a little old convincing gullible idiots that UMass is the first public university to research/fund its own student-manned mission to the Moon. Seems like it'd be harder to do while walking around Boston in the summer/fall, too, lol.

It'd be nice to be able to have reasonable crash-protection while riding, and then just throw them in my backpack and walk around in somewhat normal jeans and a pimp leather riding jacket so I don't (overtly) look like the gear-wearing safety Nazi pussy that I am.

I was wondering if anyone does this, or has any input to fit/comfort? I took a look on NewEnough, and came up with the Icon Field Leg Armor and A* Reflex Knee Guards.

The A* ones are considerably cheaper, but i'm wondering if the fact that it doesn't appear to have anything to keep the upper part (covers the knee-joint) would be annoying/problematic/less protective.


A*:
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[kbroderick]

I've got a pair of the Bohn Cross Knee Guards that seem fairly comfortable. I bought 'em to wear under my mesh pants (which are loose enough that I'm about 90% convinced the knee armor wouldn't end up where I wanted it in a crash) and plan to wear them under a pair of reinforced jeans whenever I get around to buying a pair (hopefully soon, I'd like an option that allows me to show up and look relatively normal once I take off my helmet and jacket).

[Qfactor]

I use the ICON w/ thick jeans for most spirited rides.

they're not too uncomfortable, but takes some getting used to. Haven't tested their worthy ness........yet.

time will tell.

Q

[BLACK SQUIRREL]

I have the Icon one you can try them out if you like them you can buy them from me.

Edit:

I have the Astars one as well (used them for dirt Riding)

[markbvt]

I've got the Icon armor and have worn it plenty of times on all-day rides. It's comfortable as long as you wear a pair of long socks underneath (the velcro straps across your calves can get itchy otherwise). It's also nice in cold weather because it helps keep your legs warm -- although that also makes it a bit less pleasant in hot weather.

One thing, though -- if you have beefy calves, you may find that the straps are too short for you. I just fashioned extensions out of strips of velcro.

--mark

[chrisc]

I have the Icon Field Armor. They fit pretty good, and I would only occasionally notice them when riding. They are bulky to store though.

I also have a pair of Knox Knee armor that velcro's onto kevlar jeans (I have them in the draggin liners).

Knee Armor Kit

I like these better, but they stick to my leg when its hot and my legs start sweating.

The Knox are much more convenient to throw in a backpack than the Icon ones, but they don't seem to offer the same amount of shin protection. The knox are CE rated.

[The Snowman]

I just purchased some Moto-X armor (entire chest/back/shoulders/elbows piece, and CE knee protection) for my 11 year old son so he can ride. Now that Annalisa has her own ride, we can all ride as a family.

[CMG241]

for what it worth in all of my street crashes both fast and slow my legs/knees weren't ever that bad, it was all hips up. I've got 25 year old scars still visible on my hands, wrist, face, elbows...

[GNTurbo6]

I bought the A*s but the velcro straps are made for thicker legs so I can't get them tight enough on me. I didn't return them because return shipping would probably have been half the cost of the item themselves.

I'm buying some riding jeans with CE knee armor soon.

[sveesix]

for what it worth in all of my street crashes both fast and slow my legs/knees weren't ever that bad, it was all hips up. I've got 25 year old scars still visible on my hands, wrist, face, elbows...

speak for yourself. if you ever get into a head-on collision with just a van wearing jeans, you are going to wish you had extra protection.

FWIW, buy teh best protection you can afford.

[spicy]

didn't you have riding pants, though?



i'm trying to balance convenience with a level of protection i'm comfortable riding with, otherwise i'd just be in full-leathers all the time. i was wondering how beneficial they'd be (knee/shin protectors) and how much of a PITA they'd be to wear. my guess is that they'd be more protective than my Rev It Dakar textile's CE inserts because they're quite a bit more substantial, and are less likely to move around as they're attached to my knee, rather than flopping about in the pants' knee-pockets. the abrasion resistance afforded by the jeans is dubious, and the impact resistance for the hip/thigh area is negligible, but the minuscule hip-pads in my current pants doesn't seem like it'd be too beneficial either...

oh, and mongoose -- did you get my PM about the icon armor you've got?