Together with the helmet, the protections represent the other vital elements for cycling, especially in modalities such as downhill, free-ride or enduro. Some of them are common for city cycling for cushioning any possible falls.
Some of the major cycle gear brands like Fox have been innovating for years in this segment, with more and more sophisticated and advanced materials and technologies, that have been developed by professionals in world cup trials.
The integral protections afford us the best possible safety in the event of violent knocks and falls with the bikes. The complete cover of the back, shoulders, chest and arms makes this type of protection a true life-saving armour. Some of them already have a built in neck brace as an element, in order to avoid any fracture or whiplash of the neck.
Other protections like the elbow guards and the knee guards must permit us a suitable flexibility and freedom of movements, for the correct control of the handlebar and pedalling.
For wearing under the cycle pants, there are the cycling pants protections, whose design is based on the old fashioned cycling pants (without protection), but in this case have reinforcement protectors and padding in the more critical areas, such as the hips.
Just like in MotoCross, the neck braces and vests are a type of protection for the bicycle. We can consider them one as one of the most relevant protections for protecting the trunk and neck, where the injuries can end up being very serious. Therefore, don't skimp when choosing your protections as their optimum quality in the event of a fall can be decisive.
Finally, remember to reinforce those joints like the wrists or ankles, which we sometimes neglect in order to favour freedom of movement.
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