Like to push your limits on your mountain bike? Don’t go riding without protecting your arms and legs. Why should you wear protection sleeves and how to pick the right ones?
Before exploring the trails, trying those big jumps and drops, wearing the right arms and knees protection sleeves is one of the most important things to do. The protectors’ durability and comfort, as well as the amount of protection they give, have all improved. These days you can find lighter, more breathable and better-looking pads or sleeves than before. Wearing pads is not only necessary for MTB riders, it has become a fashion statement.
Since It’s hard to predict when you will crash, the best thing is to wear protection at any trail or level of cycling, whether it’s cross country, trail, enduro or downhill.
But not all pads are the same. How to choose the right one for you? Here are 5 things to consider:
- Weight
The whole point of cycling is to reduce weight. This is why lightweight and slim protection sleeves are what you need to look for. Sleeves that are soft, light, that feel like a second skin and will make you forget you are even wearing them. These kinds of sleeves will fit any kind of cycling type, they will be easy to pedal with and will allow you the freedom to move your arms and legs as usual, so you don’t need to think twice before putting them on.
- Coverage
High coverage usually means thicker padding that tend to be more bulky, hot and less easy to pedal with. But when it comes to sleeves, you can choose a sleeve that covers not just your knees but all injury-prone areas like your ankles. Same with the arm sleeves – why focus solely on the elbows and not the wrists as well? If you choose the right sleeve, made of breathable and light materials, you can wear a high-coverage sleeve that will also protect you from the sun during hot summer days.
- Materials
Legs and arms sleeves are made of elastic materials with padding. Look for lightweight, breathable, sweat-wicking fabrics such as spandex and nylon, that you can also wear during summer. Both of these fabrics are lightweight and have a good elastic recovery. They can stretch to their limits without losing their shape. With the right amount of padding inside the sleeve, you can enjoy both worlds – comfortable and fast on the trail without harming protection.
- Fit
Fit is the most important part of buying arms and legs sleeves. If your sleeves are not fitted correctly they will become uncomfortable, move out of place and won’t protect you as well. Even if you like a looser fit on your jerseys or trousers, your sleeves should be as tight, elastic and compressed as possible. Remember that sleeves, as opposed to pads, rely on their fabric stretch to keep them up. This makes them lighter and less limiting to your legs moving, but also means that they need to fit perfectly. If buying online, look for a size guide and do the measurements to make sure you pick the right size.
- Design
Let’s be truthful. Being trendy is almost as important as staying safe. But in the case of leg and arm sleeves, how they look is not as important as how they feel. A sleeve that is designed tight enough so it will stay in place can allow you to enjoy free movement, which is one of the most important things in MTB cycling. If your type of cycling doesn’t obligate you to wear heavy-duty pads, we advise you to go with thin protection sleeves that are so minimalist they can almost come off as leg/arm warmers.
Funkier’s Protection Sleeves
Funkier’s seamless protection sleeves are the best you can find in the category of lightweight, efficient sleeves.
Both leg and arm sleeves are made with seamless technology and come with a removable shield – so it can be easily washed. The arm pads are made with FPS technology, providing a soft, flexible pad that hardens when falling or hitting hard surfaces.
The weight of the pads is extremely low and thanks to the seamless technology the sleeves feel like a glove. Like in all seamless clothing, the ability to control the density of the fabrics, allows the sleeves to feel highly breathable and flexible. The protection sleeves are suitable for all seasons of the year, especially for summer since they are made with seamless technology which is much more breathable than lycra, the common fabric used in other protection pads and sleeves.
Try them today >> https://funkierbike.com/product-category/accessories/protection/