Proof of working kneepads?

All about safety gear

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Hans Koraeus
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Post by Hans Koraeus » Mon Dec 02, 2002 8:02 pm

Is there anyone with own experience of kneepads really working? I.e. doing slalom down an asphalt road in full speed, bailing, sliding on your knees with the kneepads and afterwards still having the kneepads ON your knees.

Or is the only true solution buying a pair of Gilmours leather pants?

Wes Eastridge
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Post by Wes Eastridge » Mon Dec 02, 2002 11:57 pm

Yes, Harbinger pads stay on wonderfully. I have knee slid mine so much that the cap on one of them has worn completely through. The only time I ever had one slide off was when I stuck duct tape over the hole that I wore into the cap. Listen to me now and here me latah - Duct tape doesn't slide on asphalt!
On 2002-12-02 14:02, Hans Koraeus wrote:
Is there anyone with own experience of kneepads really working? I.e. doing slalom down an asphalt road in full speed, bailing, sliding on your knees with the kneepads and afterwards still having the kneepads ON your knees.

Brian Morris
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Post by Brian Morris » Tue Dec 03, 2002 2:24 am

I think my knee pad saved me from more damage at the Red Bull Race. I think if I came down on my knee without protection, I would have broken my knee cap too.

Regards,
"Brain"
Wobbler

Mike Ohm
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Post by Mike Ohm » Sat Dec 14, 2002 8:39 pm

Hans, I use Boneless Pads. I got tossed off my board at Avila going about 20mph and went straight to my knees. My pads absorbed the shock and stayed firmly attached to my knees. Jack gave me a 10 for style points.

Call Boneless direct @801-593-8319.

There is no substitute.

Bill Walker
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Post by Bill Walker » Wed Dec 17, 2003 6:50 am

Howdy Yawl,

Just for record sake I wanted to let yawl know that all Pro-Designed, Inc. products are fully tested before they are released to the public for sale. If P.D., Inc. pads don't pass the rigorous testing of my factory riders and my own personal tests its no go. In some cases test time was just a few months where as the most extensive product tested took up to 9 years to get to market.

"Wild Bill" Walker, Pres. / Pro-Designed, Inc.

Gary Holl
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Post by Gary Holl » Thu Dec 18, 2003 10:37 pm

Hans/others,

I've slammed on my PD pads from the coping to flat bottom in a 10' pool, I've knee bailed racing slalom at 25+ MPH, I've fallen while ditch, park and street skating....PD pads stay on better then any other knee pad because they are custom made to fit your knees. Call Bill up or e-mail him...better yet visit their new site at prodesigned.com when your skating demands the best, demand PD.

-g-

Barry Gourley
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pads

Post by Barry Gourley » Mon Jan 19, 2004 4:42 pm

Has anyone ever wore full leathers to a slalom meet?? they would be kinda bolkie and maybe stupid but you wouldnt get rashed up when you fall.
I'm more afriad to crash on a S/B then I am on a motorcycle.

Forgive me guys I have ALOT of free time, so the brain goes wild and comes up with alot of different stuff.


your frendly pain in the a*s
Thanks,
Barry

Gary Holl
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Post by Gary Holl » Mon Jan 19, 2004 5:09 pm

B,

I think I've seen someone wear leathers....but you are correct it would not work well. In most areas it's to hot to wear leathers and race slalom.

I guess you could try it but I would over heat in one run.

I'll stick to ProDesigned pads, knee, wrist, elbow and a Giro helmet....sure I may leave a little skin here or there but that's going to happen.

I think the ony way you begin to feel more comfortable, if ever, is after you have fallen a lot. You tend to learn how to knee slide or if you know how to use slider gloves that works too. I try to put as much plastic down as fast as possible to avoid leaving skin on the road.

-G-

Wes Eastridge
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Post by Wes Eastridge » Mon Jan 19, 2004 7:06 pm

Leathers would definitely be too hot for slalom in anyplace during the Summer, except in locations near the North polar ice cap or Antarctica. They could possibly be tolerable for sub40°F temps. If you already have them, you could always try it, but the lack of impact protection could be bad. Pads are the optimal solution to mishaps. The only times I have gotten scraped while wearing pads on a fall were when they were of a poor design that didn't allow them to stay on. Those pads (other than pads from more than a decade ago) were the current Protec elbow pads that come standard with the big oval cutout neoprene back panel.

There are two things that I feel need to be said about some of the posts in this topic:

1 - Hans started the topic because he only knew about poorly-performing pads, but his avatar photo was probably shot sometime later, after getting better pads. Is this true, Hans? What are the pads in the photo (of which you are wearing a yellow long-sleeved shirt) and how well do they work for you?

2 - The “Red Bull Race” that Brian Morris referred to was banked slalom as opposed to traditional slalom. He was injured while crashing straight into one of the banks (ramps).

Hans Koraeus
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Post by Hans Koraeus » Tue Jan 20, 2004 1:24 am

Before starting the 2003 season I finally went into a regular skate shop around the corner and bought TSG knee pads. Later bought the elbow pads and helmet of the same mark. It's a true vertical setup and they are a little bit bulky but not enough to give you any trouble. You feel very safe wearing them.

They have worked well under very hot conditions too. Being pads very large I thought that they would be too hot and too sweaty to wear during hot summer days. But they have turned out to be very comfortable even under these conditions. Of course they need a little airing after a session but that's normal.

First part of the season I never fell with them. I only fell when cruzing around without protection gear. Typical. Well finally I got my first fall on my first practice run at the Swedish Championships. (My avatar is actually from that occasion.) Surface was wet and I was not warmed up. The board suddenly disappeard under my feet. I judged my speed to fast to try and run it out so just got down on my knees, ok, next my wristguards, ok, then my elbows, oh, I forgot to put my elbow pads on! This was going to be proved costly for me. Just a minor scrape on the elbow but more grave was the chock taken up by my shoulder. The kind of chock you can disallocate your shoulder with. Luckily it wasn't but it's first now I feel the shoulder is almost fully recovered. Getting old you know. I'm sure if I had put on those elbow pads I would have walked away without a scratch.

You may have the best pads in the world but it doesn't do you any good unless you use them. And this is especially important for early warm up runs when you tend to "just take an easy ride down". It starts out as a relaxed and cool run but in the end you can't avoid going for it anyway. So my rule for next year. Put on those damn protection gear when you skate. I'm too old to waste my time walking around with muscle inflammations instead of having fun skating.

Now having said all this I am still worried though. I have witnessed some bad falls last season where any of the above protections didn't do any good, except for the helmet. It's when your body twist in the air and you fall on the side. That must be a horrific feeling. You will land on your upper arm and shoulder where you don't have any protection at all, unless your name is Dong. That's the loophole I want to fill for this season.

Claude Regnier
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Post by Claude Regnier » Wed Jan 28, 2004 8:20 pm

C'mon Hans - After spending a week with me you question pads staying on? :)

C-YA
Many Happy Pumps!

Eddy Martinez
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Post by Eddy Martinez » Fri Apr 08, 2005 6:12 am

I ate on a rock last week. I am nursing a strained left ACL. I was wearing Pro Design slalom Pads. They are good pads, but for a lighter racer they are perfect. I weign 212 lbs and hit the asphalt pretty hard. I called wild Bill this week he turned me on to the Super Single Pads made by Pro Design, much thicker padding. I received them the next day. Last night while sessioning I leaned forward while coming into a cone frontside. And of course the back end of the board slid out. I flipped over and landed on my bad knee, luckily I was wearing my new pads it felt like I landed on some pillows. A good beef, mainly because I was able to walk away from it. Thanks for making such a good product Bill. Your Amigo Eddy Texas Outlaws.

Nick Krest
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Post by Nick Krest » Fri Apr 08, 2005 7:27 am

Wearing a set of Pro Designed Super Singles when you bail is like landing on a big pile of stuffed animals.

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