Wild Urban Downhill Racing in Taxco, Mexico - Video

 Agreed, check out my photo two broken arms in elbows & wrists also cut hand just beacuse that day i didn't buckle up

 I know three people who got blood infections from elbow/forearm cuts within a week of each other last year. They make sense to me.

 It's personal. Knees can get seriously messed up by a silly crash and well it's hard to live without them functioning well. Same with the head and spine. But elbows? I personally hate ebow guards, I tried 3 different ones and hated them. They limit my range of movement and irritate me greatly. I also fell on my elbows a number of times, scratching the right one rather badly on a wallride once, you still won't see me riding in these things

 Curious to know why waki got neg propped.

Is there someone here who prefers getting their knees trashed rather than elbows? I don't think so.

So next question is : how much you want protection, priority being head spine knees, elbow pads are down to personnal belief and preference, no?

 @Uuno: Naa, I just think certain peeps neg prop waki cuz it's Waki.

 Elbow pads simply dont stay in place in the event of a crash... which kinda makes them useless

 They give me arm pump

 @Uuno: Pinkbike poll!

 @tuumbaq: Get ones that fit. At the very minimum they'll deflect the initial hit which is often the worst one. I've never had my RF's move on me and they don't restrict my movement. Of course, you notice them when you first wear them, just like the first time I wore my helmet. It's smart to protect yourself (I'm getting old....)

 Body protection is a subject related directly to people's fears, which means we often get overexcited and judgmental.

 @WAKIdesigns: What elbow guards work best while using a keyboard?

 @yeti951SD: my finest essays are born on the toilet seat.

 @WAKIdesigns: just like trump

 @enduro29erHack: boostfefe

 Protectors makes you wider. You don't want this when racing on limit like this.

 ...sure you need balls instead...

 "Two kinds of people wear elbow pads smart ones and pussies and I ain't either one of them".
-McGazza

 @WAKIdesigns: Agree completely! I find even comfortable elbow pads distracting due to lack of mobility, especially considering your arms elbows are flexing in many different ways. That saying "look good, feel good, ride good" well for me, elbow pads is the opposite of that.

 @Kataklism, yeah, same reason I can’t take shin/calf guards despite using rather vicious flats sometimes.

 @sfd656: YES

 IMO it's just fashion. Personally I like having working arms - two of my favourite limbs... Nothing like a shattered elbow joint to ruin your day/career.

 i broke my arm right below my elbow and still dont wear elbow pads. i dont know why... I of all people probably should! especially on the side i tend to crash on more.

 It’s because of arm pump. I wore really thin elbow pads last year in Taxco and they helped when I crashed/slid out on cobble stone. Track is short, so your arms might not pump up but if you’re not used to wearing them your not going to be riding comfortably.

 Yep, I smashed by left elbow into 20 pieces. 17 bits were thrown in the bin and replaced with titanium. If I had only worn pads I reckon I still would have broken the elbow - but in only 1 or 2 simple fractures. Now I have to wear pads as landing straight on metal plates hurts like your mothers trucker.

 @Uuno: I just neg propped you for the hell of it.

 @StackingItSince1991: I'm bummed to hear that. But I also heard stories of people who went Dirt Jumping in fullfaces and back protectors and claim if not that they would be paralyzed. Most guys who wear neck braces that fell on their head will tell you that it saved them. I went over the bars in a steep rock garden and fell on my back. It was the first run with back protector after at least 4 without. I'm sure I would hurt my spine considering how I fell and then slid on fixed rocks. In fact my back was hurting enough despite having the spine protector. I still put it on only for DH despite riding XC/AM among rocks. My friend hurt his wrist once when snowboarding and since then he was wearing wrist brace for every sport. Until he fell on his hand and broke 3 fingers...

What I mean is: this is a freaking dangerous sport with million of ways to fall and hurt yourself. But I personally feel that riding comfortably makes me crash less often. And i just can't stand elbow pads, just can't. The way they limit my movement and the way they slide. And until your ride in them for a day you can't know whether you like them or not. That makes for a rather expensive experimentation.

 @WAKIdesigns: your comment about not being able to ride with them for a day to know whether or not you like them is the first bit of common sense you've typed in ages. Is something wrong?
Actually, this completely applies to tires (tyres) as well. It's tough to drop money on something hoping that it works.

 I can ride all day in a 2001 Dainese Safety Jacket at 10,000 feet. I think you might be a little sensitive.

 @endlessblockades: I rode all day, including climbing around 800 vertical meters in Dainese LP Next spine protector. It was +30C and I did 6-7 laps in the bike park on that day. Dainese is another league. It's a pity that their helmets are crap

 @WAKIdesigns: Also you don't know whether you like your knee pads or helmet until you try them either. Most people think of elbow pads as an optional extra after helmets and knee pads, which is a bit silly because the physics of an OTB onto the your elbows (which are weak flimsy things) is a lot more severe than any crash that involves hitting your knee (which are a lot more robust). My TLD elbow pads are incredibly comfortable and they never slip...my TLD knee pads on they other hand are crap they are hot and never stay in place. So my expensive experiment was in the knee pad department.

 @StackingItSince1991: I am quite meticulous about my knee protectors. 100% comfort and 90% protection or fk off. That's why I don't cover my shins. I just haven't found a knees/shin combo that stays put. I mean I did but I don't remember the sizing enymore. Dainese Oak knee is just amazing. But it's crap for pedaling. Also the 661 Tomcats. Amazing. Unfortunately not produced anymore. As a rule of a thumb, anything that does not have an adjustable strap under the knee that supports the whole thing on the calf, is worthless for me. I own POC VPD Air and I tolerate it for XC riding. But I find them really annoying for bike park - 1. They are small and offer little protection 2. They slide. I was recommended to use TLD Rair - I tried them in a shop, did a lap around the block and handed them back. Same stuff as with POCs. My friends recommend Fox Launch. I may give them a try. But in general I think that one needs 2 sets of knee guards. One for XC/AM/ Enduro and one for bikepark/DH.ANd for me the helmet must be 100% comfortable. Must be a second skin, a pleasure to put on. THat's why I used to ride in D2. But I got faster over the years and I am starting to consider a proper Dh helmet like D3 or Coron. As stupid as it sounds I must feel cool to myself in my protection and clothing.

 @WAKIdesigns: "riding comfortably makes me crash less often" This is exactly what I meant by saying elbow pads *for me* is the opposite of look good, feel good, ride good. Riding comfortably is everything for me, less distractions and more focus on actually riding. Just being comfortable with what you have on is something I believe everyone can relate to. Wether you're comfortable wearing a roost guard, neck brace, knee & shin pads, armoured gloves and slider shorts, or maybe preferjust knee pads and gloves, everyone is different.

I'd also like to point out that a lot of the crashes I see are from people wearing every pad imaginable. Honestly I think padding up to that point creates a false sense of safety and over-confidence. Now, being confident based on your safety gear is great, but it can be taken a bit too far.

 @Katakalism: False sense of security is one thing here. Another is gearing all the way up seems to me like: I'm going to do something super dangerous! It's not a good mindset for me. Like: I don't want to crash. Not to this, not to that is a rather bad way of looking at things - what are you doing on a proper DH track or jump trail with 8-15m jumps then? Want all the fun, but no scratches? Elbow guards definitely don't fall on extreme gear list for me, but as you say, some people just can't cover more of their body, even if they tried and then they ride cramped on a dh bike on trails which are obviously out of their league. Then there is the opposite trend. Racing Enduro in open face lids, on sketchy tyres, on super fast trails that people used to dress up in full body armor 10 years ago. Sometimes without eye protection, or in cheap work glasses, letting grit from under the front tyre to go straight into their eyes. Often tired and not knowing exactly what's behind the corner.

Elbow pads I have move around all the time, Injust hate this thought coming into my head in the middle of the run. Ugh! My elbow guard slid again! Should I stop and correct it? Same with full body armor: oh it's itchy, oh it's hot, oh ot's heavy, while the thing I should focus on is features ahead of me.

The funniest thing though is folks in full body armor and then enduro lids with detachable chin piece... that's just WTF

 @WAKIdesigns: I've been using 661 Tomcats until a year ago or so when they were too ripped up and hits felt harder than I thought they should. I changed to IXS Dagger pads and I don't think they're any less comfortable but protection is better.

I haven't tried any soft visco-elastic protection (like VPD or 3DO) so I can't comment on that but in my experience most protection feels a bit awkward at first and gets better over time so that the replacement actually feels worse when you first try it.

As for elbow protection, I don't always use it but when I do, it is from Dianese. I think they don't restrict me but the big downside of elbow protection is that in crashes it collects loads of debris between skin and padding and because the lower arm rotates (torsionally) more than the lower leg this causes some annoying chafing. Most practical solution to that is of course to just put on some long sleeve MX shirt (I usually just ride in a sleeveless T-shirt) so that keeps the debris from getting in. But it does make me look more pro than I really am .

 @vinay: I use ION elbow pads for years and they are pretty confortable, not forgettable but honest. I don't wear them when climbing and put them on when things go down. They are breathable, solid enough even if I had to use my needle to repear them lastly, and their anti bacterian material does the job concerning bad smells.... and they saved my elbows so many times. I had 661 pads and they really suck. Once again: it's a matter of finding the right product...

 I wear the alpinestar moab, once they break in they are golden as far as comfort, they genrally stay on in a crash especially if you have them under a long sleeve jersey, no loss of circulation to cause arm pump. The reason is bad pads are bad and people never try multiple brands for extended periods of time, just initial test fit.

 funny coming from a Canadian

 and wheelies

 Markin up the pavement.

 maybe sick course

 @prot3c: nah

 did he leave the singlespeed on?

 I watched that video and my first thought was that it's just a matter of time before someone dies at this event. Unless you enjoy racing this event, I can't see what you'd possibly have to gain from it.

 @friendlyfoe: Remember this from Peurto Vallarta last year - I don't know if he ever recovered - I hope I'm wrong about that.

Some awful news coming out of Mexico after we’re hearing Franz Grossmann ended up in a coma after a sickening crash.

Grossmann was descending a stair set on the race course when he hit his head on the balcony above it. The Austrian was stopped dead and slammed backwards onto the stairs behind him.

As you can see from this snippet of Remy Metailler’s helmet cam, other riders braked strongly before the stairs and rolled down them, but Grossmann seems to gap them slightly leading to the horrible crash. The balcony he hit is circled in red.



According to local reports, the track originally ran along the road but the route was changed to include the stairs to slow down the riders for a jump. Franz had already had two runs down the route but disaster struck on his third attempt. We’re not sure exactly what happened but maybe the white balcony blended into the white background or he was unable to see it under his helmet and goggles.

A recovery fund has been set up for Franz to help him and his family during the recovery period. You can contribute here.

We have now been updated that Franz is in a serious but stable position in a local hospital. We wish him all the best in his recovery and hope to see him healthy and happy again before too long. We’ll update you as soon as possible.

Read more at dirtmountainbike.com/news/franz-grossmann-coma-puerto-vallarta-crash.html#RIxTCB6QZS6y5iko.99



UPDATE SO THIS IS NOT SO MORBID - LOOKS LIKE HE'S BACK ON HIS FEET ON HIS IG!

 @endlessblockades: There are just so many exposed pieces of concrete. I equate something like this to the Isle of Mann TT race. They do it for the love of the game knowing if they go down in the wrong spot that death is a possibility. Not saying events like this shouldn't exist as long as people are willing to race them, but I definitely understand why many of the top pros would look that and say nope.

 @endlessblockades: He recovered and is riding again. You can check him out on instagram @grossmann.f

 On the facebook page of the organizers there was live streaming of the race

 www.facebook.com/altiusevents

 Nah