Knee Guard Suggestions - Potentially Ditching Knee Braces

KGAspeed
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Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Edited Date/Time 1/11/2016 3:04pm
I currently still wear one of the original versions of the Asterisk Cell knee braces. And for whatever reason, last season I kind of had enough of the lack-of-freedom-of-movement I feel when wearing them. I'm always tugging at least one of them up to get my range of movement back in my knee / leg. I haven't been riding/racing much the last few years and want change that routine, but need to get some of my gear dialed in better.

Then it hit me that maybe I should just go back to regular knee guards. I *did* spend some time adjusting the Cells and got the fit better, but still curious to hear suggestions on good full-length knee guards. I haven't worn something like that in a long time, but I'm wondering if some of the latest offerings are worth looking into (like the Leatt Dual Axis for example).

Another idea is the Asterisk knee brace pant that they recently plugged in the latest Pulp show which claims to keep the braces up and in their place. Maybe that's worth the investment. Keefer is claiming it to be one of the "products of the year".
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Madmax31
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Fantasy
1/8/2016 7:42am
For what it's worth, I went from Asterisk's to Pods and it felt like I was wearing nothing! I love the Pods!
1/8/2016 7:47am
Madmax31 wrote:
For what it's worth, I went from Asterisk's to Pods and it felt like I was wearing nothing! I love the Pods!
I agree i have ultra cells right now. Tried the pods on and wow. Felt like i was wearing knee pads instead of braces. Ultra light and compact. They were the new model.

However i wear my ultras snowboarding and mx. they have paid me back a hundred times over from knee injuries.
1/8/2016 7:57am
The astrisk knee brace pant is made by virus, and I can confirm that it is the single best piece of motocross gear ive purchased in the last year.

it's one of those things that once you have it, youll wonder how you ever rode without it. keeps everything in place, and has a liner where the knee braces are so you can really grip your bike hard without pulling the graphics off. I used to get about 1 day out of a set of graphics and warp the shrouds.

i'm pretty critical of products in the MX industry (because the majority of them are gimmicky garbage made in China) but those pants are worth every penny.
jwoltz
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Fresno, CA, USA
1/8/2016 8:02am
The astrisk knee brace pant is made by virus, and I can confirm that it is the single best piece of motocross gear ive purchased in...
The astrisk knee brace pant is made by virus, and I can confirm that it is the single best piece of motocross gear ive purchased in the last year.

it's one of those things that once you have it, youll wonder how you ever rode without it. keeps everything in place, and has a liner where the knee braces are so you can really grip your bike hard without pulling the graphics off. I used to get about 1 day out of a set of graphics and warp the shrouds.

i'm pretty critical of products in the MX industry (because the majority of them are gimmicky garbage made in China) but those pants are worth every penny.
Thanks for that review. I was on the fence about them. I have same issue with graphics and plastics with my knee braces. Ordering now.

The Shop

Motofinne
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1/8/2016 8:02am Edited Date/Time 1/8/2016 8:06am
The shitty thing with the Asterisk knee brace pant is that i can't find them in Europe. And i'm not going to order knee brace pants from US and pay taxes for them.... I would love to get them to the 2016 season but i can't find them anywhere.
1/8/2016 8:23am
The astrisk knee brace pant is made by virus, and I can confirm that it is the single best piece of motocross gear ive purchased in...
The astrisk knee brace pant is made by virus, and I can confirm that it is the single best piece of motocross gear ive purchased in the last year.

it's one of those things that once you have it, youll wonder how you ever rode without it. keeps everything in place, and has a liner where the knee braces are so you can really grip your bike hard without pulling the graphics off. I used to get about 1 day out of a set of graphics and warp the shrouds.

i'm pretty critical of products in the MX industry (because the majority of them are gimmicky garbage made in China) but those pants are worth every penny.
jwoltz wrote:
Thanks for that review. I was on the fence about them. I have same issue with graphics and plastics with my knee braces. Ordering now.
You won't be disappointed. just wash them on gentle cycle and hang dry them or the velcro will peel. your graphics will thank you.
KGAspeed
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1/8/2016 8:31am Edited Date/Time 1/8/2016 8:34am
The astrisk knee brace pant is made by virus, and I can confirm that it is the single best piece of motocross gear ive purchased in...
The astrisk knee brace pant is made by virus, and I can confirm that it is the single best piece of motocross gear ive purchased in the last year.

it's one of those things that once you have it, youll wonder how you ever rode without it. keeps everything in place, and has a liner where the knee braces are so you can really grip your bike hard without pulling the graphics off. I used to get about 1 day out of a set of graphics and warp the shrouds.

i'm pretty critical of products in the MX industry (because the majority of them are gimmicky garbage made in China) but those pants are worth every penny.
Thanks for the input. I'm at the point where I know my cornering and just general movement is suffering because I'm not free enough with movement (I ride/race technical off-road).

So will these give me the ability to loosen up my braces a bit but still keep them up and in place?

What are the Pods?
moto455va
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1/8/2016 8:44am
As far as knee gaurds go, the Thor Force are really good.
DoctorJD
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Somewhere in..., GA, USA
1/8/2016 8:48am
moto455va wrote:
As far as knee gaurds go, the Thor Force are really good.
X2.
1/8/2016 8:48am Edited Date/Time 1/8/2016 8:49am
Well the best thing concerning knee braces are the Orthema K-Com. You won't even notice that you're wearing them. The only problem: it's about 2000$ each side. And not sure about how to get them in the US. I had mine payed partly by the health insurance because I had problems with my knees.

Before that I had the Thor Force and I was really happy with them. But make sure you take them with you when you buy pants, they dont fit below all pants (nowadays where less people wear knee braces, the pants are more and more like skinny jeans...)
peelout
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1/8/2016 8:55am
sorry to take over... but i swear by my Asterisk braces and while i never wore knee braces while i snowmobiled before, after this weekend i will always wear knee protection no matter what kind of riding i'm doing. my only problem, like you, is they slip down my leg through the day. usually not a problem with my moto gear because my boots hold them up, but without the boots my chicken-legs don't allow them to stay up.

this is my buddies knee this last weekend, i had to get him back on his sled and ride 16 miles back to the truck before taking him to the ER to get it re-set. i tried to re-set it on the mountain, but the more i pushed the closer he was to blacking out from the pain.




mxer512
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1/8/2016 9:01am
moto455va wrote:
As far as knee gaurds go, the Thor Force are really good.
DoctorJD wrote:
X2.
I would have to disagree. their old style was decent but it tended to chafe the back of my legs on long motos. So i opted for the "new and improved" set. Havnt had them a year and the stitching is already coming apart and already lost a velcrow strap due to stiching basically just falling apart.They do however fit better than the old ones ...just lacking on the quality/durability department. but i guess that what you get for $60-$80
peelout
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1/8/2016 9:05am Edited Date/Time 1/8/2016 9:07am
also, thanks for the heads up about the Thor Force guards, i just ordered a set on RockyMountain for $69 and they'll be here tomorrow. i'll be wearing them on top of my under-layering so chafing won't be an issue.

mxer512, do you wear anything besides socks under your guards? my legs used to get torn up until i started wearing full length spandex and long socks under my guards. i even went a step further and made some mid-leg sleeves out of old moto socks to give a little extra for them to hold on to (again, i have chicken legs)
KGAspeed
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1/8/2016 9:13am
peelout wrote:
also, thanks for the heads up about the Thor Force guards, i just ordered a set on RockyMountain for $69 and they'll be here tomorrow. i'll...
also, thanks for the heads up about the Thor Force guards, i just ordered a set on RockyMountain for $69 and they'll be here tomorrow. i'll be wearing them on top of my under-layering so chafing won't be an issue.

mxer512, do you wear anything besides socks under your guards? my legs used to get torn up until i started wearing full length spandex and long socks under my guards. i even went a step further and made some mid-leg sleeves out of old moto socks to give a little extra for them to hold on to (again, i have chicken legs)
Couple things: you can usually make your point without posting photos (exceptions: chics). Sweet Jesus I don't have the stomach for photos of dismembered body parts.

Why are you buying the Force knee guards if you have Cells?
1/8/2016 9:20am Edited Date/Time 1/8/2016 9:24am
I love podmx. Plus their customer support is awesome. Had a problem with my straps, and they quickly drop shipped me new better quality straps no questions. Plus they have an artificial ligament system that aids you in flexing your knees, but also has stop markers that you can place (to your liking) so you won't hyperextend. They're very nice, plus they sell all the replacement parts piece by piece on line if they wear out.

I used to tape my old kneebraces up (if that makes sense) because they would always fall down. I've got chicken legs and never could get knee braces to fit, even the adult smalls. The pod straps have a long line of velcro that really lets you snug up in them. Plus they don't shred your graphics or pants. Great product. I use the older k300s that they don't make anymore. But you can find them on Amazon. K300s aren't as ridgid as the 700s, but I think a little flex in the brace is good for lessing the chances of trashing your femur in a huge impact.
Helder
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AU
1/8/2016 9:20am
The astrisk knee brace pant is made by virus, and I can confirm that it is the single best piece of motocross gear ive purchased in...
The astrisk knee brace pant is made by virus, and I can confirm that it is the single best piece of motocross gear ive purchased in the last year.

it's one of those things that once you have it, youll wonder how you ever rode without it. keeps everything in place, and has a liner where the knee braces are so you can really grip your bike hard without pulling the graphics off. I used to get about 1 day out of a set of graphics and warp the shrouds.

i'm pretty critical of products in the MX industry (because the majority of them are gimmicky garbage made in China) but those pants are worth every penny.
Can you buy them direct with Virus branding as I can't get my hands on the Astrisk Zero pants here in Aussie.
tprice07
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Fort Dodge, IA, USA
1/8/2016 9:21am
...please don't give up on knee braces. I went out without my gear on to just run my bike around our farm and ended up slipping out around a slippery corner and went down hard. My could barely walk for like 3 days and my knee is still tender in spots almost 2 years later.
mxer512
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1/8/2016 9:28am
peelout wrote:
also, thanks for the heads up about the Thor Force guards, i just ordered a set on RockyMountain for $69 and they'll be here tomorrow. i'll...
also, thanks for the heads up about the Thor Force guards, i just ordered a set on RockyMountain for $69 and they'll be here tomorrow. i'll be wearing them on top of my under-layering so chafing won't be an issue.

mxer512, do you wear anything besides socks under your guards? my legs used to get torn up until i started wearing full length spandex and long socks under my guards. i even went a step further and made some mid-leg sleeves out of old moto socks to give a little extra for them to hold on to (again, i have chicken legs)
yea i wear under armor compression pants under them and i have done the same thing with the socks ....unsually they are ok for just track days....it was them 2 hour harescrambles that really tore me up. I would have blisters the size of quarters were the tendons are on the back of my knee. And like i said watch the stiching on em, mine came apart pretty quick. I also am a skinny lil guy w/chicken legs. it prob wouldnt be that much of an issue if i had some meat on my bones...hahah
bacon
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1/8/2016 9:29am
I used to hate my knee braces too. Then I got a pair of these Dissent Labs Knee Socks
They made my braces stay put and are super comfy.
KGAspeed
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1/8/2016 9:32am
tprice07 wrote:
...please don't give up on knee braces. I went out without my gear on to just run my bike around our farm and ended up slipping...
...please don't give up on knee braces. I went out without my gear on to just run my bike around our farm and ended up slipping out around a slippery corner and went down hard. My could barely walk for like 3 days and my knee is still tender in spots almost 2 years later.
Yeah I really don't plan on it. I even wear the Cells while skiing and snowboarding. Always feels better.

But the restricted movement during moto, and a spot in my TCX boot that kills after an hour, sucks.
peelout
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1/8/2016 9:34am
peelout wrote:
also, thanks for the heads up about the Thor Force guards, i just ordered a set on RockyMountain for $69 and they'll be here tomorrow. i'll...
also, thanks for the heads up about the Thor Force guards, i just ordered a set on RockyMountain for $69 and they'll be here tomorrow. i'll be wearing them on top of my under-layering so chafing won't be an issue.

mxer512, do you wear anything besides socks under your guards? my legs used to get torn up until i started wearing full length spandex and long socks under my guards. i even went a step further and made some mid-leg sleeves out of old moto socks to give a little extra for them to hold on to (again, i have chicken legs)
KGAspeed wrote:
Couple things: you can usually make your point without posting photos (exceptions: chics). Sweet Jesus I don't have the stomach for photos of dismembered body parts...
Couple things: you can usually make your point without posting photos (exceptions: chics). Sweet Jesus I don't have the stomach for photos of dismembered body parts.

Why are you buying the Force knee guards if you have Cells?
yeah, just had to pound the point that knee protection is very important...

i love my Cells for moto and offroad, they stay in place. but with loose fitting snow-mobile gear they just don't do the job, they're always falling down and i feel like i'm going to break my leg because my knee won't bend properly.

the Force guards will only be for snowmobiling
1/8/2016 9:36am
I've been running Thor force knee guards since they came out and they offer a lot of protection. The Velcro straps will chafe the backs of your knee/legs so wear sleeves under them and you won't have a problem. My only complaint with them is the straps wear out before the rest of it does and they don't fit into all of thor's pants but that's more of a pant issue than a knee guard issue.

Peelout, your buddy's knee is some gnarly shit. Seen that on your ig. That had to been on of the most painful things ever. How's he doing?
1/8/2016 9:53am
peelout wrote:
sorry to take over... but i swear by my Asterisk braces and while i never wore knee braces while i snowmobiled before, after this weekend i...
sorry to take over... but i swear by my Asterisk braces and while i never wore knee braces while i snowmobiled before, after this weekend i will always wear knee protection no matter what kind of riding i'm doing. my only problem, like you, is they slip down my leg through the day. usually not a problem with my moto gear because my boots hold them up, but without the boots my chicken-legs don't allow them to stay up.

this is my buddies knee this last weekend, i had to get him back on his sled and ride 16 miles back to the truck before taking him to the ER to get it re-set. i tried to re-set it on the mountain, but the more i pushed the closer he was to blacking out from the pain.




If he blacks out from the pain, doesn't that give you a better opportunity to re-set it? I'm not being sarcastic, it's not like he'll die, he'd wake up a minute later. Right?

That said, it looks like someone Photoshopped his knee- nasty. Blink
peelout
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1/8/2016 9:53am
I've been running Thor force knee guards since they came out and they offer a lot of protection. The Velcro straps will chafe the backs of...
I've been running Thor force knee guards since they came out and they offer a lot of protection. The Velcro straps will chafe the backs of your knee/legs so wear sleeves under them and you won't have a problem. My only complaint with them is the straps wear out before the rest of it does and they don't fit into all of thor's pants but that's more of a pant issue than a knee guard issue.

Peelout, your buddy's knee is some gnarly shit. Seen that on your ig. That had to been on of the most painful things ever. How's he doing?
yeah man it was a gnarly situation, he's doing good though just resting and letting it get some strength back. i never knew how bad a dislocated knee was until then and i vowed to never ride without some form of knee protection until then.

i wish my Asterisk Cell's would stay on my leg a little better because they would be great for snowmobiling
1/8/2016 9:57am
The astrisk knee brace pant is made by virus, and I can confirm that it is the single best piece of motocross gear ive purchased in...
The astrisk knee brace pant is made by virus, and I can confirm that it is the single best piece of motocross gear ive purchased in the last year.

it's one of those things that once you have it, youll wonder how you ever rode without it. keeps everything in place, and has a liner where the knee braces are so you can really grip your bike hard without pulling the graphics off. I used to get about 1 day out of a set of graphics and warp the shrouds.

i'm pretty critical of products in the MX industry (because the majority of them are gimmicky garbage made in China) but those pants are worth every penny.
KGAspeed wrote:
Thanks for the input. I'm at the point where I know my cornering and just general movement is suffering because I'm not free enough with movement...
Thanks for the input. I'm at the point where I know my cornering and just general movement is suffering because I'm not free enough with movement (I ride/race technical off-road).

So will these give me the ability to loosen up my braces a bit but still keep them up and in place?

What are the Pods?
Pods are a brand of knee brace.

yea, you can loosen them up a touch, thats what did.
KGAspeed
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Salt Lake City, UT, USA
1/8/2016 9:58am
I've been running Thor force knee guards since they came out and they offer a lot of protection. The Velcro straps will chafe the backs of...
I've been running Thor force knee guards since they came out and they offer a lot of protection. The Velcro straps will chafe the backs of your knee/legs so wear sleeves under them and you won't have a problem. My only complaint with them is the straps wear out before the rest of it does and they don't fit into all of thor's pants but that's more of a pant issue than a knee guard issue.

Peelout, your buddy's knee is some gnarly shit. Seen that on your ig. That had to been on of the most painful things ever. How's he doing?
peelout wrote:
yeah man it was a gnarly situation, he's doing good though just resting and letting it get some strength back. i never knew how bad a...
yeah man it was a gnarly situation, he's doing good though just resting and letting it get some strength back. i never knew how bad a dislocated knee was until then and i vowed to never ride without some form of knee protection until then.

i wish my Asterisk Cell's would stay on my leg a little better because they would be great for snowmobiling
Well why don't you get knee brace pants like the Asterisk ZeroG and solve the sliding problem?

I believe I'm convinced to get them and keep wearing my Cells. Like I said I even wear them snowboarding. The pants that pull back up and hold them in place sounds like a great idea.
tprice07
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Fort Dodge, IA, USA
1/8/2016 10:00am
tprice07 wrote:
...please don't give up on knee braces. I went out without my gear on to just run my bike around our farm and ended up slipping...
...please don't give up on knee braces. I went out without my gear on to just run my bike around our farm and ended up slipping out around a slippery corner and went down hard. My could barely walk for like 3 days and my knee is still tender in spots almost 2 years later.
KGAspeed wrote:
Yeah I really don't plan on it. I even wear the Cells while skiing and snowboarding. Always feels better. But the restricted movement during moto, and...
Yeah I really don't plan on it. I even wear the Cells while skiing and snowboarding. Always feels better.

But the restricted movement during moto, and a spot in my TCX boot that kills after an hour, sucks.
Yea, that happens. My old braces were Thor and really bulky. I had a similar experience to what you have.

I actually got a Dr to give me a script for CTIs but I never went to get them fitted/molded. I actually started using some cheaper Thor knee guards that are less obtrusive. I don't get any protection from twisting etc. If you dab a leg in the corner and the knee brace prevents you from twisting your knee then something still has to twist. Depending on the force it could lead to a spiral fracture which would most likely require surgery anyway.

I rarely ever twist my knee but I do have the occasional slam my knee into really hard packed surfaces or against my frame.

If I ever get less busy I'll pry get those CTIs with the patella cup for motocross to at least try them. I'd hate to recommend someone just use guards because I would imagine there will come a time that I would have wished I had the braces instead.
peelout
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Ogden, UT, USA
1/8/2016 10:08am
I've been running Thor force knee guards since they came out and they offer a lot of protection. The Velcro straps will chafe the backs of...
I've been running Thor force knee guards since they came out and they offer a lot of protection. The Velcro straps will chafe the backs of your knee/legs so wear sleeves under them and you won't have a problem. My only complaint with them is the straps wear out before the rest of it does and they don't fit into all of thor's pants but that's more of a pant issue than a knee guard issue.

Peelout, your buddy's knee is some gnarly shit. Seen that on your ig. That had to been on of the most painful things ever. How's he doing?
peelout wrote:
yeah man it was a gnarly situation, he's doing good though just resting and letting it get some strength back. i never knew how bad a...
yeah man it was a gnarly situation, he's doing good though just resting and letting it get some strength back. i never knew how bad a dislocated knee was until then and i vowed to never ride without some form of knee protection until then.

i wish my Asterisk Cell's would stay on my leg a little better because they would be great for snowmobiling
KGAspeed wrote:
Well why don't you get knee brace pants like the Asterisk ZeroG and solve the sliding problem? I believe I'm convinced to get them and keep...
Well why don't you get knee brace pants like the Asterisk ZeroG and solve the sliding problem?

I believe I'm convinced to get them and keep wearing my Cells. Like I said I even wear them snowboarding. The pants that pull back up and hold them in place sounds like a great idea.
unless i'm a dummy, which isn't out of the realm of possibility, they look like they've been discontinued. i'll try the Force guard out, the guard that Titan posted above looks like a good one for what i'm needing too though.
KGAspeed
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1/8/2016 10:19am
peelout wrote:
unless i'm a dummy, which isn't out of the realm of possibility, they look like they've been discontinued. i'll try the Force guard out, the guard...
unless i'm a dummy, which isn't out of the realm of possibility, they look like they've been discontinued. i'll try the Force guard out, the guard that Titan posted above looks like a good one for what i'm needing too though.
BTO shows them as discontinued but they are still on Asterisk's website, and Castillo was JUST on Pulp last week talking about them. He and Keefer spoke so highly of them, I would doubt they're gone. They are made by someone else but again, I bet they are still available.

Btw, I'll head north and hit some off road stuff with you this year. I've never found a solid group of bros to ride with here in Utah.

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