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Knee Braces

kubotamiketx

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Michael
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Morisoli
Ok, my knees are not good and its time for a little protection.

Who is actually running knee braces? Any recommendations, suggestions?

I blew out my left ACL 30 years ago, but refused to have it repaired. Have had two other surgeries for my meniscus as well.

I am not afraid to spend money, but only if

  1. They help
  2. They don't wreck your mobility
  3. They are not too painful
 
I do not have personal experience, but I see tennis players using knee support braces and they do not seem to loose mobility. May be worth checking a sports store and see what they have.
 
Ok, my knees are not good and its time for a little protection.

Who is actually running knee braces? Any recommendations, suggestions?

I blew out my left ACL 30 years ago, but refused to have it repaired. Have had two other surgeries for my meniscus as well.

I am not afraid to spend money, but only if

  1. They help
  2. They don't wreck your mobility
  3. They are not too painful

In the same boat plus just injured my "good" knee last week on top of a bad unrepaired right knee. I have one high end brace but it won't stay up. Went to bike shop and checked out the Pod braces, 599 for a pair. They said that they might drop too, so didn't buy. Still looking for a good solution, i'll follow this and see what comes up.
 
I tried asterisk braces years ago but couldn't get them to fit right despite multiple attempts at adjustments.

I just went to Moab at the end of May and one of my riding buddies had the Pod braces and he loves them. He said he got a form from Pod to take to an Orthopedic Dr to fill out with all the measurements then sent that in when he ordered them. Said they came to him and fit perfect.

I'm considering going that route due to my deteriorating knees.
 
I have EVS and while they do support well. Not sure how they would do on a hard crash Most knee braces either tie or velcro in place. I found them to move and get sloppy the more you ride due to leg movement and sweating. I would love to try other brands but they are pricey. My friend just got some Leatt braces that I like. Maybe my next set but only time will tell.

I will say this. The first time I rode with them. I was amazed how much easier it was to stand up and ride. They felt supportive and stable with no bulky feeling at all. They are a good step above the plastic knee guards as they do nothing but help against abrasion falls. Would I recommend them......Yes. But don't think you can't get hurt with these on. Nothing is a true fail safe product.

http://evs-sports.com/moto/knee-braces/web-series/axis-sport-knee-brace
 
Last edited:
I've been using the high dollar custom fitted ones from CTi since 2005.
Like you, I didn't go through w/ repairing my torn acl, decided to just use braces instead.

I've raced in WORCS, TORCS and TSCEC, chased my kids behind minis, done trials competitions, and rode the D/S trip to Galiana wearing them. Don't even know it's on there.

I had to pony up for a fresh set in 2012 b/c one of my legs outgrew the shape on the old ones. But seeing how Medic Jeff mentioned POD, that might be a better setup, if not cheaper too.

I did have to buy boots and pants that will specifically accomodate the braces...
my high dollar Gaerne SG10 boots didn't have straps long enough to go over the braces.
But the Sidi ADV boots do, even though they don't give me the added ankle protection that the SG10 did in the past.
My aerostich pants won't fit over the braces...but all of my MX and enduro pants do.
 
Just curious why some of you with knee issues don't have them fixed, assuming they can be fixed? I simply can't afford knee surgery and have no insurance to pay for it. But if you do have insurance and/or can afford it, why wouldn't you? Do they no bother you even when you are off the bike? Mine sure as heck do!
 
For me, it's just not the cost, I'm not a fan of surgery. My right knee at this time will need replacement. Not even sure I would risk riding, at least offload, after that. My left knee that I just hurt seems to be improving. And yes I have insurance but if anything like my shoulder that I did get fixed, it'll still be close to 8-10,000 out of pocket. Plus a knee recovery would knock me out of close to a year of riding, lol.

Since retirement and not climbing in/out of my work truck, my bad knee is actually pretty happy. I'm headed to Cycle Gear today, getting something to try and see if it will help.
 
If your wanting braces "not guards" try Cycle Shack.

I was there last week, Cycle Gear is supposed to have same braces, I need one for early tomorrow, lol! Might have to wait till they open if CG doesn't have what I need. Thanks!
 
I blew out my meniscus and ACL in my mid 20s back then the success rate for ACL surgeries was less than 20%

That alone told me to wait on the ACL since then I have learned to compensate pretty good without even thinking about it most of the time

Writing to Africa Twin is easy 90% of the time but riding with RG in Colorado reminded me of how old my knees really Are

The Husky oddly enough seems to be the most gentle on my knees but I expect that will change when I crash hard sometime in the future

The trials bike on the other hand makes my knees and lower back started to hurt after five minutes it's kind of pissing me off. I am trying to do more stretching of both my lower body and lower back to see if it will help



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Cycle Shack has a good selection EVS, Pods, and Mobius. I still like to test drive before I buy :mrgreen:
 
I blew out my meniscus and ACL in my mid 20s back then the success rate for ACL surgeries was less than 20%

That alone told me to wait on the ACL since then I have learned to compensate pretty good without even thinking about it most of the time

Writing to Africa Twin is easy 90% of the time but riding with RG in Colorado reminded me of how old my knees really Are

The Husky oddly enough seems to be the most gentle on my knees but I expect that will change when I crash hard sometime in the future

The trials bike on the other hand makes my knees and lower back started to hurt after five minutes it's kind of pissing me off. I am trying to do more stretching of both my lower body and lower back to see if it will help



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Trials bikes aren't comfortable for most of us!
 
I have a pair from Academy, Mcdavid hinged . I have 2 bad knees, both blown ACL's. I have tried several others including the high dollar customs. I got these a couple of years ago and can wear all day and are short enough to not interfere with MX boots. At $69 each they have held up and give me as much support as the high dollar one's.
 
I had surgery on my left knee 15 years ago. It's great . I was off rock climbing and bicycling for 6 months . I was young then , recuperation was easy .
I need my right one done now. I wear a set of cheap protective braces and they give me great support when riding . It's when I'm off the bike that I mess up my knee.

Great information here . A problem most of us don't talk about .
 
I blew out my meniscus and ACL in my mid 20s back then the success rate for ACL surgeries was less than 20%

Same here...It was in '92 that I popped my ACL...skiing in Whistler, BC. Back then, they went in w/ a knife, the 2" scar looked really bad, and success rate was dependent on how well/not well your knee accepted the cadaver part they grafted in. nowadays, the surgery is light years more advanced, and very minimal invasion. The current orthoscopic method leaves you with 3 small pin holes , and the anesthesia is downright pleasant, w/ no side effects. Gently go to sleep, then they wake up an hr later, and you're done. The biggest pain is your wallet, b/c today, the average co-pay is $5-$12k for $45-50k ACL work, whereas back then, had I gone through w/ it, my co-pay was only $300 to cover $15k ACL work.
 
Just now recovering from acl replacement. Doc told me patella tendon bone to bone is by far the strongest graft. Recieved injury in february. Was gonna pay for the whole opperation my self since i use VA for all my health care and didnt really want them to do my knee. Doc and everything surgery related was around 6k and then the surgery facility wanted 13k to use their bes for 2 hours. So thats 20k without any rehab. Decided i couldnt pay that and let the va handle it. They ended up paying for it and i got to go where i wanted anyway. Win win. I WAS wearing those hard plastic knee guards from fox, no good at all for any ligament protection. Hit my foot on the ground just right rolling around 30mph in a race and bam thats all it took. I feel like real moto or impact sport braces would have prevented it. Wont ride again without them and i mean real braces not those 100 dollar supports. Also i hear you can get your doc to write prescription for braces and your insurance might cover them. No experience there yet.
 
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