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Doing the Dyfi enduro for the first time, have heard a couple of horror stories about knee injuries on the slate and shale. Are many people planning on wearing pads?
Pretty much all the bits of the dyfi forest that I've ridden are rocky and quite a lot of loose rock, I don't wear pads there but yeah...
Same as Chuck, but yeah, i know someone who properly mangled their knee.
Only needed if you crash and land on your knees
Advisable! Whilst the potential for falling off is just like any other ride, it's what you land on that means pads are a good idea: sharp and pointy slate (be it loose or bedrock) that'll take no prisoners. dk_reed (?) on here found out about that!
Don't be daft. Toughen up, accept that if you crash and burn when riding fast you may well get hurt. So slow down. Or accept the consequences if you don't. Or armour up.
Ride responsibly, you'll probably be OK.
Aye, dk reed would be who i was talking about, it didnt sound pleasant, i have ridden most of the dyfi descents and if they were dh routes i'd pad up and full face helmet, but as its on a XC course, i wont be.
Yeh I was loitering about at the end of the Ystywth CC 10 mile TT last week and one of the ladies was recounting the tail of patching some poor souls knee up after severing a ligament or something similarly nasty. Sounds very much like it was Mr Reed. Doesn't seem to have caused any long term damage though as he leaves me for dead on up and down hills 😀 (admittedly not a claim to fame or fitness)
Yup that was me last year, though someone else did it the year before on the first long descent (Bailley Bridge) resulting in ligament damage. As Surfr says - no long term damage, just a good 5" scar. I now ride in the Dyfi with 661 Kyle Straits, but that is more to appease the missus as she has been more affected by the accident than I was. If I rode up there without them and came off hurting my knee again I'm sure she would be jumping up and down on my bike so that I couldn't ride it again :o(.
It is entirely up to you - I fully agree with Ambroses' statement and now wear knee pads anywhere it is rocky so that I don't feel the need to slow down.
Didn't found the Dify to be too rock to be honest. Mind you I am fairly bias in terms of what's rocky and what's not