Knee braces

Knee braces, anybody use them off road?  

Today I twisted my knee, suspect it's sprained but of course it didn't stop me from continuing my ride....  What happened was, while trail riding my right boot caught on a stump as I passed it and caused my lower leg to rotate. Felt a pop and some pain  .  I am on my knees a lot at work ( no, not that) and years of skiing has not helped them much...  Question is, would a knee brace have helped in this situation at all?

When enduro riding I use them. When adv touring I rely only on the 3DO padding in my Klim trousers. Twisted mine so bad back in 1991 my tibia took the bullet, suffering a spiral fracture, which beats a tweaked knee. It's a crap-shoot. When the knee won't twist, the hip or ankle will. In the end a knee brace seldom does more harm than good.

Thanks for the input.  I was thinking I need some better knee protection for off road anyways and I think I'll try some braces next.  So far all of the slip on/strap on knee pads I have tried put pressure on my knees causing soreness after 4 hours of trails, so lately I have just relied on the inserts in my Klims but their position is a little low.  Do you recommend any particular brand of braces?

Zodiac1 wrote:

...lately I have just relied on the inserts in my Klims but their position is a little low.  Do you recommend any particular brand of braces?

Yea my Klim's knee pads always want to drift towards the outside of my knees.

As for the braces I use the POD K700's. They are pricey, but have not let me down in any way. I'd order them a hair wider than you measure, as mine seem a little snug. Make sure to order them (if you go that route) from a vendor that allows trying them on for size and returning for exchange. They do come with various velcro disks to fine tune the width of your knee, which are a little fiddly to position. Always figured I'd use some rubber cement if the velcro got weak, but so far they are holding up. Fitting was a little bit intimidating at first, and almost seem like overkill, but they are not over rated. Also there are some much more affordable brands available that get very good ratings, as well as budget braces that outright suck. Do lots of homework before buying. Few things are more frustrating than getting stuck with worthless gear, that winds up getting lost in the closet or garage from impulse buying... been there

Well....after nearly 5 months of knee issues because of that day back in October I think I've finally recovered enough to ride some trails again, don't ever want to do that again   .  We haven't exactly had good riding weather until now anyways, so I have not missed out on too many riding days.  I ordered some TroyLee CatalystX braces last week, tried them out today, They are pretty comfortable and I am happy with them so far, they are definitely well made and functional.  I was even able to fit them under my cold weather pants, I hauled my bike up to the trails and was able to drive with the braces on....awesome.

My son and a couple of his friends use there down hill mountain biking leg pads, they are light and can be worn if want under jeans, just another option.

Fiftygrit wrote:

My son and a couple of his friends use there down hill mountain biking leg pads, they are light and can be worn if want under jeans, just another option.

Those won't help protect the knee from twisting though...

Nope it wont.

I realize this post is three years old, but, what are your opinions on knee braces now with all the new technology and different brands?

I saw great reviews about the Pod Active but they are pricey.

My buddy wears Pod K700 Pro-carbon braces. They are very comfy according to him. I'm planning to buy one in the near future.