After 40 years of accident-free riding, I laid my bike down on the street for the first time. I almost walked away thanks to my gear, but the bike landed on my ankle and broke it. The only part of ATGATT I leave off is boots when commuting to work. I would like to hear "informed conjecture" from anyone with a similar experience. Would a standard touring boot have likely made a difference? I'm certainly going to be rethinking my habit, but I'm not sure they would have stopped 700 pounds anyway.
After 40 years of accident-free riding, I laid my bike down on the street for the first time. I almost walked away thanks to my gear, but the bike landed on my ankle and broke it. The only part of ATGATT I leave off is boots when commuting to work. I would like to hear "informed conjecture" from anyone with a similar experience. Would a standard touring boot have likely made a difference? I'm certainly going to be rethinking my habit, but I'm not sure they would have stopped 700 pounds anyway.
Would the bathtub bars like the MC Enterprises help ?
Having recently broken my 20 year rules on boots, and wearing sneakers lately, I'm gonna stop doing the sneaker thing again.Very compelling. Thanks to everyone for your input. My current boots probably would not have prevented the break but certainly would have been better than my dress shoes. Nothing will make me bulletproof, but I'm already shopping for boots that I will actually wear that would give me the best odds. Inconvenience was the only reason I wasn't already wearing them, and that seems pretty silly now compared to the inconvenience I'm currently experiencing.
I've never sustained an ankle or leg fracture while wearing shin high boots, and I can say for certain, I would have in instances the boots "sleeve" prevented localized pressure on leg bones, and especially ankle bones. I've hit the ground hard, and twisted bones in every manner, and even had other riders drive over my lower legs on tracks, my knees have seen multiple visits to the ortho doctor, but my ankles, and shins have survived with little more than bruising, and soreness..
Inconvenience was the only reason I wasn't already wearing them, and that seems pretty silly now compared to the inconvenience I'm currently experiencing.
In the 70's if you said, "ATGATT" I'd have said, 'What's that?" Now, if I don't have on ANY piece of it, I feel nekkid. I recently tried kevlar lined khaki's with knee armor and that felt good, but still felt a little exposed. Your skin, your choice.
Yep, that is my weak spot. Unless it is cold weather (when I wear leather chaps) my jeans offer little protection. Unfortunately, unless you fit the "typical" sizes, it is very difficult to have pants options. Example- I have yet to find armors jeans offered in 29 waist with knees at correct height for 27 inseam (and certainly not available in gray, why would anyone dream of something OTHER than blue or black?). I have toyed with the idea of trying to make my own, by purchasing some type of kevlar material and just sewing it in, but that is apparently more complex than one would think (trying to find the stuff and how to actually do it properly).