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DH Clothing

4K views 11 replies 12 participants last post by  csermonet 
#1 ·
Hi guys, pretty new to riding in general but have recently started riding DH. Anyways, I was wondering what are some alternatives to the usual riding clothes - There isn't much selection in Aus that I can try on. Does anyone ride with hiking shorts/pants?

I'll be wearing knee/elbow pads so what's the go with long pants and shirts? Do you wear the protection under them or just go without?
 
#7 ·
I second this. I have two pairs of actual bike shorts that I wear for trail riding, downhill riding and rail trails. I'll just wear Under Armor as a base layer and then either a t shirt or a basketball shirt over depending on the weather.

Late in the fall I'll wear jeans instead of the bike shorts.
 
#9 ·
Pure 'DH' clothing tends to be thicker than every other kind of dedicated MTB clothes, plus a lot of DH shorts come with some hip pads(just like MX gear).
Someone mentioned MX gear, and it does work, but a lot of it is more expensive than MTB clothing(which itself is pretty $$$). Some MX pants come with zippers right below the knees so you can turn 'em into shorts. Riding in SoCal I used to wear those riding my MX bike, as I always wear CTI knee braces anyway, and your boots come up damn-near all the way to your knees too, so when it's over 100deg, shorts are WAY cooler than pants.
In any event, 20-30 years ago, I wore t-shirts and regular shorts, and if that's how you wanna roll, fricken go for it.
 
#10 ·
I tend to find that "gravity specific" MTB clothing is drastically more expensive, and not all that much beefier than normal MTB clothing, which is also heavily overpriced. I usually but Moto pants and shorts as they are much more stout and I can usually find them for very cheap. Buy "old stock" from suppliers that have last years on sale for 50-80% off.

Pads can be tricky as what works well for one person may not for someone else. I usually go by a simple rule: try it on in the store and go by your first impression of feel. If there is ANY discomfort or strange feeling in the pads, put them back on the rack as that feeling will only get more pronounced. Get something that feels great the moment you put it on.
 
#11 ·
I used to race moto, so I used to use moto gear. But I found the pants to be a bit too restrictive for moving around on the bike. The bike-specific stuff often has small stretch panels or gussets that allow for better pedaling.

I don't use pants much here in Utah. It's just too hot, so I use longer shorts. I've had very good luck with Dakine Syncline shorts. A bit of stretch built in, and I've never had a set tear on me when falling (which I do ). They work well with kneepads too. I also used to use Fox Demo shorts. They're quite long and not heinously baggy. but they didn't stretch all that well so I felt a bit restricted.

And with jerseys, almost anything will work well. For dh riding where I will likely fall much more often than trail riding, I like the 3/4 length sleeves. Much cooler feeling than a full sleeve, and just about as much protection. I've got some Royal and Dakine jerseys that work really well.
 
#12 ·
I like to wear cycling specific shorts. They are made with stretchy material where you need it and are tough where you need it. I used to ride in regular cargo shorts, and when I rode with riding shorts I never went back, they are just more comfortable. Mostly due to the stretch panels. They also come with a liner that has a padded gooch, which if you've never had one is quite nice. I like Troy Lee Ace shorts, pricey at $170, but I found a pair in red on sale for $65 last year. If i'm doing a dh day I wear those, knee pads, full face, and a t shirt or jersey. Jersey not quite as important for dh since you don't sweat near as much as you do on a trail ride, so a t shirt is fine. If i'm riding trail, I wear the same shorts with a cycling or moto specific jersey since they breathe better than a t shirt. You can get jersey's cheap though, I got a TLD moto jersey on cambriabike.com for $25
 
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