Fox Raptor or Thor Force kneeguards??
- Thread starter Amadeus
- Start date
my friend has the fox raptors he said it pinches your leg. idk about the thor's they look comfortable. right now im useing the axo knee guards the 50$ ones their good. but you gotta fix the straps so the velcro doesnt rub on your leg. only takes about a min. protection from knee guards aint so good they save you from small crashes and bruises on your knee. knee braces is where the protection is at. (im saving for some)
I just picked up a set of the Thor Force guards. I haven't ridden with them yet but wore them around the house. The appear to offer substantially more protection than the cheaper guards and the are very comfortable. Of course more protection usually means hotter but I'll let you know when I get a chance to ride this coming weekend.
I have both.... I am kinda a big guy and didn't find the Raptors overally comfortable. When I was at my dealer they had the Force Knee Guards and I tried them on. The Thors are at least 3 times more comfortable. As another gentlemen stated them are very protective. The heat issue is there.... In the Texas heat my guards get a good amount of condensation, the clear plastic gets all fooged up.
It's my opionion and also a few magazines that have reviewed the Thor's that they are the most protective knee guard available today. Thats's knee guard, not knee brace.
It's my opionion and also a few magazines that have reviewed the Thor's that they are the most protective knee guard available today. Thats's knee guard, not knee brace.
I used to have problems banging my knees up form falling or from the front end washing out and the barkbuster slamming the top of my knee. I used to run little crappy axo knee guards. Then in 2000 I think it was, I got the asterisk braces. Got used to riding with them and the protection was excellent.
However, I am sick of sending them out to have them rebuilt. IT is exspensive. 100 bucks everytime and they need to be rebuilt 3 times a year. The braces fall apart very easily and the whole hindge concept doesnt work. The wires tear apart. I am not rebuilding them again, this is crazy and enough is enough. I think I am going to get rid of them. Anyways I will be looking into the Thor force guards myself and let you guys know what I think.
However, I am sick of sending them out to have them rebuilt. IT is exspensive. 100 bucks everytime and they need to be rebuilt 3 times a year. The braces fall apart very easily and the whole hindge concept doesnt work. The wires tear apart. I am not rebuilding them again, this is crazy and enough is enough. I think I am going to get rid of them. Anyways I will be looking into the Thor force guards myself and let you guys know what I think.
I have the Thor's and they work pretty good for me. The only complaint I have is one of the plastic rivets? on the right guard in the shin area rubs me the wrong way. Next ride I am going to play around with it a little to see if I can get it to be more comfortable.
Jerry
Jerry
I could not get the upper latches closed on my SIDI's when wearing the Thor Force. They seemed to be a good design for a knee/shin guard, but really take up a lot of room inside the boot. Seemed sorta comfortable, but did find some pressure points on the front of the shin.
I also found that the Thor Force takes up serious space in the boots. I had to adjust the top latch all the way out and the velcro peices at the top of the boot were only overlapping about an inch. They look nice and feel pretty good but I have not tried to ride with them. I bought them from Rocky Mountain for $54 and they come in either Adult or youth. On the Box the size was listed as L/XL. They seem a bit big for me has anybody seen them in adult size medium???
woods_rider1
Member
- Sep 27, 2001
- 355
- 0
I own the Thor's and find them comfortable while riding. As stated before they get hot while riding, remove your pants and you will find the clear plastic fogged up and wet. I have to ride with a full length riding short (like tights)while wearing them so they dont chafe my skin from rubbing while sweaty. The first ride with them was not pretty, I had them on my bare leg and they wore my shins bright red and raw. If you have material between them and your leg, they do pretty well.
Well I finally rode with my new Thor Force pads and I give them a thumbs up. I was a bit wary when I first put them on with my riding pants. The pads are pretty big but I wear Thor Core pants and they have a lot of room in the knees. Even so it was a tight fit. The whole time I was thinking I made a big mistake because they just seemed so big. I had to loosen the top strap on my Tech 8’s in order for the pads to fit in the boots and the Velcro strap barely catches.
Once I was all suited up I hit the trails. After about 5 minutes I didn’t even know they were on. They didn’t bind when I bent my knee and the pivot action felt very smooth. The only time I knew they were on was when I went from sitting to standing and that was only on one side because I had the straps adjusted too tight. I have to work on that for next time. The Velcro makes it easy to adjust and there are hooks on the end of the straps to put them on and off without having to readjust the Velcro each time.
We rode in some tight single track and my knee knocked into more than one tree but it never phased me. I never crashed but I felt very confident that if I had, I would have been fine. They have more than enough protection.
The only negative that I had was more than likely due to the fact that I had them adjusted to tightly. The ample padding has a series of small indentations (to allow for air to flow) and I had them cinched up so tight that my skin filled in those holes and made a pattern of about 30 water blisters on my legs. Some of the blisters popped and the raw expose skin got pretty painful. I had thought that the strap had to be real tight to hold them in place but they don’t. I was used to my old pads that only had straps below the knee that had to be tight so it didn’t move around. The Force pads have straps below and above the knee and they are very secure without having to cut off the blood flow.
I recommend them but you need pants that have room in the knees (most do now anyway for knee braces) and boots that open enough to allow room for the pads to fit in.
Once I was all suited up I hit the trails. After about 5 minutes I didn’t even know they were on. They didn’t bind when I bent my knee and the pivot action felt very smooth. The only time I knew they were on was when I went from sitting to standing and that was only on one side because I had the straps adjusted too tight. I have to work on that for next time. The Velcro makes it easy to adjust and there are hooks on the end of the straps to put them on and off without having to readjust the Velcro each time.
We rode in some tight single track and my knee knocked into more than one tree but it never phased me. I never crashed but I felt very confident that if I had, I would have been fine. They have more than enough protection.
The only negative that I had was more than likely due to the fact that I had them adjusted to tightly. The ample padding has a series of small indentations (to allow for air to flow) and I had them cinched up so tight that my skin filled in those holes and made a pattern of about 30 water blisters on my legs. Some of the blisters popped and the raw expose skin got pretty painful. I had thought that the strap had to be real tight to hold them in place but they don’t. I was used to my old pads that only had straps below the knee that had to be tight so it didn’t move around. The Force pads have straps below and above the knee and they are very secure without having to cut off the blood flow.
I recommend them but you need pants that have room in the knees (most do now anyway for knee braces) and boots that open enough to allow room for the pads to fit in.
Surfrider55
Member
- Jul 25, 2003
- 33
- 0
I have the thor knee pads as well and really like them, my problem is they take up so much room in my SIDI force boots. I cannot close the top buckle. I can get longer straps from SIDI but not sure it this will fix the problem or not.
anyone else with input would be greatly appreciated
anyone else with input would be greatly appreciated
They are a real tight fit in my Tech 8s too. I can't attach the velcro but the strap is long enough to hold the boot in place. I'd imagine that a longer strap for the SIDI would work.
My problem with the Force's was twofold. First, I could only get just a minimal overlap on the velcro closure, same as RM_guy. The other problem was that the front shin plate of the SIDI's is designed to overlap the outer side of the boot. I could only get just the edge to overlap at the interface. It ended up riding on the edge and leaving a gap, and that wasn't going to last long back in the woods.
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Moto Squid
~SPONSOR~
- Jul 22, 2002
- 853
- 0
I prefer the raptors becase of the added protection above the knee. Kinda expensive though...
The thor has the protection above the knee. I put on the old cheap thors knee pads that I had before the force ones. The ones that strap below the knees. I could not believe how much more venting the Thor Force have over the regular pads. I do get the fogging mentioned by others. I crashed on my left knee while wearing the old style pads and I was sore the next day. I have no dought that if I was wearing the Force it would have been a non-issue.
I was not aware they come in a different sizes. I have the adult size, but I find them a bit large. They are a tight fit in my boots. I have a few problems I would like to ask you guys about that have the force guards.
1) The left on slides down a bit and the top potion were the hinge is sits on the top of my knee. It pinches and chafes a red spot the is noticeable after about 10 miles or so. Any suggestions there?
2) The bottom of the guard realy digs into my calf at the bottom of the guard. I have a noticeable "dent" there on my leg when I take them off. The only time that I notice it is when I walk around with them on in my boots.
I think that I could live with both problems as the last one doesn't realy bother me that much.
Also, I will be getting some new boots soon and hope to see if that makes any difference as I think that both of the problem may be realated to that.
Any suggestions?
I was not aware they come in a different sizes. I have the adult size, but I find them a bit large. They are a tight fit in my boots. I have a few problems I would like to ask you guys about that have the force guards.
1) The left on slides down a bit and the top potion were the hinge is sits on the top of my knee. It pinches and chafes a red spot the is noticeable after about 10 miles or so. Any suggestions there?
2) The bottom of the guard realy digs into my calf at the bottom of the guard. I have a noticeable "dent" there on my leg when I take them off. The only time that I notice it is when I walk around with them on in my boots.
I think that I could live with both problems as the last one doesn't realy bother me that much.
Also, I will be getting some new boots soon and hope to see if that makes any difference as I think that both of the problem may be realated to that.
Any suggestions?
I have been experimenting with different undersleeves to prevent the chaffing. I've tried the CTi Sofsleeve on one side and a tubesock with the toe cut off and slid up over my calf on the other side. They both prevent the chaffing but the sock is hotter. The Sofsleeve is slippery and when I took my pants off the pads slid right off. It may have been because I a gun shy to cinch it up too tight so no that I know it won't cut into me "l'll make it tighter. I a CTi Coolmax sleeve on order and will let you know how it works when I get it.
The price difference is significant.
cut up tube sock- free
CTi SofSleeve - $9.00
CTi CoolMax - $27.00
The price difference is significant.
cut up tube sock- free
CTi SofSleeve - $9.00
CTi CoolMax - $27.00
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- Jan 8, 2000
- 3,331
- 1
My oldest son wears leg braces. We get a brace under garment from the local pharmacy that keeps the brace from chafing his legs. It comes in a 25-foot roll and you cut lengths to size. The stuff does stretch after using it a few times. It's very lightweight and there aren't any heat issues.
If you can’t find it I’ll ask my pharmacist what it is and where you guys can get it.
If you can’t find it I’ll ask my pharmacist what it is and where you guys can get it.
Well I received the CoolMax in the mail yesterday and it looks just about exactly like the SofSleeve. Hopefully there is some invisible secret ingredient that makes it better :eek:
I may not be getting out until the 21st so don't expect anything too soon :(
I may not be getting out until the 21st so don't expect anything too soon :(
Well I tried out the CoolMax vs. the SofSleeve and the Cool max definitely wins. The leg with the CoolMax was cooler and drier all day after wearing it for 8 hours. Granted the temp was in the low 70's but the difference was noticeable and will be a benefit in the much hotter weather.
Time to order another CoolMax :)
Time to order another CoolMax :)
