Quantcast

hand guards...

FOXROX

Turbo Monkey
Jun 23, 2007
2,120
0
hambur,nj
i was just looking around and thinking of ideas :banghead: and i realized that no company makes hand guards for mountain bikes... is there a reason? i mean i most certainly would buy them if they were made...
 

joelsman

Turbo Monkey
Feb 1, 2002
1,369
0
B'ham
you can buy moto hand guards if you like, but if you are hitting much with your hands you will be slowed down. weight is the other issue, mtb's are better when lighter, extra stuff gets ditched.
 

Lex

Monkey
Dec 6, 2001
594
0
Massachusetts
Aren't the guards you're talking about more for protecting from roost coming from bikes ahead? In mountainbiking there isn't really any issue with that.


x
 

Lex

Monkey
Dec 6, 2001
594
0
Massachusetts
well im more talking about falling and snapping levers, and trees..
How much are plastic guards really going to protect your brakes and such in a hard crash. If they're that strong my guess is that they'll ad way too much weight to the front end of a bike.




x
 

Hulkamaniac

Monkey
Oct 10, 2001
501
0
Germantown, MD
Back in probably 2001-2002 (hmm, maybe even '98 or '99 now that I think about it) there was a guy in the Mid-Atlantic (based in WV I think) that tried to produce and market some mtb oriented barkbuster type handguards. Think of a moto/enduro handguard scaled down to fit and look appropriate on a dh bike. If memory serves me correct, the name of his company was System DH or something to that affect. Think of machined mounts and end caps with a piece of smaller round bar stock bent to protect the hands and levers. I think they were trying to utilize titanium and aluminum, but never got it completely figured out.

Jay Humphreys (old mid-atlantic pro) had them on his bike for a bit back then, but I never saw anyone else with them and the concept seemed to fade out with the company. The guy had some other interesting components ideas/concepts, but I think lack of funding and a small market at the time didn't make it a worthy proposition for business investors. Also, no racer/rider at the time really embraced the idea.....I probably wouldn't run them either.......although I swear by barkbuster and handshields on my KTM!
 
Apr 16, 2006
392
0
Golden, CO
Sunline makes some of the nicest moto handgaurds, just buy em from there and support an mtb company at the same time.

I've seen people riding with handgaurds before on a dh bike, but it's not a neccessity really. Handgaurds for moto are for keeping your hands safe from roost, since they are front end real estate, and can easily get hit when trailing someone. they typically are meant for nothing more than this in moto, and their design reflects this - they don't have any extra bracing for hard impacts, and won't save your hands or levers from getting smashed. Hand guards for enduro are a little different. They feature bracing to the edge of your handlebar, or some are just really strong single piece that brace directly to your triple clamp (Crone Enduro products, SE PA). Enduro gaurds are for roost and mud protection as well, but also are for impact hits for trees and levers in the event of a crash (Or helping prevent getting tangled in damn monkey vines!) which can happen very often in an enduro style trail. Perhaps the main reason they are braced so heavily is because when you factor in the bikes extra weigh over an mtb, and the speed and power from the motor, theres a lot of momentum there. all that momentum can smash a hand easily.

You don't get near as much momentum with an mtb - its lighter, and your main speed source is gravity. If you hit the tree with your hand it will hurt... yes, but compared to a 220lb mud covered KLX 250 going 40mph - it will not hurt nearly as much, and in the end the extra bracing is just extra weight. You want just the gaurd then? OK if your doing backcountry line poaching with your bike through forests of pricker bushes, but I'm pretty sure you arent. You also are not getting roosted, or collecting excessive amounts of mud up there even if you do follow someone because the DH tires simply dont throw as much dirt as a dirtbike does. They also don't roost because they are powered by .5HP humans, when they ARE putting out torque and not just coasting vs. a 30-40 HP high torque four stroke dirtbike engine.

Case in point, use your CNC access priveledges for something else and invest your dads money for college so you can get smrter. Oh yea, candle light dinner with a goose
whisper in her ear "is your butthole loose"
she said "quack quack quack quack quack"
So I smacked her, I'm an Oakland cracker



Cheerio
 
Last edited:
Apr 16, 2006
392
0
Golden, CO
If you have CNC access FocksRocks, Make yourself one of these



It'll take care of your wheelset and your wheel will act as your hand gaurds. Just be sure to use a dental dam while in operation.