Wrist Guards

[bobmac]

Has anyone had any experience with Wrist Guards? I'm a rather aged cyclist(77) and had a low speed crash last May, broke both the Radius & the Ulna rather badly,6 weeks in plaster & have been barred from riding by my G.P. until a revue in Sept.To keep the wife happy Wrist guards may be acceptable. I can get them from America, specially made for snowboarders & MTB riders, are any available in Australia? I might add that the injury exacerbated some latent arthritus in my scaphoid bone( which is the major problem at the moment as I can't operate the gearshift), & I also broke this wrist in the same place about 35 years ago.
I would appreciate any info. bobmac

[human909]

Has anyone had any experience with Wrist Guards? I'm a rather aged cyclist(77) and had a low speed crash last May, broke both the Radius & the Ulna rather badly,6 weeks in plaster & have been barred from riding by my G.P. until a revue in Sept.To keep the wife happy Wrist guards may be acceptable. I can get them from America, specially made for snowboarders & MTB riders, are any available in Australia? I might add that the injury exacerbated some latent arthritus in my scaphoid bone( which is the major problem at the moment as I can't operate the gearshift), & I also broke this wrist in the same place about 35 years ago.
I would appreciate any info. bobmac

Sorry to hear about your accident. Glad you healed up.

You can get wrist guards in Australia. I'd expect Rebel sport would stock them. Though I think the big key is for it not to happen again. Possibly get a different bike or a different set up. A lower seat position may make things more controllable. My mother 65 rides regularly it is certainly great to keep up the exercise, but falls naturally need t be avoided.

[ColinOldnCranky]

I have had a need in the past to wear wrist guards a couple of times.

For what it is worth I gave up on the ridiculously overpriced $40 each things I had from a pharmacy and found that those in a skating kit from K-Mart were functionally as good ($10 for the pair plus a pair of knee gyuards). The reason I used tehm in preference was that I could easily put them on with one hand, which couldn't be done with the therapeutic ones. It is a matter of design - the K-Mart cheapies take advantage of the presence of your thumb.

Try one of each and you will see what I mean.

[RonK]

May I suggest that electronic shifting might be just the thing if you are having difficulty operating the controls.?
Seems that Shimano Di2 is affordable for many now.

[trailgumby]

Brilliant to hear you're still so active at 77 but sorry to hear about the spill. Scaphoids can be a bugger too: blood flow to that bone is not ideal for repair.

661 make wrist guards for mountain bikers, but like much of their gear they won't be cheap ... if you can find it. Colin's advice regarding Rebel is probably the most cost-effective option, along with giving it time to heal. Loading up the fracture before it's knitted sufficiently just draws the process out longer and makes things inflamed. Yes, I learned that the hard way

Do you have access to a mag or fluid trainer? That will help you keep fit while you recover. Don't neglect your core strength, that's vital for stability and control on the bike. Ab crunches with twists and back extensions.

When you get back to riding, some form of weight training once or twice a week for an hour or so will help maintian muscle mass and bone density.

[sogood]

Good to hear that you are still cycling active at 77! However, I'm going to take a different tack to others.

Why are you only considering a wrist guard? If you are concerned about falling at the age of 77, I'd be more concerned about fractures elsewhere. It's a bit of a Murphy's Law, the part you are going to break will be the one that's least protected. If you are concerned about protection from falls, then you really should consider protection gears elsewhere too. At your age, a hip fracture would be the major concern. Obviously and ideally, you don't want to have any fracture. As such, I'd also be looking at other risk reduction options eg. Route, bike, posture, speed etc.

Hope this broaden out your considerations and continue to have many more ks of safe cycling.

[master6]

I recently observed a one armed cyclist. He had his prosthetic arm/hand attached to the brake hood with a rose joint, and operated the gears with his good hand. One shifter was in the brake lever as per normal, and the other was a downtube shifter on the same side.

[wombatK]

After breaking my wrist (triquetral bone, so not as bad as your scaphoid fracture) from an OTB incident and
having complications with the healing a few years ago, I looked around locally for a guard and couldn't find anything effective.

Ordered a Flex-meter wrist guard from the US, http://www.snowboardsecrets.com/flexmeter.htm, and found it
quite comfortable. It's a bit different to the sort of thing you see in Rebel (for skateboarders etc.,.),
in being designed to limit over-extension and flexing nicely before that point. Fitted a glove underneath it
and long-sleeve jersey over it. But it didn't get an acid test - haven't gone OTB since.

Used it for the first couple of months back on the bike - just didn't want to risk re-injuring it.
Once bitten, twice shy.

I know sogood means well in warning you of other risks, but I'm hoping that I can be doing the
same at your age as opposed to rotting away in a nursing home or six foot under. Good luck and
good health.

Cheers

[bobmac]

Hi all, thanks for all the info & comments, no it wasn't the bike,the set up,location or terrain, it was my own stupid fault, but I shall get over it. I didn't break the scaphoid, the latent arthritus (which I didn't know I had there) has been really stirred up.I have tried the local Rebel but what they had seemed too short. I have thought about electric shift but that is as far as I have got.
WombatK, Thanks for the info re Flexmeter , I have contacted them but they are out of stock for about 2 months, they are rather expensive at $74.99 + freight.Maybe I will find another supplier.
Colin old and cranky, thanks about K mart, will check them out this week.
I have a exercise bike that I can load up on the go, I use that for up to an hour, or until I get bored spitless 4/5 times a week,& will also be getting back into Lifeball (Seniors Basketball, got into trouble for calling it Geriatric Basketball.) soon.
This is for W.A. members. I did the damage in Augusta. After starting at Augusta Hospital, then to Margaret River Hospital,& finally to Bunbury Hospital where I was plated & screwed together.
In Hospital I met A guy from Bunbury, he was 79 & still rides competive road racing, this was late May, He had just had a hip replacement, so I think he beats me. As they say your only as old as you feel ( but check that 80% of the body works before getting out of bed)
Thanks all, bobmac

[ColinOldnCranky]

Colin old and cranky, thanks about K mart, will check them out this week.

Thinking about it, I got the stuff from Target some years ago. They may or may not carry this stuff still but someone will. Look around until you find one that is not overpriced "medical" stuff that you can put on your hand and tighten it all with just the other hand. These things come in about three sizes I think.