Leg armor reviewed: PRYME Bootleg and 661 4X4's

[forrestunifreak]

I have used both the PRYME Bootleg shin and knee guards and the SixSixOne 4X4's for hard unicycling for a long while now. Here's a comparison of the two:

PRYME

www.prymegear.com
You can buy it at places like danscomp.com (www.danscomp.com), cyclingoutlet.com (http://cyclingoutlet.com/13278331/browse.aspx), etc.

What's good about it:

Lighter and more flexable than the 661's.

$29.99 at danscomp.com

Only has 4 easy velcro straps, and is much simpler to put off and on than the 661's.

Hard plastic molded knee cap

Has a removable inner hard plastic shell and a removable inner lining-use both for maximum protection, one or none for more manueverabillity.

It has the PRYME skull logo, to remind you that your tough. Or something.

________________

The not so good:

The less straps means it slips around easier, sometimes you'll end up with the knees facing outward.

Not quite as much shin protection as the 661's.

[forrestunifreak]

Sixsixone 4X4's

www.sixsixone.com

Availible at unicycle.com (www.unicycle.com), blueskycycling.com (www.blueskycycling.com), ride-this.com (http://www.ride-this.com/SixSixOne_4x4_Knee_Shin_Guard_01-040010036.html), etc.


The good:

7 velcro straps make sure the 4X4's will not slip or move around.

Slightly thicker in the front = more shin and knee protection.

Lined with 'Cool Max' material to keep you cool, but in reality not much cooler, if any, than the PRYME bootleg's.

____________

The not so good:

Those 7 straps are a PAIN to take on and off, it takes forever.

Stiffer, lot less flexable than the PRYME guards. You can't bend your knee all the way (but for trials/muni it's not too much a problem)

Wider and not as streamlined. The sides can rub on the wheel when riding.

$50 at unicycle.com

[U-Turn]

Having used to play goalie in hockey, I tend to think the 661s are a piece of cake to put on and take off. :p There's nothing like doing a half hour of carefully sequenced dressing just to realize you forgot to use the restroom and the game starts in 10 minutes... :(

[markf]

661s aren't that bad. also, there's plenty of places to get them at $30 or less.

[abbabibble]

I don't wanna go making my own thread about this, so i'll stick it in here. It seems appropriate.



So... here goes.

I consider these guards an equivalent to the 661 4x4s. They are strong, durable, and they have these awesome form-fitting pads on the inside. They are comfortable and restrict the knee movement very little, but you still can't bend your knee all the way, which i don't see as a large problem.

The pads cover the entirety of your shin and knee, and they prevet pedal bites very well.
12133

[maestro8]

I consider these guards an equivalent to the 661 4x4s.
These guards are actually superior to the 661s... the 661s don't offer hard shell kneecap protection, whereas the Fox North Shore guards have a bombproof shell that's lined with some open cell foam for impact absorption. They've saved my kneecaps from certain pulverization!

[Da Doofus]

the pryme guards definitly look better in terms of front protection, expecially with the knee guards, but what does the back look like? the sixsixone's atleast have a littl bit of covering on the back of the leg.