Fanylion Mountain Bike Team
Official site of the Fanylion Mountain Bike Team. Includes mountain bike ride guides, gear reviews, bike maintenance, team reports and rider profiles of the Fanylion Racing Team.
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Roach Rally Freeride Leg Armour
Following my earlier misdemeanours with the Fox 911 leg armour (see other review) I plumped for the Roach Rally Freeride pads. Not being a true downhiller, I was initially loath to spend the best part of £90 on leg and elbow pads for Team FanyLion’s impending trip to Spain, however I am now glad I did. Having read a lot about these pads of late, as well as seeing them strapped to the legs of possibly the greatest free rider in the World (Mr Schley), I was keen to get strapped in and see if wearing the same pads would impart any of his radness and fearlessness to my riding.
Firstly these pads felt weighty. Not heavy, just substantial; more so than the Fox pads. The styling wasn’t immediately to my liking, preferring the black Darth Vader styling of the Fox pads, however all was soon forgotten once I slipped the pads on. Extremely comfortable, superb fit, good mobility and protection.
In order to show off my shorts in our recent Status Photoshoot, I wore the Roach pads mainly to keep my legs warm in the freezing temperatures, and to test them out for mobility. I was not disappointed. They were very comfortable, mobility is good and after a while I forgot I had them on. Not sure if I will feel the same in 30 degree Spanish sunshine, but in near freezing temperatures of North Yorkshire they were great.
I have yet to stack it in these pads, however a few faked tumbles and dives have seen the pads take the impacts and dissipate with little inner shock transference and no pad movement. I will report back after my first crash.
The velcro straps stay put, offer a good degree of adjustability, allowing you to have the pads nice and tight when you want and also slacken them off if you wish. The only strange thing to get used to is the sensation of sweat trickling down the back of the pads whilst you are riding. Feels like you have a gerbil trapped down there! Obviously not specifically related to these pads.
Overall I recommend these pads for fit, comfort and protection. Appearance is more of a personal taste, you have to like the grey plastic armour, but I am more than happy with them now.
Looks/styling:: 7/10
Design features/materials:: 9/10
Value:: 7/10
Performance:: 9/10
Fany fact
Hucking off a 10ft ledge is just like hucking off a 2ft ledge. It's the same technique, you're just in the air for longer.