PRODUCT REVIEW
muscle and bone in the human body . It can take a lot more force , meaning you ' re less likely to suffer an injury . The K8 also won ’ t let the knee rotate laterally , so if you snag a foot , you ' re less likely to cause damage . A lot of top levels riders say they would rather break a bone than cause soft tissue damage to their knee , as bone breakages heal much better and much quicker .
RIDING IN THEM Before I got the Pods , I was riding the Beta RR430 on a street near my house and lost the front end . It was slow , probably around 35km / h , and I hit the ground on my left-hand side . I ’ ve done this sort of fall many times over the years on the dirt , and suffered no damage at all . However this time , on the road , I was sore . Thanks to my gear , I didn ' t sustain much more than slight abrasions to my skin and some bruising . However , my left knee twisted in the fall , and I was limping around for a good eight weeks afterwards . I can ’ t say for certain that if I had been wearing the K8s I would have been fine . But , that is the exact sort of injury these devices are there to protect against . Since then , I have worn the K8 braces on both my Tenere 700 and long-term test bike Beta RR430 in a variety of conditions and terrains , and am pleased to report they ' re comfortable , even more so with the optional sleeve worn under them . I expected them to be bulky , heavy and move around or slide down , but I ' ve not experienced any of that . They stay in place and I almost forget I was wearing them . They did feel a bit foreign when I first started wearing them , but much like a new pair of gloves , I got used to them . Most recently , I took the Tenere 700 on a trail ride , in atrocious conditions . Riding such a heavy bike on slippery trails , where you ' re not exactly sure which way the bike is going to go , I was thankful that when I did need to put a foot down , I had the extra protection . When I inevitably dropped the bike , I was able to get up completely unharmed and carry on . The POD K8 knee braces have become an essential part of my off-road riding kit . Sure they take a little time to put on , but I ' d much rather take an extra five minutes to get ready for a ride than take up to 12 months off the bike because I blew out my knee .
MODEL : POD K8 Knee Braces COLOUR : Black , white , camo PRICE : $ 679.95 per knee BUY : Your local retailer MORE INFO : podactive . com
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