Hoots Armour
Click photos to enlarge

Armour. It certainly isn’t subtle. I didn’t used to wear any and I have the scars to prove it. I actually have to admit that I like the feeling of jumping in the shower after a ride and having the water sting my scrapes to remind me I am alive. But I do love being padded up now. It allows you to take another shot at something if you eat shit the first time. Being gunshy while freeriding is about as fun as road hockey in East L.A.

Armoured by Hoots Photo Noel Hendrickson

Goatlegs Gabe in Hoots Photo Noel Hendrickson

I have to say that I ask a lot of my pads. I want them to be relatively cool in summer, cozy as your blanky against the skin and burly enough to hold back a wolverine. I also want them stay in one place, strap on and off conveniently and be compact enough to stow for those of us who still like to climb.

Jay Krantz knows pads (aka Hoots Jay) and he’s been building them since 1995. He is one of the local riders who goes big enough to occasionally pay big for it. But Jay wasn’t only thinking about protecting his own bones when he designed Hoots armour; he sponsors local mountain bikers (including Danger Dan), bmx riders and skaters. The demands of these 3 disciplines have fine tuned the products and improved the breed. This stuff is overbuilt in every sense of the word - the velcro straps produce enough friction to perform an impromptu mountain rescue

Dangerous Dan in his Hoots Photo Noel Hendrickson

Beefy - that is what you think when you first see Hoots armour. The shins are molded so that the contact happens well away from your tib and fib and the ribs (raised for pleasure) keep them rigid in the event of an impact. A nice feature is that Jay incorporates a back plate to protect your fleshy calf. Very handy for those times when you slip off your pedal and the back also helps the pads stay in optimum position. They aren’t as long as some shinpads and those of you with Kareem Abdul-Jabaar sized lower legs might find some exposed flesh. I am a gangly legged six footer and they were fine for me. The knees counteract this by coming down well below the knee with nice thick foam padding.

Ah the knees! When I first got my pads Jay said to me “if anything goes wrong just aim for the knees” and right he was. These are the ’69 Cadillac of patellar padding. The interior is literally upholstered with an amazingly soft micro fleece material. Most manufacturers would subject that tender behind the knee area to scratchy straps but not Jay. There is a skin layer velcro system made of the fleecy material that closes first before the heavy duty straps go over top. If it is a really hot day you can leave the inner straps inside for max venting. The pads wrap around your leg well above and below your kneecap with nice thick padding. Most pads leave the top part of your knee exposed to all the hazards of the forest. The result of wearing these articulated kneehuggers is a remarkable feeling of invincibility. I am not exaggerating when I say that my riding improved when I started testing out Hoots gear.

The Cadillac of Kneepads

Hoots has taken a different tack with the arms. Instead of a hard plastic exterior shell there is a piece of thick but pliable plastic below a layer of cordura which is backed up by a half inch of high density foam. There are 3 nice thick velcro straps that keep the arms where they should be. Be sure to cross the top 2 straps so that your elbow bends as it should. When you do this your armour will stay in position better than any others I have tried. I find that arms take less beats than legs and I usually use the forearms for leaning against or fending off trees. When you do go down hard these are beefy enough to keep you riding.

Hoots Arms

Now not everything is rosy. One thing you might find is that this armour, particularly the knees, might be bulkier than you are accustomed to. When I wear mine underneath my long Roach pants everything is a bit tight. They are also fairly toasty - once again particularly the kneepads - so you’ll probably want to leave them off for the climb when the weather is warm. When it gets chilly everything is comfy enough to keep on for the entire ride. They are also a bit big to shove into a camelbak so I usually strap the knees to my seatpost or toptube, put the arms in the camel and just wear the shins.

I have been trying these pads for awhile but I just wasn’t biting it hard. From the first ride with Hoots armour I really seemed to ride more confidently - right up until I broke my arm. I landed hard from a reasonable height in some nasty debris and were it not for my outstretched hand making unfortunate contact I would have escaped entirely unharmed. A pretty good test if you ask me.

It seems that the motorcycle and downhill influence has made a lot of gear all about the flash. If you are looking for protection that is second to none, in an edgy, grassroots package, Hoots may be just the ticket.

Hoots pads are available at some of these retailers;
On Top Bike Shop
Dizzy Cycles
John Henry
Westshore Cycle
McBike

By Cam McRae