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A little wrist protection goes a long way |
Words and pictures by Stuart Kernaghan
Every time I head out to the Shore, I pack up my gear: shin pads, hip pads if it's wet, a Ridge Ninja Jacket, arm pads, my full-face helmet, and gloves. It's a fair bit of gear, but I always felt like I was missing something. And then one day it hit me: wrist protection.
I make my living working on a keyboard, and I'd be SOL if anything happened to my wrists. That thought was a constant companion and I rode accordingly, but it still wasn't a guarantee that I'd come home fully functional - your first instinct in a crash is to put out your hands to catch yourself.
 The SixSixOne Wrist Wrap - a
tight and comfortable package | I started looking for something that would protect my wrists, and it didn't take long to come across SixSixOne's Wrist Wraps. The Wraps are similar to the classic rollerblading wrist guard, but they use thin removable PE plastic inserts for support instead of an ultra-stiff (and thick) external brace. The result is a wrist guard that's less bulky, which means it can fit inside a riding glove, and more flexible so you can shift and brake in a relatively normal manner. Three straps hold the left- or right-specific guards closed, and a soft synthetic fabric keeps everything comfortable. There wasn't any problem fitting a pair of Wraps under my gloves, but not surprisingly the fit is a little tighter; take your gloves with you when you go shopping for Wraps. And even though you don't have direct contact with your grips across your palm, I never feel like I have any less control of the bike when I'm wearing the Wraps. |
Construction on the Wraps is durable, and the stitching has held up well after several months of heavy use in all types of conditions. But the hook-and-loop closures leave something to be desired. That's because all of the closures only use the hook side - the fabric of the Wrap itself is supposed to act as the loop part of the fastener.
Initially, that wasn't a big deal. As the Wraps get older, however, the fabric is wearing and it's difficult for the hooks to latch onto it. It's particularly noticeable on the third straps, which sit outside my gloves. As a result, it's not uncommon for me to stop partway through a ride / run and find that the third strap is undone on one or both of the Wraps. |
 Three straps, two of which stay done up and a third that doesn't always |
If it has come undone, the strap can't provide the support it's designed to, which in turn means the Wrap is less effective at protecting my wrist. That isn't a good thing. Attaching the strap to a different part of the Wrap that isn't (as) worn seems to be working for now, but there will come a time when I'm out of useable fabric and I'll have to sew a small piece of loop material onto the Wraps. It's too bad SixSixOne didn't just do that in the first place.
The other problem I had was losing a plastic stiffener. One of the 5mm hook tabs that keep the stiffeners inside the Wraps came open during a ride, and it fell out somewhere along the trail. (If you see a small piece of black plastic on Fromme, it's mine. I'd like it back.) SixSixOne replaced the stiffener under warranty, but it was still an inconvenience.
 All rolled out - the curved insert goes on the palm side |
In spite of the fact that the closures stopped working properly, it only took a couple of crashed to realize that Wraps were doing what they were supposed to: provide protection and support for both wrists. They aren't totally rigid, however, so don't expect your wrists to be indestructible, and the padding at the base of your thumb can still take a beating if you land palms-down. |
The best thing about the Wraps is that I now spend less time worrying about wrecking my wrists and more time concentrating on my ride. And that's why the Wraps have earned a permanent place in my gear bag.
Wrist Wraps are available in small, medium, and large sizes with an MSRP of US$13 or CDN$37 per Wrap.
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