Hi all,

Just had my knee surgery this last Wednesday. Cleaned up some torn ligs., torn cart., and removed some of the arthritis that is starting to infest my 45 year old body. Everything is going well so far but, I have not gotten into the intense therapy yet. Not looking forward to that

The ortho says he can get a good knee brace past the insurance company. I would like to get some additional info on what knee braces you are using and the pros and cons of it. I have heard that the CTI2 and the Asterisk are very good ones. I would still like to hear your opinions.

Thanks in advance, Ernie

I've got a cti that i had made following surgery about 15 years ago. I've used it ever since for mx, snowboarding, soccer, you name it.It is pretty worn and knackered looking but it still does the business. I never ride without it. Don't know too much about the other, but in my opinion you won't go far wrong with CTI.

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live fast, see what happens..

I still have my CTi from 1985.Needed parts and they sent the wrong ones.I was leaving for Unadilla amatuer day.They were in my mail box the next morning. No charge.Cant say enough for people that set me up.I know it is expensive,but there must be a reason all the big guys wear one.And it is your knee,cant ride without it.Your sugery couldnt have been that cheap either

CTI is awesome, it's the only certified brace that you can get that offers a knee cup. The Asterisk seems to be a good brace, but it's not designed to protect injuries - it is designed for prevention of injuries. Because of this your insurance probably won't pay for it, but they will most likely pay for the CTI which costs about 5X the Asterisk. Go figure.

Eiko,
Awesome! I made copies of the dirtrider.net review and am taking them with me to my ortho appointment. Wish me luck on a pair of Asterisks...

Thanks!!!

I have been wearing a pair of XOSKELETON Rage braces for about six months as a preventative measure. I love them!! I truly forget I have them on when I ride. They fit great. I would recommend buying the sleeves that go on before the brace does and then pulls back over the top of the brace. This keeps the velcro from catching on the pants and just makes them even more comfortable. Good Luck!!-chris

I would like th thank all of you who answered this post and sent me e-mails. The information received will assist me greatly in making my decision of which brace to purchase.

Ernie

i also use the CTi2 braces. been using them since 1995 and love them. i feel they are worth every penny.

Buy the Astrisk by all means. I just got a set and for a guy who has gone through 3 sets of CTIs over the last 14 years the Asterisk are the best fitting braces I've ever tried. They don't slip at all and I wore then in a 12 hr. race and they didn't leave one hot spot on my legs. I even hit one on the ground pretty good and it did its job. The knee cup id the best design I've seen on a real knee brace and they go in in half the time of the ols system.

JIMMY

I just a set of the Asterisk knee braces and I *really* like them!! I've had a custom knee
brace by Ortho Tech but these by far fit better then those. I have chipped the brace from some silly reason but otherwise they are great!!

Just getting into the sport. Bought a WR250F two months ago. Understanding protective gear is needed...do most riders out there wear knee braces? I dont have any knee issues now and dont want any. Not sure if I should pony up and buy some.

Thanks!

It is a calculated risk issue. Knee injuries may happen, but for the slight cost of some prevention you can save a lot of hassles down the road. I've never skimped on the gear and I feel I've had a much better crash survival rate for it.

Especially if you push it in racing, the additional support from a set of braces is like the differance between riding with boots or sneakers.

ATTENTION EVERYONE!!!

we have a celebrity in our midst.

welcome jimmy. you are an awesome rider. i've met you thru mikey when you've come out here to hawaii. i haven't ridden out at kahuku in a while... the last time i saw mikey has to be about a year ago.

aloha,
ron i

rooster9,

I think rather or not you need knee braces is dependent on a lot of factors. Age, frequency of riding, severity of riding, to name a few. If you are the casual once a week or two trail rider your body should have plenty of time to recover. If you are going out every weekend and constantly performing airborne assault over the local mx track or demanding trail racing for 5 or 6 plus hours without rest then you are going to punish your knees more severely and braces maybe a good idea. A couple of other factors that are real important is adequate hydration and proper health. If you are not drinking enough liquid (without caffeine) and you are a heavy smoker your risks of a bone or joint injury are very greatly increased and braces may or may not do you any good.

Personally I fit into the once a week or two trail rider who rides 60 to 70 miles each time out with a couple of rests, and a 100 oz. camel back over my chest protector. I wear all the gear minus the knee braces. However, I do have a good pair of knee and shin guards to cushion falls. If you are tight on money I think you would be better off making sure you invest in a good helmet, chest protector, elbow guards, gloves, pants, knee and shin guards, and good stiff boots (like tech 6's or 8's). I ride on a lot of rocky knarly trails here in desert and have taken some falls where my equipment limited my injuries to bruises instead of possible bone breaks. Be careful and make sure you have good basic equipment first!!

Gear_Head

i dont agree with you GearHead, i know a good knee brace may be a bit pricey, but it doesnt matter if you ride once a month, 7 times a week, or what type of riding you do. Apparently you have been lucky, but you can take out your ACL with a low speed crash, its not hard, i just recently did it, in my backyard, i changed a jet, and just want to drive in a circle to see if it was any better, my leg slipped of peg, caught ground, and POP goes the ACL. so it doesnt matter what type of riding you do, or how fast or high you go, its easy to tear ligaments, if you catch it right. i agree you need to buy a GOOD helmet, i mean its your brain your protecting, but the average acl surgery is about $12-$15,000. and about 6 months of rehab,and you get to look forward to arthritis, and knee pain for a long time to come, OR pay $500 now for a set of good braces??? i am young, in good shape, and it still happened. So a little money spent now, can save you a lot of pain and money later.


just my thought.....

as someone who has gone thru ACL replacement from a very low speed crash, GO FOR CTi2 on the damaged knee and a lower cost but good quality non custom fit brace on the other knee. My ortho (partner works the 49'ers) says that they really don't protect you like you want, even the best of them, because as tight as you can put them on, they still move around on your leg a bit.

No matter, I wear both of mine every ride, and tighten them so hard, the back of my knee sometimes bleeds. I highly recommend getting something, and CTi2 custom fit seems to work fine for me.