Bark Busters or not?!?

[ndekens]

Ok so I have heard several stories from poeple with the wrap around hand guards getting there hand stuck in between the bark buster and being out of control resulting in either broken wrists or for-arms or getting your hand pinned between the metal bar and grip after whacking a tree pretty hard.

So whats the general concensus between using the wrap around bark busters or the bend-back levers and flag type guards??

I myself have never considered the possibility of getting my hand stuck down inbetween the barkbuster.....kinda made me second guess using them.

[woods-rider]

I use them. Have never been hurt by them, but know they have saved my digits on several occasions.

[Hans Schmid]

I use them. Have never been hurt by them, but know they have saved my digits on several occasions.

I'm with this guy^^

[cummins1320]

I am considering taking mine off in favor of the flag style handguards.

went down recently and caught by thumb on the my wraparound handguard it didnt end my race but still bothers me 10 days later.

think I sprained it

Edited May 14, 2012 by cummins1320

[indy rider]

For MX, either no guards at all or flag style. For off-road, get the wrap around style.

Edited May 15, 2012 by indy rider

[malignity]

Get wind deflectors/flag types. They're open on the ends and block brush fine. They even take tree blows well.

I'm one of those people that broke their arms from a bark buster. Badly. I shattered my radius and ulna. I have a plate and 7 screws in my radius and had two external pins in my ulna. It &%$#@!ed my growth plate and I wasn't done growing so now I have constant pain in my wrist, not to mention I got to see bone tear through the top of my arm.

Want pics of the scars? It's been 14 years.

Yes, bark busters look cool. That's why I got them. Sure, they save your hands, but so do gloves and wind deflectors. They also don't bust your arm to hell either. Some people will tell you that you can turn or angle bark busters a certain way and they won't cup your hand. It's a load of chit. You can't predict where your hand will be when you start to bail on your bike or hit something hard. Angling them also makes them less effective, which completely defeats the purpose of having them.

Wind deflectors/flag types are made to absorb hits and fold in onto the hand. By the time it gets there, it normally doesn't hurt. I clipped a cedar tree in second (35mph) on a gnarly single track with mine while crossing a creek and barely felt it. Sure, it caused my bars to twist and I dumped the bike, but I would have lost the bike regardless of what was on the bar. Wind deflectors/flag types that are open are designed to fold in. Folding them out, which is the direction your hand will go when it leaves the bars, will cause them to simply break, which will in turn free your arm and not break it. You'd much rather have a broken brush guard than a broken arm.

[Edited to add information]

Edited May 15, 2012 by malignity

[SS109]

I won't ride without wraparounds. Adjust them right and you will be set. Sorry but flag types and gloves do NOT protect you from hitting trees worth a damn.

[malignity]

Sorry but flag types and gloves do NOT protect you from hitting trees worth a damn.

I beg to differ. The stock ones that came with my bike have saved my hands a dozen times. They're also sturdy enough that I mounted mirrors on them because my bike is street legal. Have you actually tried wind deflectors, or are you just assuming? Just curious.

Not to mention, if you're hitting trees regularly, you're doing it wrong.

Edited May 15, 2012 by malignity

[RabidDove_NorCal]

I'm sorry for the poster with a bad experience....that does truly suck.

I will say I have wraparounds and they have saved my hands a few times, for sure. One time I would have been hurt badly. I will buy them for my next woods bike.

[LukeYZ426F]

for the woods your stupid not to have bark busters unless your ungodly talented and can dodge trees. If you hit a tree your either going to smash your hand braking fingers and hands or you stand the chance of ketchin your arms in the bark buster, me personally i have been saved FAR more times than hurt by them. ive hit trees so hard that it bent aluminum bark busters.. imagine if it were my hand...

[FreeHeavyRotation]

I have wraparounds.....

that said I'm not so sold on them. There are flag style handguards with an aluminum backing that would lessen impacts at the very least. I will admit that occasionally you can find a situation in the tight woods where a branch can sneak its way between the flag guard and your bar. These are uncommon and rarely a big deal.

[RidgeRunnerX14]

I use them. Have never been hurt by them, but know they have saved my digits on several occasions.

+1 on that

[malignity]

I have wraparounds.....

that said I'm not so sold on them. There are flag style handguards with an aluminum backing that would lessen impacts at the very least. I will admit that occasionally you can find a situation in the tight woods where a branch can sneak its way between the flag guard and your bar. These are uncommon and rarely a big deal.

Hm, didn't know they had ones with aluminum backings. I'll have to check into those.

[MINGHAG]

Like someone said earlier. If your hitting trees on a consistent basis, your doing it wrong.

[malignity]

Just for fun.

The big one is where the plate and 7 screws are.

The little scars, seen on the other side of my arm and a small one near the freckle is where bone ripped through the skin, and on the side, also where the two external pins were.

These are what I use now:

Like I said, I clipped at cedar tree at 35mph, and didn't break anything with these open ended ones.. It was hard enough of an impact to break my nylon wingnut and to tear a huge chunk of bark out of the tree down to the wood. Pinched my fingers a tad, but face planting hurt more.

Edited May 15, 2012 by malignity

[DanBot]

Full wraparounds! Not even a question in my mind for woods/ trails.

[DanBot]

Just for fun.

The big one is where the plate and 7 screws are.

The little scars, seen on the other side of my arm and a small one near the freckle is where bone ripped through the skin, and on the side, also where the two external pins were.

These are what I use now:

Like I said, I clipped at cedar tree at 35mph, and didn't break anything with these open ended ones.. It was hard enough of an impact to break my nylon wingnut and to tear a huge chunk of bark out of the tree down to the wood. Pinched my fingers a tad, but face planting hurt more.

Your story doesn't sound fun, and I feel for you... I have plates and screw in my ankle so I know your pain. But this is one of the rare exceptions in my mind.

I'm sorry, but I wouldn't trust those guards to protect my hands in the woods. Too many small bones that cannot be easily plated and pinned together in the human hand.

[SS109]

I beg to differ. The stock ones that came with my bike have saved my hands a dozen times. They're also sturdy enough that I mounted mirrors on them because my bike is street legal. Have you actually tried wind deflectors, or are you just assuming? Just curious.

Well, I have run my stock ones (they looked very similar to yours) and, yes, they will stop the small branch or rocks flying up and hitting my hand but that's about it. They won't help for squat if I really catch a tree. I will agree they are better than nothing but that is as far as I will go with flag style.

Not to mention, if you're hitting trees regularly, you're doing it wrong.

Who said anything about hitting trees regularly? The whole point of barkbusters is for that one occasion that you do hit a tree. It keeps you from breaking a finger(s) so you can keep riding. That is especially important when you are 20+ miles out in the middle of nowhere riding some gnarly single track. Mine have saved my at least twice from some serious pain and ending my day. Saved me some cash as well since I can't work with a broken finger(s). However, do as you wish. Each of us are running what we like because we have weighed the pros and cons and made the choice that we feel comfortable with.

Edited May 15, 2012 by SS109

[Chandler789]

Regardless of the ongoing debate or argument, it comes down to preference. I ride mainly in the woods, if you are riding tight trials then they are a must, I would go with the full bark busters, but there is that risk you take with them along with any other thing in life. Everything good has it's bad, there are always other options with different consequences.

[Chickenhauler]

Just for fun.

The big one is where the plate and 7 screws are.

The little scars, seen on the other side of my arm and a small one near the freckle is where bone ripped through the skin, and on the side, also where the two external pins were.

These are what I use now:

Like I said, I clipped at cedar tree at 35mph, and didn't break anything with these open ended ones.. It was hard enough of an impact to break my nylon wingnut and to tear a huge chunk of bark out of the tree down to the wood. Pinched my fingers a tad, but face planting hurt more.

Sorry, but I have a bucketful of those that I just threw away. If I'd have known someone thought they were worth a crap, I'd have given them all to that person. Honestly, I tried to give them away FREE, and nobody wanted them.

Bought a KX250 for a spare bike that had a set of PowerMadd flag-style handguards last fall. One ride, and my hands were more beat up than if I'd taken up bare knuckle prize fighting for my daily bread. The handgaurds folded back at every twig, branch, and medium sized leaf they saw. I was starting to think they were flinching pre-impact.

Gave them away, fitted it up with a set of Cycra Pro-Bends, just like all my bikes. Not going back.

The guy I gave those PowerMadd's to-he used them one ride and chucked them.

Now, I ride mostly tight single track. It's not the trees, but the smaller stuff (finger sized) that's constantly hanging out into the trail that gets ya.