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Roach Rally FR leg armor review
Protective leg and arm ‘armor’ has been around for a while. In the 80s I remember sporting kneepads on my BMX while ripping around our local riding spots. In the mid-1990s a Vancouver-based business – Roach Clothing – started creating leg and arm pads designed specifically to meet the rigors of the fledgling ‘freeride’ movement. Basically, the company started working on designs that protected riders’ knees and elbows – the body parts that took the brunt of the damage - on crashes.
The Roach Rally FR is Roach’s second-generation armor design and it improves on almost every aspect of their other design (now called the Indy). If you’re into freeride, dh, aggressive trail riding, or even cross country riding that features extended downhill sections, you should be sure to consider the Roach Rally FR leg armor.
I’ve been riding the same set of Roach Rally FR pads for a while – something like two years – so I have a pretty good idea how they work (or don’t, as the case may be).
First impressions
The biggest complaint riders had with earlier versions of Roach leg armor had to do with the product’s tendency to slide down your legs when you crashed. Obviously, this tendency defeated the entire purpose of leg armor, which is to protect your fleshy bits from damage. So, following a ride in which my knees had been suitably damaged from a spill, I walked into my local bike shop and ordered myself a set of Roach’s Rally FR leg armor.
I’m exactly 6’0” tall and my height put me in between sizes (between the large and the extra-large). I opted for the large and I’m satisfied that I made the right choice. Similar-sized friends have picked up the extra large pads and been equally as happy. Also, people with shorter or really skinny legs occasionally have fit problems with the Rally FR leg armor – it’s just another thing that you should be wary of when choosing your armor. My advice on sizing these things is to go into a shop and find the one that’s right for you.
The armor itself looks solid: the Rally FR features a two-piece high-density plastic shell that covers your shins and your knees. The pads are lined with molded, 13mm perforated foam that is resistant to thinning and provides excellent ventilation and impact resistance.
The Roach Rally DH differs from its freeride counterpart by having a closed mesh back, thicker foam, and a knee-centering pad that is supposed to help keep the pads in place.
Performance
The trails on which I ride typically feature a medium-length climb followed by an extended descent. Full loops take anywhere from an hour to three hours depending on rider ability, fitness, and their general pace. I strap the armor onto my hydration pack and ‘armor up’ at the top of the descent. This allows me to keep my legs cool and unconfined for the way up. It also limits the amount of scuffing that I do to my frame – I found that the plastic knee shells have a tendency to mark up the top tube while pedaling.
On the descent, the Rally FR leg armor feels great. The first time I wore them on a ride I was amazed that I could actually feel air flowing through the pads, keeping my legs cool and well-ventilated.
When put to the real test – crashing – the Roach pads did a good job. They don’t really shift around on your legs and the hard plastic shell is confidence inspiring – mine have taken a number of really hard direct knocks and my knees remained intact.
Occasionally I experienced knocks where there are ‘holes’ in the protection particularly on the inside of my legs, between my knees and the lower the leg.
Durability
The Roach Rally FR pads have held up to a fairly regular stream of abuse for almost two years and they’re still going strong. Over time the stitching will come loose around the plastic shells but it’s something that Roach will take care of through warranty. However, instead of sending them in, I’d recommend taking them to a local shoe repair shop and having your pads double stitched there. It’ll cost you about $10, your pads will be good to go, and you don’t need to wait the requisite 6-8 weeks for a warranty call.
Recently, the Rally FR leg armor used in this review has started to slide down my knees at inopportune moments (ie. when I’m crashing). I’m fairly certain that this has more to do with the age of the pads than the design (the pads under discussion are almost 2 years old). Given the amount of use the pads have seen, I’ll be looking at replacing them soon.
Pricing
MSRP for a set of Roach Rally FR leg armor is $80 (usd) or $110 (cad), depending on your place of residence. This price puts the armor in the middle of the pack, in terms of pricing.
Wild card
It’s interesting to see that Race Face, which purchased Roach Clothing a couple of years ago, has made some key changes to their version of the Rally FR leg armor. Specifically Race Face added the knee-centering pad found on the Roach Rally DH armor and added padding in the exposed area mentioned above. Each of these additions could counter the main criticisms I have for the Roach version of the pad but only a more thorough review of the Race Face pads will be able to address this point.
Summary
Leg armor is a great addition to the gear closet of most recreational riders. There are few riders out there who actually enjoy shredded knees or pedals in their shins and the Roach Rally FR leg pads do a good job protecting their wearer from this type of injury.
Personally, I strap the armor to the outside of my hydration pack while climbing before putting it on for the descent. When I do start my descent, the pads stay where they’re intended to stay – they don’t slide around on your legs and they don’t move around on your knees when your skills desert you – and help keep my legs relatively cool and comfortable.
I do feel that the Roach pads offer limited protection for the inside of my legs at around knee height – this is something that seems to have been addressed by the Race Face version of the product but only a real field test will determine if this is so. Additionally, the stitching on the things is bound to come loose over time; I don’t consider this a major manufacturing defect, especially given the amount of wear and tear this type of gear experiences.
Manufacturer website: www.roachclothing.com
MSRP: $80 (usd) | $110 (cad)
| Category | Rating (?) |
|---|---|
| First impressions | 8 / 10 |
| Performance | 34 / 40 |
| Durability | 14 / 20 |
| Pricing | 15 / 20 |
| Wild card | 7 / 10 |
| Overall | 78 / 100 |