Neoprene free gloves and pads?

[RipGroove]

I know this is a long shot but does anyone here happen to know of any knee pads, elbow pads and gloves that don't contain Neoprene?

I have a somewhat rare allergy to one of the chemicals in Neoprene that means when i wear it I get contact dermatitis which is super itchy, breaks the skin and weeps for a week after the event so I can't wear any Neoprene MTB gear. Literally the only allergy I have lol

I managed to find some lightweight MTB gloves made by POC for when I'm playing on my trials bike in urban areas that are Neoprene free so that's great but I could do with something heavier for off-road MTB riding along with some knee and elbow pads too.

I hate riding without them because disaster is only one fall away but the allergy makes it completely impossible for me to pad up.

 

[irie]

Perhaps wear very thin sleeves (lycra?) underneath elbow and knee pads. Maybe email POC and ask their advice?

 

[Doomanic]

Have a look at some of the pads that use D3O for impact protection. My 661 knee pads don’t appear to have any neoprene in them.

 

[RipGroove]

Have a look at some of the pads that use D3O for impact protection. My 661 knee pads don’t appear to have any neoprene in them.

Nice one thanks, I'll take a look. It's surprising how many brands don't actually list the materials online.

 

[RipGroove]

Have a look at some of the pads that use D3O for impact protection. My 661 knee pads don’t appear to have any neoprene in them.

According to their website they are indeed made of neoprene.

 

[RipGroove]

Perhaps wear very thin sleeves (lycra?) underneath elbow and knee pads. Maybe email POC and ask their advice?

Nice idea but I've tried this before, the problem is sweat gets into the pads and draws some chemical out of the neoprene and then gets back to the skin. And I did email most of the main brands and also most of the main online shops about 2 years ago and pretty much none of the ever responded

 

[Hobo Mikey]

What about wearing latex gloves, those thin disposable ones under the normal gloves.

 

[RipGroove]

What about wearing latex gloves, those thin disposable ones under the normal gloves.

Haha I've tried that too, it doesn't work as well as you'd think, they just don't fit under normal gloves and you end up filling them with buckets of sweat.

 

[Nicho]

Have you looked at these?

Mountain Bike Gloves | Sealskinz UK

We have a great selection of durable, waterproof, breathable mountain bike gloves at Sealskinz. Stocking the best gloves on the market. Buy online today!

www.sealskinz.com

 

[RipGroove]

Have you looked at these?

Mountain Bike Gloves | Sealskinz UK

We have a great selection of durable, waterproof, breathable mountain bike gloves at Sealskinz. Stocking the best gloves on the market. Buy online today!

www.sealskinz.com

I haven't actually no, thanks I'll take a look.

 

[Mikerb]

Neoprene is a petro chemical product and quite a few people suffer skin allergies from it. For windsurfing or surfing that can be unbearable considering you are actually covered in it!! The alternative material to provide stretch etc is natural rubber..........Patagonia make a range of wetsuits made from natural rubber rather than neoprene.
I know this does not relate to mtb but you may have to resort to getting a tailor or even a chandler to modify mtb items like knee and elbow pads by replacing the neoprene with natural rubber sheet. A company like Patagonia might be willing to sell you some of their material to do that.

 

[Madmatt75]

What about a rash guard vest top. They do work, they stop me getting a rash when body boarding.

 

[Mikerb]

What about a rash guard vest top. They do work, they stop me getting a rash when body boarding.

I know reading similar issues for windsurfers with allergic reactions to neoprene that no "barrier" garment makes much difference. The chemicals from the neoprene pass through especially if assisted by by moisture.

 

[RipGroove]

I know reading similar issues for windsurfers with allergic reactions to neoprene that no "barrier" garment makes much difference. The chemicals from the neoprene pass through especially if assisted by by moisture.

This is exactly what I've found. The only thing that has helped me in the past with a pair of Fox MTB gloves by reducing the effect but not completely getting rid of it is washing them in the washing machine about 100 times before wearing them, this helps wash out most of (but not all of the offending chemical) so as it stands I have a pair of Fox gloves that still give me a bit of a rash but it's not severe, but they did get a bit damaged by all the time spent in the washing machine. What I don't have is any knee and elbow pads and I don't fancy getting neoprene ones and having to wash them 100+ times before I can use them, and even then it's not a guarantee it'll work so I'd rather avoid neoprene completely if I can.

 

[Pdoz]

Have a hunt around your local outlets and see if you can find any of the older (21) g form x2's - they were essentially a lycra sleeve with an impact absorbing pad stitched directly on.

Unfortunately g form has moved to a " softer" sleeve with their 2022 range ( eg pro x 3) and the section of sleeve between you and the pad looks to have some foam. Worst case scenario, you could unpick the impact pad and stitch them to some lycra sleeves? Or even a jersey?