I wore a pair of Asterix braces for years. I rebuilt them a number of times. I stopped wearing them after reading that knee braces don't do much to prevent injury.

Last summer I was not wearing knee braces and twisted my knee badly when riding.

Then I became motivated to wear knee braces again.

I pulled out my well used Asterix braces which were still structurally sound. I put them on with my boots and put my foot in the same twisting motion that injured my knee. The Asterix braces did very little to prevent the twisting motion that hurt my knee.

Not satisfied, I purchased the EVS Web knee brace and did a back to back compare while twisting my foot just like I injured it. The EVS Web was far superior to the Asterix at preventing the twisting motion as felt by my tender knee. With the Asterix I could feel significant pain due to the twisting. With the EVS Web there was very little twisting of the knee and very little pain.

Later when my knee was improved, but still not full strength, I twisted it twice while riding in a very similar manner to how I originally hurt it. The braces prevented twisting and pain. I am big fan of the EVS Web knee braces.

Might want to have a look at these new POD braces

http://www.podmx.com/

I need to buy some Knee braces for this year. I am thinking of the Astriks or the CTI Pro Sport because those would work well for skiing too.

How much is the CTI Pro Sport? I am sure my dads insurance will cover it thoe.

THANKS!!!

CTi Off the Shelf Gets my Vote if you get a prescription
 

The fit and condition of the brace is likely more important than the brand, but like several others have said I would ride without my helmet before I rode without knee braces.

The Pod braces are supposed to be quite good, but I'm not sure they are $150 better than last year. Dirt Bike just rated the Asterisk their favorite, ahead of the CTi. I wore out a pair of Asterisks and was able to get a prescription for the "off-the-shelf" CTis, but I'm not sure they are worth the premium exacted (supposedly valued ~$2500, but that's because there was insurance involved).

Bottom line - find something that fits well, that you can afford, and wear it. You hit your feet on a lot more trail junk than your head.

I had an ACL reconstruction surgery 20 years ago. The original injury happened 8 years before that. When I asked my surgeon about knee braces he told me that a plaster cast was the only real way to protect the ACL.

In spite of that I wear Asterisk's with the reasoning that even if they don't protect my knee from twisting (I have the old style without the boot strap) that they are worth wearing for the patella protection and to avoid hyper-extension. I have had them rebuilt once and they have marks all over them from things smashing into them that at the very least would not have felt good had I not been wearing them. I won't ride without them.

I have an Innovation Sports EDGE, which is an "off the shelf" version of the CTi. I'm lucky as it fits perfect and has served me well for years now. There is no doubt it limits some twisting. Enough to prevent injury? Hard to say, but it helps. Also, there is somewhat of a psychological advantage to wearing a brace on a questionable knee. I was skiing this week and forgot to pack mine, and I definately thought about my knee more which slowed me down a bit.

I have the CTi2 custom braces. I absoluetly love them. I got them before Aterisk even existed, and way before all the new brands (POD, etc..). Fortunately I didn't have to drop the $3000 that they price them at! I have them rebuilt every year, and they have "upgraded" them several times to incorporate their newest ideas. I do think the Asterisk is a lot of brace for the money. I think the POD is pretty impressive too.

RE Knee braces
 

The custom CTi2 helps prevent the knee from rotating and hyper extending. You can also get an optional ACL block that prevents translation of the Tibia (resulting in a torn ACL). Mine has saved me many times from re-injuring my reconsructed ACL's. The one piece construction spreads twisting force up into the quadriceps. It is important to adjust the brace to limit hyper-extension. The CTi2 is expensive, but worth the money. Also, learn how to ride without taking your feet off the pegs :) It's funny how I've taught myself how to keep my feet on the pegs even when way out of shape and almost crashing. IMHO it improves your balance and makes you a better rider in the long run.

I'll agree with that. Stand up, keep feet on pegs. It's a mantra to recite whilst riding.

EVS Webs
 

I have EVS webs, really big but good protection. I have a hard time finding gear that fits though.. Anybody else wear webs with this problem?