i wore lizard skins shin pads for almost 5 years... and for those who dont know them, they aren't exactly the stylish type of shin pads (but for sure the superior). I wasnt reffering to shin protection in general, but to the whole legging/skins/you name it- trend which is going on especially in the comp scene
little tip:
if you dont like the clumsy feeling of most shin pads, try removing the plastic. Works perfect with the TSG kind of guards, because they have a reinforced layer of material right above the plastic which is enough protection for most pedal impacts.