Fao Zimmerframe
- Thread starter Bomble
- Start date
Ooooh ... that's tricky !!
I guess briefly, the Racer is slightly cooler to wear in hot weather for three reasons :
It has less armoured area - so less "insulation" (though the D3O back can get warm)
It's modular, meaning the arms zip off - which means no elbow protection.
You can wear it alone straight on the skin, where as I find I need to wear a top under the 7855 or it chafe's (nippes) - though I think if I sized up it would probably stop that.
The 7855 protects a far higher area of the body. The arms are better protected, the sides, the chest, the abdomen. Though the default shoulders are lacking and worth swapping out and whilst the back is quite well protected in terms of area, the back protection and the segmented design means the actual spine isn't actually all that well protected, basically the Racer spine protector and shoulders are better.
The 7855 is lighter an still cool to wear/well vented, offers a better area of protection. The Racer is heaver, is cool to wear, offers only focused areas of protection, but protects those areas better.
Based on those it really comes down to choosing which compromises fit with your expected style of dismount ...
If you're a bit of a random crasher and just find yourself rag dolled all over the place then probably the 7855.
If you're a bit more elegant or controlled in your dismounts and just want to make sure your shoulders and spine are protected for when your gymnastics are less than perfect, then the Racer.
I've actually just got a new one which I really like the look of, but I've only tested it for fit and comfort so far, no rides/falls. Hopefully will try it tomorrow.
I guess briefly, the Racer is slightly cooler to wear in hot weather for three reasons :
It has less armoured area - so less "insulation" (though the D3O back can get warm)
It's modular, meaning the arms zip off - which means no elbow protection.
You can wear it alone straight on the skin, where as I find I need to wear a top under the 7855 or it chafe's (nippes) - though I think if I sized up it would probably stop that.
The 7855 protects a far higher area of the body. The arms are better protected, the sides, the chest, the abdomen. Though the default shoulders are lacking and worth swapping out and whilst the back is quite well protected in terms of area, the back protection and the segmented design means the actual spine isn't actually all that well protected, basically the Racer spine protector and shoulders are better.
The 7855 is lighter an still cool to wear/well vented, offers a better area of protection. The Racer is heaver, is cool to wear, offers only focused areas of protection, but protects those areas better.
Based on those it really comes down to choosing which compromises fit with your expected style of dismount ...
If you're a bit of a random crasher and just find yourself rag dolled all over the place then probably the 7855.
If you're a bit more elegant or controlled in your dismounts and just want to make sure your shoulders and spine are protected for when your gymnastics are less than perfect, then the Racer.
I've actually just got a new one which I really like the look of, but I've only tested it for fit and comfort so far, no rides/falls. Hopefully will try it tomorrow.
I can't recommend it yet as like I said, I've not ridden in it ..
But worth having a look at the RXR R-Pro with the "predator kit" (shoulders/Elbows).
It's light, flexible, really good protection from what I can see so far.
You could just wear the predator on it's own for excellent shoulders/elbow protection on stupidly hot days or casual "just in case" rides. I like the feel of the armour and the coverage area is greater than the D3O pads yet if you have it on under a top you can barely tell you're wearing it - it forms well.
The R-Pro looks impressive. It's slim, not heavy. I was a bit concerned about he air valves sticking out, but they're far smaller and more subtle in real life. The side panels are optional but well vented. Doesn't seem restrictive at all and I suspect gives far higher real world protection than most things.
But worth having a look at the RXR R-Pro with the "predator kit" (shoulders/Elbows).
It's light, flexible, really good protection from what I can see so far.
You could just wear the predator on it's own for excellent shoulders/elbow protection on stupidly hot days or casual "just in case" rides. I like the feel of the armour and the coverage area is greater than the D3O pads yet if you have it on under a top you can barely tell you're wearing it - it forms well.
The R-Pro looks impressive. It's slim, not heavy. I was a bit concerned about he air valves sticking out, but they're far smaller and more subtle in real life. The side panels are optional but well vented. Doesn't seem restrictive at all and I suspect gives far higher real world protection than most things.
Looks good, shame they don't do shoulder protection with the same high quality protection. The Predator kit doesn't look like it's up to much?
They do the other type too which looks like a hard armour. Was tempted to order one to try but will try this one first.
It's actually seems pretty good, it looks pretty flimsy in their pictures.
The shoulders feel like they'd be far more protective than the D3O ones and the elbows are considerably more protective than the D3O ones on the Racer for example. The 7855 has quite nice elbows due to the harder section.
From touch and looks I'd say they're on a par with anything else out there.
I've not done any banana and hammer tests yet though
The leatt 5.0's give slightly more elbow/forearm coverage, but I find they feel like you'd got enormous fat arms jobbling about when you hit the gnarrrrrrr .. The materials are similar, though with no secondary outer slider on the predator.
I'll be riding in it this afternoon. So if there's no updates, it was crap !
A rather unusual 24c here today, so perfect to try it out ..
Its HOT !
Swapped it out for a Troy Lee 5955 and kept the Predator on to see if it was just me or the high humidity, things were far more comfortable.
So whilst it has bubbles/bumps to keep it off the skin and enable horizontal air flow, there isn't really any air channelling directly through - so it felt about as hot as an Alpinestars Bionic Plus - which also feels HOT !
It might have been cooler with a wicking top underneath, to help pull moisture, but without the air to aid direct evaporation I think it would still have been hot.
More testing needed in different temperatures.
I really like the Predator ! Really really like it.
Its HOT !
Swapped it out for a Troy Lee 5955 and kept the Predator on to see if it was just me or the high humidity, things were far more comfortable.
So whilst it has bubbles/bumps to keep it off the skin and enable horizontal air flow, there isn't really any air channelling directly through - so it felt about as hot as an Alpinestars Bionic Plus - which also feels HOT !
It might have been cooler with a wicking top underneath, to help pull moisture, but without the air to aid direct evaporation I think it would still have been hot.
More testing needed in different temperatures.
I really like the Predator ! Really really like it.
Quick update on the RXR.
Still warm here so been trying it in different configurations.
Is much better if you wear something wicking underneath it, or even wear it over the top. (the one I have is thin enough to wear underneath).
Just noticed they do one now (Pro-Elite) which dispenses with the air valves- which stick out if you wear it under a top.
Yesterday it felt warm - not obscene, but warmer than a tld7855 .. then it rained for the next 2 hours and it just felt great !
Finally fell off and it felt great then too, left shoulder is tight, but I did slam down hard on pointy rocks, so quite happy with that result. Had the predator on underneath so shoulders and forearms were protected.
Still warm here so been trying it in different configurations.
Is much better if you wear something wicking underneath it, or even wear it over the top. (the one I have is thin enough to wear underneath).
Just noticed they do one now (Pro-Elite) which dispenses with the air valves- which stick out if you wear it under a top.
Yesterday it felt warm - not obscene, but warmer than a tld7855 .. then it rained for the next 2 hours and it just felt great !
Finally fell off and it felt great then too, left shoulder is tight, but I did slam down hard on pointy rocks, so quite happy with that result. Had the predator on underneath so shoulders and forearms were protected.
Leatt 5.0, or 3.0. ... Don't buy the 4.0 they have this weird chamois thing which doesn't sit in the right place.I ended up buying the short sleeved Tld.
I havenāt rode in it yet but it feels great, very happy with it. Was between sizes with a 43ā chest, went xl and itās spot on.
Now to to read up on armoured shorts
Good protection, not hot - wear straight to skin .. so wash straight after or buy more than one.
The 5.0 isn't really worth the extra over the 3.0 unless you find some amazing offer !
Leatt 5.0, or 3.0. ... Don't buy the 4.0 they have this weird chamois thing which doesn't sit in the right place.I ended up buying the short sleeved Tld.
I havenāt rode in it yet but it feels great, very happy with it. Was between sizes with a 43ā chest, went xl and itās spot on.
Now to to read up on armoured shorts
Good protection, not hot - wear straight to skin .. so wash straight after or buy more than one.
The 5.0 isn't really worth the extra over the 3.0 unless you find some amazing offer !
You could try the 4.0 - but for most people it seems to sit incorrectly - though that could have been a production issue ..
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