Protective gear (knee pads, shin guards, helmets, body armour, xyz)

[carlbiker]

Gary's balls are so big they're like two giant sperm filled Zorbs capable of deflecting anything which may cause injury.

There's been a few FF threads which might help you out ..

Selfishly, I can only immediately remember this one ..

Which Enduro Full face ? Fox ProFrame or Endura MT500 Full - Other ?

As someone who rides faster than their ability (anything above 0kph) I fall off a lot. After a nasty crash and concussion last year I bought a Smiths Forefront 2 with Koroyd - as I wanted something with a crumple zone. I have an automatic monthly purchase for these on Amazon to keep me in...

www.emtbforums.com

Under the Hammer: 6 of the latest lightweight or convertible MTB full face helmets in review | ENDURO Mountainbike Magazine this was interesting....they actually tried to smash the helmets! In the end even though it wasn't ASTM F1952 DH (Tested higher than EN 1078 and if a chin guard is fitted must pass a deflection test) the BELL Super 3R MIPS was the overall winner and seemed to survive longer than the others, curious....

 

[Gary]

I've crashed way more than most over the years. Only injuring myself seriously a handful of times. But I pay the price now every day from a few of those.

 

[JoeBlow]

Most of my, not very serious, falls have happened on what can only be described as benign ground. On one occasion I walked up and down the trail several times, to no avail, to see what threw me over the handle bars. I have mixed feelings about protection. I have a full face helmet that I don't wear very often because a) I don't feel that I ride hard enough to warrant one and b) I get a sense of invincibility when I put it on. Both equally ridiculous I know.

Al

 

[carlbiker]

Most of my, not very serious, falls have happened on what can only be described as benign ground. On one occasion I walked up and down the trail several times, to no avail, to see what threw me over the handle bars. I have mixed feelings about protection. I have a full face helmet that I don't wear very often because a) I don't feel that I ride hard enough to warrant one and b) I get a sense of invincibility when I put it on. Both equally ridiculous I know.

Al

Might be different for great riders who can guarantee they will never go over a berm wrong and hit a tree face on or something stupid but I don't think its as much a case of riding hard as it is having an insurance policy, at least in my case! That said, I'm aiming for a convertible to give that flexibility although the price is ever growing in costs thanks @Zimmerframe ....now I'm hunting for the Bell super DH!

 

[carlbiker]

@Zimmerframe So top wise, the Scott and the Demon v3, did you work out if there upgrade-able to CE2 at all? I'm struggling to find if the chests can be upgrade on the Demon mainly, figure the Scott probably is standard sizing, the guys at gravity arent being helpful so needing to work it out myself....I've emailed Demon too, as well as Moto to see if they know.

 

[wepn]

@Zimmerframe So top wise, the Scott and the Demon v3, did you work out if there upgrade-able to CE2 at all? I'm struggling to find if the chests can be upgrade on the Demon mainly, figure the Scott probably is standard sizing, the guys at gravity arent being helpful so needing to work it out myself....I've emailed Demon too, as well as Moto to see if they know.

The Demon v3 SAS-tech option comes with SAS-tech chest protection & d3o back, shoulder & elbow/arm. They can all be removed, upgraded, replaced etc. It's the most protective thing I've found. When I feel max protection is necessary, I wear it under a large shirt. With it on, I've been asked how I managed to bulk up so much just riding to the pub & back. The pub is actually on the way to the gym.

 

[carlbiker]

The Demon v3 SAS-tech option comes with SAS-tech chest protection & d3o back, shoulder & elbow/arm. They can all be removed, upgraded, replaced etc. It's the most protective thing I've found. When I feel max protection is necessary, I wear it under a large shirt. With it on, I've been asked how I managed to bulk up so much just riding to the pub & back. The pub is actually on the way to the gym.

Nice could I trouble you for the parts I can order to upgrade as the vendors seem clueless, I’ve even aske Demon but nothing back. I’m aware they seem to be T5 on the pade but would be nice to know if youve already sorted it cheers

 

[Zimmerframe]

I did a video review, I need to just check I don’t look like someone with special needs and then I may post it of the 3 tops...it’s a very rushed on the spot jobbie before I went to pick the kids up from school but if anyone’s interested then I’ll post

I should check, did you mean post the video or post the kids ? I think kids are like batteries ? You're not really supposed to post them, though it would be a painless and convenient way of moving them about. I guess you could put them in a large box with some air holes ? Maybe stick one of those cheapo clock mechanisms on the side of the box with just the minute hand connected and put "This way up" above it - that way they won't get too comfortable and demand you post them all the time.

 

[carlbiker]

I should check, did you mean post the video or post the kids ? I think kids are like batteries ? You're not really supposed to post them, though it would be a painless and convenient way of moving them about. I guess you could put them in a large box with some air holes ? Maybe stick one of those cheapo clock mechanisms on the side of the box with just the minute hand connected and put "This way up" above it - that way they won't get too comfortable and demand you post them all the time.

must admit there are times when I'd happily stick them in a box and post them somewhere, maybe with a return to sender!

 

[wepn]

Nice could I trouble you for the parts I can order to upgrade as the vendors seem clueless, I’ve even aske Demon but nothing back. I’m aware they seem to be T5 on the pade but would be nice to know if youve already sorted it cheers

I just selected the Demon SAS-tec option & I already had a back plate.

SAS-TEC Back Protector - RevZilla

Cutting edge SAS-TEC material is intelligent armor constructed from visco elastic soft foam smart molecules. It has earned the highest CE rating avai…

www.revzilla.com

 

[Zimmerframe]

Posted this elsewhere, but it's probably most relevant here :

gives twice the protection.

I say gives twice the protection.... In a way that's just how we interpret the numbers .. CE2 9kn's transferable force, CE1 18kn's transferable force.

So based on "the tests" only half the impact energy is received, but that doesn't directly mean that CE2 is twice as effective ..

I guess we need to understand at least the basics of the test and understand what that really means (and then conclude that we don't care as it's only a number )

Prop your eyes open with matchsticks ..

So, the test is a 5 kg flat impactor hitting the armor at a speed of 4.47 m/s (energy 5x4,47x4,47/2=50 J "Joules").

This is 50 J of energy is roughly equivalent to dropping a 1 kg mass from a height of 5m (E=mGH).

But as the results are in Kilo newtons, that doesn't help us visualise how much energy actually makes it through.

To work that out we need 1 kg × 9.81 m s−2 × 5 m) ÷ 0.5 m = 98.1kn

So for CE1 limb/chest protection :

less than 35 kN , with no single test result exceeding 50 kN.

And CE2

less than 20 kN.

So if we make things simple and call our 98.1kn, 100kn instead .., then CE1 stops about 65% of the energy and CE2 stops about 80% of the energy.

For CE2 back - I've stolen this from wikipedia as I can't be bothered writing out my own crap ..

The test apparatus and procedure is similar to that of EN 1621-1:1997,[1] but with a different impactor and anvil configuration. The impactor is a rounded triangular faced prism, of length 160 mm, base 50 mm, height 30.8 mm and radius 12.5 mm. The anvil is a radiused cylinder, with its axis orientated to the direction of impact, of height 190 mm, diameter 100 mm and rounded end radius 150 mm. When tested to the procedure defined in the standard, the two levels of performance are:

Level 1 protectors: The average peak force recorded below the anvil in the tests shall be below 18 kN, and no single value shall exceed 24 kN.
Level 2 protectors: The average peak force recorded below the anvil in the tests shall be below 9 kN, and no single value shall exceed 12 kN.

So, roughly - CE1 stops about 76%-82% of the energy and CE2 stops 88%-91% of the energy

The tests, and how we interpret the results are obviously hugely simplified compared to real life incidents.

Conclusion - CE2 is not TWICE as protective ..

 

[carlbiker]

Posted this elsewhere, but it's probably most relevant here :


I say gives twice the protection.... In a way that's just how we interpret the numbers .. CE2 9kn's transferable force, CE1 18kn's transferable force.

So based on "the tests" only half the impact energy is received, but that doesn't directly mean that CE2 is twice as effective ..

I guess we need to understand at least the basics of the test and understand what that really means (and then conclude that we don't care as it's only a number )

Prop your eyes open with matchsticks ..

So, the test is a 5 kg flat impactor hitting the armor at a speed of 4.47 m/s (energy 5x4,47x4,47/2=50 J "Joules").

This is 50 J of energy is roughly equivalent to dropping a 1 kg mass from a height of 5m (E=mGH).

But as the results are in Kilo newtons, that doesn't help us visualise how much energy actually makes it through.

To work that out we need 1 kg × 9.81 m s−2 × 5 m) ÷ 0.5 m = 98.1kn

So for CE1 limb/chest protection :

less than 35 kN , with no single test result exceeding 50 kN.

And CE2

less than 20 kN.

So if we make things simple and call our 98.1kn, 100kn instead .., then CE1 stops about 65% of the energy and CE2 stops about 80% of the energy.

For CE2 back - I've stolen this from wikipedia as I can't be bothered writing out my own crap ..

The test apparatus and procedure is similar to that of EN 1621-1:1997,[1] but with a different impactor and anvil configuration. The impactor is a rounded triangular faced prism, of length 160 mm, base 50 mm, height 30.8 mm and radius 12.5 mm. The anvil is a radiused cylinder, with its axis orientated to the direction of impact, of height 190 mm, diameter 100 mm and rounded end radius 150 mm. When tested to the procedure defined in the standard, the two levels of performance are:

Level 1 protectors: The average peak force recorded below the anvil in the tests shall be below 18 kN, and no single value shall exceed 24 kN.
Level 2 protectors: The average peak force recorded below the anvil in the tests shall be below 9 kN, and no single value shall exceed 12 kN.

So, roughly - CE1 stops about 76%-82% of the energy and CE2 stops 88%-91% of the energy

The tests, and how we interpret the results are obviously hugely simplified compared to real life incidents.

Conclusion - CE2 is not TWICE as protective ..

Nice work! Thanks for moving it here, interesting read, I’d read it only takes 6 kN to break a rib So not sure how best to stop that! What’s interesting is when I did the strike test I could barely feel it with the CE2 compared to the CE1 so the raw numbers I would have felt weren’t far off, certainly not only with 10% or so but maybe it’s that pain threshold the CE1 creates with just that little 10% less protection I could feel, not sure, CE2 felt totally different.

That said, CE1 back 6mm (maybe racer back is 6mm?) it only turns to CE2 based on double the thickness and maths are pretty basic there, I would be 99% sure if you got a baseball ball and started to hit me, I’d be getting more than 10% difference of damage using the CE1 rather than the double thickness 12mm CE2. Get your pads out and do a video test ?

 

[Zimmerframe]

The CE1 racer back is 16mm .. and rated at 18kn.

The CE2 (22mm) Forcefield back fly's the tests and passed with 6kn !

So you should feel quite a difference.

They're completely different materials. The Forcefield looks far simpler with its 4 layers, but you're correct, at the same time it feels like it absorbs/dissipates/spreads the impact more.

The numbers certainly don't reflect real world forces though. They're only a guide and also tell you nothing about area protected or angles.

Get hit by a train... Does ce1 absorb 80% of that 2000 tonnes ? And CE2 90%? ?

I've broken ribs armoured and unarmoured. The difference being that I'd have also had far worse injuries than just broken ribs in the armoured crash if I'd not been armoured.

 

[carlbiker]

The CE1 racer back is 16mm .. and rated at 18kn.

The CE2 (22mm) Forcefield back fly's the tests and passed with 6kn !

So you should feel quite a difference.

They're completely different materials. The Forcefield looks far simpler with its 4 layers, but you're correct, at the same time it feels like it absorbs/dissipates/spreads the impact more.

The numbers certainly don't reflect real world forces though. They're only a guide and also tell you nothing about area protected or angles.

Get hit by a train... Does ce1 absorb 80% of that 2000 tonnes ? And CE2 90%? ?

I've broken ribs armoured and unarmoured. The difference being that I'd have also had far worse injuries than just broken ribs in the armoured crash if I'd not been armoured.

Being an expert flyer, what would you say get hit the most and what top are you using most? Did you win the battle with the elbows if it’s the FF? I’ll have the new tops by tomorrow, sounds like the FF chest is unbeatable, although I’m thinking keep the foam in and I’ve ordered the CE1 pad for the Demon to stack up with the foam kind of thing

 

[Zimmerframe]

Being an expert flyer, what would you say get hit the most and what top are you using most? Did you win the battle with the elbows if it’s the FF? I’ll have the new tops by tomorrow, sounds like the FF chest is unbeatable, although I’m thinking keep the foam in and I’ve ordered the CE1 pad for the Demon to stack up with the foam kind of thing

Unfortunately haven't had the time to ride as much with the FF as I'd have liked over the last couple of weeks - so the jury's still out ..

It will be interesting to see what you think of the Demon and the Scott. The Scott on paper should be amazing .. but in real life and then riding - who knows .. and in Summer .... ?

It was interesting see the Forcefield Air was tight on the neck - not an ideal bit of design there. The normal one is probably tighter there than most tops - it's weird that the whole thing seems too stretchy - apart from the neck !!!

The top I've had the worst crashes in and not broken anything : Old style Fox Titan Copy. Every credit to it, it does protect well - even being the less well foamed copy. Bought that last year after my fractured pelvis (OTB on an atrociously ridden very fast drop - crap helmet so was unconscious and bad concussion, but as far as I can work out from injuries/marks - I ended up in front of the bike several meters away, unfortunately it homed in on me and hit me pedal first in the pelvis at the back - crunch ... came round to the dog licking blood off my face, so that was quite pleasant.. )

Had some awful rock crashes wearing the Fox(Copy). Suffered quite (Very) impressive bruising - but no breaks. Downside, it's quite bulky and can be warm - though I did dig it out a few weeks ago and was surprised to find it was actually cooler and more comfortable than a lot of the newer alternatives I'd been testing. Would have bought the new version, but they shortened the back to make to more MX friendly and removed the kidney belt armour.

The top I've had the most crashes in and walked away with nothing broken is the Troy Lee 7855. I had an unlucky crash in that, whilst I've become quite adept at crashing (I've had enough practice) that was just quick and so fast I still don't know what happened. The worst part was the initial tree stump to the chest/shoulder area. Fractured ribs and mashed shoulder. Hate to think what I'd be like if I'd not had the TLD7855 on. That was ultimately what sent me on my obsessive drive to find the perfect armour and has brought me full circle to the conclusion that there isn't one - only compromises. The TLD7855 is great for all round protection - better than anything else. It lacks really good protection for the chest/back/shoulders though. Once you choose more protection in those areas, any top is at the limit on comfort/heat/flexibility - so you loose the general protection the TLD7855 offers as the designer has to focus just on certain areas.

I've been riding in the TLD7855 with upgraded shoulders, which doesn't seem to affect it's "performance". I'm tempted as a winter project to create the Forcefield TLD7855 - and merge the two in some way (shoulders/back/chest of Forcefield) - but try to maintain low weight, airflow, movement. The forcefield is a better option than D3O or SAS-TEC for this as it's a lot lighter.

The top I used the most at the end of Summer and still now was/is the Racer Motion Top 2. Most of my testing eventually wore me down on the negatives of armour - the heat - or more accurately, the fluid loss from sweat - a lot do a good job of keeping you cool - but only because you're powering the air conditioning with fluid loss. I'd be fine riding, but I'd feel crap for hours afterwards. The Racer is a compromise on the protection areas it offers, but it protects the shoulders and back well with some extra protection elsewhere. For me, it feels like a second skin. Whilst it's warmer than nothing, I don't feel like I'm sweating too much in it and it's been a compromise I've been willing to make for comfort.

Now it's cooler there's a good chance I'll wear the FF more and push myself to create the FF7855.

Or I might go back to layering. The TLD7855 with the TLD5955 over the top feel like excellent protection, but was ultimately too warm for riding in 36c.

I want to try the Racer with the TLD5955 over the top too .. The rocks here are like ice in winter so whilst sliding around is great fun - it can catch you out easily !

Ultimately, it's sensible to try to protect yourself as much as possible if you think what you're doing involves a chance of crashing/injury. You have to balance this though with being comfortable whilst doing what you're doing. You also have to accept that armour won't and can't protect you from every eventuality - it's just damage limitation.

 

[carlbiker]

Unfortunately haven't had the time to ride as much with the FF as I'd have liked over the last couple of weeks - so the jury's still out ..

It will be interesting to see what you think of the Demon and the Scott. The Scott on paper should be amazing .. but in real life and then riding - who knows .. and in Summer .... ?

It was interesting see the Forcefield Air was tight on the neck - not an ideal bit of design there. The normal one is probably tighter there than most tops - it's weird that the whole thing seems too stretchy - apart from the neck !!!

The top I've had the worst crashes in and not broken anything : Old style Fox Titan Copy. Every credit to it, it does protect well - even being the less well foamed copy. Bought that last year after my fractured pelvis (OTB on an atrociously ridden very fast drop - crap helmet so was unconscious and bad concussion, but as far as I can work out from injuries/marks - I ended up in front of the bike several meters away, unfortunately it homed in on me and hit me pedal first in the pelvis at the back - crunch ... came round to the dog licking blood off my face, so that was quite pleasant.. )

Had some awful rock crashes wearing the Fox(Copy). Suffered quite (Very) impressive bruising - but no breaks. Downside, it's quite bulky and can be warm - though I did dig it out a few weeks ago and was surprised to find it was actually cooler and more comfortable than a lot of the newer alternatives I'd been testing. Would have bought the new version, but they shortened the back to make to more MX friendly and removed the kidney belt armour.

The top I've had the most crashes in and walked away with nothing broken is the Troy Lee 7855. I had an unlucky crash in that, whilst I've become quite adept at crashing (I've had enough practice) that was just quick and so fast I still don't know what happened. The worst part was the initial tree stump to the chest/shoulder area. Fractured ribs and mashed shoulder. Hate to think what I'd be like if I'd not had the 7855 on. That was ultimately what sent me on my obsessive drive to find the perfect armour and has brought me full circle to the conclusion that there isn't one - only compromises. The 7855 is great for all round protection - better than anything else. It lacks really good protection for the chest/back/shoulders though. Once you choose more protection in those areas, any top is at the limit on comfort/heat/flexibility - so you loose the general protection the 7855 offers as the designer has to focus just on certain areas.

I've been riding in the 7855 with upgraded shoulders, which doesn't seem to affect it's "performance". I'm tempted as a winter project to create the Forcefield 7855 - and merge the two in some way (shoulders/back/chest of Forcefield) - but try to maintain low weight, airflow, movement. The forcefield is a better option than D3O or SAS-TEC for this as it's a lot lighter.

The top I used the most at the end of Summer and still now was/is the Racer Motion Top 2. Most of my testing eventually wore me down on the negatives of armour - the heat - or more accurately, the fluid loss from sweat - a lot do a good job of keeping you cool - but only because you're powering the air conditioning with fluid loss. I'd be fine riding, but I'd feel crap for hours afterwards. The Racer is a compromise on the protection areas it offers, but it protects the shoulders and back well with some extra protection elsewhere. For me, it feels like a second skin. Whilst it's warmer than nothing, I don't feel like I'm sweating too much in it and it's been a compromise I've been willing to make for comfort.

Now it's cooler there's a good chance I'll wear the FF more and push myself to create the FF7855.

Or I might go back to layering. The 7855 with the 5955 over the top feel like excellent protection, but was ultimately too warm for riding in 36c.

I want to try the Racer with the 5955 over the top too .. The rocks here are like ice in winter so whilst sliding around is great fun - it can catch you out easily !

Ultimately, it's sensible to try to protect yourself as much as possible if you think what you're doing involves a chance of crashing/injury. You have to balance this though with being comfortable whilst doing what you're doing. You also have to accept that armour won't and can't protect you from every eventuality - it's just damage limitation.

Demon's arrived, early impressions is SWEATY! There's no mesh in this baby just cut outs under the arm pits and oddly just below the elbow around the forearm, I did a brisk 20 mins on the treadmill to test the fitting and it was hot around the chest and back as it happens, not once have I had this with the Racer Top, in fact I'm starting to think that top is some kind of wick, I've never sweated with it, its weird! Other than the heat trapping its excellent, the adjustable elbows are fantastic and just shows how a little thought can go a long way, for example had the FF had the adjustments I'd have kept the air model and been able to live with the mammoth elbow pads!

The Scott arrives tomorrow, my FF knee pads have come too and I've some other bits on the way so I'll do another vs video I think to show how things are fitting....I'm wondering if the Demon may serve as a good winter top, if the temp is lower maybe the air conditioning wont kick in, if its to kick in either way then this is a problem

 

[Zimmerframe]

Did you win the battle with the elbows if it’s the FF?

Ok, so after your comments on the Forcefield re-evaluated from a less rose tinted want it to be perfect view point and fell back to my normal hypercritical miserable b4stard review persona ...

The sizing is definitely off for some reason.

I messed around with the shoulders and compared them to 12 other tops - as you've said they move around if you tug them in all directions - not acceptable !

The Elbows .. tried them on a ride and wore a none breathable jacket to get them hot ... they didn't form up sufficiently. Buckets they stayed. My subconscious obviously got used to them and accepted them previously - but they're not good when it comes down to it.

The FF armour, I like .. the fit and the "shell" doesn't work well though. I suspect if you were significantly bigger built, they'd be a better fit- be that from hard work down the gym or hard work in the bar and fish and chip shop - or a combination of the two.

Tried the TLD7855 again - it's great .. simple as . Even punched the crap out of the armour and it still impresses for thin twin density foam.

Then tried the Racer with the TLD5955 over the top - works really well as a combination. Everything lines up well. Removed the silly flappy bit of the bottom of the TLD5955 as you don't need it with other armour underneath. Sits better over the Racer than it does over the TLD7855 with all the neck brace sections removed. Went riding again, felt really mobile. Was nice.

 

[chirosuisse]

What about Dainese? I'm new in the emtb scene but have been riding motorcycles for 30 years... I now they have mtb gear as well.

 

[wepn]

I totally agree with all the really excellent detailed comparisons. The TLD 7855 is probably the best lighter protection I've tried so I use it a lot.
The Demon Flex Force X2 with SAS-tec chest & back is the most protective I've tried. I use it less but sometimes you just know it's a good idea to wear it for fast & technical rides.

 

[Mcharza]

What about Dainese? I'm new in the emtb scene but have been riding motorcycles for 30 years... I now they have mtb gear as well.

Dainese products are good quality and as you said they know what they are doing.
If the price is nice and armours fit on your body, why not

 

[Zimmerframe]

What about Dainese? I'm new in the emtb scene but have been riding motorcycles for 30 years... I now they have mtb gear as well.

I always went Dianese for one-piece and Alpinestars for pretty much everything else.

For mountain biking I thought they'd be the natural "go to", but I've not had the same success.

The Alpinestars upper body protectors all look great. They all look well ventilated too, but in real life I've found the armour lacking and most of them restrictive, uncomfortable (crap stitch lines next to the skin) and unbearably hot to ride in (the foam isn't normally as vented as the plastic). I think most of their range is primarily designed around motocross and road, so higher speeds mean more air flow and more layering.

The Dianese range can have some similar issues. A lot aren't that well ventilated, fit can be unusual and things like elbows generally have a reputation for not staying in place. I'm sure lots of people still have success with them, but generally it's a good idea to try them first !

 

[Zimmerframe]

That unexpected wipeout can happen to anyone ..

 

[Zimmerframe]

The new SAS-TEK triple flex limb armour looks quite impressive on paper :

Home | SAS-TEC Protectors

SAS-TEC, Safety foam systems. shock absorbing systems. SAS-TEC is an innovative producer of protectors (body armour) with many years of experience in this sector

www.sas-tec.de

The elbow is a good size and only 9mm thick for CE2 and only 65g ! Would be a good swapout for the Forcefield elbow maybe ? or and upgrade for the D3O in the Racer Motion Top 2.

SC-1/EB2 | Elbow Level 2 | SAS-TEC Protectors

Large elbow protector in the legally protected Tripleflex design - ultra-flat and extremely flexible.

www.sas-tec.de

The D3O ghost range also looks good for flexibility, but only CE1 rather than CE2

Ghost Limb Protectors

D3O® Ghost™ is the thinnest and most flexible limb protector range from D3O, exceeding CE Level 1 certification.

www.d3o.com

A note on the ghost armour incase anyone buys it .. you actually wear it with the black side OUT !

 

[Zimmerframe]

the BELL Super 3R MIPS was the overall winner and seemed to survive longer than the others, curious....

Keep in mind with helmets that the testing for compliance is purely about reducing skull fractures - which is great ..

BUT ! Most head injuries are concussion related - take Ben's experience for instance. MIPS helps towards this as some energy can be angularly deflected. After my head bashing last year with a normal polystyrene based helmet I had really bad concussion - 4 weeks. Without the helmet I would probably have fractured my skull. Wouldn't have been the first time, but it's something you want to avoid as it can come with many complications or one final huge simplification.....

Hopefully more manufacturers will start prioritising this, but unless the compliance regulations change, there's not much reason for them to spend more on development if they don't need to.

I now only ride with helmets with some form of crumple zone with the hope of reducing concussion. Yes, the helmet maybe scrap afterwards - but if that's the case - it probably saved your life or certainly some of your intelligence. For my full face, the Smiths Mainline. Personally, having tried a few different ones, I also think it's the nicest made helmet and the most comfortable. A lot will depend on the shape of your head with different brands/helmets. On the bright side, there are a lot of fairly well made and well thought out helmets out there.

 

[Gary]

I'm just popping in hoping to see a pic of one of you with all this stuff on TBH

in my head so far it's looking something like this...

 

[Zimmerframe]

I'm just popping in hoping to see a pic of one of you with all this stuff on TBH

in my head so far it's looking something like this...

You just can't take anything seriously can you !

Everyone knows that's just what I wear UNDER my armour ! Once advantage of sweating like a pig is that you don't need to go for a pee !

 

[Gary]

TBF a nice big pair of incontenence pants would just add to your protection

 

[Zimmerframe]

I've never seen these guys before :

Axoc Technology

Protection & Comfort without compromises

www.axoc-technology.com

Quite impressive ! 7mm thick for CE2. VERY breathable and flexible.

EDIT : looks like the A-XOC armour is actually manufactured by SAS-TEC, hence the similar specifications - though different design.

 

[Zimmerframe]

TBF a nice big pair of incontenence pants would just add to your protection

Any chance you can do us a review of one of your pairs ? ?

EDIT ... but NOT a video review ! and ideally without photo's ..

 

[chirosuisse]

I always went Dianese for one-piece and Alpinestars for pretty much everything else.

For mountain biking I thought they'd be the natural "go to", but I've not had the same success.

The Alpinestars upper body protectors all look great. They all look well ventilated too, but in real life I've found the armour lacking and most of them restrictive, uncomfortable (crap stitch lines next to the skin) and unbearably hot to ride in (the foam isn't normally as vented as the plastic). I think most of their range is primarily designed around motocross and road, so higher speeds mean more air flow and more layering.

The Dianese range can have some similar issues. A lot aren't that well ventilated, fit can be unusual and things like elbows generally have a reputation for not staying in place. I'm sure lots of people still have success with them, but generally it's a good idea to try them first !

Good to know! Thx!