Looking At Protective Gear - Realistically For What ?
Discussion
I ride mostly green laning / off road - I wear MX boots, armoured textile jacket, knee protectors etc
I've had many low speed offs and the above stuff has saved me from many bruises / twisted ankles.
However I'm now on the road and when I look at the speeds involved, the cars and concrete it seems almost pointless - once you have road rash protection, the rest is mostly luck.
You can't protect your pelvis nor against broken legs / arms / collar bones. Most back protectors I've seen will only protect against bruising - not against hitting a tree / fence / car at 50mph nor do they protect your neck which seems the most vulnerable bit.
Are we all kidding ourselves and by making us feel safer, we just ride faster ?
I'm currently looking at leather jackets and it seems to me that an old Akito for £40 on ebay will cover road rash and spending ten times more may reduce bruising a bit, or am I missing something ?
I've had many low speed offs and the above stuff has saved me from many bruises / twisted ankles.
However I'm now on the road and when I look at the speeds involved, the cars and concrete it seems almost pointless - once you have road rash protection, the rest is mostly luck.
You can't protect your pelvis nor against broken legs / arms / collar bones. Most back protectors I've seen will only protect against bruising - not against hitting a tree / fence / car at 50mph nor do they protect your neck which seems the most vulnerable bit.
Are we all kidding ourselves and by making us feel safer, we just ride faster ?
I'm currently looking at leather jackets and it seems to me that an old Akito for £40 on ebay will cover road rash and spending ten times more may reduce bruising a bit, or am I missing something ?
I jumped off my track bike at 90mph, I was very grateful for the full leathers, back protector (as I landed on my back) boots and gloves that meant I got up and walked away, decent kit with proper armour helps mitigate things, granted if you hit a wall at 40mph it isn't going to end well but proper protective gear with proper armour will help hugely in crashes where you don't come to a sudden stop, a cheap Akito may well stop road rash but if you are tumbling down the road you may regret it.
Edited by Jazoli on Tuesday 14th January 09:39
All I can say is that cheap gear is cheap for a reason. Sure there are some very expensive bits of kit out there that are relying on a name to sell and make people feel they have the best, but a £40 jacket will be nowhere near as good or durable as one of say £250+. I have raced bikes for many years and ended up doing road racing at the Isle of Man and Ireland and had some pretty hefty offs. Safe to say, you pay the most you can to get the best gear. Bear in mind that with the £40 jacket, the leather will be the cheapest possible, the stitching will be as minimal as possible and the actual fit will be pretty shoddy too I would imagine. Get the best you can, it is simply not worth skimping on it.
It depends to some extent on the type of riding you do. Spend a significant amount of time in town and/or traffic and your accident is likely to be low speed, not much faster than an off road fall. Spend more time on open roads and the accident is more likely to be similar to a track accident except with more to hit, though less chance of a long slide. But unless you are actually trying to beat you previous best time on every run a crash really isn't very likely.
In nearly 40 year riding I've never worn leathers other than gloves, simply because I don't do tracks so the chance of a) coming off at speed and b) sliding a long way once I've come off is pretty remote.
Good boots and gloves are the main priority for this type of riding. I saw a survey year ago indicating that 'life changing' injuries from road riding were predominantly leg and ankle issues from collisions.
It's been suggested that airbag jackets give some neck protection, not sure how true this is though.
In nearly 40 year riding I've never worn leathers other than gloves, simply because I don't do tracks so the chance of a) coming off at speed and b) sliding a long way once I've come off is pretty remote.
Good boots and gloves are the main priority for this type of riding. I saw a survey year ago indicating that 'life changing' injuries from road riding were predominantly leg and ankle issues from collisions.
It's been suggested that airbag jackets give some neck protection, not sure how true this is though.
V8RX7 said:
I'm new to this but it does seem to me that people wear higher levels of protection when on a trackday than when on the road.
Yet (having done many car trackdays) I think the track is a far safer environment
It is a safer environment but the speeds are significantly higher so when it does go wrong.....Yet (having done many car trackdays) I think the track is a far safer environment
You would be stupid not to wear the best kit you can afford on track, but the same applies on the road, I may not always wear full leathers on the road but I'm not wearing a bomber jacket, jeans and trainers either, you can wear what you like, its your choice, its a dangerous hobby.
I don't even think that speed comes into it. If you fall at a lowish speed of 20-30mph and get stuck under the bike as it slides, you are going to be in dire need of skin grafts unless you have made the investment into the right gear. To my mind, it should be illegal to ride a bike without the correct protective clothing on. Simple as that.
robinh73 said:
I don't even think that speed comes into it. If you fall at a lowish speed of 20-30mph and get stuck under the bike as it slides, you are going to be in dire need of skin grafts unless you have made the investment into the right gear. To my mind, it should be illegal to ride a bike without the correct protective clothing on. Simple as that.
I agree to a certain extent, mainly due to the extra cost the nhs has to bear to patch you up. If you can pay for your own healthcare then do what the f
k you like.catso said:
robinh73 said:
To my mind, it should be illegal to ride a bike without the correct protective clothing on. Simple as that.
Here we go... 
I'm just trying to see what others opinions are, hopefully backed by the years of experience I don't have.
I rode to the Bike Show as it's only a few miles, I wore my armoured fabric jacket and trousers but wore trainers as I couldn't walk around in MX boots all day.
I won't do that again, I was soon very aware how exposed my ankles were.
I live in the Countryside and am buying a KTM 690, I'm happy buying used gear, I can afford better stuff, if I can justify it but realistically as it won't save me in a decent crash and the cheap stuff will prevent injury in a minor spill, what am I paying for ?
I did see the recent accident video and air suit, but I think you could re run that 10 times and have 10 different results (none great)
I rode to the Bike Show as it's only a few miles, I wore my armoured fabric jacket and trousers but wore trainers as I couldn't walk around in MX boots all day.
I won't do that again, I was soon very aware how exposed my ankles were.
I live in the Countryside and am buying a KTM 690, I'm happy buying used gear, I can afford better stuff, if I can justify it but realistically as it won't save me in a decent crash and the cheap stuff will prevent injury in a minor spill, what am I paying for ?
I did see the recent accident video and air suit, but I think you could re run that 10 times and have 10 different results (none great)
The main difference between cheap and expensive gear is down to the quality of the fabric/leather used, the quality of the stitching in holding the panels together. I am not saying spend thousands on gear, but I would be looking at a jacket costing around £350, trousers about £250 and boots around £200. It does make a difference with durability and fit when buying better gear.
robinh73 said:
Well it is illegal to ride without a helmet or drive a car without a seat belt, so why should it not be applied to wearing the correct gear. Common sense would tell you to do so anyway, but having seen complete muppets riding around in jeans and trainers or shorts and t-shirts, it is obviously not that easy for people to grasp that tarmac is not your friend when you come off, no matter how quickly or slowly you are going. More fool them I guess and each to their own.
And who decides what is the 'correct' gear? More restrictions/control will only increase the pace at which biking becomes socially unacceptable/illegal.
Let's just leave it at your final "each to their own' comment...
robinh73 said:
To my mind, it should be illegal to ride a bike without the correct protective clothing on. Simple as that.
Of course taking that argument to it's next step...It's far safer if your speed was limited to 70
and safer still if you were surrounded by a safety cell of metal.
catso said:
robinh73 said:
Well it is illegal to ride without a helmet or drive a car without a seat belt, so why should it not be applied to wearing the correct gear. Common sense would tell you to do so anyway, but having seen complete muppets riding around in jeans and trainers or shorts and t-shirts, it is obviously not that easy for people to grasp that tarmac is not your friend when you come off, no matter how quickly or slowly you are going. More fool them I guess and each to their own.
And who decides what is the 'correct' gear? More restrictions/control will only increase the pace at which biking becomes socially unacceptable/illegal.
Let's just leave it at your final "each to their own' comment...
Yeah the gear makes you feel better...and keeps you warm n comfortable. Its fair to say if you hit anything solid at 50mph likely its game over. Organs cannot withstand the deceleration. All the gear really helps in high speed slides or lower speed impacts.
I always wear protective kit. I have come off on the road at 3 figures and slid/bounced onto the grass verge, got away with just a dislocated elbow. The other 2 occasions I came off I didn't hit anything either. Wearing decent kit with armour really helps stop relatively low speed "minor" offs becoming life changing. You get to walk away bruised/stiff instead of broken bones and a limp for the rest of your life.
People kid themselves they are safe in cars too, thanks to 30 years of pro car safety advertising it has made people feel so safe in their metal box, they feel its fine to text/email whilst driving and nothing bad will happen to them. Yes you can run a car into a wall at 30mph and walk away....usually. Try it at 50mph and its a different story.
I always wear protective kit. I have come off on the road at 3 figures and slid/bounced onto the grass verge, got away with just a dislocated elbow. The other 2 occasions I came off I didn't hit anything either. Wearing decent kit with armour really helps stop relatively low speed "minor" offs becoming life changing. You get to walk away bruised/stiff instead of broken bones and a limp for the rest of your life.
People kid themselves they are safe in cars too, thanks to 30 years of pro car safety advertising it has made people feel so safe in their metal box, they feel its fine to text/email whilst driving and nothing bad will happen to them. Yes you can run a car into a wall at 30mph and walk away....usually. Try it at 50mph and its a different story.
V8RX7 said:
robinh73 said:
To my mind, it should be illegal to ride a bike without the correct protective clothing on. Simple as that.
Of course taking that argument to it's next step...It's far safer if your speed was limited to 70
and safer still if you were surrounded by a safety cell of metal.
robinh73 said:
Happy to do so, biking is the most amazing of pastimes and I have had the best of times doing so, both riding on the roads and also racing. It is one of those rare experiences that a relatively small outlay can open up what is one of the most incredible experiences you can wish for.
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