Back Protectors

[Howitzer]

I have tried 3 different back protectors now and all gave me problems. I have a short and wide back and whenever I ride it ends up walking up my back and then pushing my helmet down so I end up not being able to see through turns etc.

Anyone else have these problems?

I really don't want to ride without a back protector but at the minute I can't find one which doesn't make riding dangerous.

Dave!

[Busamav]

I am 53 and have never worn one.

But speaking with another rider last week , he mentioned that he is now wheelchair bound after a low speed ( less than 30mph ) accident , and he would have been ok if he had worn one , it does make you think

[podman]

Ive just bought a back and chest protector combined vest type thing from knox, I do have a back protector but on the rare occasion i used it I found it to move around a bit too much and become annoying,hence its use being a rare occasion..

The vest is the way to go, it holds it all in place , doesnt move and is barely £20 more than just a decent back protector on its own.

I too didnt use a protector until last year when my mate landed heavilly on his back...every little can help I guess..

[black-k1]

Most of the jackets I have tried over the last couple of years have facilities to fit a back protector into them. My BKS leathers have this and there is never a problem with the back protector moving. Have you tried a protector that is fitted into your jacket?

[Muffles]

Do you put the back protector down your trousers? I have a Knox (the "commuter" one, I forget the name) and I have to do this or it does the same. When I'm sitting on the bike the tail of it is pretty much able to touch the seat through my leathers.

[Rawwr]

Muffles said:

When I'm sitting on the bike the tail of it is pretty much able to touch the seat through my leathers.

Did you buy the right size?

[Muffles]

I hope so - it was fitted by a Knox representative at the NEC! I brought my jacket along to make sure it fitted under that, but not the trousers. I struggled with it for ages until someone suggested that it wasn't far enough down (although when I was stood up it seemed fine - leaning over moves it up).

Course I could have had a sh*t fitter but it does work for me now. I think they are actually meant to go quite far down, to cover your tail bone - hence going into a kind of "pointy" shape?

[catso]

I use a Dainese back protector;



It's comfortable and doesn't move at all, they do come in different lengths but mine is quite long; from 'arse-bone' to neck.

I think it's well worth wearing, I had a high-side some years back and despite breaking collarbone & ribs I'm pretty sure that it saved me more serious injury, IMO the best ones are the ones that strap to your body under your gear - the Dainese 'Wave 2' looks to give the ultimate protection if a little awkward to put on every time;

[fergus]

whatever you use needs to protect your spine specifically when worn. Unless it's securely fastened, the chances are it could do more harm than good in the event of a spill. There is also quite a lot of medical research on hard vs soft (i.e. very dense foam) protectors, regarding whether the hard ones pass the shock though into the spine, etc.

IMHO, having a protector and not wearing it is f.ing stupid. Clearly, no one wants to crash, but also, you never know when you may be knocked off in a situation you weren't expecting.

It's like buying boots with decent ankle protection once you've had the pins inserted?

The argument "I don't ride on track, or ride fast" is also b011ocks, as a spill is a spill at whatever speed.

Personally, I think decent kit is more confidence inspiring than a XXX full system or some shiny bits for your bike to stand and gawp at in a car park with a load of other tw@ts.

Edited by fergus on Friday 28th March 12:19

[Steve_T]

fergus said:

whatever you use needs to protect your spine specifically when worn. Unless it's securely fastened, the chances are it could do more harm than good in the event of a spill. There is also quite a lot of medical research on harm vs soft (i.e. very dense foam) protectors, regarding whether the hard ones pass the shock though into the spine, etc.

IMHO, having a protector and not wearing it is f.ing stupid. Clearly, no one wants to crash, but also, you never know when you may be knocked off in a situation you weren't expecting.

It's like buying boots with decent ankle protection once you've had the pins inserted?

The argument "I don't ride on track, or ride fast" is also b011ocks, as a spill is a spill at whatever speed.

Personally, I think decent kit is more confidence inspiring than a XXX full system or some shiny bits for your bike to stand and gawp at in a car park with a load of other tw@ts.

Get off the fence any time you like mate.

[fergus]

Steve_T said:

Get off the fence any time you like mate.

Have a friend with a broken back to prove the point.....

The same guy also had an above the knee right leg amputation as a result of bike crash, but still races, using an spd clipless pedal to clip his modified boot onto his rearsets. You should have seen the marshall at the esses at Snett when he crashed and his prosthetic leg (with boot attached) slid out of his leathers. He looked like the hulk (very pale green)!!!

Edited by fergus on Friday 28th March 12:21

[Hyperion]

I would say back protectors are as essential as helmets to be honest.
At the end of the day it's a matter of how much you value your ability to move about and not be paralysed from the kneck down in a wheel chair (God forbid).
Yeah, I know they only offer 'limited' protection, but then so do crash helmets if you read the label. Anything is better than nothing though.
Mine doesn't move about at all and it's only a basic cheap one with a built in Kidney belt. I guess if you move about a lot on a bike it could start to shift around though?

[Sossige]

Steve_T said:

fergus said:

It's like buying boots with decent ankle protection once you've had the pins inserted?

The argument "I don't ride on track, or ride fast" is also b011ocks, as a spill is a spill at whatever speed.

Personally, I think decent kit is more confidence inspiring than a XXX full system or some shiny bits for your bike to stand and gawp at in a car park with a load of other tw@ts.

Get off the fence any time you like mate.

[Steve_T]

fergus said:

Steve_T said:

Get off the fence any time you like mate.

Have a friend with a broken back to prove the point.....

The same guy also had an above the knee right leg amputation as a result of bike crash, but still races, using an spd clipless pedal to clip his modified boot onto his rearsets. You should have seen the marshall at the esses at Snett when he crashed and his prosthetic leg (with boot attached) slid out of his leathers. He looked like the hulk (very pale green)!!!

Edited by fergus on Friday 28th March 12:21

I was told of a guy ending up in a wheel chair following a 20mph off when I did my CBT. He slid on his back and then bumped up a kerb. It was felt by the medical staff that even the most basic foam back protector could have made the difference. For me good kit is one of those areas where you just don't pi$$ about.

Edited by Steve_T on Friday 28th March 13:54

[AndyDRZ]

I can fully recommend using an IBM Thinkpad T60p in a Targus laptop rucksack.

Got knocked off my DRZ at 40 mph earlier this week. I bounced down the road back first into a Kerb.

Went to use the laptop that evening only to find that the screen was destroyed. Turned out it had taken a massive impact - my back was bruised over an area where the impact had been spread by the laptop.... rather than possibly broken

I'm a lucky boy. Be safe kids.

[podman]

black-k1 said:

Most of the jackets I have tried over the last couple of years have facilities to fit a back protector into them. My BKS leathers have this and there is never a problem with the back protector moving. Have you tried a protector that is fitted into your jacket?

My leathers have the facility for a back protector but the pocket on all of them is way too small to fully protect all your back, especially the lower part of the spine..as for the the foam armour than comes in most jackets as standard, its next to useless, makes lying on a grass bank watching a race meeting a bit more comfertable..I know you can upgrade them but there still all too small.

[Howitzer]

black-k1 said:

Most of the jackets I have tried over the last couple of years have facilities to fit a back protector into them. My BKS leathers have this and there is never a problem with the back protector moving. Have you tried a protector that is fitted into your jacket?

Yeah the first one I tried was part of the jacket but removable, it's the worst one out of the lot sadly.

Dave!

[Howitzer]

Sossige said:

Steve_T said:

fergus said:

It's like buying boots with decent ankle protection once you've had the pins inserted?

The argument "I don't ride on track, or ride fast" is also b011ocks, as a spill is a spill at whatever speed.

Personally, I think decent kit is more confidence inspiring than a XXX full system or some shiny bits for your bike to stand and gawp at in a car park with a load of other tw@ts.

Get off the fence any time you like mate.

I really want one, but if the one i'm wearing means that I physically cannot lift my head high enough to see an exit clearly without letting go of the bars it's a no go.

I've tried tucking it down my leathers but it doesn't improve it, only makes it worse.

I'll have a look at the ones which are in a tight T-Shirt and see how they fare.

It's very frustrating.

Dave!

[fergus]

Howitzer said:

Sossige said:

Steve_T said:

fergus said:

It's like buying boots with decent ankle protection once you've had the pins inserted?

The argument "I don't ride on track, or ride fast" is also b011ocks, as a spill is a spill at whatever speed.

Personally, I think decent kit is more confidence inspiring than a XXX full system or some shiny bits for your bike to stand and gawp at in a car park with a load of other tw@ts.

Get off the fence any time you like mate.

I really want one, but if the one i'm wearing means that I physically cannot lift my head high enough to see an exit clearly without letting go of the bars it's a no go.

I've tried tucking it down my leathers but it doesn't improve it, only makes it worse.

I'll have a look at the ones which are in a tight T-Shirt and see how they fare.

It's very frustrating.

Dave!

I know knox do them in various lengths? Given that something is better than nothing, can you not get hold of one of the foldable knox protectors and trim it to length, or remove a 'vertebrae' from the die-easy (dainese) type armadillo type protector?

How tall are you? I have the opposite problem, being almost 6'6"!

[Howitzer]

This was what I was thinking, but I wanted to explore as many avenues before I took the knife to a new back protector haha.

I'm only 5 foot 11" but have a 48" chest and a stumpy body. Finding gear at all was a pain in the butt, trousers which fitted round the waist but then the armour in the legs was too baggy etc.

I think maybe getting a leather jacket to zip onto my trousers could help to, maybe help hold the back protector down?

Dave!