TechAir Review - Deployed

Wow. Glad you’re alright (mostly) and glad you had some serious gear on.

Thanks for posting the review. Great to hear this thing works and good to hear you came out unscathed. 

Also appreciate the honesty about the heat. 

We are glad your ok. What is the cost to refurbish?

$115 for a new canister. As long as there aren't any holes in it, 5 minutes to tuck it back in and replace canister.

OP, be sure to go into your settings and put it on the race mode you want because it switches back to original after new can is installed. 

Jesus thats steep. Im not too familiar with the system, i though it was something along the lines of a c02/Green Gas canister for an airsoft pistol or a tire inflator?

Edit: yeah i went and looked it up. Its just gas. Proprietary system though. Still steep. But im thinking about getting one for offroad/GNCC. 

I raced a 2 hour off road race in mine for the first time last weekend and it was mid 80's but I really didn't feel like it was hot at all.  It was slightly warmer than the A-6 I normally run but I can't say I really even noticed the airbag at all when I was riding.  It was pretty shaded in the trees though so I'm sure that helped. I've only ridden in it a few times now but I really like it and it's very comfortable.  Luckily no deployments either and I've had a few small tip overs to test its sensitivity. I'm running it in enduro mode.

So if it wasn't so hot to wear, you would have not been dehydrated and would have noticed/avoided the square edge bump?

115 bucks seems pretty cheap vs a broken back. Just my .02. 

im out for 6 months with after a big crash followed by shoulder surgery this past Thursday. This would have saved me. 

Can you still use a hydration pack with it?

Thanks for the details on how things worked for you and good to hear you came out of it pretty decent.  

What setting on the techair's were you using when this happened?

I’ve switched to MX Race regardless of what I’m riding (primarily race Enduro and Harescramble with some practice moto thrown in). I’ve had three deployments, all on a moto track in the standard MX setting. Two were totally innocent 2 mph tip overs that were a waste of $120, but the third was a good one and the airbag probably saved me some sort of injury. 

Pretty sure you're not supposed to run a standard backpack style one with it.  I use a waist pack with mine (which I was using anyways, I much prefer them to the backpack style).  

I never saw one if it covers the whole shoulder to the outside . Then it could’ve maybe saved me from breaking 7 ribs on my backside , collapsed lung, worst part a big hole in my lung . Built pressure up inside my chest , worst pain than a massive heart attack. And that lasted aprox 2 hrs b4 icu slammed a huge needle threw my chest. Dying in icu was a trip.   3 rotator cuffs tore & 1 strained found that out 4-5 weeks ago. 5 of 7 ribs still hv a big separation only 2 r growing together.  Had septus bubbles under my skin from my eye to my knees for 4 weeks. 6-27 wreck to now still in pain . I know I hit hands 1st then head& left shoulder.  Not sure if I did a twist front flip & the whoops broke my rids . Or the impact to the shoulder did it.  I couldn’t breathe & pressure in chest was unexplainable. Shoulder felt weird like numb & burning. I put my hand under my hRP on my shoulder & my big bone spur was gone . Felt like collarbone was higher & thought I broke it. Then I noticed my left arm shaking worse than a seizure & sweat showered off of me. I knew I was in trouble then & took off to get my bike 70 yards down the track. Picked it up with 1 hand& noticed a big spot of gas in the sand .  So I must’ve been down for a while .  Chest protector was spun with the sides in the front . 

I just had mine deploy for the first time! I have had it since around February and really like it other than being a bit hotter than my old one.  Its been mid to upper 90s all summer and the heat factor is there but after today I wouldn't care if it were even hotter.  I stuffed my front wheel into a left hand rut and high sided.  I hit my head hard enough to see a few stars (wearing a 6D ATR-2 helmet)  but popped right up and rode back to the pits.  One of the guys asked if it had deployed and I said no must not have hit hard enough.  I took my jersey off and realized it had deployed!  I had a similar crash a few years ago and was out for a month.  I am absolutely shocked at how little I felt in the body and shoulders especially as hard as hit my head.  Even weirder that I had no idea it didn't go off!  I expected to hear and feel it at least a little bit but I didn't even feel it deflate.  These things are a total game changer in my opinion.  I hope I don't test it again (I am sure I will) but I am glad it is there and I think it was money well spent!  Now off to buy a new cartridge.  

Thanks brother, I am grateful as well and really feel like it is an amazing safety product. At 55 years old it makes me feel like I can ride longer, faster and safer, big thanks to Alpinestars!!!

You might’ve knocked your head pretty good, because the Tech Air makes quite a loud POP when it goes off 

I have one crash where I really heard it, and another where I did not. No idea why. 

I'm pretty sure it was the ground that smacked my head, lol,  I do wonder if it went off as my head was hitting the ground, that could explain why I didn't feel it as well. 

It's very common to not hear or realize the bag has gone off.  I know a ton of people using them for road racing and I hear about it all the time. With the noise and disorientation that happens in a lot of crashes your mind is on other things haha!

Thanks for the review.  After I high sided and was catapulted directly onto my left shoulder in June I've been considering trying one.   

I would 100% recommend this for anybody that has to go to work on Monday.  I know every crash is different but I am sitting here this morning and have zero ill effects from the crash, just normal muscle soreness from the motos.  I honestly felt really good about this protector before today just seeing some of the pros crashes (Barcia in particular) but now I can't imagine riding without it.  It will be interesting to see where this tech goes now that they are pushing it in MXGP.  

I've been wearing mine now for 2 months and fortunately no deployments. I'll second most of the takes on here. It feels heavy when you pick it up. I think that's because it is heavier than a standard chest pro., so when you handle it, you notice it. But as soon as you put it on your body and slide your helmet on, you instantly forget about it and it feels like any other chest pro. It is for sure warmer than other chest pro's, but not anything to worry about. I would try one on if you can before purchasing. They say buy the same size as your jersey. Well I'm "big boned" and wear an XL jersey because I need more room around the chest as opposed to length. So I bought the XL TechAir and it may be a bit too long for my frame. I notice it digging into my jersey where it tucks in my pants at the back. Not a deal breaker by any means but a L may have been better for my body. Just a thing to consider. Other than that, buy one. It's revolutionary tech and I think everyone will benefit when you actually need it. And here's to hoping that we don't. 

They need to lower the cost for the refills. 

3 races 20min for a day, you bet you will have some let's say tip overs/small crashes that still trigger it. Like we seen in MXGP.

People can't afford to add another 100 usd for a race day. 

I think it is ridiculous expensive. That's coming from someone who has no spending limit on MX 😄

Hope third part cannisters comes out soon.

As a follower of  Zeus, I applaud your wise decision to choose safety.

I am an over the jersey guy, wish they made it in all black.