One Year Later: Leatt-Brace

Click the following link for a video interview with Leatt-Brace's Geoff Patterson. If you missed the video the first time around, click the following link to see David Bailey talking about safety gear. To the left is the new Leatt-Brace Sok-it. It definitely adds some color to the brace, is removable and washable, and helps deflect some roost from your neck area. Look for them after Thanksgiving, with a retail somewhere around $50.

It was about a year ago that we took our First Look at the Leatt-Brace on Vital MX. At the time it was pretty much foreign to everyone in the U.S. It was an unusual-looking item in a sport that seems to like things that have a comfortable familiarity. It also came from a strange place (South Africa), and people often fear what they don’t know. But one thing we were exceedingly tired of seeing were some of the spinal cord injuries like the ones suffered by James Marshall, Ernesto Fonseca, and Ricky James. The thought of finding something that might help reduce them had us intrigued. With some help from friends, made the initial contacts to find out more, and showed it off here last November.

Then in February of this year we sat down with a very fired up David Bailey, who had something to get off his chest regarding safety gear. People were a bit shocked and surprised; not by the message, but by how it was delivered. David was dealing with some of the after effects of his own career-ending injury, and was hurting and pretty much confined to his bed. But he sat up throughout the entire videotaping, and he called out most of the top riders by name, which is rare in our sport. It was eye-opening, and the ripples it caused made a lot of riders re-think their safety gear, and take a look at using items like the Leatt-Brace.

Now, just about a year from our initial article, we’ve all grown accustomed to the look of the brace. Large numbers of riders at the pro level, as well as amateurs, are using the braces, and it almost seems more unusual when you see a rider not using one.

A week or so ago, we stopped by Leatt’s new offices in Valencia, CA, to check in with Leatt’s Geoff Patterson. He and his partner, Jason McCune, have had a whirlwind year. They’ve met riders and team personnel, fitted the brace on dozens of riders, all while learning the ins and outs of traveling to the races. They also dealt with product shortages after they were surprised by Bailey’s video, and were busily setting up their new business.

Back about a year ago, there were maybe 40 braces in the entire U.S., and now they have hundreds in their warehouse. One of the more interesting braces that we saw during our visit, however, was up in their front office. Ryan Villopoto had been wearing it during a recent practice crash, and from everything we’ve heard about the crash, it was extremely violent. The brace was broken in multiple places from the impact, and while Ryan did suffer some injuries, he’ll be back to race again. You can check out the brace Ryan was wearing for yourself in the video that accompanies this article.

We’re happy that the brace has been adopted by a large number of riders, the speed that it’s been adopted in the market. We’re also looking forward to seeing what other advances are coming in the future that might help keep riders safer.

Be sure to check out the link to the video above for more.