Neck braces... Your opinion

dantheman
Profile picture for user dantheman
Posts
1151
Joined
3/23/2013
Location
AZ
dantheman 10/26/2013 6:59pm
10/26/2013 6:59pm Edited Date/Time 10/26/2013 7:00pm
I like the "idea" of the neck brace from the safety standpoint of course, but I don't ride anymore so it's of little consequence to me. The flaw that I have seen(personally witnessed 6) with the Leatt's was collar bone breakage in crashes that definitely were NOT going to be head/neck injury causing. They were simple high sides not at speed.

Of course, everyone watching always claims "well, that's better than a broken neck"!!!

If you claim you can save one catastrophic neck injury but cause 10,000 broken collar bones well, that's not the way to go about it.

I rode after recovering from a broken back, but I never could place any brace on that would direct energy to the exact location that almost paralyzed me. I do like the ones with the dual back "spars" though Wink

I hope they keep improving them so one day discussions like these are simply non relevant, and everyone feels the same as we do about helmets.

Carry on, hehe!
Randy_Nix
Profile picture for user Randy_Nix
Posts
172
Joined
4/10/2011
Location
Temecula, CA US
Randy_Nix 10/26/2013 7:40pm
10/26/2013 7:40pm
My leatt brace saved my life about 2 1/2 months ago. I was racing vegas to reno and long story short I don't remember what happened. But judging by how mangled the bike was, we estimate it was a 90 mph get off. I went head first into to dirt at 90. I was K/O'd for 20 minutes and ended up having a small brain bleed. There were indentions in the back, sides, and front of the leatt brace. I wouldn't be here typing this if it weren't for my neck brace ( and a brand new bell carbon moto 9). I did break my collar bone but the break was a half inch from the end of my collar bone and not caused by the brace. Other injuries I had were torn MCL, fractured patella, cracked pelvis in 2 areas (the bike landed on me), 2 broken ribs, broken arm, dislocated pinky, bruised colon, and some gnarly cuts all over me, and as I already said, collar bone and brain bleed on the front right lobe. I will never ride without a brace ( ok that was longer than the short story but way shorter than the long story)
bvm111
Profile picture for user bvm111
Posts
9329
Joined
7/1/2008
Location
Las Vegas, NV US
bvm111 10/26/2013 8:03pm
10/26/2013 8:03pm
I would rather be in the hospital bed with a broken collar bone wondering if the brace save my neck and ability to walk than laying in the bed wishing I had a broken collar bone....

Just my .02

You are free to choose your path as I have!
jake_ktm100 10/26/2013 8:23pm
10/26/2013 8:23pm
depends how you fall i guess. i cant ride with them on way to uncomfortable. and i know of cases where people have broken their backs and colorbones because of the neckbraces in a crash where the doctors believed there wouldnt have been any damage to your neck. each to their own could save you could make it worse in a crash for you. thats my opinion anyway.

The Shop

See All »
Rob Bigknob 10/26/2013 10:13pm
10/26/2013 10:13pm
i go with what villopoto said. even if it only makes a 1% difference then its worth it, that 1% could save your life. i also know that there designed so that if anything has to give it will be your collarbone or shoulder instead of your neck.
Olson
Profile picture for user Olson
Posts
4607
Joined
4/14/2012
Location
SE
Olson 10/27/2013 12:00am
10/27/2013 12:00am
Since the neck brace came along every single crash involving a neck brace is suddenly a neck injury crash. That's freaking fantastic news for the neck brace companies, they make their riders go so freakishly must faster wearing a neck brace that they break their neck every single time!
jemcee
Profile picture for user jemcee
Posts
11213
Joined
8/11/2008
Location
AU
jemcee 10/27/2013 12:30am
10/27/2013 12:30am
the nature comment confused me.. the body is designed to go no faster than about 7km/h (5 mph?) and not bump into anything

if you don't wanna wear one that's cool but you guys saying you'd wear one but they're not comfortable to ride with..
you know what's really not comfortable to ride with

Olson
Profile picture for user Olson
Posts
4607
Joined
4/14/2012
Location
SE
Olson 10/27/2013 12:44am
10/27/2013 12:44am
jemcee wrote:
the nature comment confused me.. the body is designed to go no faster than about 7km/h (5 mph?) and not bump into anything if you don't...
the nature comment confused me.. the body is designed to go no faster than about 7km/h (5 mph?) and not bump into anything

if you don't wanna wear one that's cool but you guys saying you'd wear one but they're not comfortable to ride with..
you know what's really not comfortable to ride with

This looks comfy!
jemcee
Profile picture for user jemcee
Posts
11213
Joined
8/11/2008
Location
AU
jemcee 10/27/2013 1:29am
10/27/2013 1:29am
jemcee wrote:
the nature comment confused me.. the body is designed to go no faster than about 7km/h (5 mph?) and not bump into anything if you don't...
the nature comment confused me.. the body is designed to go no faster than about 7km/h (5 mph?) and not bump into anything

if you don't wanna wear one that's cool but you guys saying you'd wear one but they're not comfortable to ride with..
you know what's really not comfortable to ride with

Olson wrote:
This looks comfy! [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2013/10/27/34948/s1200_coffin_construction_15.jpg[/img]
This looks comfy!
read what I wrote and try again
philG
Profile picture for user philG
Posts
9717
Joined
5/12/2012
Location
GB
philG 10/27/2013 4:47am
10/27/2013 4:47am
brimx153 wrote:
i know things change but when it comes to a neck brace, there have been a few different designs by other companys , but leatts first...
i know things change but when it comes to a neck brace, there have been a few different designs by other companys , but leatts first design, they said was the the best on the market cause it has a long middle piece down the back ,(unlike ortega ,which had two back piece on the shoulders instead of the spine which is very similar to alias now) then they said it s a much better design than A STARS , cause the sides and front is much higher on the leatt , which means less movement , so my main point is they redesign the leatt , with new features like spilt back piece to avoid pressure on the spine( copy of alias) a really small front peice , with very low sides (copy of Astars) like in a way it seem s like the design has changed so much that really there saying the other one did nt work
i think that is a very valid point, the Ortema seems to have developed into what i consider to be ideal .

Back in the day , i had a huge off in one of the first JT V2000 body armours , landing going backwards, on my shoulders, with my arm behind my back , and broke my arm just above the elbow... typing this today , it occurs to me that it might have all been over on that day ... that was at a time when the use of full face helmets for kids was very much a debate ...

Its personal choice , but i dont think that its the 'save all' that it is being purported to be , but thats my call, every rider has an opinion... what i dont like is the increase in compulsion..starting to appear here more and more for youth riders,
hillbilly
Profile picture for user hillbilly
Posts
9080
Joined
8/16/2006
Location
Afton, TN US
hillbilly 10/27/2013 6:05am
10/27/2013 6:05am
Why not get a trailer tube,stick your head thru and inflate,use the valve stem to hang goggles on while prepping gate,

Looks like it would work just as well.
brimx153
Profile picture for user brimx153
Posts
3338
Joined
5/3/2012
Location
IE
brimx153 10/27/2013 7:25am
10/27/2013 7:25am
brimx153 wrote:
i know things change but when it comes to a neck brace, there have been a few different designs by other companys , but leatts first...
i know things change but when it comes to a neck brace, there have been a few different designs by other companys , but leatts first design, they said was the the best on the market cause it has a long middle piece down the back ,(unlike ortega ,which had two back piece on the shoulders instead of the spine which is very similar to alias now) then they said it s a much better design than A STARS , cause the sides and front is much higher on the leatt , which means less movement , so my main point is they redesign the leatt , with new features like spilt back piece to avoid pressure on the spine( copy of alias) a really small front peice , with very low sides (copy of Astars) like in a way it seem s like the design has changed so much that really there saying the other one did nt work
philG wrote:
i think that is a very valid point, the Ortema seems to have developed into what i consider to be ideal . Back in the day...
i think that is a very valid point, the Ortema seems to have developed into what i consider to be ideal .

Back in the day , i had a huge off in one of the first JT V2000 body armours , landing going backwards, on my shoulders, with my arm behind my back , and broke my arm just above the elbow... typing this today , it occurs to me that it might have all been over on that day ... that was at a time when the use of full face helmets for kids was very much a debate ...

Its personal choice , but i dont think that its the 'save all' that it is being purported to be , but thats my call, every rider has an opinion... what i dont like is the increase in compulsion..starting to appear here more and more for youth riders,
Yea me too if i was to ware one it would be the Ortema one , seem like a more likely design to work , i really have problems with the leatt design , especially the old one , just think that if believe the new leatt works , then you should not be happy to wear there old design at all , its like you say its a personal choice , imo i dont like them , and could be a thing that slowly disappears , have seen things like you say JT v2000 body armour ,certain boot design s,that at the time were a most , and safest newest thing ,now years later , we know the design did more harm than good
fanger
Profile picture for user fanger
Posts
834
Joined
3/24/2013
Location
AU
fanger 10/27/2013 7:26am
10/27/2013 7:26am
After wearing a neck brace since they came out, ive decided to stop wearing one. the reason being, when i first got it i had a really big high side 4th gear tapped and got flung 30ft head first into the ground, ended up with a broken collar bone and brain swelling. my mother who seen the crash claimed the neck brace saved me from a spinal injury. but thinking back and having a few more crashes with it on, when flying through the air, the brace prevented me from looking down to change my trajectory, so instead of spinning or flipping to avoid landing on my head i was forced to plough head first into the ground.

i had another crash where i was scrubbing a jump and my back wheel hit a rock on the upramp, causing me to land off balance and have my left hand let go and drop into a massive drain over the bars and smash into the other side of the drain, i landed head first once again, from not being able to turn my head enough to shift myself in the air, the force from hitting the other side of the drain cause my body to extend backwards, and funnily enough i broke my back right where the back part of the neck brace sits from pushing down on my spine.

so i stopped wearing it, and had a crash last weekend where i cased a double and came up short, i went over the bars going head first into the ground and with no neck brace on i was able to avoid landing head first by tucking my head and spinning. i ended up with a broken collar bone from the bike landing on me, but i hate to think what would have happened if i had the brace on and couldnt tuck my head to spin out, especially with the bike landing on me.

i can understand how the brace can do positive things and they have helped people, but from my experience, the neck brace has done more harm than good. sorry in advance if that made no sense, im on pain killers for the broken collar bone and not in the brightest state of mind haha.
Socket946
Profile picture for user Socket946
Posts
2019
Joined
8/25/2013
Location
AZ US
Socket946 10/27/2013 7:47am
10/27/2013 7:47am
I've never worn one (on the internet, that makes me qualified to speak factually about them, right? lol j/k)

I have looked at them, touched them, even held one for a minute or two. Have never worn one, I guess I'd like to "borrow" one first, and see how it is, then consider a purchase.

DrMark have one laying around I can try?
brimx153
Profile picture for user brimx153
Posts
3338
Joined
5/3/2012
Location
IE
brimx153 10/27/2013 7:50am
10/27/2013 7:50am
Randy_Nix wrote:
My leatt brace saved my life about 2 1/2 months ago. I was racing vegas to reno and long story short I don't remember what happened...
My leatt brace saved my life about 2 1/2 months ago. I was racing vegas to reno and long story short I don't remember what happened. But judging by how mangled the bike was, we estimate it was a 90 mph get off. I went head first into to dirt at 90. I was K/O'd for 20 minutes and ended up having a small brain bleed. There were indentions in the back, sides, and front of the leatt brace. I wouldn't be here typing this if it weren't for my neck brace ( and a brand new bell carbon moto 9). I did break my collar bone but the break was a half inch from the end of my collar bone and not caused by the brace. Other injuries I had were torn MCL, fractured patella, cracked pelvis in 2 areas (the bike landed on me), 2 broken ribs, broken arm, dislocated pinky, bruised colon, and some gnarly cuts all over me, and as I already said, collar bone and brain bleed on the front right lobe. I will never ride without a brace ( ok that was longer than the short story but way shorter than the long story)
see its whatever way you look at it, i do think if you believe in it stay waring one , just if that was me ,i d be blaming the neck brace for getting knocked out so bad and the small brain bleed , if you had of said it saved u from breaking ur neck , then u have a point, but to say it saved ur life is wrong imo , cause neck braces will only add to the inpact to ur head ,and never clamed to be a life saver , intressting thing is that ARAI will not cover it s product if you wear a neck brace , if the helmet fails in a crash, anyway this is just my oppinon , and think everyone should do wat they think works ,main thing is hope ur ok now man , sounds like a terrible crash ,
brimx153
Profile picture for user brimx153
Posts
3338
Joined
5/3/2012
Location
IE
brimx153 10/27/2013 7:58am
10/27/2013 7:58am
fanger wrote:
After wearing a neck brace since they came out, ive decided to stop wearing one. the reason being, when i first got it i had a...
After wearing a neck brace since they came out, ive decided to stop wearing one. the reason being, when i first got it i had a really big high side 4th gear tapped and got flung 30ft head first into the ground, ended up with a broken collar bone and brain swelling. my mother who seen the crash claimed the neck brace saved me from a spinal injury. but thinking back and having a few more crashes with it on, when flying through the air, the brace prevented me from looking down to change my trajectory, so instead of spinning or flipping to avoid landing on my head i was forced to plough head first into the ground.

i had another crash where i was scrubbing a jump and my back wheel hit a rock on the upramp, causing me to land off balance and have my left hand let go and drop into a massive drain over the bars and smash into the other side of the drain, i landed head first once again, from not being able to turn my head enough to shift myself in the air, the force from hitting the other side of the drain cause my body to extend backwards, and funnily enough i broke my back right where the back part of the neck brace sits from pushing down on my spine.

so i stopped wearing it, and had a crash last weekend where i cased a double and came up short, i went over the bars going head first into the ground and with no neck brace on i was able to avoid landing head first by tucking my head and spinning. i ended up with a broken collar bone from the bike landing on me, but i hate to think what would have happened if i had the brace on and couldnt tuck my head to spin out, especially with the bike landing on me.

i can understand how the brace can do positive things and they have helped people, but from my experience, the neck brace has done more harm than good. sorry in advance if that made no sense, im on pain killers for the broken collar bone and not in the brightest state of mind haha.
its this brain swelling , iam hearing more and more and more of , like up untill the neck brace came out , it was only a freakish accident that caused it , a huge huge crash , now i hear it so often , like it normal in a bad crash , go back a few years and i hardly ever heard of anyone having it thank god
NeKawBoy
Profile picture for user NeKawBoy
Posts
237
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
La Vista, NE US
NeKawBoy 10/27/2013 8:07am
10/27/2013 8:07am
I believe neck braces were invented during the French Revolutionary Period.
In my opinion having your head in a position that prevents it from scrubbing off energy and moving out of the way in a crash could be more catastrophic than a spinal injury. There are inherent risks in riding...manage those risks how you feel comfortable.

Pit Row

See All »
Indy mxer
Profile picture for user Indy mxer
Posts
1633
Joined
6/15/2010
Location
Linton, IN US
Indy mxer 10/27/2013 8:08am
10/27/2013 8:08am
Randy_Nix wrote:
My leatt brace saved my life about 2 1/2 months ago. I was racing vegas to reno and long story short I don't remember what happened...
My leatt brace saved my life about 2 1/2 months ago. I was racing vegas to reno and long story short I don't remember what happened. But judging by how mangled the bike was, we estimate it was a 90 mph get off. I went head first into to dirt at 90. I was K/O'd for 20 minutes and ended up having a small brain bleed. There were indentions in the back, sides, and front of the leatt brace. I wouldn't be here typing this if it weren't for my neck brace ( and a brand new bell carbon moto 9). I did break my collar bone but the break was a half inch from the end of my collar bone and not caused by the brace. Other injuries I had were torn MCL, fractured patella, cracked pelvis in 2 areas (the bike landed on me), 2 broken ribs, broken arm, dislocated pinky, bruised colon, and some gnarly cuts all over me, and as I already said, collar bone and brain bleed on the front right lobe. I will never ride without a brace ( ok that was longer than the short story but way shorter than the long story)
No way, that can't be. You would've been better off without one. Just listen to some of the experts on here. LOL
Anyway, that sounds like a gnarly crash, wow.

We all know they won't work 100% of the time. And like any protective devices there will always be exceptions.
Hell, people still die in car crashes wearing seat belts and equipped with airbags.
JM485
Profile picture for user JM485
Posts
5408
Joined
10/1/2013
Location
Davis, CA US
JM485 10/27/2013 11:05am
10/27/2013 11:05am
brimx153 wrote:
see its whatever way you look at it, i do think if you believe in it stay waring one , just if that was me ,i...
see its whatever way you look at it, i do think if you believe in it stay waring one , just if that was me ,i d be blaming the neck brace for getting knocked out so bad and the small brain bleed , if you had of said it saved u from breaking ur neck , then u have a point, but to say it saved ur life is wrong imo , cause neck braces will only add to the inpact to ur head ,and never clamed to be a life saver , intressting thing is that ARAI will not cover it s product if you wear a neck brace , if the helmet fails in a crash, anyway this is just my oppinon , and think everyone should do wat they think works ,main thing is hope ur ok now man , sounds like a terrible crash ,
Can you please point me to a study that suggests in any degree of clarity that this is true. Your entire argument is based off of perception and an opinion, rather than scientific facts. Will these braces protect you in every crash, no. Will they make a very small number of crashes worse, possibly. But are they the cause of more head injuries, I highly doubt it. I'll be happy to eat my words if someone can produce some FACTUAL evidence that supports this. Did anyone pause to think that maybe the braces are designed to flex, thus reducing the impact at a slower rate, sort of like the crumple points on a modern car? Also, people should also remember that the lower part of the brace, he part that rests on your spine, is designed to break before it causes damage to the spine.
MtnBoy
Profile picture for user MtnBoy
Posts
1080
Joined
10/8/2011
Location
ID US
MtnBoy 10/27/2013 11:45am
10/27/2013 11:45am
Well, just because someone says "the brace saved me" does that make it fact?

Like someone else pointed out, since these things came out it seems there are a super high percentage of crashes that woulda left people paralyzed without their brace...Im just saying...
mynewcr250
Profile picture for user mynewcr250
Posts
681
Joined
10/22/2012
Location
CA US
mynewcr250 10/27/2013 12:07pm
10/27/2013 12:07pm
brimx153 wrote:
question i have is who here still wear s an old design Leatt brace , cause they have changed them so much , does that mean...
question i have is who here still wear s an old design Leatt brace , cause they have changed them so much , does that mean the the old one did nt work , with sometime like that ,i think you should stand buy ur original design , cause leatt had advertised the first design as the best on the market , to change the design so much , makes me wonder about the first design ones ,
Griff.747 wrote:
Products get better an things change. That's like saying alpinestars should have stayed with their original production boot. Or that a shoei from 2005 is just...
Products get better an things change. That's like saying alpinestars should have stayed with their original production boot. Or that a shoei from 2005 is just as good as the vfx-w. Designs get better as more information comes along. If not we would all be riding old honda elsinores. (Even though they are bad ass)
brimx153 wrote:
i know things change but when it comes to a neck brace, there have been a few different designs by other companys , but leatts first...
i know things change but when it comes to a neck brace, there have been a few different designs by other companys , but leatts first design, they said was the the best on the market cause it has a long middle piece down the back ,(unlike ortega ,which had two back piece on the shoulders instead of the spine which is very similar to alias now) then they said it s a much better design than A STARS , cause the sides and front is much higher on the leatt , which means less movement , so my main point is they redesign the leatt , with new features like spilt back piece to avoid pressure on the spine( copy of alias) a really small front peice , with very low sides (copy of Astars) like in a way it seem s like the design has changed so much that really there saying the other one did nt work
LOL. helmets have changed plenty over the years, that doesnt mean old helmets didnt work, the new helmets just work BETTER.

changing a design isnt an instant admission that something didnt work for its intended purpose.
mynewcr250
Profile picture for user mynewcr250
Posts
681
Joined
10/22/2012
Location
CA US
mynewcr250 10/27/2013 12:24pm
10/27/2013 12:24pm Edited Date/Time 10/27/2013 12:25pm
MtnBoy wrote:
Well, just because someone says "the brace saved me" does that make it fact? Like someone else pointed out, since these things came out it seems...
Well, just because someone says "the brace saved me" does that make it fact?

Like someone else pointed out, since these things came out it seems there are a super high percentage of crashes that woulda left people paralyzed without their brace...Im just saying...
with the advent of social media and what the internet has become, news spreads quickly. just because you didnt hear of all these crashes that didnt paralyze people back before Friendster was the social media site of choice, doesnt mean they didnt happen. you just had no way of knowing except for what was on those 1 or 2 tracks in your locale.

with the availability of the internet, now you hear stories from thousands of riders and they all say what they saw on their local tracks. its nothing more than a skewed opinion because so many more people now have a voice.

without cold hard data for before AND after the introduction of the neckbrace, its just opinion.

the sport has evolved into being more dangerous, there is no question. more danger = more injuries, neck brace or not.
mototed 82 10/27/2013 12:26pm
10/27/2013 12:26pm Edited Date/Time 10/27/2013 12:27pm
NeKawBoy wrote:
I believe neck braces were invented during the French Revolutionary Period. In my opinion having your head in a position that prevents it from scrubbing off...
I believe neck braces were invented during the French Revolutionary Period.
In my opinion having your head in a position that prevents it from scrubbing off energy and moving out of the way in a crash could be more catastrophic than a spinal injury. There are inherent risks in riding...manage those risks how you feel comfortable.

^^this picture deserves quoting Whistling
brimx153
Profile picture for user brimx153
Posts
3338
Joined
5/3/2012
Location
IE
brimx153 10/27/2013 3:36pm
10/27/2013 3:36pm
Griff.747 wrote:
Products get better an things change. That's like saying alpinestars should have stayed with their original production boot. Or that a shoei from 2005 is just...
Products get better an things change. That's like saying alpinestars should have stayed with their original production boot. Or that a shoei from 2005 is just as good as the vfx-w. Designs get better as more information comes along. If not we would all be riding old honda elsinores. (Even though they are bad ass)
brimx153 wrote:
i know things change but when it comes to a neck brace, there have been a few different designs by other companys , but leatts first...
i know things change but when it comes to a neck brace, there have been a few different designs by other companys , but leatts first design, they said was the the best on the market cause it has a long middle piece down the back ,(unlike ortega ,which had two back piece on the shoulders instead of the spine which is very similar to alias now) then they said it s a much better design than A STARS , cause the sides and front is much higher on the leatt , which means less movement , so my main point is they redesign the leatt , with new features like spilt back piece to avoid pressure on the spine( copy of alias) a really small front peice , with very low sides (copy of Astars) like in a way it seem s like the design has changed so much that really there saying the other one did nt work
mynewcr250 wrote:
LOL. helmets have changed plenty over the years, that doesnt mean old helmets didnt work, the new helmets just work BETTER. changing a design isnt an...
LOL. helmets have changed plenty over the years, that doesnt mean old helmets didnt work, the new helmets just work BETTER.

changing a design isnt an instant admission that something didnt work for its intended purpose.
u cant bring a helmet into this , cause , its is proven it works and has always worked ,theres not one bit of evidence that neck braces work , the design changes in helmets , have been so minimal since 1990 , the olny changes are materials to make them a lot lighter , and changes in shape for looks , and better ventilation , u cant call these design changes , were as in the new leatt it put s all the pressure in different places the the first version did ,that s a huge design change, like take the side , it use to be really high to provent injury, now they are really low ( like A stars ) to provent injury , well imo it only works one way or the other , just imo
jasonbecker 10/27/2013 7:57pm
10/27/2013 7:57pm
I broke my neck wearing one but still won't ride without it. Think it's saved me from a much worse outcome
JM485
Profile picture for user JM485
Posts
5408
Joined
10/1/2013
Location
Davis, CA US
JM485 10/27/2013 8:35pm
10/27/2013 8:35pm
brimx153 wrote:
u cant bring a helmet into this , cause , its is proven it works and has always worked ,theres not one bit of evidence that...
u cant bring a helmet into this , cause , its is proven it works and has always worked ,theres not one bit of evidence that neck braces work , the design changes in helmets , have been so minimal since 1990 , the olny changes are materials to make them a lot lighter , and changes in shape for looks , and better ventilation , u cant call these design changes , were as in the new leatt it put s all the pressure in different places the the first version did ,that s a huge design change, like take the side , it use to be really high to provent injury, now they are really low ( like A stars ) to provent injury , well imo it only works one way or the other , just imo
"There's not one bit of evidence that neck braces work." That is absolutely rediculous. If you are going to post in a thread like this, can you please not post things that obviously are not true. You seriously think that Leatt has not done any research about their product, and that they make something that they know will never help anyone? I'm sorry, but there are way too many cases where neck braces have saved lives to make that statement believable.
Paul333
Profile picture for user Paul333
Posts
1840
Joined
2/15/2012
Location
Virginia Beach, VA US
Paul333 10/27/2013 8:43pm
10/27/2013 8:43pm
I personally would never ride without mine. I don't even notice my Atlas brace so why ride without it?
dantheman
Profile picture for user dantheman
Posts
1151
Joined
3/23/2013
Location
AZ
dantheman 10/27/2013 8:53pm
10/27/2013 8:53pm
I'm not trying to be a smartass here so don't take it that way Wink

I started watching/riding MX in '87, so that's 26 years. The David Bailey video for Leatt's was published here in '07.
Speaking of PRO's only, how many have suffered paralysis without neck braces? I can only think of two, Bailey and Fonseca.
I say PRO's only cause they obviously ride/race the most and at such a higher level.

MX/SX is dangerous, we all know that. This very board is littered with injury riddled posters. Pretty much if you ride, you've broken/torn something... multiple times. My point is, at the time David made that video I just didn't "see" widespread neck injury and or paralysis.

I'm not for or against neck braces, I only thought the original design was flawed. And since they have moved away from that well, that's proof enough for me to believe my doubts.

Just a few thoughts...
cwtoyota
Profile picture for user cwtoyota
Posts
1933
Joined
3/11/2013
Location
Tacoma, WA US
cwtoyota 10/27/2013 9:41pm
10/27/2013 9:41pm
Neck braces restrict your movement. By-design yes, but for me, that's no good.

I have a pair of $600.00 Asterisk knee braces... I thought I would protect my knees, I tried them four different times and the feel on the bike wad so vague, not to mention the way they fit me, I don't wear them for fear of a bad crash. I keep trying them, but I need to be able yo move/feel the bike.

While I was in the military, deployed overseas, I was in a special platoon with a "reduced PPE waiver"... It was my option to wear a reduced level of body armor. I rolled out with no more than a plate carrier.

I feel that fitness and mobility are your best bet and when you have a really bad set of circumstances, you might just need some luck too. I've seen friends bodies destroyed with and without PPE and I've seen it save them for sure, 100%. I run a lesser setup and rely on my own mobility to poise myself for the best outcome in a crash.

Post a reply to: Neck braces... Your opinion