Neck Brace input

[PEB]

Lots of opinions out in cyberworld anyone here have one? I have been shopping for one lately and would love some more input.

Paul

[SpeedyManiac]

I got the base model Leatt brace (club or sport or whatever) last year, and I can't imagine riding without one now. I don't even notice it riding, unless I crash since my head is kept from moving around too much. It is annoying at the ISDE during work periods/at checkpoints, but I just took it off for my work period at the end of the day.

I recommend everyone that rides gets one of these.

[2 strokes 4 life]

I just bought a EVS RC@ collar that is just a roll with some better attaching. It works well for the money but safety is not somewhere you want to cheap out but it is better than nothing.

I am getting a leatt for this year and some Astricks knee braces as well.

[GMP]

I'm looking for input as well. I'm concerned with the fit on the shoulder, particularly over my plated right clavicle, that is slightly more prominent. Also, where is the main energy transfer? Even if the Leatt is the best, if it knaws on my right shoulder I'm not going to like wearing it.

[Eric K]

First off, I have a large neck with fairly prominent traps.

The EVS RC-Evolution Neck Brace (X-Large) was too tight on my neck. It offered little protection against forward rotation of the head. It does not push up against the throat. My 6 year old son (91 lbs & adult size medium helmet) uses the EVS RC-Evolution neck brace. He hates putting it on. He doesn’t notice it when riding.

I used the Leatt Adventure Neck Brace on one ride. It is comfortable to wear once I got it adjusted. I looks like it would offer good prevention of over rotation in any direction. I have not done any serious crash testing yet. The load path is on the traps at the base of the neck (compression), the upper spine (rear rotation) and sternum (forward rotation). It doesn't press much on the clavicles.

The downsides to the Leatt are:

1) difficult to rotate my head to look to the side (looking for trails)
2) unable to look down at anything immediately in front of me (map, GPS) without leaning way forward,
3) If the brace gets pushed back, it goes right up against the throat (this may cause a serious throat injury). I am mixed on whether it is more potential harm than good for trail riding.

On knee braces, I used the Asterix knee braces for years. I now have the EVS Web knee braces. The EVS Web braces provide substantially better knee protection than the Asterix for twisting motion and lateral loading. The downside is the EVS are bulkier. The POD knee braces are reportedly less bulky and comparable to EVS Web for protection.

[GMP]

Eric,

Damn, thats a big 6-yr old!

People say the EVS runs small, so an average size guy like me would want the XL, and a bigger guy like you might have an issue. The construction seems like it would offer a more "progressive" support, the Leatt more rigid.
Very good point about the Leatt pulling into the throat. Not common in MX but in the woods vines, briars, etc snag you regularly.

Likely the Leatt is better for a warp speed getoff, but for average woods speeds perhaps the EVS is good protection, and at the price more people will tend to buy one. Basially what concerns me with the Leatt is another broken clavicle, especially the right where there is the end of the plate and 3 screws near the sternum. There seems to be a high incedence of broken clavicles with the Leatt. Now, of course a broken clavicle is better than a broken neck, but can it be broken in a moderate crash that would otherwise not result in a neck injury without the brace? I guess only time and data will tell.

[SpeedyManiac]

I haven't had any issues with the Leatt getting pushed forward, but maybe the adventure model is a little different than the more expensive ones?

[GMP]

Steve,

What Eric is saying is that when it gets pulled back, not forward, the front edge can contact the throat. Maybe this is a fit issue. The Leatt Adventure is like the Club but without the adjustments.

[Eric K]

My 6 year old is a BIG eater! He is one stout dude. I remind his older brothers to be nice to him as we will pass them up some day.

I looked at the Leatt Adventure and Leatt Club side by side. The core is nearly identical. The Leatt Adventure has the same neck size adjustments as the Leatt club - replaceable spacers. The part that contacts the upper spine has a slightly different adjustment system.

I have the Adventure adjusted as large as it will go. Under normal orientation it does not touch my neck. If it gets pushed back, it comes directly into contact with my throat. This is the part that makes me nervous.

[SpeedyManiac]

Oops, morning slip up in my typing. I bent I've never had the brace pushed backward, into my throat even when doing some bushwacking (a regular occurence out here). In fact, I found I quite like the neck brace for that stuff as before I would get clotheslined by lots of branches, cutting up my neck on a regular basis (always fun explaining at work).

Eric, do you where a chest protector?