Chest protection

 Went off the bike in Labrador, bruised my ribs, couldn't ride for a
while and the rest of the trip wasn't much fun.

Decided it's time to get some chest protection.

Thinking about the BMW Protector Jacket
http://www.ascycles.com/detail.aspx?IDD207 , which looks like it has
pads everywhere I got hit that a jacket would cover, the TPro Rib
Protector http://www.forcefieldbodyarmour.co.uk/rib_protector.asp , the
Icon Field Armor vest
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/item.aspx?style 817&department8&Division=1,
or the Tipperary Air Esprit
http://www.tackroominc.com/tipperary-airesprit-multidiscipline-safety-riding-vest-p-3344.html  
which supposedly far exceeds any CE standard, or the Cycleport BodyGuard
jacket
http://www.motoport.com/detail.asp?InStock=1&PriceCall=0&Merchant_IDc3Pm22C&Product_IDp0.200.503&Merchant_Company=Jackets%20Department&Category=Cordura/Nylon .

I'd be wearing any of these in conjunction with a BMW Rallye 2 Pro
jacket which provides shoulder, elbow, and spine protection--with the
BMW Protector jacket I'd zip out the Rallye 2's armor liner, not sure
how I'd mix and match with the Cycleport.

Does anybody have any experience with any of these they'd like to
relate?  Accounts of real-world get-offs would be very helpful.

--
--
--John
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Ouch!  Glad to hear it's not too serious.  I have no armor yet, but am
interested in seeing other's responses.

Robert

 

Don't kid yourself, too many riders do.
Armored clothing is good for a slide or, perhaps, one light bounce. A ranger
friend of mine say's he's seen plenty of compound fractures and the like,
underneath the fully armored leathers that paramedics have cut off downed
riders.

In fact armor, like full face helmets, in certain incidences, could
exacerbate your injuries.

When I broke my collarbone, the doctor told me the break was probably caused
by my helmet. When I told him I was wearing a half helmet, he said "Oh, then
that's not it. It's the bottom of full face helmets that can cause
collarbone breaks".


--


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 On Fri, 3 Aug 2007 10:16:58 -0700, "Thumper"


    Of course, a judgement call for the wearer - less risk,
perhaps, of a 'snap back' from the chin piece, vs risk of getting your
chin / jaw smashed, which would be the alternative in the same
accident.

    And of course, IF there's a case of front-face impact hard
enough on the chin bar to snap your neck back and break it, that same
impact would most likely STILL have snapped your neck back exactly the
same, AFTER smashing your chin / jaw / face.

    If the impact is going to be on the front of your face, from
that vector, then that's where it's going to be.  The difference is
then - 'does it hit a chin bar, or your chin ?'.  If there's then
extra energy to transmit to your neck, it will transmit either way.




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 Thumper wrote:

Which is exactly the situation I'm looking to deal with.  Next time I go
off the bike in the gravel in Labrador I don't want to have sore ribs
for the rest of the ride like I did this time.  Pretty well spoiled the
trip for me.


The question is how much worse it could have been without the armor.  A
compound fracture of a long bone properly set will usually heal clean
and stronger than the original bone.  Wreck a joint though and it never
comes back 100%.


Common injury with the Leatt Brace--sacrifice the collarbone to save the
spine.

--
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--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)