Neck brace?

[engineermike]

So I've had a sobering reality check lately. Last October, my Dad ran his KTM 300MXC into a tree at the top of first with no safety gear. He broke several bones and his neck, which will all heal. However, he is also suffering nerve damage and has no use of his left arm. Then, a week ago, one of my best friends wrecked his dirt bike on a jump and crushed his C5 vertebra, and now he's paralyzed from his chest down.

This all has made me analyze some of my own activities. My RXP does over 80 and I already have a high quality life preserver. During a high speed get-off, it seems to me like your neck is in danger. My Dad and friend have it bad, but if I were to become paralyzed from the neck down, I don't know what I'd do.

So, I started looking at neck braces and have found everything from $50 to $600. What are the opinions on these:

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=EVS_RCEVO-BK-S_G&tier2=182

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=CGC_1218-0008_G&tier2=3078

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=EVS_RC2-A-BK_G&tier2=182

Mike

[JeffTurbo601]

So I've had a sobering reality check lately. Last October, my Dad ran his KTM 300MXC into a tree at the top of first with no safety gear. He broke several bones and his neck, which will all heal. However, he is also suffering nerve damage and has no use of his left arm. Then, a week ago, one of my best friends wrecked his dirt bike on a jump and crushed his C5 vertebra, and now he's paralyzed from his chest down.

This all has made me analyze some of my own activities. My RXP does over 80 and I already have a high quality life preserver. During a high speed get-off, it seems to me like your neck is in danger. My Dad and friend have it bad, but if I were to become paralyzed from the neck down, I don't know what I'd do.

So, I started looking at neck braces and have found everything from $50 to $600. What are the opinions on these:

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=EVS_RCEVO-BK-S_G&tier2=182

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=CGC_1218-0008_G&tier2=3078

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=EVS_RC2-A-BK_G&tier2=182

Mike

If you are in the market for one I would definitly wait for the alpinestar brace to be released. it has alot more safety features built in and will be lighter and stronger. It also does not have the tabs that sit on your collar bone like the leatt brace has. many who are using the leatt brace are falling and breaking collarbones due to the construction of the brace. the alpinestar rep was in my shop the other day telling us about thier brace and they have improved the design. it will retail close to $600 but then whats the neck worth?? the evs is JUNK, dont waste your money......real bad design and heavy. just my opinion........

[goblin]

I have yet to see an "Alpinestars vs Leatt" discussion which doesn't involve the supposed "collarbone crushing canon" which the Leatt brace is and which the Alpinestar isn't.

IMHO, the reason why Alpinestars took so long to release the brace is not because they put 3+ years to make a better brace, but because it took them 3+ years to go around all the features patented by Leatt. Leatt locked pretty much every useful feature by a patent, and releasing anything that will have a similar function without patent infringement is something which requires time and money.

The "Leatt breaks collarbones / Alpinestars doesn't" mumbo jumbo first started in the Italian motocross magazines (especially motocrossdigital, which I otherwise value as one of the best MX magazines ever), strangely enough, a month or so before the Alpinestars brace (finally) became available.

This is more than understandable, given that Alpinestars is an italian brand. I'd be an italian magazine, I'd support them too.

Then Alpinestars started this off the record speech in Europe. "Ryan Villopoto came to us because he broke a collarbone with a Leatt last year". "Not because we paid him an undisclosed amount of money to wear it, no, just because he wanted the best brace and the Leatt is caca-poo-poo"

Not to bash Alpinestars, they have great products, but I find it fishy that the same speech I saw in Italian magazines strangely enough comes as a sales pitch from Alpinestars resellers in the US, the minute it becomes available there. And I find this disgusting.

The energy released during a shock like that is huge, and it has to go somewhere. Elsewhere in the body. It can't be stored in a tank or something

I would be Alpinestars, I'd be cautious about such hidden sales pitch practices. Where does THEIR brace send the impact energy ? What will their sales pitch be when people start dislocating shoulders instead of breaking collarbones ?

It's give or take. As far as I'm concerned, I'd rather prefer to break a collarbone than a neck. I am not expecting a Leatt to protect me from stupidity, and at least with that one, I know what is the next weak point in my body. With Alpinestars, I don't. Not that I wouldn't wear an Alpinestars, I'm sure they did their homework too.

Complaining about broken collarbones with a Leatt would be the same as complaining that during a car crash, the airbag can break your nose (they do) or explode your eardrums (easy). It's still better than having your steering wheel becoming part of your head.

Besides, I haven't heard of any other racer than Ryan Villpoto breaking his collarbone with a Leatt. And at his riding level, I guess you don't crash often, but when you do - you crash hard. I'm curious to see what he would have broken should he had not been wearing a Leatt. Or actually no, I don't want to know.

[shawn alladio]

Designers/companies are very passionate about their products, they have to be, they must believe in thier stuff for sure....what I have witnessed is that focusing on the competition and worrying about it to the point of fear, says a little something about a lack of confidence or esteem..I've seen this in my zone of operations, and its almost comical now at my age. It also seems that the general malaise in business is that 'you can make yourself an authority by merely stating it', is accepted by the masses nowadays, people are shallow enough to beleive what they read in news reports even without questioning as if they are reading the whole truth. The only way is to talk to a trusted friend, or trial the gear yourself, fit, function, and pricing are usually driving points for sales, and the best customer is a happy customer they will do all your PR for you!

[Guest]

So I've had a sobering reality check lately. Last October, my Dad ran his KTM 300MXC into a tree at the top of first with no safety gear. He broke several bones and his neck, which will all heal. However, he is also suffering nerve damage and has no use of his left arm. Then, a week ago, one of my best friends wrecked his dirt bike on a jump and crushed his C5 vertebra, and now he's paralyzed from his chest down.

This all has made me analyze some of my own activities. My RXP does over 80 and I already have a high quality life preserver. During a high speed get-off, it seems to me like your neck is in danger. My Dad and friend have it bad, but if I were to become paralyzed from the neck down, I don't know what I'd do.

So, I started looking at neck braces and have found everything from $50 to $600. What are the opinions on these:

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=EVS_RCEVO-BK-S_G&tier2=182

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=CGC_1218-0008_G&tier2=3078

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=EVS_RC2-A-BK_G&tier2=182

Mike

The first 2 in your list Mike. The third one is no good. Jammer 1

[goblin]

It's funny that the same day I wrote my post, my Moto Verte (a french offroad magazine I subscribe to) has arrived, and there is a 8 page article about the Leatt

Pretty interesting article. Moto Verte has never been too hot about the Leatt Brace, but the article is good, with opinions from both people who love the Leatt, people who hate it, and an interview with Dr Leatt himself (the inventor). I can't translate the whole article, it's too long, but here are the main points:

- What does Moto Verte think about the Leatt ?
"We are not against the Leatt, but we can't say anything about it because there have been no official studies of its protective effect.

- What does the FIM think ?
"We can not make it mandatory in races, because there have been no official studies about its protective effect. But we can not advise against it, too.
The main problem is that their work has never been validated on human cadavers. As grim as it sounds, this is the final step in validating work like that, after the hi tech crash dummies and the computer simulations.

What both MV and the FIM think ?
"The fact that there have not been any official studies on the subject is due simply to the fact that THERE ARE NO STANDARDS DEFINED on the matter ! Nobody ever thought about defining official standards on neck protecting devices. It's not Leatt's fault if there are no official studies, and they had to make their own studies on the matter. It's not like there are official standards set, and Leatt fails to pass them or something."

- What does Dr Leatt say ?
"I decided to work on the subject a few years ago, after an offroad racer at a race I attended crashed, broke his neck and died almost in my arms a few minutes later. There were no studies, defined standards or anything we could base our work on. So we started from scratch and did our own testing."

Note: He doesn't brag about it, but according to Moto Verte, the brace has also been put through thourough tests and validations in BMW's own road safety lab in Germany, and has been chosen to be the product BMW puts it's name on. The braces sold by BMW are rebadged Leatts.

- Why has Leatt locked the market by putting patents pending on every single feature of the brace ? Wouldn't that be counter productive for safety ?

Leatt: we have put patents on the results of OUR RESEARCH, on which we spent millions in time and cash. The competing braces that have been released so far, all rely on our work. All the competing companies can feel free to do their own research and find something new and better - THAT will be good for the safety of the customer. Simply copying our design will not"

[Autosport]

I think the hans device has been around for longer then Leatt or EVC devices, and hans is used in all forms of top motosport including formular 1.

http://www.hansdevice.com.au/?gclid=CIT0le6v2pcCFQsQagodYlCDBw

Although, the hans device is designed for frontal impact (ie protecting the head from sudden excessive forward movement, the dangers in our sport is the neck being thrown the opposit direction (backwards) as water pics up the front of our helmets and forces the neck back.

Is anyone using any form of Neck brace?

Thor Motocross: Race Neck Collars

http://www.freestylehonda.ashop.com.au/p/384447/thor-motocross-race-neck-collars.html

$48.00




LEATT NECK BRACE

http://www.freestylehonda.ashop.com.au/p/372007/leatt-neck-brace.html

$798.00

EVS Speed Protection: RC2 Race Collars 2007

http://www.freestylehonda.ashop.com.au/p/372663/evs-speed-protection-rc2-race-collars-2007.html

$59.95




EVS Evolution Race Collar

http://www.evs-sports.com/rc-evolution/

$$ ??

[engineermike]

I'm supposed to be getting an EVS Evolution for Christmas. I'll let you know how it works.

[Never Convicted]

why you need one . . .

http://motocross.transworld.net/2008/02/13/video-swaps-crash/

[Dubz1]

Debate time.
Do you guys think that a $500 helmet vs a $100 helmet is needed in watercraft racing? If your doing CC you have a much greater chance of getting ran over as opposed to Endurnace racing.

As for the neck braces, we have our PFD's that add some small amout of neck support (not enough though), would the smaller foam brace be good if you "come off" at a high rate of speed? What are your thoughts John?

[Autosport]

As for the neck braces, we have our PFD's that add some small amout of neck support (not enough though), would the smaller foam brace be good if you "come off" at a high rate of speed?

That is my thoughts too...

another factor that has to be looked at in our sport is what are your chances of swimming with the larger more expensive models? (I wonder if testing would show the slim chance of the larger more cumbersome braces could cause drowning because of reduced mobility once you are in the water?)

What dangers would be posed if you couldn't get out of the way of other ski's and close (or back onto) your own ski fairly quickly) (can you climb backonto a jetski with the larger braces on?)

[dav_dman]

you can use any snell rated helmet and find one for hundred bux no problem. I prefer not using the visor so water wont catch it if i fall. The visor is only needed to deflect dirt in motox and water spray in cc..for the drag racing and long runs we do we dont even need it except to look like wannabe racers.

The neck brace is a good idea, but i dont know anything about them.

[Never Convicted]

Robert I am one of the helmet believers, from the start. I am sure not everyone agrees, as a matter of fact at this years Bug there was only 1 guy that wore one. Maybe it is just the ridding that we do, but safety, just like speed for some of you, doesnt have a price. I think they are a good idea. If you are just tooling about and not hammering down, maybe, maybe you can go without. There are some helmets on the market that have passed DOT guidelines and maybe even Snell that arent worth it and have been proven to be worthless. Swimming with a helmet isnt as terrible as it sounds or seems. You arent going diving in it and hopefully if you come disconnected from your ride you dont have to far to paddle, plus kinda like the protection idea from the racers or other riders behind me.

As far as the neck braces, these are something to really consider. More and more motocrossers, who we as PWC owners steal so many of our ideas from, are going to these as mandatory gear. Dont go thinking your vest is going to do you a whole lotta good when you wad at 65. The vest is there to float your body, not to protect your neck.

[dav_dman]

. There are some helmets on the market that have passed DOT guidelines and maybe even Snell that arent worth it and have been proven to be worthless. .

Agree with everything except that.

DOT , you are spot on..worthless.

Snell has never certified a worthless helmet..they even test how well the liner decelerates the brain and the chin strap protects or cuts and stays together. Some guy wrote the harder snell rated helmet transmits more force to the brain; which was incorrect.

[Autosport]

Swimming with a helmet isnt as terrible as it sounds or seems. You arent going diving in it and hopefully if you come disconnected from your ride you don't have to far to paddle, ....

My comment on swimming was regarding swimming with the larger Neck braces on, not with a helmet. the Neck braces reduce mobility.. when you're trying to paddle quickly to your ride that is floating away in the wind/current, sometimes you have to be pretty quick.