Just getting stuff sorted for the mega and was wondering what people thought was the best way forward with this.

Who uses a rucksack type and who prefers a base-layer type thing with one built in?

I normally ride with a pack but it may be cheaper/easier just to buy one which acts like a base and sits under the jersey…

ideas and recommendations welcome. I’m not after ‘ultimate’ protection… just something that fits well really.

STW just did a review, from the front page 🙂

The front page

yeah reading that now actually

My trusty camel back has given 10 years of service but one of these seems a good idea

I’ve gone with base layer with one built in as it seemed to give me more flexibility. I don’t always ride with a backpack as it is, so having a stand alone one gives flexibility to ride with our without a pack. Also almost all the back protector packs I tried on to be larger and more cumbersome than the small Camelback I was used to. Fine for a full day ride but most felt overkill in size for a couple of hour ride.

I’ve dithered over one of the rucksacks but struggle to see how much additional benefit it would give over a normal rucksack as they’re simply for impact rather than the motion protection a hard back protector offers which I would have thought is more important.

As Doug says though some impact protection if you’re not wearing a pack makes sense. Which one did you go for out of interest and is it a sweat fest?

Race Face Ambush spine. Not a sweat fest, but it would take a lot for anything to be a sweat fest during winter in Scotland!

I wear a pressure suit for qualifying and an evoc pack with a base layer containing elbow and shoulder pads for the race.
Quali start to my mind is the most dangerous bit. Was in the middle of a massive pileup in 2014 when the guy in front crashed. I got off quite lightly with a dislocated shoulder and was able to catch the pack.

I have the Evoc pack and will be using it for the Mega again this year. I do feel more secure riding in it but find it overkill for the UK.

I got off quite lightly with a dislocated shoulder and was able to catch the pack.

😯

The RaceFace Flank Core base looks promising..

I feel a big CRC order coming… to try them all out.

I feel a big CRC order coming… to try them all out.

That’s what I did!
I tried several models from some suppliers, all were back only protectors.
From memory my general findings were……

POC- Fitted me well but back protectors were too large and bulky for trail riding.

Bliss- Fit was ok, however I wasn’t a huge fan of their armorgel (or whatever it’s called) padding. It felt quite heavy and cumbersome, and not particularly flexible compared to some of the others.

Bluegrass- Best of the lot in terms of ventilation, weight, flexibility of the back protector. However just couldn’t get along with the size, the medium fitted my waist, chest and shoulders best but it was quite short and I felt left too much of my back exposed, while the large was a perfect length but too loose everywhere else so the protection didn’t hold in place.

Race Face- Best of the bunch. Ideally I’d like something that has a little bit more length in the back protector but with the Bluegrass not an option due to the fit issues, Race Face was the best all round option.

Can strongly recommend the Scott Recruit Pro – massive removable D30 protector in the back, zips on and off, elbow and shoulder pads.

cheers Doug

How does the RF size up? Guide says I’m a medium.

And which Bluegrass model was it?

I’m Medium, 6’1″ and no idea on chest size but I’m slightly slimmer than average for my height, I just bought several to try.
Bluegrass was the Tuatara Lite, really nice vest, a real shame it didn’t fit.

I picked up one of these from TK Max for £18 the other day. In the ski clear out.

crikey some of the vests are expensive…

I’m off to TKMAX…

Got one of the Evoc bags in the CRC clearance sale for Abigale to race with, she prefers Riding with a back pack and also drinks a lot of water. She used it for the EWS in Ireland and for Tweedlove at the weekend. She has an old Rockgarden one but rates the backpack over it for comfort.

Bluegrass- Best of the lot in terms of ventilation, weight, flexibility of the back protector. However just couldn’t get along with the size, the medium fitted my waist, chest and shoulders best but it was quite short and I felt left too much of my back exposed, while the large was a perfect length but too loose everywhere else so the protection didn’t hold in place.

Can totally agree with this. On a recent order spree of stuff to try on, Bluegrass Tuatara was by far the best – however the fit is awful. I’m a medium in most things, but this was far too short… and the large flopped around. If they could get their fit sorted it’d be best in class IMO.

The Troy Lee kit is pretty good, although doesn’t use anything sophisticated like D3O. It’s basic foam padding. However does leave you feeling a bit like a storm trooper.

I’ve got the smaller Endura one (no protector as standard)they reviewed and one of those level 1 d30 protectors in there so not as stiff as the Endura one
It’s super lightweight and the tool roll really is very handy.

For anything in the Alps including the Mega I just wear my 661 suit tho (I had a big crash in qualifying in 2014 landing on my noggin and damaged a rotator cuff in ora tice in 2012)

Admittedly before back protectors were ‘mainstream’ within backpacks, I wore my DH pressure suit top for the qualifier and finals. Not bad for the quali, but felt too much for the final, as by the time you hit the treeline the heat levels sky-rocket. I never wanted to grab one of the lightweight back protectors, as they are not allowed by the SDA (not that I race them anymore..)

I’ve got one of the lightweight Evoc bags now, and think that might be a decent compromise. A simple back protector would probably be lighter, but then you have to figure out how to carry everything you think you need.

I’d usually suggest Dainess well atleast for motorcycle equipment but there’s a range for mtb now that has it covered.

It is highly advised you try on as stated above for different brands.
A good fit over any other factor would be my advice.

I have the Ergon BE-1 for rides that don’t need a lot to be carried. They have a detachable strap that will hold pads on the outside. It has a great fit, being very adjustable and generally has that full on Germanic well thought out thing going on.

For bigger days, I have the Evoc Trail 20L. Bloody brilliant. Broadly padded back protection and the protector in the middle. It looks big but is wide and flat rather than a BFO hump. You can unzip the pack part of it to just use the protector. Also properly Germanic in the attention to detail dept.

Between the two I have a pure protector for uplift days, a trail pack with insurance and something at the big day out end of the scale. Very happy. Although I will say I’d have only had the Evoc except that I saw a BE-1, brand new, on Pink Bike for 60% of the new cost and snapped it up.

OP I suppose there are two questions here really, what back protector if any for trail riding and what to wear for the mega ? A friend of mine who is hemophiliac used ti rent a full storm trooper top when in the Alps and as @kimbers says for the Mega you want proper protection

I’d probably go along with that, although I’ve ruled out the stormtrooper option as it’s too restrictive for me. I’ve just ordered a load from CRC so we’ll see how it goes. TBH I’m only really doing it to keep the mega scrutineers happy. That’ll bristle some readers I’m sure but there you go.

and as @kimbers says for the Mega you want proper protection

Well, that depends of course.

I’ve raced it for 4 years, and never had anything more than just knee pads. I couldn’t think of anything worse than trying to race it dressed up like a gladiator.

In reality, if you eat sh*t hard, some plastic padding isn’t going to stop you breaking anything. It’s only going to help with bumps & scrapes.

The problem I’ve experienced with packs is that in a crash where you land flat on your back they have the potential to cause more problems in that your back is forced to arch over the bag. I’ve had this myself a couple of years ago and still suffer now and again. Not sure if any of these bags would have been any better in that situation. I suppose it was an unusual crash in that I went over the bars, landed on my feet but was going too fast to stay on them so twisted and landed flat on my back. I suppose if they have some kind of support to avoid hyper extension then it might help?

right, just ordered £600 of clobber from CRC so will report back…

Pile up