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  • Crashed again – need some protection advice
  • gc1066
    Free Member

    5 years ago I managed to fracture multiple vertebrae (and bash lots of other stuff) after the worlds most unspectacular fall off my bike. It took a long time to walk again never mind ride.

    Roll forwards to last week and hey presto off we go again, just a detached clavicle (and perhaps cracked C3) but as I was laying there waiting for the ambulance some nasty thoughts went through my head and this time it has left me seriously concerned.

    So it’s time to wear some armour – even for everyday stuff – I can’t tempt fate again because sooner or later I’m going to get seriously hurt.

    I will no longer be riding down the nasty stuff, but I need some sort of lightweight compression vest with shoulder and spine protection that I can ride in everyday – even if just going for a 5 mile spin around the Cheshire lanes.

    I have no experience of wearing this stuff…I’m open to suggestions (as long as they don’t include stopping cycling!).

    Also my lid is going to need replacing to…am looking at POC stuff this morning on Chain Reaction – any opinions?

    Note to self…from now on only crash onto soft stuff ‘cos rocks are hard and pointy.

    FunkyDunc
    Free Member

    Have you thought about a skills course, will do more to protect you

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Also my lid is going to need replacing to…am looking at POC stuff this morning on Chain Reaction – any opinions?

    Try them on, I was in between sizes so it was no good for me.

    What are you trying to protect with this light weight armour?
    http://www.wiggle.com.au/sixsixone-sub-gear-short-sleeve-shirt-armour/?lang=au&curr=AUD&dest=27&utm_source=pla&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=au&kpid=5360612570
    This sort of thing probably won’t do you much good in a serious situation.

    LardLover
    Free Member

    I ride occasionally with a guy that wears a full face helmet. Nothing unusual with that I hear you say.

    We were on road bikes.

    He told me he once came off and bust his face hence the full face lid (well, when I say full face I mean one of those helmets with the remove able chin guard things).

    I was out again with him recently. This time he was wearing body armour as well as his full face helmet. He’d been off again and bust his collar bone.

    Didn’t slow the whippet down any………..

    gc1066
    Free Member

    Skills aren’t the issue – and no amount of skills will protect you when you do finally get unlucky and land on a hard ‘n pointy rock.

    First crash was just unlucky, rode off what I thought was a table top but it turned out to be a drop off – basically I was too busy looking at the view and I wasn’t watching where I was going! Oops.

    Second crash was simply a front wheel washing out on a wet rock, it just happened to be that there were lots of nasty rocks to land on and I chose some bad ones to bash with my head.

    Agree with the trying stuff on approach but as I’m not so mobile today I thought I’d try the t’interweb first.

    That lightweight armour is what I’m looking at but I need something with a little more back protection – especially around the thoracic area.

    I’m just looking for the right type of t-shirt/compression vest type clothing with pads in the right places.

    gogg
    Free Member

    evoc hydration packs have some spine protection in some models if you usually ride with a pack?

    dpfr
    Full Member

    Maybe look at rugby baselayers?

    Like this stuff

    maxtorque
    Full Member

    er, sorry to be devils advocate, but not spotting a “table” is actually a drop is really a lack of skills (in this case looking skills!)!

    Having said that, you’re gonna crash sometime if you ride to and slightly beyond your limits, so armour can be useful. However, you are also up against “sods law” that simply states “You will inevitably land on the piece of you that isn’t armoured”…… 😉

    rickon
    Free Member

    Skills aren’t the issue

    rode off what I thought was a table top but it turned out to be a drop off

    Second crash was simply a front wheel washing out on a wet rock

    Skills most likely are a big part of the issue. In both cases, certain skills would have probably prevented both crashes in all likelihood.

    Learning how to land in a crash would have really helped in the first case, or learning how to read the trail would have averted it at all. I speak very much from experience of a very similar crash resulting in facial injuries.

    And front wheel wash out can be averted by lots of small skills. Weight over the front wheel, no braking when on the wet rock….

    It’s very much a risk game, the risk of having a bad crash is very low – but you’ve had two, which suggested either you’re pushing really hard, ride a lot more than the average person, ride very very technical ground, or have a few areas for improvement.

    You can only protect so much of your body, and if your skills don’t stop you crashing, then you could easily land on, or injure somewhere unprotected.

    chip
    Free Member

    I have fractured my spine in the past on a motorbike, and when layed out immobilised on a hospital bed you do count your lucky stars you had not ended up in a wheel chair.

    Skills course would be good and useful to most riders but then most riders don’t have the niggling fear which you do,
    Get a some good spine protection at least, if it will make you happier.

    I personaly just use a helmet and good knee and elbow guards but do own a 661 core saver which I will have no hesitation in using anywhere rocky , as it protects vital areas without being so restrictive making me unlikely to use it.

    TrekEX8
    Free Member

    I recently fractured several vertebrae – I don’t think that body armour would have helped me as it was a compression fracture rather than as a result of a ‘direct hit’.
    Whilst it’s easy to say ‘ride within your abilities’, you have to accept that mountain biking can be a hazardous activity; the most talented/conservative rider can get caught out occasionally.
    If you’re really worried, I can only suggest that you give up riding. I don’;t mean that to sound flippant, I’m still trying to work out whether I’ll be riding again. If you’d told me before my accident that I’d be considering giving up I’d have laughed/cried – I absolutely love mountain biking. But having been close to a really ‘life changing’ incident, I’m not sure I want to be in that situation, or worse, again.

    dirtydog
    Free Member

    Skills offer no protection from rocks, plenty of pro/skilled riders end up hurt, some with life changing injuries(probably didn’t do a skills course eh?). 🙄

    It’s a case of when, not if, so best to be prepared for it.

    hainman
    Free Member

    I am on the look out for some protection,I ride a mixture of stuff,not a pro but im comfy riding most things,My injury came as a freak and i mean freak accident,Been up my local trails,Hitting the Gap jumps,drops and switch backs i ride regularly,riding home and went a way i never usually go,Got the end of my bar in a hedge,must have caught a heavy branch,my bars twisted and i tried to control my bike,not so good being the case and bang over the bars i go,smack right into a TRAFFIC LIGHT…..

    So end up in A&E with double break of Clavicle,plus 2 bust Ribs,No one quite belives how it happened considering i had ridden Ben Lomond the previous week and would have thought this injury would have been more suited to riding here….

    Anyhoo,I looked at the TLD body armour,
    http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/troy-lee-designs-bp-7850-hw-short-sleeve-shirt/rp-prod59939
    Im hopefully getting back on the bike soon,been 5 weeks now,hopefully my heid wont be playing tricks considering i had “This” Kinda OFF instead of a trail related….None the less,i still would like to protect from any further injury,Lack of sick pay is also a bugger to deal with now

    gc1066
    Free Member

    Thank for all the responses – I will take it all under consideration.

    The past 14 years have seen me get through two bone tumours (both benign), 1 DVT, about 14 operations (really have lost count now), over a year on crutches, literally thousands of miles commuting to and from hospital, more MRIs/CTs/x-rays than anyone should ever have and only TWO crashes of note on the mountain bike – and I have ridden thousands of miles.

    Seriously though, feeling your vertebrae break and lying immobilised on the spinal board is enough to make anyone think twice about quite a lot of stuff.

    I too love MTB’ing, perhaps I’m just having post crash blues but I am seriously thinking of giving up the off road stuff. Knowing my luck though I’ll be tootling along some quiet leafy Cheshire lane and get squashed by a Sunday driver wearing a cap and driving gloves!

    If my wife reads this she’d probably shoot me, but despite everything I am itching to get out on the bike today!!

    gogg
    Free Member

    I like your attitude.

    Keep it real…

    😉

    milko9000
    Free Member

    Do a skills course as well as getting added protection. Way too much either/or here! The course will give you better confidence as well as an understanding of what’s happening when things go wrong. The protection will make you feel like you still gave the insurance if you do mess it up.

    legend
    Free Member

    First crash was just unlucky, rode off what I thought was a table top but it turned out to be a drop off – basically I was too busy looking at the view and I wasn’t watching where I was going! Oops.

    Second crash was simply a front wheel washing out on a wet rock, it just happened to be that there were lots of nasty rocks to land on and I chose some bad ones to bash with my head.

    Body armour suits aren’t going to do anything in that sort of crash. A Leatt might, but then your wearing a full facer all the time

    DT78
    Free Member

    Personally I don’t like lots of armour, for 2 reasons, it is hot are hard to move around in, and secondly I think it lures you into a false sense of security so you are more likely to ride outside of your limits (and therefore crash).

    If you’ve only had 2 crashes in thousands of miles, and both were nasty you are super unlucky and should probably just give up anything remotely dangerous! I have several per season usually due to tiredness / not looking / getting surprised by a suicidal squirrel / tyre blowout on cattlegrid (last weds…)

    beicmynydd
    Free Member

    Have a look at a rucksack with a back protector such as those made by evoc, full body armour will be very hot on the climbs.
    try some tyres with more grip, even if you have to go to downhill tyres with sticky rubber on the front.

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