As per title, I’ve been doing more DH and uplifted riding recently. Fairly set on the idea of getting one of these now, but I wonder what wisdom this forum yields…

Probably more useful discussion of them on RideIO…

Only that they are more dangerous with no lid or lid undone than most things. Take them off if your not wearing your lid.

I have a Leatt dbx ride that I wear, initially they take a fair bit of getting used to and feel pretty restrictive ( but that’s what they’re supposed to do) I can’t comment on how effective it is as I’ve never had a major stack whilst wearing it.

Both myself and another friend started using them after another mate broke his neck at Hamsterley.

I bought one but never used it (i dont do DH) so sold it on.

I noticed the Atherton’s all started wearing them after Dan broke his back/neck but they don’t seem to wear them anymore.

When I was looking into getting one the general consensus seemed to be that in a big crash they can be beneficial in preventing excessive movement in your neck* though due to their design they can transfer impact into your your shoulders making the chance of a broken collar bones far more likely.

It was a bit of a fashion thing a few years ago though seems to be a bit less popular these days, I didn’t end up getting one.

*If they’re worn correctly with a suitably comparable helmet.

I have one, but then I also have a full dainese upper body suit with big spine plate to go with it. Together they have saved me from a lot of pain through knocks, bashes and pointy objects. Im no big jumper or hucker so I probably havnt had my life ‘saved’ by it but I wear it to avoid general injury so I can still ride at the end of the day without too many aches and pains. Ive nosed dived into a few berms and trees and found the neck brace helped stop excessive rotation of my head so I didn’t strain my neck (have done that in the past). It also helped when shoulder barging a tree.

As above there is an increased risk of injury if wearing without a helmet. Walking around the car-park is fine or sitting eating your lunch but not really ideal trying to climb back up a muddy track, where a slip could have you tumble back down. So if your the sort who feels the need to rip their helmet off before you’ve even stopped the bike then maybe its not for you. I run hot but accept it and leave the helmet on when moving.

When I was looking into getting one the general consensus seemed to be that in a big crash they can be beneficial in preventing excessive movement in your neck* though due to their design they can transfer impact into your your shoulders making the chance of a broken collar bones far more likely.

Isn’t that the whole point of them though. You sacrifice your collarbone (which is “designed” to break to save your shoulder) to save your neck. I know which I’d rather break, and it’s not my neck. Not that a broken collarbone is something I’d like to experience, either.

Mate of mine highly recommends the alpinestars one, it’s smaller (or, was, it’s a couple of years ago) than most others which assuming it offers similiar protection (there’s no way to know, what with the lack of real evidence and the nature of the device) should have other benefits in a crash.

But fit and comfort will be most important I reckon, it’ll not help unless you wear it.

Yes, but pointing that out for the OP.

Whilst yes I’d rather break my collarbone (not fun but broken worse) than my neck, a brace can turn a crash you’d walk away from into a hospital trip. On the other hand if it does save you from a broken neck then a few weeks off the bike for a collar bone is pretty insignificant.

At the time I was looking there just wasn’t enough research done into them – I’d be very interested if anyone has done more since.

You just need to weight up what and how you ride. If you crash often but not seriously then I’d personally avoid a brace, if you have a couple of huge crashes a year but generally keep it upright then I’d be looking to get one.

B&Q do very reasonably priced ones! 😉

The GF used to have a Leatt, used it a lot when she was riding DH. Originally we got the cheaper less adjustable one, which was ok but never quite right. Upgraded to the newer more adjustable model and she loved it.
I’d go with a Leatt again if it was me as the newer ones are comfy and look better in my opinion.

I’d much rather break a collar bone (which in a healthy adult heals in a matter of months) than my neck having had to deal with patients with broken necks at work. They tend to take a bit longer to get sorted and cause quite a bit of bother to the patient.

Tom KP

all helpful, thanks all. Definitely conscious of the lack of real evidence. In my profession we tend to value evidence quite highly, so this has occurred to me.

@jamesfts, you make a good point. I’m probably not a big time crasher, but when I do, I tend to go big. Will have to think.
I also find it interesting that a well fitting/ compatible helmet doesn’t get stressed all that much in the manufacturers’ literature. My full face definitely fits well, but seems like a fairly large confounder!

Leatt every time dude- saved my neck all to literally more times than I care to remember.