Lightweight body armour recommendations.

Having sustained a fairly nasty chest wall injury, I’ve been told by my doc to wear armour even for xc riding. I have a natural aversion to body armour so I’d like any recommendations you might have for something that’s light, rib protecting, not too hot and not too bulky. Thanks.

Not sure if such a thing exists, vests usually have a back protector, which is the main feature and not removable.

MX roost guard?

I have a Dainese set with separate chest/back. Its nice and light too. It isn’t really “rib protecting” though, not lower down anyway.

I recently ruptured my spleen in a crash. I’m not back on the bike for a few more weeks but I’ve just bought a Troy Lee BP 3800 vest which protect the ribs and core. Obviously I’ve not worn it on the bike yet but it fits well and will give some protection. Price is reasonable too. Being a vest it should be a bit cooler than a full shirt and it doesn’t make me look like a storm trooper over dressed for my local xc loop!

Maybe the TLD will work.

I have had a 661 vest with rigid backplate, Bluegrass Grizzly vest with D30 backplate and still use a Dainese performance vest. I would not want to ride XC in any of those.

661 do a really lightweight thing, I can’t remember the name. Sub Gear? Unconvinced it’s worth a damn tbh, it’s pretty vestigal padding.

Chests are just plain hard to protect, chest injuries tend to be more about momentum than about blunt force- ie, it’s your body that does the damage, not the thing you hit, it just stops you. So I suspect anything that’s going to be useful, is going to be pretty substantial.

But I know people who happily ride XC in full dh pressure suits so it’s doable. I don’t enjoy pedalling in my dh jousting suit but I think if it was neccesary to keep riding, I would. Or rather I’d get a better vented one!

Roost guards aren’t really suitable, they’re for stopping small hard things that get flung at you so they tend not to be designed for impact absorbtion. Plate armour, not cushion.

Cheers all. I suspected as much really. Sgn23 I hope you’re ok. I guess you had your spleen removed. I had the tests but luckily I got away with it.
I crashed on a corner I’d riddled a hundred times but drifted too much, caught a pedal and got dumped on the rocks they seem to line some 7stanes courses with…never understood that.
I’ll look at your recommendations and ease my way in til all the ribs and cartilage are pain free. Then we’ll see….
Thanks again.

I agree with what Northwind is saying about the Roost Guard but you can find chest protectors designed for MX that will give you better chest protection while leaving the back open.

have a search for EVS Revolution 4 chest protector.

the 661 subgear is pretty good, the chest is soft, not a hardshell, it’s a baselayer and
It doesn’t have a backprotector.
The elbow and shoulder padding is great, I’ve not tested the chest bit as much.
Comfortable too, but a bit annoying to take off.I used to wear it on very long rides,worn in hot temperatures, cold temperatures, and it’s always comfortable.
http://sixsixone.com/bike/first-layer-bike-2/sub-gear
I have the old version, looking at the pics, the new one has more chest protection.

There was a minimalist D3O type compression top, with bits on the back, shoulders, chest and arms, but I can’t for the life of me remember who made it.

I do recall it being eye wateringly expensive unfortunately.

Might be worth having a look about for alternatives. raceface do dome sort of similar thing, that’s probably a bit cheaper & nastier.

I don’t have one but I’d suggest a troy Lee 7850. All of the pads are removable to customise coverage.

I have a habit of falling off quite often so I’ll armour up most of the time.
Bearing in mind that even doing a xc ride sees my wheels off the ground and any opportunity.
I have an IXS Hammer jacket but in all fairness the back protector is a little OTT.
Depending on your budget the EVOC protector jacket looks a nice piece of kit, I always look for shoulder protection because I have a habit of rolling lots!

G-form…..
Enough said.
Link to the UK site upper protection vest
(there is a new pro version on the main G-form site, but not on the UK site yet.)

Light weight, very good impact dispersion, nice and breathable.
Problem you’ve got is not many light weight options give Rib protection, as it’s mainly sternum, and shoulder.

Scar
P.S. I’ve been riding G-form armour for the past 3years since it came out, and apart from the odd extra stitch round the edge of the knees they’ve been awesome! I don’t ever use my hard armour anymore.

Thanks again for all your effort. It’s given me a lot to think about.

Depends what you’re riding, if its flowy and clean = 661 subgear
If its steep and rooty = G-form
If its rocky go for something more DH orientated.

Maybe check out the ONE industries Exo jacket. Broke my shoulder earlier in the year & have since been wearing the blaster top – basically a base layer with gform/ Exo type shoulder protection. Mega comfy, don’t notice I have it on but great coverage of the bit I broke. I don’t like wearing armour either but this is fine.