New meaning to the term "stormtrooper":

Look at this chap wearing a neck-brace in Shotover park. Shotover!

For anyone who doesn’t know the area, this is the flattest most relaxed place for mountain biking ever…a pleasant bimble easily accessible from Oxford, but definitely not full face territory let alone a neck-brace!

If that doesn’t amuse you then here, look at this man with his head inside a wellington boot:

ride and wear what ya want!

Given that he already appears to have lost both his legs below knee, I’d say that he was being entirely sensible.

but definitely not full face territory let alone a neck-brace!

In your opinion.

Last time I checked this wasn’t Nazi Germany and people are generally free to wear what they want. Who elected you as the governor of acceptable cyclewear?

I think he looks rad.

Dick.

Stormtrooper refers to full face/body amour, which this fella is obviously not wearing. You might want to do some research in to how a neck brace works and which injuries it prevents. Speed and ‘gnar’ are not always contributing factors to neck injuries.

Would i wear one? Probably not.

Should we be laughing at someone that wears protection whilst participating in a sport that has before left people paralised from neck injuries? No.

Nice roosting

& perhaps he is just trying it out on a local trail. who cares?

BRILLIANT.
He has his HEAD inside a WELLINGTON BOOT!!!!!!
BRILLIANT!

Maybe he is trying to protect a current injury?

Sitting with a cuppa waiting for someone to say the bloke is also overbiked too. Honestly, aren’t we past these threads yet?

Have you actually ridden on Shotover JHW?

He’s obverbiked, he should be on a cyclocross thingy.

Ha ha, look. A man going the same hobby as me but in slightly different protective gear to me! What a div.

Lovin that improvised gimp mask!! 8)

The man in the wellington boot actually made me laugh some snot out of my nose. Brilliant indeed.

No idea on the area but to be fair the fella in neck brace does appear to be chucking the bike in; get a berm wrong at silly speeds and you get high sided might well warrant a full face and neck brace…

I went for a ride at the weekend, in shoes, yes shoes! I mean whats the point, if i’m to be mocked for protecting something important like my head or neck, surely it must be uncool to wear shoes?

He’s doing a skid. In a full face helmet and neck brace and knee pads.
What does he wear when he has a poo, a diving suit in case he falls in?

the lack of lower legs screams potato-chop.

Personally I’ve not seen anything at Shotover that’d make me wear a neck brace, but if it makes him feel good/ safe then well… fair enough I suppose.

i havent been to shotover since i was a wee boy.

excellent tobogganing i recall

this is the flattest most relaxed place for mountain biking ever…a pleasant bimble

Hmm, didn’t look too flat yesterday.
He’s probably overbiked as well eh. I’ve seen folks up there on full sussers and everything.

Looks like it’s held up to the recent rain quite well. Anyone know which bit that is? Doesn’t look like Ben’s berms which are sandier. Somewhere in the ‘4th dimension’ perhaps?

Switchbacks/berms down from the jump site Dave? Or maybe down from the swing to the 4th dimension?

Good job you have’t met the chap that commutes through London on a hybrid with a full face lid 😆

Does that look like he’s out for a quiet bimble to you?

What wrecker said and most importantly there’s a man with a welly over his head – fantastic a bad day just got lots better – a man with a welly on his head!

Were you hiding in the bushes waiting to take these pictures of unsuspecting riders?

Either down from the jump site or the top section of Leap of Faith. It’s not Jason is it?

ride and wear what ya want! 😯

There is a shared cycle/pedestrian path at the end of our street. Have regularly seen the same two blokes – who look like they’ve covered themselves in superglue and ridden through Chain Reaction – riding their spangly FR/DH bikes along there.

And yes the path is flat red tarmac 🙂

Are you sure it’s a neck brace? It looks more like a toilet seat to me…..

I read a study which concluded that cycle helmets have been responsible for a large increase in neck injuries. Certainly anyone who has had a bad crash where the helmet broke will know about the neck pain associated with it. So perhaps you should always be wearing some form of neck protection if you are wearing a helmet?
I certainly will wear whatever protection I want and not going to care about what other school kids might think.

You might bimble, and ride round in a relaxed manner that dosent warrant a neck brace.
However that guy looks to be riding pretty quick therefore the risk of a serious injury from crashing at speed would warrant the extra protection.

did you say anything to the guy at the time or did you rush home to be a clever prick on a forum.

he nabbed it off pinkbike. didn’t even take the pic.
http://torrentsarethetits.pinkbike.com/album/2011-riding/

did you say anything to the guy at the time or did you rush home to be a clever prick on a forum.

Whooah, steady on. Without the OP we would not have seen Wellingtonbootheadman. I loves Wellingtonbootheadman.

Could be well warranted judging by another pic in that collection 😀

+1 for a toilet seat. Maybe he has a loo brush down his pants.

Down with that sort of thing!

That lad looks like he is trying to push his limits in the pink bike pictures and is prepared to take risks.
Hence the neck brace makes sense.

not everyone rides round pontificating about what others are wearing/doing, they just get out there and ride.

Certainly anyone who has had a bad crash where the helmet broke will know about the neck pain associated with it.

I don’t, trashed three helmets properly and a few others I thought it best to bin.

Yes they can add to a certain type of injury (rotational ones), but equaly they stop skull smashing ones.

Maybe he was on his way to a gurning competition.