New meaning to the term "stormtrooper":

It’s still just riding a bicycle in the countryside. I have mates who ended up paralysed from bike accidents, should I wear a neck brace and a full facer on my road bike?

Would you still ride if neck braces didn’t exist?

Oh, I have GOT to get a photo of Accessory Man who cycles to our local ASDA with a full face, DH gloves, DH trousers and EVERY possible halfords accessory on his bike (carrera banshee I think), to do his shopping. The man is a hero! He has put bmx handlebars on it to make it a more upright shopper with barends (and a mirror sticking out the barend). It’s truly awesome.

Hello chaps. yes that person in the photo is me.
I wear a neck brace because my friend broke his neck at Leckhampton Hill when he was 16 (4 years ago) he is currently in a wheel chair and always will be. for the rest of his life.
I have done a season in whistler (so im not a complete weapon like you haters) and obviously know the dangers that you can sustain from this sport. I havent chosen to live here. i live here because of UNI this is my local spot and the only place i can ride as im not aloud a car in my first year.
I dont feel comfortable riding without one as one of my BEST friends is in a wheel chair.
Maybe do some riding and stop criticising and grow up.
im at shotty a lot as its my local for now, so if you want to talk to me then and see the level i ride at then feel free.
Regards,
The **** wearing the neck brace.

Nice one 😀

Do you think that helps ally locals to our cause?

And what is ‘our’ cause exactly?

I don’t have a cause – I just go out and ride my bike. I ride for pleasure, I ride to commute – I just like riding my bike. My wife thinks I’m a sad case because I even take to the dog for a crap on the bike – she doesn’t get it; its riding & its all good. Why do you even give a monkeys??

I have a few mates who are walkers, ramblers etc. Cyclists are just a blip on their horizon; they just don’t care! Granted, some folk will seeth and froth about cyclists, but so what? frothing haters exist everywhere – worry about them and you’ll just go mad.

Would you still ride if neck braces didn’t exist?

Eh?

How can something that doesn’t exist affect your decision making process? Seatbelts in cars haven’t always existed but people still drove cars; perhaps there will come a time when neck braces become obligitory – I could see that happening sooner than later in DH racing.

So we should all wear braces every time we ride off road?

I don’t what all the fuss is about, I wear one all the time. There’s all sorts that can go wrong around the modern home these days. Usual anti-DH and everything associated with it thread, sorry topic.

PS Do you like my Banksy mug? My daughter got me it for my birthday which is impressive as she’s only 1.

So we should all wear braces every time we ride off road?

Only if your shorts are too big

+1 Jedi

I just don’t get it, why does it make a difference to anyone on here what he is wearing? The impression that other trail users get from him is not going to come from him wearing a neck brace, far more likely it will be from the way he interacts with them.

Bennetom is obviously out enjoying himself on his bike, that’s all that matters. Ride and enjoy!

That iron is an accident waiting to happen. Steel toe capped slippers?

That’s the least of it crikey, there’s a wire hanging out the flex!

Sweet mother of insert deity of your choice!

So we should all wear braces every time we ride off road?

Only if you want to.

Another good haul for jhw

Anyone who uses the word bimble deserves to have a full face, neckbrace and a welly rammed up their arse imo.

For the gent who was worried about shotover being spoiled; I currently run the mountainbiking team at Brookes uni and partake in the kind of riding that Tom displays in the photo, in the 4+ years i’ve been riding there now I can say this, the riders from Brookes are always courteous, take time to check trails for sabotage or walkers and make an effort to say “Hi” and be friendly with other woodland users. I think i’ve had two maybe three people who’ve been upset by our presence but then we weren’t even riding at that time, we were sitting having lunch, the other 90% we come into contact with are quite content. We’re usually riding wednesdays and weekends either away or at shotover if you fancy coming for a ride you’re more than welcome.

Jamie.

having actually got a neck brace, and after the few big crashes ive had out in france this summer. i wouldnt be without one now, as im pretty sure i wouldnt have walked away from them without a serious injury. admittedly i wouldnt use it for the xc racing i do, but for any AM, FR, DH, etc i would.

at the end of the day its what you feel is right. do they work? i couldnt prove that. but id much rather wear one and look like a ‘stormtrooper’ then brake my neck and not be able to ride anymore

+1 Dirkpumpa 😆

Good on the guy for speaking up.

I suspected there would be a good reason.

We all wear helmets to protect our head… Necks are pretty damned important to. If you are pushing limits, crashing frequently then it all sounds like a good idea.

Hello chaps. yes that person in the photo is me.
I wear a neck brace because my friend broke his neck at Leckhampton Hill when he was 16 (4 years ago) he is currently in a wheel chair and always will be. for the rest of his life.
I have done a season in whistler (so im not a complete weapon like you haters) and obviously know the dangers that you can sustain from this sport. I havent chosen to live here. i live here because of UNI this is my local spot and the only place i can ride as im not aloud a car in my first year.
I dont feel comfortable riding without one as one of my BEST friends is in a wheel chair.
Maybe do some riding and stop criticising and grow up.
im at shotty a lot as its my local for now, so if you want to talk to me then and see the level i ride at then feel free.
Regards,
The **** wearing the neck brace.

Well said mate, there are a number of people on here who really should know better and seem to think that its not enough to be on a bike and enjoying it but you must also look the part otherwise somehow you are fair game for ridicule.

On the down side I’d expect a venerable University student such as yourself to know the difference between aloud and allowed. A+ for well communicated indignation, B- for spelling.

a banksy mug?

banksy you’re a sell out!

STW in one thread

We all wear helmets to protect our head… Necks are pretty damned important to. If you are pushing limits, crashing frequently then it all sounds like a good idea.

Go back a good few years and helmets had the same status – I’m still guilty of not always wearing one and would now be seen as silly for not wearing safety kit rather than for wearing it.

bennetttom123, you’ve put me in my place *doffs cap* *gets back in box*

It is a good photo – nice roost

Do neck braces work with normal helmets or only with FF’s?

i ache – there designed to work with a full face. if you wore one with a normal helmet you more likely to cause yourself more damage if you crash.

basically there designed to stop your head from moving to the extremes which can cause neck damage.

I thought as much.

Thanks

crikey – Member
So we should all wear braces every time we ride off road?

No, but we should be free to chose without dullards like you passing judgment.

I’ve just seen this thread and all I can say is IHW you are a right proper TW*T. And I don’t even know you.
Who really cares what the hell someone wears when they are out riding, as long as you are comfortable in your outfit, be it lycra for all you xc loving people , or full on dh gear. Or even goggles with an xc lid or pisspot!! Or those funny shoes that make you look a bit special but grip your flat peals like glue.
Singletrackworld unfortunately suffers because of people like you and your “opinions” on what is right and wrong.
Let me ask you a question, if this guy you spotted whilst hiding taking stealth shots of “idiots” not conforming to your standard of acceptable riding clothes, had stopped to talk to you, would you have laughed at him and told him he was overdressed?

Next time leave your stupid opinions and piss takes to your local and your mates.
Right rant over, I’m going back to a proper biking forum where people are more interested in actually riding bikes and talking about them than being a d***head and slagging every one else off.

Is it this forum you’re going back to?

http://www.southerndownhill.com/forum/index.php/topic,255831.0.html

I was annoyed that SDH thread got locked before I could say that yes, there’s a lot of fannies on STW but don’t judge us all like that…

SDH is incredibly boring, they should have left that thread unlocked. It had the potential to turn into the best one on there in years.

My god! STW does have a brain! so many times I’ve seen the unessential piss taken. This time most jump to defend, well done.

That lad looks like he’s gonna need a brace doing those speeds… nice one!

“” davidtaylforth – Member

Is it this forum you’re going back to?

http://www.southerndownhill.com/forum/index.php/topic,255831.0.html “”

Actually no, I’m off back to Moredirt…only check out SDH every now and again!!

And to be honest I know there’s plenty of people here that don’t share the views of the one’s that bring this forum down.
It’s good to see people jumping in to point out there is no place for idiots who think the rest of the biking world share their views!!
Fair enough if it goes no further than amongst your mates, but what goes on in the woods….stays in the woods!!

Old thread I know, but just read it, and in between all the ridiculous posts that other people have pulled up on, I noticed this little gem

There’s really nice big stuff up around Kidlington

Would you like to enlighten me, JHW? Because I live in Kidlington, and for the past 12 years of me riding around here there is nothing big, except the old dirt jumps which have been gone for maybe 4 years now.