[fred.r]

Took a digger at Angel Fire this weekend that scarred the crap outta me. Went over the bars on a small drop to flat and took a fist sized tree stump to the upper spine really hard. Ended up just scratching my back up around my spine and leaving my shoulder useless. So my 15hr drive, condo, and $$$$$$ all went up in flames at that point.
So anyways, don't wanna blow another big mt. weekend trip this summer so I'm getting core protection.
Question is, hard shell vs. core saver?

 

[Jeremy R]

Wearing a roost guard for DH is as useless as Stephen Hawking wearing running shoes.
Get the core saver.

 

[mandown]

Wearing a roost guard for DH is as useless as Stephen Hawking wearing running shoes.
Get the core saver.

quoted for truth. the roost guards stink for protection and mobility.

i've been running this with good results

 

[Sandwich]

while I agree to an extent, I've definitely appreciated having a roost guard in the past while riding/crashing. They are better than nothing, and I thought they could be had pretty cheap.

That being said, there really is no replacement for a piece of equipment designed for the sport you're doing. It's like the 5.10 impacts...they are designed for biking, and they're great for biking. Toe protection, stiff sole, side lacing. Same with protective gear. Pads in areas of impact/rash, and specific protection for common injuries. Everybody has their favorite brand, but I highly recommend a full suit (well an upper suit, anyways) if you actually care about injuries. A high quality version is not too hot, and it'll protect you from actually getting injured. I don't know if the core saver or rockgardn above feature spine protection, but they do offer some impact absorbtion.

 

[Tmeyer]

I run a core-saver. Really comfy, low pro and WAY more protection than the external Moto armor.

 

[mandown]

^ sandwich^ spine protection on the trailstar. this isn't the best picture of it, but you can see it here:

my spine is perfectly safe.

 

[NJHCx4xLIFE]

I have a core saver and compared to as roost guard it has a lot more actual padding instead of a bunch of hard plastic. I'm sure the plastic does something but I can't see it doing as much as dedicated DH armor. The core saver is awsome and you don't notice it after a ride or two.

 

[xopus]

roost guards are designed to protect against flying rocks from a rider in front of you in moto. hence their name.
in downhill riding, they really do not offer any real protection.

invest in a nice suit, like a dianese or troy lee. its worth the money.

 

[fortenndu]

I love my core saver. Get one.

 

[TankerX]

I have a core saver brand new for sale for $90 shipped!

 

[DownhillR3]

Last I remember, the 661 Coresaver's shoulder area is just soft padding, not a hard plastic, correct?

 

[Resident Alien]

is anyone using one of these:

http://www.sixsixone.com/Catalog_661Bike.aspx?id=cb57bc2f-348a-4656-a191-e3534cf97736&product=af46c69c-cd74-4069-891b-d033fea8f3af

if so, how does it compare to the coresaver in terms of protection and weight? I like the fact that it offers shoulder protection without the elbow/forearm pieces, which in my experience don't stay in place nearly as well as dedicated elbow pads.

 

[evolutionbike]

I purchased a Core Saver and found the fit to be a little disappointing, I'm tall and pretty skiny so for me the Core Saver would ride up slightly when being cinched down. I sold it and got an Alpinestars Bionic vest, it has a wider range of motion and offer a hard plastic chest protector. Again I'm pretty lanky so my retarded bdy size could have been the reason of the fit.

 

[DirtyMike]

is anyone using one of these:

http://www.sixsixone.com/Catalog_661Bike.aspx?id=cb57bc2f-348a-4656-a191-e3534cf97736&product=af46c69c-cd74-4069-891b-d033fea8f3af

if so, how does it compare to the coresaver in terms of protection and weight? I like the fact that it offers shoulder protection without the elbow/forearm pieces, which in my experience don't stay in place nearly as well as dedicated elbow pads.

I have one of the older Assult suits, and I have taken some major digger wearing that thing, and it has never let me down. Personally I dont like the Pressure suit, I dont like the elbow pads being part of my body armor.
The new Assult suit has even more spine protection than the older ones. They lack a little in the chest protection, but still work excellent.

I will take the assult suit ovet the core saver anyday, I like the sholder pads.

 

[gemini2k]

roost guards are designed to protect against flying rocks from a rider in front of you in moto. hence their name.
in downhill riding, they really do not offer any real protection.

invest in a nice suit, like a dianese or troy lee. its worth the money.

Thats what I always thought, yet I see tons of people wearing them, I've always thought: should I go up and let them know what they're wearing isn't really gonna do anything for them in a crash?

 

[m-dub]

Ya the hard plastic back and elivated sholders of the moto style are for roost only??? I have taken big diggers on my moto and the plastic "floating" sholder pad has saved my a$$. Granted they are designed for motocross, but how different is it really? I have tried on a few suits and they either have very little chest /rib protection or are very restrictive. Im still looking for that "one" that fits well and protects. until then Its my moto style I guess. Its funny, the OG suits were used under leathers for superbike racers and DH kinda stole it. Its a hard one to tell someone what to or not to get. Try on a bunch and see what fits.

 

[DirtyMike]

One of the biggest differences in the "Roost guards" and DH Body armor, Is how well it breathes. Older Body armor was about teh same, Newer stuff though breathes very well. Also a snug fit is also very important, but not tight. In Mtn bikes we are moving way to much for the hardshell roost guards to fit like they were intended. I will agree, it is better than having nothing whe you hit the ground, but thats not what its intent was, it was designed for rocks being trown up from other riders. You dont have any padding to absorb impact when you hit the ground, I have crashed wearing both, I started with the 25 dollar special fox Roost shell I got at chapparel PL sale, thought it did great. I finally upgraded to the assult suit, and right off the bat I was more comfortable, found I had more movement, and when I crashed in it, I noticed a huge difference in how much impact it absorbed, and how much less I was heating up while riding.