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Warning-Just a Safety Topic

PUSHIND

PUSH Industries (Duh)
Dec 5, 2003
220
244
Colorado
I just wanted to take a second and share an experience and an opinion. Since as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to be on two wheels, and for two decades have enjoyed the rides and friends that I’ve made along the way. As a husband and father of two, my interest in safety gear for my MTB and Moto habit have changed…more specifically after seeing David Baileys youtube feature “Stand for Something”. Over the last couple of years I’ve started to use more protection and use it properly, making sure to take the time to get the right fight even if it might feel uncomfortable initially. As some of my friends always say “dress for the crash, not the ride”.

Well, yesterday in my second Moto of the local RMXA race I did what hopefully not many others will do, which is test the limits of my gear. After seat bouncing a downhill double my CRF450 decided it had other plans. I made the decision after trying to correct that it would be best to throw it away. It’s important to know that this is a jump that I’d done some 200 times before, and was completely comfortable with. I ended up breaking my helmet, my right knee brace, and even my Leatt-Brace.

I see a lot of DH riders these days who aren’t wearing much more than a helmet an often say “I’m just out cruising today”, “I ride this trail all the time, I’ve got it wired”, or “safety gear is too expensive” Well, today I can’t do much more than type and talk on the phone. I have a lot of pain, scrapes, and bruising….but last night after getting a lift home and getting cleaned up I sat down with my family and had dinner.

Please take the time to be protected….let’s all make sure that we get to continue with our great sport.

Darren
 

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juk_lano

Chimp
Jun 27, 2007
77
0
WOw. A good 'Sh** Happens' story. I would've hated to hear another airlift and hospital bed story.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
Damn. Glad to hear this story has a good ending. And props to you for sending the message. It is sadly way more common to hear stories about the gear someone SHOULD have been wearing when things went wrong.
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
Damn, just Damn. That sucks heal up soon, we need you back at work so that soon youll be able to work on the new Roco 3pl and I can send mine in.


Very glad to hear your able to go home and have dinner after something like that.
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
Oh Oh Oh, not to Hijack, but on the Leatt brace arguement...... Notice Darren did not have a broken collarbone.... as many have said would happen from "Using" a leatt brace!!!!!! It broke the brace, but kept his neck intact!!!!
 

S.K.C.

Turbo Monkey
Feb 28, 2005
4,096
25
Pa. / North Jersey
Jesus Darren - glad to hear you are OK!

I totally agree with you about "suiting up" - I had a bad wreck last year on my DH bike at Diablo during a race and if it weren't for the backplate in my Dainese Race Jacket, the 2 different ER docs who saw me said that my back injury "would have been a lot worse" (flipped over the bars and slammed my back across a small tree).

What sealed the whole "do I really need pads - if you're gonna break something your gonna break something" controversy for me was when I was talking with an industry guy who is an ex-SEAL and just a year younger than I am. He said that he rides at Whistler all the time and he ALWAYS wears body armor with a backplate... and that's coming from a guy who can swim 100yd under water, run 15mi a day and do 200 push ups without breaking a sweat AND who's been in the middle of full-on war zones for at least 4 years avoiding gunfire and explosions aimed in his direction. If a guy who's been through all that says it's necessary, - I'll take his word for it.

It's good to see pros like Needles and one of the Trump twins wearing a Leatt. My next investment for racing next year is definitely going to be a Leatt brace...
 
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General Lee

Turbo Monkey
Oct 16, 2003
2,860
0
The 802
Oh Oh Oh, not to Hijack, but on the Leatt brace arguement...... Notice Darren did not have a broken collarbone.... as many have said would happen from "Using" a leatt brace!!!!!! It broke the brace, but kept his neck intact!!!!
that's because it doesn't actually rest on your collar bone but on your chest and back/shoulders. of course the people who 'know' it will break your collar bone don't want to be confused with facts.



It's amazing how fast things can get out of control even on the trails we ride everyday. Glad to hear you are okay.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
wow bud glad you are ok...i have been thinking about rocking one of those braces, i dh in a full face and leg armor only...my neck scares me though
 

Defenestrated

Turbo Monkey
Mar 28, 2007
1,657
0
Earth
Good advice, I broke my neck at Mammoth last season (thank god I can move my legs!). If/when I get to riding serious again I'm getting one of these braces...
 

spocomptonrider

sportin' the CROCS
Nov 30, 2007
1,412
118
spokanistan
my question is why are they so much(Leatt)? dont see them made out of gold or anything? its just hard plactic right?
Lots of R&D money had to be poured into make this thing legit, plus there are all kinds of fees etc. associated with bringing a product like this to market. Not to mention the fact that they are based in South Africa, not 'merica so stuff costs a bit more.
 

PUSHIND

PUSH Industries (Duh)
Dec 5, 2003
220
244
Colorado
Thanks for the comments.

One of my friends dropped off my bike here at PUSH this morning and I just got back from having x-rays to ensure nothing was broken. The upper bar mounts and rear subframe at least are a wash`. My doc said that everything is in tact with me, but I'm going to have a pretty rough week in the pain department.

my question is why are they so much(Leatt)? dont see them made out of gold or anything? its just hard plactic right?
There's engineering, tooling, company start-up cash, etc. that are rolled into the price. They do have a new model that will be retailing for I think $199 coming out soon.

Also, by no means was this a commercial for Leatt, although I'm a big supporter of the product now, I just was making a statement about safety gear in general.

Darren
 

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Uruk-hai

Monkey
Oct 13, 2004
144
0
The 'Quah
Ok, I'm sold. But what is the definitive answer as to how the Leatt brace fits with the current generation of body armor? If I remember correctly some people were saying it interfered somewhat and it was difficult to get the proper fit. Others have said that it interferes with vision by limiting how far back you can tilt your head. Anyone have any feedback?
 

mattmatt86

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2005
5,347
10
Bleedmore, Murderland
Glad to hear your OK

a $199 version sounds much more reasonable for the brace. I loved the idea when I read about it and saw the article in Decline but when I saw the price tag it was just too much for a weekend warrior.
 

Huck Banzai

Turbo Monkey
May 8, 2005
2,523
23
Transitory
Good to hear you're OK, and that the gear did its job.

looking up Leatt etc.. in another tab!

Thanks for the plushtastic shock, please stick around to do my next one (-hundred)
 

Hans

Monkey
Aug 8, 2003
196
0
Copenhagen, Denmark
I think this post, or something like it should be sticky'd.
Rant ON:
If the leatt brace does what it says it does (and I have no reason to doubt it) I think it makes all this 'I cant really afford it right now' seem pretty silly, I mean if you can afford to get a DH bike, you can afford to suit up, really, I don't see how you can afford not too, even if it does break your collarbone, I know someone with a permanently broken collarbone and she seems to be walking perfectly fine.
I also find it somewhat strange that Matti Lehikoinen, in that freecaster interview, talks abot how he's grateful just to be walking now, yet doesn't really seem to be drawing the obvious conclusion. I don't mean to come off preachy, but if I do it's just that I would find it immensely saddening if a rider here bought a brace a week too late...
Please spend your money on a neck brace before you sink the dough into blinging up your ride. Take care of yourselves.

Rant over.
 

ChrisKring

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2002
2,399
6
Grand Haven, MI
Darren: thanks for posting your story.


with regards to the fit question, look at the other thread. With a single slit in the back of my jersey, it fits perfectly into my 2008 Rockgardn jacket. I don't notice it while riding. I have been running it for 1.5 years on the MX bike and part of this year on the DH bike. The cutting the jersey thing (thanks lee) was what made it work on the DH bike for me.
 
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tmx

aka chromegoddess
Mar 16, 2003
1,683
2
Portland
I agree with your rant Hans.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Darren. I can appreciate it's not everyone's thing to max out on gear, but it's good to hear stories of proper equipment (including good suspension!) keeping folks safe out there.

Terry
 

spocomptonrider

sportin' the CROCS
Nov 30, 2007
1,412
118
spokanistan
I think this post, or something like it should be sticky'd.
Rant ON:
If the leatt brace does what it says it does (and I have no reason to doubt it) I think it makes all this 'I cant really afford it right now' seem pretty silly, I mean if you can afford to get a DH bike, you can afford to suit up, really, I don't see how you can afford not too, even if it does break your collarbone, I know someone with a permanently broken collarbone and she seems to be walking perfectly fine.
I also find it somewhat strange that Matti Lehikoinen, in that freecaster interview, talks abot how he's grateful just to be walking now, yet doesn't really seem to be drawing the obvious conclusion. I don't mean to come off preachy, but if I do it's just that I would find it immensely saddening if a rider here bought a brace a week too late...
Please spend your money on a neck brace before you sink the dough into blinging up your ride. Take care of yourselves.

Rant over.
Leatt brace is without question my next "upgrade" no one can afford a broken neck.
 

jcook90

Turbo Monkey
Mar 3, 2006
1,211
1
Connecticut
My leatt fits fine, I have no visibility problems and it doesn't get in the way while riding. I'm not sure if I've made use of it yet but it is nice to know its there. A riding buddy of mine was paralyzed in November dirt jumping so it kinda made me realize that its possible. I heard about it happening to him the night after I had a real bad header too at Plattekill. They could be the best creation for safety 2nd only to the helmet.
 

be350ka

Chimp
Jul 5, 2007
61
0
I have posted some pictures of my Leatt/Dainese fit in another thread. IMO, and from my experience with mine, there is no limitation while riding. To tell the truth, it just becomes part of your armor and you don't even realize that it is there.

On a side note... At every park I have been to this year people have been very interested in the brace. It really is a good sign to see that people are taking their health seriously. Well, as I say this there are still people out there wearing a t-shirt and shorts for their armor with a helmet that isn't even strapped on.

If it helps with the visibility question, here is a little video of me riding yesterday. You can see that the brace is pretty low profile and didn't interfere with my jumping.



 

TA..

!
Aug 21, 2007
228
0
Bionics department
Glad to hear your'e OK Darren, don't need a buddy on the sidelines, good post, as ya know Im still recovering from my broken neck after a compression injury from riding the DJ bike.

Guy's its been nearly 7months for me and still in rehab with a ways to go, though better each week, month, I shouldn't be here at all. I'm all for protection, not sure if I'd worn a brace for DS which was what I was doing at the time of my crash over a big gapper, but DH definitley, the ironic thing was I already wanted one for DH and was waiting for the new season, well its gonna be next season now! will have to think about that one for DS more well still to see if I'll ever get back on a DS let alone a DH not thinking that way though. I really don't see them any different to a helmet, so all for protection, I know like Darrern whn I moto'xd I went to battle fully kitted up though we didn't have neck braces in the late 80s early 90s!

Its easy to poke & wirte it off when ya not the one thats had that type of injury, its like being robbed or knowing someone who died of cancer until it happens to you or close to you you don't take it seriously! Even a helmet can hurt you, nothing can save you if your numbers up, but it can seriously increase your chances, some good advice here, consider what you spend on your bikes travel etc, if you can't afford the protection then somethings backwards, jmo!

Always be rebels, me included, stupidly the week before my accident I was jumping DJs and doing stupid stuff without the helmet and no gloves, though I was lucky for my TSG on the day of crash, it didn't survive either but I'm here..

Be well Darren, ya know the Homie's would love to hear about this too, heal fast and I'm sure the boys in the work shop will have eveything under control, let go of the reins & delegate :thumb:
 

PUSHIND

PUSH Industries (Duh)
Dec 5, 2003
220
244
Colorado
Well, it's day two and I'm actually feeling quite a bit better today....doesn't hurt that I was able to sleep about 4 more hours than I did the night before! :thumb:

Anyway, thanks again to everyone for the comments. I was actually a little concerned about posting initially because I know that this stuff can be a touchy subject sometimes. I really do appreciate having the ability to post my experience.

Those of you that know me realize I'm usually the "goofball" of the crowd so sorry to bring up such a heavy topic.

Darren
 

EANitrox

Chimp
Feb 29, 2008
9
0
Well, it's day two and I'm actually feeling quite a bit better today....doesn't hurt that I was able to sleep about 4 more hours than I did the night before! :thumb:

Anyway, thanks again to everyone for the comments. I was actually a little concerned about posting initially because I know that this stuff can be a touchy subject sometimes. I really do appreciate having the ability to post my experience.

Those of you that know me realize I'm usually the "goofball" of the crowd so sorry to bring up such a heavy topic.

Darren
Dude, I'm glad to know you wore all that which prevented more serious injuries. Also good to know you came out relatively fine after a gnarly crash are getting better!!! I hope you're back on a bike sooner that your docs think.

I agree that one should dress for the crash not the ride. Now I just have to get a neck brace for moto.

Ramon
 

leprechaun

Turbo Monkey
Apr 17, 2004
1,009
0
SLC,Ut
I wish i had a Leatte in 99, i would certainly sleep better and not have to stretch for a 1/2 hour every morning to get my headache to go away...

Scott, my boss, gave me a Leatte for X mas and i love it.

Krispy
 

konastab01

Turbo Monkey
Dec 7, 2004
1,204
220
Leatt for me as soon as I can afford one.
Seem sensible to be more protected now a days.
Tracks are just gettin worse/more dangerous and require a higher level of prtection if you fall off.
 

NJMX835

Monkey
Feb 17, 2007
605
0
Highland Lakes NJ
Isn't Alpinestars releasing their neck brace as well also?

I've seen pics of it (Mike Alessi was\is running one), it got sidelined for a while because Leatt sued them, but that must have gotten straightened out as I heard it's going to be released at Loretta Lynn's.

By the way, anyone used a Leatt with the 661 pro suit yet?
 

FlipFantasia

Turbo Monkey
Oct 4, 2001
1,659
492
Sea to Sky BC
I poke and write it off, and I broke my neck last year.....but it was xc riding and my stanchions snapped, and I'm pretty sure these contraptions aren't made for that......