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Whos running a leatt brace ,and how are they with armor

StyledAirtime

Monkey
May 24, 2006
245
1
NewZealand
Hey ,im just about to put down the cash for a leatt brace , just wondering how they fit with suits like a pressure suit or similar , if any one has any pics of one set up with armor that would be sick.

also how do you find riding in it.

Cheers
 

seth505

Monkey
Jun 9, 2006
519
0
CA
incase you are wondering, they are coming out with a cheaper version soon for like $195
 

ChrisKring

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2002
2,399
6
Grand Haven, MI
incase you are wondering, they are coming out with a cheaper version soon for like $195
Yes, that will be good so that more people will buy one. From what I understand, the $195 model lacks the carbon fiber and the adjustability.

You don't need to be concerned with the lack of carbon fiber. Just make sure that you can look up to see where your going on the DH bike. I run my Leatt adjusted all the way up on the back for moto. However, for DH I need to adjust the rear about half way down or I can't get my head up.
 

seth505

Monkey
Jun 9, 2006
519
0
CA
Yes, that will be good so that more people will buy one. From what I understand, the $195 model lacks the carbon fiber and the adjustability.

You don't need to be concerned with the lack of carbon fiber. Just make sure that you can look up to see where your going on the DH bike. I run my Leatt adjusted all the way up on the back for moto. However, for DH I need to adjust the rear about half way down or I can't get my head up.
cool that makes sense, and ya I'm not sure how many people will be into the cheaper model since its "heavier" and everyone is really concerned with weight, but it does make it available for people who cant spend 400-1000 on the thing
 

General Lee

Turbo Monkey
Oct 16, 2003
2,860
0
The 802
cool that makes sense, and ya I'm not sure how many people will be into the cheaper model since its "heavier" and everyone is really concerned with weight, but it does make it available for people who cant spend 400-1000 on the thing

The extra weight is something you can get used to but it's more noticeable than I thought it might be. I could see it being less of a problem in moto since you are a bit more upright and the brace is pretty evenly distributed over your chest and shoulders. DH requires you to have your back a lot flatter and the Leatt hangs a bit more from your neck that way. I have the carbon brace and i've found it leaves me a little sore after a full days riding. no big deal really, probabably no more so than getting used to a moto helmet over a D2.

should also mention that i have a really low riding position and chronic neck problems so my experience might be unique.
 

ChrisKring

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2002
2,399
6
Grand Haven, MI
do you wear you Leatt under or over your armor?
Under. The instructions are very specific that the spine part of the brace needs to be under any armor. A few people I have seen run the front on top of their armor.

I have only been wearing my Leatt about 30% of the time on the DH bike. I need to get my jerseys modified to work with it better. I ride with it 100% of the time on the MX bike. I really should ride with it 100% of the time onthe DH bike. I will make a point of modifing my jerseys by the next Snowshoe race.
 

cogs

Monkey
Feb 13, 2005
140
0
Just picked up a Leatt Brace. It does not play well with the 2008 661 Body Armor. I am going to be purchasing a 2008 Rock Gardn Jacket shortly. Modifying the jersey is a must too.
 

General Lee

Turbo Monkey
Oct 16, 2003
2,860
0
The 802
Just picked up a Leatt Brace. It does not play well with the 2008 661 Body Armor. I am going to be purchasing a 2008 Rock Gardn Jacket shortly. Modifying the jersey is a must too.

it plays very well with TLD armor. i posted this back in February so you might have missed it:

http://ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196730&page=2&highlight=leatt+brace+armor

only thing i've done differently since then is moved the opening on the rear of the jersey up a few inches and made it wider. i ended up sliding the spine part of the brace under the backplate foam (just have to undo a few stitches first) rather than in between the foam and plastic. I still run it on top of the chest foam since it is really thin and makes no difference. i've also ditched the velcro and the traps as i found that i can't notice the brace bouncing around when i ride so they weren't necessary; though this will come down to personal preference for many people.

hope that helps.
 
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pbskis14

Chimp
Apr 24, 2003
83
0
I bought and wore the Leatt Brace for about 3 hours at Mountain Creek.. I dont know if it is just me, but when I drop the back 'flap' all the way down, my helmet still hits it when I look up/ahead. Is this happening to anyone else? Other than that its great, but couldnt even wear it for half a day it was mad annoying..

-Pete
 

General Lee

Turbo Monkey
Oct 16, 2003
2,860
0
The 802
I bought and wore the Leatt Brace for about 3 hours at Mountain Creek.. I dont know if it is just me, but when I drop the back 'flap' all the way down, my helmet still hits it when I look up/ahead. Is this happening to anyone else? Other than that its great, but couldnt even wear it for half a day it was mad annoying..

-Pete

what helmet were you using? For DH you might run into more compatibility issues than you would in moto. I know Leatt is making some lower profile foam kits for DH specific applications. One of their designers is the 2000 & 02 South African DH champ so they are definitely paying attention to our specific needs.
 

cogs

Monkey
Feb 13, 2005
140
0
it plays very well with TLD armor. i posted this back in February so you might have missed it:

http://ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196730&page=2&highlight=leatt+brace+armor

only thing i've done differently since then is moved the opening on the rear of the jersey up a few inches and made it wider. i ended up sliding the spine part of the brace under the backplate foam (just have to undo a few stitches first) rather than in between the foam and plastic. I still run it on top of the chest foam since it is really thin and makes no difference. i've also ditched the velcro and the traps as i found that i can't notice the brace bouncing around when i ride so they weren't necessary; though this will come down to personal preference for many people.

hope that helps.
Yeah.. your post helped a lot when I was modifying the jersey.

The 661 Body Armor has a massive pad in the front and has a zipper on the outside of the rip cage (unlike the Rock Gardn and Troy Lee which goes down the middle of the rib cage). There is NO way to secure the brace with the 661 setup if you want to use the straps. You can however use the velcro method for the spin protector - which I venture to guess would be for all body armor.
 

be350ka

Chimp
Jul 5, 2007
61
0
Here is a thread where I posted some pics of mine. It works great and I don't even know that it is on. BEWARE: It takes some time to get it properly adjusted. I think it took me about 1.5 hours before I was completely happy.

For those of you that are having issues "looking up" make sure that you have the back adjusted down far enough. If you pull the padding off you will see that the "nut" that holds the back part of the brace is reversable which allows further adjustment. Take a look.
 

ChrisKring

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2002
2,399
6
Grand Haven, MI
For those of you that are having issues "looking up" make sure that you have the back adjusted down far enough. If you pull the padding off you will see that the "nut" that holds the back part of the brace is reversable which allows further adjustment. Take a look.
Excellent info. I forgot to mention that you need to take the cover off to fully adjust it down.

I was really surprised to see 10-15 people at the US Open with them on. Good deal.
 

DownhillR3

Monkey
May 31, 2007
630
0
I run my Leatt Sport Brace with my Fox roost protector which I run over my jersey. So far it works well, the chest protector keeps it in place, i've finally adjusted it where I like it. It isn't too heavy, I've worn it for a couple long days with a TLD SE2 on & haven't felt any neck strain like GeneralLee stated but then again our riding styles are most likely different and I think he said he had neck problems already. So each to his own, but try one out before you decide to lay down the cash if you feel hesistant.

ChrisKring, I was probaly one of the 10 you saw at the Open(head-to-toe in TLD green/black/yellow), I was suprised myself how many other people were wearing it, very suprised.
 
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be350ka

Chimp
Jul 5, 2007
61
0
I was riding that weekend at the Open (not in it) with the Leatt. Red Sinister. It was quite encouraging to see so many people with the brace considering that there was one broken neck when it was all said and done.
 

yuroshek

Turbo Monkey
Jun 26, 2007
2,438
0
Arizona!
i picked one up last week and wore it at mount snow this weekend. alot of people were askin about it. i think i was the only dude there with one. once you adjust it to fit you cant even tell its there. i noticed the back of my helmet was hitting alittle bit so i adjusted it more and now its all good.

buy it, wouldnt you be pist if something happen to your neck and you knew you cheaped out on 400 bucks? now you gotta live with it for the rest of your life? no thanks.
 

NJHCx4xLIFE

Monkey
Jan 23, 2007
350
0
Central Jersey
i picked one up last week and wore it at mount snow this weekend. alot of people were askin about it. i think i was the only dude there with one. once you adjust it to fit you cant even tell its there. i noticed the back of my helmet was hitting alittle bit so i adjusted it more and now its all good.

buy it, wouldnt you be pist if something happen to your neck and you knew you cheaped out on 400 bucks? now you gotta live with it for the rest of your life? no thanks.
I thought you were wearing one in that video. Are you still wearing your coresaver? I'm curious because I would be using the same set-up as you. I am thinking about the evs one since my shop does evs stuff for other sports too.
 

General Lee

Turbo Monkey
Oct 16, 2003
2,860
0
The 802
i wear mine everywhere and it gets a lot of interest. at the 3 races I've done this year-Canada Cup, Open, Pat's Peak-i've probably let several dozen riders try it on while sitting around in the pits or at the start. I'm glad there a are a bunch of more visible riders like Neethling and Gracia wearing them too, it's really just a matter of time before they really catch on.

was checking out Dylan's coverage of Angelfire and was impressed with how many elite riders were running it there as well:

http://www.pinnedmtb.com/angelfire_msc08.htm
 

DownhillR3

Monkey
May 31, 2007
630
0
buy it, wouldnt you be pist if something happen to your neck and you knew you cheaped out on 400 bucks? now you gotta live with it for the rest of your life? no thanks.
Wonder who you got that line from, haha Cool you finally picked one up Dennis and I agree with everyone, it is pretty funny having everyone give you strange looks and ask a bunch of questions about it, makes me feel important.:busted:
 

Dylan Dean

Monkey
Oct 12, 2007
608
0
southern California
i wear mine everywhere and it gets a lot of interest. at the 3 races I've done this year-Canada Cup, Open, Pat's Peak-i've probably let several dozen riders try it on while sitting around in the pits or at the start. I'm glad there a are a bunch of more visible riders like Neethling and Gracia wearing them too, it's really just a matter of time before they really catch on.

was checking out Dylan's coverage of Angelfire and was impressed with how many elite riders were running it there as well:

http://www.pinnedmtb.com/angelfire_msc08.htm
yah, there were quite a number of riders running it there. the only 2 people i saw remove them (for riding) was 2 girls racing MTX. they wore it for DH, but had issues moving/turning their head racing MTX (looking up from the start gate & turning to look back in turns to check on rider positions. I'm thinking it might have to do with their personal size & stature. being a "smaller" body compared to a guy, it might be a little harder for them for fit (even when adjusted properly).... cause i did see at least on guy still run them in MTX with no problem.

There are quite a few big names on the WC circuit that run them too. Cedric, Minnaar, Matti, Neethling, etc.. haven't paid much attention to the girls if they have been running it in MTX & had any issues. other than one of the girls previously mentioned.

I don't personaly own one, but i do believe it's a great product! When (if) i start racing more, i'm probably gonna get one... just so i can paint it up! haha
 

pbskis14

Chimp
Apr 24, 2003
83
0
For those of you that are having issues "looking up" make sure that you have the back adjusted down far enough. If you pull the padding off you will see that the "nut" that holds the back part of the brace is reversable which allows further adjustment. Take a look.
I noticed that 'nut' before and thought about spinning it a 180, but figured it was there for limitation reasons. I will give that a try next and see if it works with my THE helmet.
 

yuroshek

Turbo Monkey
Jun 26, 2007
2,438
0
Arizona!
vince, it does work with the core saver but, only if you wear your jersey then your core saver then your leatt. so i gotta cut my jersey so it all fits and looks right. i might even try out my old thor chest protector with it...
 

Trekrules

Turbo Monkey
Apr 12, 2007
1,226
148
Just orded mine today,i bougth the Moto GPX club in a small size.Can't wait to try them when i'm riding.
 

jasons

Chimp
Feb 28, 2005
74
0
Denver CO
vince, it does work with the core saver but, only if you wear your jersey then your core saver then your leatt. so i gotta cut my jersey so it all fits and looks right. i might even try out my old thor chest protector with it...
I am using one with a Core Saver. I use it wearing the Core Saver, then the jersey with the Leatt on the top of everything. I am actually working on a new Core Saver (for 2009) that will be completely Leatt compatible that will accept the Leatt over top of it. I have not tried it with our other Pressure suits though. We are also making changes to our Defenders to work with the Leatt brace with out any modifications.
 

NJHCx4xLIFE

Monkey
Jan 23, 2007
350
0
Central Jersey
I am using one with a Core Saver. I use it wearing the Core Saver, then the jersey with the Leatt on the top of everything. I am actually working on a new Core Saver (for 2009) that will be completely Leatt compatible that will accept the Leatt over top of it. I have not tried it with our other Pressure suits though. We are also making changes to our Defenders to work with the Leatt brace with out any modifications.
I just bought my 2nd core saver since last year mine was always a little too big... Now you mean to tell me I might have to buy a 3rd one if they get changed to be more Leatt compatible... damn you.

On a serious note though. Do you notice any problems with running the Leatt over the core saver and jersey? Enough of an issue to make me buy a 09 core saver atleast?

I'd also like to find someone who has some time using the new EVS neck brace. A little more economical and my shop already does EVS products for other sports we carry.
 

jcook90

Turbo Monkey
Mar 3, 2006
1,211
1
Connecticut
I've heard that the quality of the EVS is nowhere near as nice as the Leatt, but then again thats what the guy at the shop where I got my Leatt said.
 

jasons

Chimp
Feb 28, 2005
74
0
Denver CO
I just bought my 2nd core saver since last year mine was always a little too big... Now you mean to tell me I might have to buy a 3rd one if they get changed to be more Leatt compatible... damn you.

On a serious note though. Do you notice any problems with running the Leatt over the core saver and jersey? Enough of an issue to make me buy a 09 core saver atleast?

I'd also like to find someone who has some time using the new EVS neck brace. A little more economical and my shop already does EVS products for other sports we carry.
There are a few problems that I found with running the Leatt over the current Core Saver. 1. The padding on the shoulders interfere with the brace 2. The back strut of the brace cannot fit under the back plates of over them 3. The chest can be a problem especially if you are using the straps. The new design will address all of these things so that you can put the Core Saver on and then your jersey and then the Leatt on top of your jersey without modifying it. If you want to run the CoreSaver without the Leatt, it will still provide the same protection. The new one should also be a little lighter and sleeker.
 

tlproject7

Monkey
Nov 15, 2005
520
0
if you have armor on, without a spine protector, or even no body armor on. cant you just run the back sturt ontop of your jersey with the xstraps? i want one, but im confused
 

Jonny5

Monkey
Feb 13, 2007
502
0
You mean, run the leatt without body armour, sure. No worries.

EVS update- it pretty well sucks.

Leatt club- worlds above.

Adventure- anyone know where the plates are yet?