Leatt Brace: Sport vs. Club

The sport model allows you to lower the rear of the brace in order to allow you to lift your head more (i.e. see further down steep trails) whether or not this is worth the extra dough is up to you.

spocomptonrider said:

The sport model allows you to lower the rear of the brace in order to allow you to lift your head more (i.e. see further down steep trails) whether or not this is worth the extra dough is up to you.

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Incorrect

The adventure is $225 and has onlt basic adjustments

The Club is $400 and has all of the adjustments

The sport is $600 and is lighter than the club

The club is the best buy for DH. Here is the Leatt website that compares the different models: http://www.leatt-brace.com/index.php?page_id=53&id=3

What upper body armour works best with a Leatt brace. I'm planning on getting a club model Leatt brace, but want to know what armour offers back plates that either remove at the top or offer enough room for the back piece of the brace to go under or rest comfortably on top of them?

The Rock Gardn Flak Jacket works great with NO modifications. I have a small slit cut in my jersey (you will have to do this with any body armor to get a good fit).

Put on body armor
Put on jersey
put on Leatt. slide through hole and between the Rockgardn and my back.
Pull jersey and Rockgardn up over the front of the Leatt.

The Leatt doesn't move and is sitting in the correct place.

ChrisKring said:

Incorrect

The adventure is $225 and has onlt basic adjustments

The Club is $400 and has all of the adjustments

The sport is $600 and is lighter than the club

The club is the best buy for DH. Here is the Leatt website that compares the different models: http://www.leatt-brace.com/index.php?page_id=53&id=3

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I was thinking of the Adventure for some reason.

ChrisKring said:

The Rock Gardn Flak Jacket works great with NO modifications. I have a small slit cut in my jersey (you will have to do this with any body armor to get a good fit).

Put on body armor
Put on jersey
put on Leatt. slide through hole and between the Rockgardn and my back.
Pull jersey and Rockgardn up over the front of the Leatt.

The Leatt doesn't move and is sitting in the correct place.

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So the Leatt goes under the body armour and directly on your back. No need for the straps then? Does anyone know if the Leatt works this well with the 661 pro pressure suit? I would hate to have to buy new armour on top of $400 brace. The price leads me to another question - any shop employees have any luck with Leatt on an EP?

Anyone rockin a mace swat jacket with the Leatt club?

correct, you don't need the straps with body armor. I have seen some people use them but I don't feel it moving at all.

661: not sure. Take your body armor to a moto shop and try one. Or, ask anyone with a Leatt if you can check it out. Most everyone with one will be more than happy to let you try it on.

pricing: good luck. The Leatt guys are nuts about maintaining the pricing. I think they are really close to being on the illegal side of price fixxing. Anyway, the best deal I have heard was if you have a troy lee account. I don't so I have no idea what the deal is.

ChrisKring said:

correct, you don't need the straps with body armor. I have seen some people use them but I don't feel it moving at all.

661: not sure. Take your body armor to a moto shop and try one. Or, ask anyone with a Leatt if you can check it out. Most everyone with one will be more than happy to let you try it on.

pricing: good luck. The Leatt guys are nuts about maintaining the pricing. I think they are really close to being on the illegal side of price fixxing. Anyway, the best deal I have heard was if you have a troy lee account. I don't so I have no idea what the deal is.

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Thanks for the info Chris. Unfortunately we don't have a troy lee account, but I think the protection is worth it not to mention some peace of mind. I'm not the fastest guy these days, but even use mid pack guys crash. Do you use yours for all DH (riding with buddies, racing, etc.) or do you pick and choose based on gnarl of courses and/or terrain?

I am running an adventure brace with 661 Pro Pressure suit. I am not running the back plate at the moment ,with out it ,it works great ,I have tried using it with out the straps with the Back Plate in place ,it works but due to the adventure sitting higher than the club its not great. the rear piece of the brace slides under the back plate.

a bit of modification ,like removing the top vertibrae of the back plate should work fine.

By the way ,I had a huge over the bars on Aline about a week ago ,landed face first to dirt after getting buked. the only thing not sore was my neck ,I was not winded and the brace held my head almost comfortably during the whole event.
so Im a firm believer in the braces working.

I wear mine pretty much all the time for DH now that I have the setup good. I don't notice it while riding so I don't see why I wouldn't ride with it on.

bit OT but has anyone had any problems with the EVS rc neck braces, seem fairly good value.

stringbean said:

bit OT but has anyone had any problems with the EVS rc neck braces, seem fairly good value.

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They don't have all the adjustments of the Leatt so unless it fits you pretty much perfect out of the box then you can't get them to work for you. Also you might run into problems with not being able to see up enough. Leatt Club and Sport and pretty much the only options for DH. The shop that sold me my leatt (Nerang mtb centre, you probably know them) said they don't stock the Alpinestars ones due to some fitment issues or something. They say the Leatt is the only one worth getting.

I just bought my GPX Club on Ebay brand spankin new for 350 including shipping, $50 discount not too bad eh??? as for the adventure they dont go below $225 in all the ads i've seen.

good luck!

Quick questions about my new Adventure. I haven't used it yet as I'm recovering from an injury but plan to next weekend. First it fits pretty well stock, but I have found that for my slouching posture it works best with the back lower brace spaced the opposite way it says for skinny dudes(wide part of the spacer toward the top.) Is this an issue?
Riding around the neighborhood doing downhill types of moves with no spacer I could feel pressure between the front of the brace and the bottom of the back brace causing it to squeeze up a bit.

Concerning the leatt brace with the six six one armor (Jonny)

I use my club brace with the older style core saver. (Not the new one designed for use with the brace) Anyway, I cut a slit in the front and in the back of my jersey. I have the back of the brace slid under the armor so it sits directly on my back. I do the same up front. It sits nice and secure.

When I ride without armor, I occasionally wear the straps. It is fairly secure anyway, but the straps aren't a pain or anything.

Anytime I'm on the downhill bike I will likely wear the brace. I'll always have it on even before wearing the core saver.

jonnynails said:

Thanks for the info Chris. Unfortunately we don't have a troy lee account, but I think the protection is worth it not to mention some peace of mind. I'm not the fastest guy these days, but even use mid pack guys crash. Do you use yours for all DH (riding with buddies, racing, etc.) or do you pick and choose based on gnarl of courses and/or terrain?

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The Leatt brace saved my neck last Sunday at N Star in a big way. I went over the bars at high speeds and the back of my head hit the dirt first shoving my chin straight into my Leatt in the front. Leatt saved me from a big neck injury. I was sore, but nothing broke.... I feel great today thanks to the Leatt...

Even with my body armor I wear the straps. I like the feeling of the Leatt when I wear the straps. The straps also help when you crash to keep the brace in the same spot.

I wear my Leatt full time for moto and DH. I usually don't crash. But when I do I know I have the best chance of getting back up and riding away....!!!

I suggest people where as much safety gear as possible. If it doesn't bother you to ride with the gear....... then wear it.... You will thank your self the day you take a bad spill....

Be safe and ride hard.......

haromtnbiker said:

Concerning the leatt brace with the six six one armor (Jonny)

I use my club brace with the older style core saver. (Not the new one designed for use with the brace) Anyway, I cut a slit in the front and in the back of my jersey. I have the back of the brace slid under the armor so it sits directly on my back. I do the same up front. It sits nice and secure.

When I ride without armor, I occasionally wear the straps. It is fairly secure anyway, but the straps aren't a pain or anything.

Anytime I'm on the downhill bike I will likely wear the brace. I'll always have it on even before wearing the core saver.

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Thanks Haro. I was actually considering the new core saver after a guy I rode with today showed me how his works with the Leatt. Wish I had one now out here on my trip in Colorado, but going to get one as soon as I get home next week. Glad to hear that it has been helping people.

I've been wearing one with a 661 pro suit for the past year. Cut a slit in the back of your jersey and slide the back piece down under the spine protector, the same as you would for other suits. It works fine, the front piece rests on top of the chest pad on the pressure suit. No need for straps, it stays in place just fine.

I have the Club. FANTASTIC with plenty of adjustment. I rarely, if ever, notice it while I'm riding.

I am in Morzine, right now. I asked some english speaking guys about riding in LB Adventure. They all said there were no problems with head back movement.

A big reason why it is so hard to find a deal off retail on a Leatt is because their dealer margins are realllll slim. IIRC dealer margin is about 15%, whereas most bike gear is between 35-45%. Most bike shops are pretty vocal about only carrying the Leatt braces because it's "the right thing to do." That 15% margin gets eaten up real quick when you have to pull it out of the box over and over to show people/let them try it on.

I no longer work at a shop, and I will have no problem paying retail for one once I get the money together.

WBC said:

A big reason why it is so hard to find a deal off retail on a Leatt is because their dealer margins are realllll slim. IIRC dealer margin is about 15%, whereas most bike gear is between 35-45%. Most bike shops are pretty vocal about only carrying the Leatt braces because it's "the right thing to do." That 15% margin gets eaten up real quick when you have to pull it out of the box over and over to show people/let them try it on.

I no longer work at a shop, and I will have no problem paying retail for one once I get the money together.

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To put it into perspective even more, I was informed that Leatt doesn't sponsor ANYONE. Everyone pays for their brace. That sure says something about the company.

If anyone is going to get one. support the riding scene/industry and order from your local shop, or order from www.ridesfo.com.

Prettym1k3 said:

To put it into perspective even more, I was informed that Leatt doesn't sponsor ANYONE. Everyone pays for their brace. That sure says something about the company.

If anyone is going to get one. support the riding scene/industry and order from your local shop, or order from www.ridesfo.com.

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I've heard they hand out free braces to the pros at the WC?