Neck Braces - good article about the differences.

Ivan

Eats Squid
Here is a link(s) to an article on Neck Braces written by Cycle News.

Anyone trying to decide which neck brace to buy should read this, as it discusses what some neck braces are designed for, and some aren't.

As a further note to this thread, an interesting discussion has arisen on ridemonkey about the Alpinestars brace not being designed for anything other than Moto. So it's probably an important step of buying a brace, to find out what type of helmet the brace was designed to work with. Afterall, it is a system that is dependant on interaction with a helmet.


Part 1 of Cycle News article.

Part 2 of cycle News article.
 

pin'd_it

Likes Dirt
Really good read with an abundance of useful information, despite being focused on MX/Motos.

That was a great post and thanks for sharing it with us, I'm sure it will benefit alot of us on here.
 

cj.

Likes Dirt
That was an awesome read. Makes you think twice about buying before you know if its the right one or not. These look pretty good too. http://www.mxshell.com/ Its a neck brace with built in chest protector too. Pretty much a leatt with that chest thing craig yates wears.
 

rgsupergrover

Likes Dirt
Never worn one while downhilling, as I was not really going fast enough. but I do see some kids wearing them now, can help but think they are posing. Aaaaand probably going heaps faster than me : (
 

Downhill Domination

Captyvate Media
That 661 neck brace incorporated into the chest and back plate would be selling swiftly if it was on the market.
I know I would be rocking one...
 

Rider15

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Never worn one while downhilling, as I was not really going fast enough. but I do see some kids wearing them now, can help but think they are posing. Aaaaand probably going heaps faster than me : (
Personally I think that is a bit of a weak argument. How fast you are going shouldnt be a factor in the amount of protection you wear. If you have a relatively slow speed crash compared to a high speed one, there is just as much chance of serious injury if you land the wrong way. Also isnt it good that something can be both fashionable/poser and be safe at the same time rather then being like BMX and wearing no helmet is cool leading to serious injuries
 

Maris

Likes Dirt
The alpinestars section is interesting, saying that it's mainly only compression fractures that have a real threat for paralysis/death.

Has anyone read anything else like this or to the contrary? Or know of anyone that has had a serious neck injury from anything besides compression?
 

udi

swiss cheese
I thought it was a pretty average read personally. All they seem to do is mash together a million different viewpoints quite messily and conclude with something along the lines of "don't believe everything you hear". I'm not sure how many of you actually read the entire article, but there was a lot of rubbish in there that did a great job of blurring the point.

However I agree there should be some standards set in place for them; that way we could have some tangible/useful data, rather than a 5000 word review containing 500 words of useful data.
 

Ivan

Eats Squid
I thought it was a pretty average read personally............ rather than a 5000 word review containing 500 words of useful data.
I agree, the article really lacked any conclusion. But, finding independant reviews of the neck brace options seems nearly impossible, and this is the closest I have seen to anyone actually trying to point out that all neck braces are not designed to perform the exact same function.

I think the majority believe that the Alpinstars and Leatt brace are the same thing, just in different packaging, which clearly from the article they aren't.

It would be nice if there were some standard test's like the pendulum test and a compression test. I'm not advocating a standard that the braces comply with, just one that their performance can be tested against.
 

adman

Likes Dirt
Yeah I gave this a read. As people have been saying, it seems hard to believe that the only paralysis you can get is from compression... and I'm not sure how a brace does that... I just didn't understand their reasons.

I'm interested in getting a neck brace, but perhaps it's to stop me looking at my wheels the whole time and actually look ahead. I think they feel good and I reckon they would work.

I also don't believe alpine stars "you don't have to break a collarbone to save your neck" attack on Leatt. I really don't see how a slightly raised bit of brace over the bone is going to save your collarbone, whilst attempting to save your neck.

To me, it sounds like the two brands are arguing like 11 year olds over stps and konas; none have much hold on the other, but neither will let down.
 

Tazed

Likes Bikes and Dirt
There was similar resistance to HANS when it was released in motorsport.
It's now been proven over and over again, and even the die-hards have shut up and accepted it.
I learned a lot about energy dissipation from Professor Sid Watkins' books on F1 safety improvements over the years - read them if safety interests you.
Anyway, I don't think it's a bad direction to take, and the general approach will probably evolve into a more streamlined and cheaper set of products over the next few years.
The logic is there, and time will tell if the application actually has the desired results.
Final thought, re the AlpineStars approach: your body does have great flexibility in protecting itself in a fall.
But I think it's a little odd to expect that when you're travelling at 70kmh 10 metres off the ground every 10 seconds, like motocrossers do... Odd.
Leatt and EVS seem to make more sense - let the head move, but control the hyper extension that does the damage.
 
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Andrew Benson

Likes Dirt
I reckon that is a very interesting article.
I agree with you guys and what your saying about the alpinestars.
I think its a bit silly that they are not trying to protect other injuries like hyperflexion and such.
Personally I like the leatt and the 661 the best.
It sucks that I am getting the leatt tommorow because I woukd have liked the 661 because there is not as much fuss with having protection of the neck and the body.
 

demodv8

Likes Dirt
Evs rc evelotion

Northernbeachescycles.com.au has a neckbrace under $300.looks pretty good has anyone seen or heard of EVS
 

maxwolfie

under-the-radar comedian
Are there "all in one" products available? I.e. neck/collarbone, chest, back spine, kidneys etc. Sorry, haven't read the article yet.

If so, are they a.) cost effective (cheaper than buying all the bits to make up said item and b.) less safe as a result of integrating multiple products??
 

Reece.

Likes Dirt
Northernbeachescycles.com.au has a neckbrace under $300.looks pretty good has anyone seen or heard of EVS
Yea i've got one... well sorry had one but it was too small so now my cousin has got it. So when i get home from Thailand in 4 days that will be the first thing i buy, loved it to peices, very VERY comfy, good adjustability, great for the price. ebay have them for about 160$ US including shipping, so just go get a size from your local moto shop and you will be sweet!
 

maxwolfie

under-the-radar comedian
Didn't really find that article all that informative - As other have mentioned..... Mainly just "blurb" with no real conclusion, factual evidence etc.
 

demodv8

Likes Dirt
Yea i've got one... well sorry had one but it was too small so now my cousin has got it. So when i get home from Thailand in 4 days that will be the first thing i buy, loved it to peices, very VERY comfy, good adjustability, great for the price. ebay have them for about 160$ US including shipping, so just go get a size from your local moto shop and you will be sweet!
Thanks Reece didnt know there was different sizes I thought it was one size fits all
 

S.

ex offender
I thought it was a pretty average read personally. All they seem to do is mash together a million different viewpoints quite messily and conclude with something along the lines of "don't believe everything you hear". I'm not sure how many of you actually read the entire article, but there was a lot of rubbish in there that did a great job of blurring the point.

However I agree there should be some standards set in place for them; that way we could have some tangible/useful data, rather than a 5000 word review containing 500 words of useful data.
The whole problem, and IMO the one useful conclusion they did make, is that all the testing "data" that exists so far is not standardised and hard to compare to the huge variety of potential real-world scenarios. As a result, there IS no concrete conclusion to be made at this point. I think the article did a fairly good job of getting plenty of credible opinions from the various companies and at the very least pointing out the different design philosophies.
 
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