Body armour - Winter

Mettan

Is "lightweight" upper body armour a useful addition on Winter training rides for Roadies? - it's obviously not going to protect in a high-energy impact but it should be helpful/useful for a whole range of typical low speed offs that many of us experience on relatively rare occasions.

I went out for a 10 miler tonight and was hitting up to 26 mph on the flat in parts - wet roads, raining, front wheel "whipping" side to side as I was giving it a bit (virtually no wind) - just thought if it had of gone from under me then I would have been in better shape wearing armour.

redddraggon

Mettan wrote:

Is "lightweight" upper body armour a useful addition on Winter training rides for Roadies? - it's obviously not going to protect in a high-energy impact but it should be helpful/useful for a whole range of typical low speed offs that many of us experience on relatively rare occasions.

Like the rugby armour? I've got quite a few sets of the stuff, but I wouldn't consider wearing it.

Mettan

redddraggon wrote:

Like the rugby armour? I've got quite a few sets of the stuff, but I wouldn't consider wearing it.

I was thinking more of "lightweight" 661 downhill, or similar - possibly spine/shoulders/chest - possibly elbows.

redddraggon

Mettan wrote:

redddraggon wrote:

Like the rugby armour? I've got quite a few sets of the stuff, but I wouldn't consider wearing it.

I was thinking more of "lightweight" 661 downhill - possibly spine/shoulders/chest - possibly elbows.

I think something like that is just overkill TBH.

feel

Mettan wrote:

I went out for a 10 miler tonight and was hitting up to 26 mph on the flat in parts - wet roads, raining, front wheel "whipping" side to side as I was giving it a bit (virtually no wind) - just thought if it had of gone from under me then I would have been in better shape wearing armour.

skateboarders sometimes where elbow forearm protectors, they might offer some protection...


think i would just slow down a bit, save the max effort (if that's what you want to put in) for going up the hills where you can do it more safely at lower speeds.

giant_man

I don't think it's a bad idea actually, you would protect yourself to some extent. To have that body armour built in to your clothing as well would be a bonus .......

Nuggs

Mettan earlier this morning:

Mog Uk

I might start doing my daily commute in my motorbike leathers and helmet :roll:

AntLockyer

I don't even wear my armour when riding downhill so it's probably overkill

Mettan

Admittedly, it is fairly rare that people come off - just seems it might be of some use in the Winter when there's an increased risk of vehicles sliding/skidding/ bike wheels going etc etc...... - with a cycling jersey over a lightweight armoured top, it'd hardly be noticeable.

brit66

On a related matter...

I can't understand why a clothing manufacturer hasn't sewn Kevlar into shorts to prevent road rash.

The material isn't heavy and would add to heat build up anymore than lycra does

Mettan

brit66 wrote:

On a related matter...

I can't understand why a clothing manufacturer hasn't sewn Kevlar into shorts to prevent road rash.

+1

neeb

You can buy leggings and elbow sleeves for inline skating that have kevlar panels built in:

http://www.skatepro.dk/en/23_51-1534.htm

They're only designed to protect the elbow and knee areas though. No reason why you couldn't have cycling shorts with the kevlar panels down the sides (including the hip area) and jerseys with them in the shoulders.

Mettan

neeb wrote:

. No reason why you couldn't have cycling shorts with the kevlar panels down the sides (including the hip area) and jerseys with them in the shoulders.

+1 again, and am in agreement with that - I've only come off once in the last few years - right knee, hip, shoulder, right side of helmet took the brunt - there certainly does seem to be room in the market place for "appropriate" road gear that's "thin"-ish but sufficiently protective, reasonably light and "aero" ish - surely that's possible - you'd wear it when training, not when racing or doing club 10's 25's etc etc.

neeb

Those kevlar panels are flexible and weight hardly anything. No reason why you couldn't have them in your cycling shorts (at the standard impact points) all of the time. they don't protect you against impact though, only road rash.

Streak

I don't know if kevlar in clothing would help as I used to find that when I hit the deck, my clothing stopped moving as I landed, and I got friction burn wounds from sliding inside the clothing before the road wore through!

Streak

nolf

Same here streak,

TBH How many people would happily go to a club run wearing body armour?

You would look a complete fool- no offence!

Just practice cornering and bike handling skills more, or possibly consider getting new tyres if yours have no grip

neeb

Leaving aside what anyone else would think, body armour would obviously be silly because the occasional slight benefit would be massively outweighed by the restriction in movement, discomfort, extra weight, heat retention and hassle of putting it on. And because of that you would look like a fool... The kevlar panels seem to work for inline skating though so no reason why they wouldn't for cycling. It wouldn't completely prevent road rash but could potentially greatly reduce it in the worst cases. The kevlar itself tends to slide on the road more than other materials do. However it would be a tossup as to whether it would be worth the potential very slight extra discomfort from seams rubbing, very slightly reduced cooling etc. Like most things in cycling the biggest obstacle would be the conservatism of the community though...

Mettan

nolf wrote:

Same here streak,

TBH How many people would happily go to a club run wearing body armour?

Yes, there is that side to it - although I'm thinking more along the lines of Winter solo rides when you've got a jacket on anyway - I doubt there'd be much to notice with a jacket over a relatively "thin" "light" upper armour - some of the 2008 products from certain manufacutrers do fit that bill.

webbhost

Id wear body armour when biking all the time presuming its light and it doesnt stick out.

Kevlar sounds like a goood option, just a shame its not widely available on bike clothing (if anyone knows of any, let me know!).

After all, its not "if" you crash its "when" you crash and "how bad will it or 'could' it have been"? Sure its not going to reduce the impact pain, but I'd rather the floor try and rip through a layer of kevlar than my knees.

rdaviesb

Noooooo....

Just learn to fall properly....

Or don't fall off at all.

webbhost

Just learn to fall properly....
Not sure there is a proper way at 40 mph lol.

Make it a gooden and land on the neck snapping it in 2?

Thats a "proper" fall lol