LEATT brace first ride report

[oldguy]

Spider got the Leatt neck brace a couple weeks ago and the time finally came to try it out.
First off straight out of the box it is a nice lookng piece of gear. Very lightweight and low profile. Padding is good and pieces all mesh together well.
Next up was fitting- we fitted it last weekend when he was home. Fitting is pretty easy if you take it step by step. First we decided that he needed the small pin setup (changing pins is a 2 minute job each side with 2 screws on each). Next we swapped out the 10 degree back piece with the 17 degree (spider is very tall and thin and does not have overly broad shoulders front to back) optional piece. These 2 fitting changes provided a comfortable fit in the living room and took about 15 minutes. We did have difficulty getting his jersey over the chestprotector and Leatt at the same time. We ended up cutting the neck into a V in the front to get enough room (see track portion for better advice)
Next out to the garage to try it on the bike with helmet and chest protector (he wears an EVS R4 under protector). He jumped on the bike (on a stand) and moved all over it trying to see if there were any positions which caused problems of which none were found.

Today we finally got to a track for a test ride.
First time out (first time of the season also) after 8 laps no problems at all with fit. He had one or 2 times when the bottom of the helmet hit on the side but these were spots where he was pushed around on the bike by ruts. One minor problem with visibility came up when he stopped and got off the bike- He could not look down to see the stand in order to lift and set the bike on it.
Next practice session was coming up and as he got dressed he came up with an idea- put all his gear on and then unclip both sides of the Leatt to take the Leatt apart. He then put the back on, then the front, and then clipped them together. It worked great and we decided we didn't need to cut the jersey as far as we did (some styles may not need to be cut at all using this method- try it first before wrecking a jersey :bang: ).
This session he went out on his 250F which has a softer front suspension and he said when he got headshake on the bars a couple times he noticed the Leatt moved around on and off his shoulders also. It was a bit annoying at first but didn't present a problem ride wise as it did not block his view or impede head motion (this did not occur with his 450 but then again he never got headshake on it)

He went out for 5 more sesions through the day and by the end said he really didn't even notice the Leatt at all. It never interfered with his head movement and never caught his helmet. The brace is light enough he didn't feel it resting on his shoulders at all.

The Leatt appears from this experience to be a well designed piece of protective gear. I realize it is still somewhat unproven but then again so is almost every piece of protective gear and hopefully nobody reading this will ever have the bad luck of putting it to a true crash test.

Thankfully he didn't crash test it but overall he was happy with it and felt it is something he will wear everytime he rides in the future.

 

[just_a_rider]

I'd like to have one my self, thats is after all the one injury on my mind all the time that a neck nut is not even going to prevent and just maybe this one will, I bet Tarah Gieger wishes she would have something like this when she snaped her neck.

 

[FruDaddy]

I am seriously considering ordering on in the next week, so please, bottom line it for me. My boy wears an EVS contoured neck roll, is the Leatt worth the $400 price tag? I don't want to throw down the cash, that I could spend on knee braces, only to learn that it provide marginally better protection than the roll that he uses (EVS RC2):
http://www.evs-sports.com/products/product_details.asp?prodID=33

 

[oldguy]

I am seriously considering ordering on in the next week, so please, bottom line it for me. My boy wears an EVS contoured neck roll, is the Leatt worth the $400 price tag? I don't want to throw down the cash, that I could spend on knee braces, only to learn that it provide marginally better protection than the roll that he uses (EVS RC2):
http://www.evs-sports.com/products/product_details.asp?prodID=33

Really wish I could make the call for you but .......
Yes I feel it provides a higher level of protection then a neck roll. The Leatt provides a barrier to head movement in all directions whereas the neck roll really only minimizes rear motion. Go to Leatts site and view their test results and maybe that will help you decide. Right now they have done quite a bit of testing, but, they did the testing. I would like to see an independant tester come in but then again I don't know what else they would be able to do.
Thankfully I didn't have to make the protection choice you are making because my son already wears Asterisk braces. If there was a 100% clear test that says the Leatt is foolproof my choice would be first to protect the neck and spinal cord second the knees. It is easier to fix a knee medically.
My viewpoint is that the brace may save a 1000 kids but nobody will say it absolutely did but if one kid wearing a brace breaks his neck (freak accidents always can happen) everyone will jump in and say it is useless.

 

[LazyBoy]

I don't want to throw down the cash, that I could spend on knee braces

There is a better chance of recovering from a knee injury then a neck injury. Not saying that I don't feel knee braces are important as i wear them also, but in my opinion if I was forced to choose between the two I would go with a Leatt.

As for the comparison between the neck roll and the Leatt, in my opinion the Leatt would offer a whole other level of protection, even with a neck roll on your neck can bend fairly far backwards and almost completely forwards were as with the Leatt the range of motion is limited in both directions.

 

[Sawblade]

Thanks for the report Oldguy. I'm one of the 100 winners from the Full Circle/One Industries contest. I should have my brace next week and will follow up with my own report. I've seen a few reports on the net and all say that you do not notice the brace once you start riding. I'm looking forward to the added protection.

Frudaddy - If it was me I would go for the Leatt brace first. IMO, I'm not convinced that knee braces offer the level of protection that the manufactures would like you to believe. Most others on this board will disagree with me, but this is a topic for another thread. ;)

 

[nikki]

Oldguy - any pics? Like of the fit over the shoulders, with the cp, with a jersey, etc? Or moving the helmet in different crash-like motions? Also, did you get the $400 or $600 one? Is the only difference the material (more CF with the $600?). I've checked the site, seen a few guys wearing one at the track, and read some stuff here and there... but still learning more about it.

 

[Chili]

Is the only difference the material (more CF with the $600?).

More CF, Troy has the $400 one and in talking to the Leatt guys I believe the difference total was a mere couple of grams.

 

[oldguy]

Nikki we got the $400 one also. Spider was being camera shy and I think I only got one or 2 pics I have to check the camera. Maybe if YOU asked it would get far better responce

 

[Philip]

Maybe if YOU asked it would get far better responce

That would sure work for me!!!!! :laugh: :p

 

[MXGirl230]

Thanks for the report, Dave. I think we definitely made the right decision in ordering them. We are still waiting on ours to show up. How long did it take to come in from the time you ordered? Tomorrow will be three weeks. We were hoping to get them before we started riding.

 

[oldguy]

I got lucky a co worker of Spider's had it but due to numerous times breaking his collarbone and large calcium bumps he could not get it to fit comfortably. When I had talked to Leatt they were saying 6 to 8 weeks

 

[Sawblade]

My Leatt brace arrived today. I want to extend a big thanks to Fullcircle Foundation and ONE Industries for providing me with the opportunity to wear and promote the Leatt brace. I fit the brace tonight and it feels good with my helmet and chest protector on. Setting on the bike in the garage, I do not see any issue with adjusting to this new piece of safety equipment. I can’t wait to go riding on Saturday!

 

[Chili]

What CP and how much modifying to the CP did you do?

 

[Sawblade]

Chili,
I have a Fox Airframe. I extended the adjusters out one on the front to make more room for the Leatt brace to slip between my chest and CP. It feels snug, but not tight. I don't believe I will need to hack up the CP. I also wear a Bell Moto 8.

If the Airframe doesn't work out, I'm looking at either of these CP's.

http://www.rxrprotect.com


http://www.hrpsports.com - search for Flak Jak LT - It's designed to fit around the Leat brace. It has a clip on the front to more easily put on the CP on around the Leatt brace.

 

[HubertGarfunkleIII]

Nikki we got the $400 one also. Spider was being camera shy and I think I only got one or 2 pics I have to check the camera. Maybe if YOU asked it would get far better responce

I love the way you spelled response, responce :rotfl:

and you are allowed to carry a gun :yikes:

 

[Chili]

I love the way you spelled response, responce :rotfl:

and you are allowed to carry a gun :yikes:

I love the way you forgot to use periods at the end of each sentence. Do you really want me to prowl your posts looking for one typo/spelling mistake? Make it a personal insult again and your stay here will be short.

 

[oldguy]

Nikki here is the only picture I got Sunday not the best but shows some view of the brace/helmet interface

 

[phazelag]

I will be getting one but you guys need to seehow they are treating people. thumpertalk has two threads about how this company has treated them as well as one by a leader in the Kart racing industry.

I want the device, but I am not comfortable supporting them. But I guess I will be less comfortable in wheel chair.

Z

 

[trial_07]

Man I wish I could offer myself some more protection... It's so expensive!

 

[oldguy]

I will be getting one but you guys need to seehow they are treating people. thumpertalk has two threads about how this company has treated them as well as one by a leader in the Kart racing industry.

I want the device, but I am not comfortable supporting them. But I guess I will be less comfortable in wheel chair.

Z

I don't know I take beotching posts with a grain of salt. I was treated great when I called for information but then again happy people usually don't shout out about it. I asked many questions which they probably answer over and over all day never giving me any indication I was a PITA for bothering them.
Yes I was a little disappointed when they said 4 to 6 weeks because they were overwhelmed by the response and caught off guard with to small of a supply on hand. I got lucky picking ours up from a friend.

 

[robwbright]

Maybe someone posted this already, but read it and look at the pic at the bottom of the page if you haven't seen it already. . .

http://www.motodrive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=33103

 

[Sawblade]

Man I wish I could offer myself some more protection... It's so expensive!

I'd rather spend $400 on a device that offers some level on protection verses a go fast device that I've convinced myself will make me faster. :think:

 

[robwbright]

These Leatts are really hot now that Windham and others are wearing it. My local "connection" who gets me stuff at dealer cost said he gets ZERO discount off retail.

 

[+30]

I have had one on order with bto for a few weeks and they are still about 3-4 weeks away due to huge demand, after reading that post from Tom B I'm really glad I have one reserved.