To armor or not to armor... (is CE enough)

Hey team,

So while Erci gets an R6, I get an amazing deal on a Joe Rocket suit w/ money left over for new armor/back protector etc. The elbow, knees, shoulders are CE, but they feel pretty thin. I was looking at A* bionic replacements, but those also look similar (I know they harden on impact, etc., so maybe I'm totally off base here)...

So there's a multi tiered question/opinion here (might apply to many others).

Assuming my suit is not super roomy, do I:
-Get a back protector (or vest w/ chest protection; ie Stryker Field armor, etc) and call it a day?
-Update the shoulder, knees etc to 'bio armor' or another 'better than CE' armor?
-Get those wearable knee and elbow things (also Stryker line, but you get the point)?

I am slightly bias to the last option after removing the pads 'built' into the suit.

Thoughts? Much appreciated!

metallicat said:

Hey team,

So while Erci gets an R6, I get an amazing deal on a Joe Rocket suit w/ money left over for new armor/back protector etc. The elbow, knees, shoulders are CE, but they feel pretty thin. I was looking at A* bionic replacements, but those also look similar (I know they harden on impact, etc., so maybe I'm totally off base here)...

So there's a multi tiered question/opinion here (might apply to many others).

Assuming my suit is not super roomy, do I:
-Get a back protector (or vest w/ chest protection; ie Stryker Field armor, etc) and call it a day?
-Update the shoulder, knees etc to 'bio armor' or another 'better than CE' armor?
-Get those wearable knee and elbow things (also Stryker line, but you get the point)?

I am slightly bias to the last option after removing the pads 'built' into the suit.

Thoughts? Much appreciated!

Click to expand...

I wear Dainese Thorax Wave back and chest protector. Not the most practical. But I don't commute on my bike anymore so I don't care.

I think your back and chest are most important.

If the elbow and shoulder are CE1 I would probably leave it at that. Or upgrade to CE2 if you want to.

EDIT:

The wearable knee, elbow protectors are more likely to protect you better given that they stay in place, but i would imagine that they aren't very comfortable to wear.

I'd for sure get a back protector. I've debated upgrading the "armor" in my A* Jaws jacket for street riding, just haven't pulled the trigger.

I'm not sure how friendly seperate are going to be vs built in ones, you'll still have to get the suit over them.

I would get the best protection you can afford that can't break away if you go down and pray you never need it. However IF you do need it you are worth the best-right?

I think most, if not all, track day programs require a back protector. I actually forgot mine when I did the track day, but I ended up renting a 1pc suit and didnt get checked for one.

motojoe122 said:

I think most, if not all, track day programs require a back protector. I actually forgot mine when I did the track day, but I ended up renting a 1pc suit and didnt get checked for one.

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Yup, required on paper, but not enforced.

My suit has CE2 shoulders and CE1 elbows and knees. Built-in back protector is flimsy and too short, so I pulled it out and got a top of the line Dainese. Not as comfortable as not having it in, but hopefully will do its job if I land on my back.

Erci said:

Yup, required on paper, but not enforced.

My suit has CE2 shoulders and CE1 elbows and knees. Built-in back protector is flimsy and too short, so I pulled it out and got a top of the line Dainese. Not as comfortable as not having it in, but hopefully will do its job if I land on my back.

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I think I spent $300 on mine.

On one hand that's a lot of money, on another if I would be lying in hospital with broken vertebrae and stacks of medical bills $300 would be pocket change.

Elbow and shoulder protection pads are important , but not as important as back and chest protectors. Last thing I would wanna have is broken back or be in a wheelchair. I could live with a broken arm. Better than than a broken back.

You guys should check out Forcefield armor. I've got a ProSub4 back protector (far exceeds CE level 2, allows less than 4 kN of force through), and one of their chest protectors. I don't normally wear them for daily commuting, but always wear them on road trips and on the one track day I did at NYST with Fishtail Riding School. They use Nitrex as the absorbing material and they have an added benefit of being usable after multiple impacts. Traditional foam material needs to be replaced after a single crash (similar to the EPS in helmets).

Buy the best, as any armor is cheaper than any trip to the hospital.

For back and chest I like Knox. They move well with your body and offer very good protection.

Will armor prevent all injuries? Nope, but it's better to try to prevent what you can.

Red Wazp said:

I would get the best protection you can afford that can't break away if you go down and pray you never need it. However IF you do need it you are worth the best-right?

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Thanks for all the replies! It's not a financial question to put things in perspective, it's a practicality question. Will I fit separate armor underneath? Is it technically better than being sewn into the suit? Etc... I will definitely check out all the recommendations! Love this forum :cheer:

Bought a new jacket from Revzilla and while looking for a back protector found the D30 which is a CE Level 2. Other stuff out there like it - my sons are the chemical engineers but I hate chemistry so don't expect a great technical description but basically it is a material that stiffens with impact. the greater the impact the stiffer it gets. Effect is to spread the impact over a larger area. The technology comes from the snowboard industry but is supposed to be really good.

Totally agree that if you are laying in the hospital, the few bucks that were saved on safety equipment are not important. Doesn't have to be the most expensive but always buy stuff that will protect. The elbow and shoulder pads are not very expensive - the D30 back protector was $39.

metallicat said:

Thanks for all the replies! It's not a financial question to put things in perspective, it's a practicality question. Will I fit separate armor underneath? Is it technically better than being sewn into the suit? Etc... I will definitely check out all the recommendations! Love this forum :cheer:

Click to expand...

I remember reading an article how most dangerous things our spines are subjected to are hypertensions, hypotensions. I don't know something to that effect, basically any extensive flexing.

That's why I wear the separate back and chest protectors rather sewn into the jacket or suit, though not more practical if used for street.

I saw Valentino wearing the chest and back protector I have so I figured that if that's good enough to protect one of the most valuable riders in the Moto GP that should be good enough for me.

The reason why i like the Dainese Wave Thorax Pro is because it protects your shoulder blades, tail bone as well as your ribs. I think Dainese came out with an updated design for 2013.

Either way, I am super pleased with the product and I seldom** ride on the bike without it.

Winters are exception. I am stuffed like Michellin Man with all of those layers that I have to resort to the Sas-tec modular insert from Rev'It.

I think after comments and some research I am gonna pull the trigger on an A* bionic 2 jacket. Most likely gonna pull out the shoulders, elbow, and back (unless I can squeeze it in) of the suit and have the jacket as a formfitting CE protection...

PhotoAl said:

Bought a new jacket from Revzilla and while looking for a back protector found the D30 which is a CE Level 2. Other stuff out there like it - my sons are the chemical engineers but I hate chemistry so don't expect a great technical description but basically it is a material that stiffens with impact. the greater the impact the stiffer it gets. Effect is to spread the impact over a larger area. The technology comes from the snowboard industry but is supposed to be really good.

Totally agree that if you are laying in the hospital, the few bucks that were saved on safety equipment are not important. Doesn't have to be the most expensive but always buy stuff that will protect. The elbow and shoulder pads are not very expensive - the D30 back protector was $39.

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I can't say anything about being a chemical engineer (I took AP Chem back in '82, does that count???) however I have SaS-Tec in my street gear and it is pretty amazing stuff...the harder the hit, the harder the protector becomes.

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