Dirt Safety Gear - who wears what?

[Paul_E_D]

nice. I will start trolling!

Troll advrider too. Those guys all buy the best and replace often. Lol. I got brand new Sidis (450bucks) for 200.

FWIW I used the cheapies for a while and they protect your feet, but the good stuff is protective AND comfy AND durable.

[JRide]

I don't wear a neck brace and will probably be buying one this year.

My boots, kidney belt, and chest protector could use some updating this year as well.

[gregp]

I wear boots, gloves, and a helmet. I usually wear jeans when riding locally. If it is cold, I'll wear an old enduro jacket I have. If I ride an event (Turkey Run, or Hare scramble) I will wear riding pants, knee pads (nothing special - padded, hard plastic type that I have cut to sit right on top of my boots), and goggles.
I have a full coverage type chest protector, but I rarely wear it, but, then, I do not go very fast any more...

[R7]

I use a 661 mesh jacket with armor. It's comfortable and the armor stays in place as long as it's put it on properly. I usually wear a light T-shirt under it though, as like KB said, it chafes the nipples.
Usually just a jersey over that, but sometimes I've used a chest protector over it as well.
I've been using an Arai XD helmet for the past 3-4 years and I'm really happy with that. Not having the goggles sucked to your face all day makes a huge difference in how warm you feel. Downfall to it though, it's heavier than a full offroad helmet. I just ordered a new HJC clx6 to try the helmet/goggles combination again
Gloves, i used to always get the standard thin gloves with some plastic coatings..now I have a set of Fox leather gloves with hard knuckles. I also tried a pair of the A-star Supermoto leather gloves that felt great at first, but after 2 or 3 hours of riding, my hands would go numb.
Standard offroad pants with light armor built into the hips and knees. I could never get comfortable with knee pads so i never end up using them. That's next on my list, the find something I like and force myself to use them. Somethign to think about with offroad pants, try looking into something over the boot vs ones that slip inside the boot. Your day in the woods will end much drier.
Sox, I've always liked the thicker MX socks that go up over your knee. It makes the boots feel way more comfortable, though on hot days, a bit warm. I've tried the thin ones but I can't get comfortable in them.
Boots, A-star tech series. Best and most comfortable offroad boot I've ever had was a pair of Tech 6's. I've had them for 5 years and still use them, and they are still in decent condition. Last year I wanted to replace them so i bought a pair of Tech 10's, they're a little to stiff IMO and don't seem to be breaking in like other boots. Having the removable booties inside is nice though for cleaning

[jtaylor719]

i prefer a regular, full chest/back protector too, easier to unclip to get cool air on a break. here's my standard getup:

helmet, googles, gloves, chest protector, neck brace, kidney belt, elbow guards, jersey, pants, knee guards, boots (and a camelback)

I've been wearing the chest / back protector with camelbak - but pulls the back down and chokes me to death. I was thinking the mesh armour with kidney belt would be a good way to keep that from happening.

Elbow pads kept creeping down on me too - PITA on a hot day in the woods.

I've been curious about comments on the neck brace - might have to try one.

[Paul_E_D]

There seems to be a philosophical debate in the neckbrace market. LEATT is on the rigid protection end of the scale, and EVS is on the flexible protection end. There's a new product called Omega that is right in the middle. I personally like the EVS I have, but haven't owned a LEATT. I am strongly considering "upgrading" to the Omega. It has some design features that I really like.

Bottom line is that they all offer much more stability for your neck and head in a heavy crash, or even just an awkward get off in the rocks. A side benefit is less neck soreness/fatigue after a long day of riding, or a particularly rough track etc.

Can't recommend them enough. I watched the 250 SX race last night and a guy took a fairly mellow crash by SX standards and was not wearing a brace. He was knocked cold and you could see his neck and head just bending in unnatural ways. I waas a little worried there for a few minutes. With a brace, he may not have even been knocked out, but his head most certainly would not have twisted and flopped around like that.

[McBiggity]

There seems to be a philosophical debate in the neckbrace market. LEATT is on the rigid protection end of the scale, and EVS is on the flexible protection end. There's a new product called Omega that is right in the middle. I personally like the EVS I have, but haven't owned a LEATT. I am strongly considering "upgrading" to the Omega. It has some design features that I really like.

Bottom line is that they all offer much more stability for your neck and head in a heavy crash, or even just an awkward get off in the rocks. A side benefit is less neck soreness/fatigue after a long day of riding, or a particularly rough track etc.

Can't recommend them enough. I watched the 250 SX race last night and a guy took a fairly mellow crash by SX standards and was not wearing a brace. He was knocked cold and you could see his neck and head just bending in unnatural ways. I waas a little worried there for a few minutes. With a brace, he may not have even been knocked out, but his head most certainly would not have twisted and flopped around like that.

Saw that crash. Was very scary to see him roll down the berm lifeless.

[Kurlon]

I was shocked that they didn't stop the race for that one. I swore the guy was dead the way he rolled.

[Paul_E_D]

How about Stewart Jrs crash! Holy ruptured balls batman! I don't think he'll be a father anytime soon... or maybe ever.

[typeone]

ugh, haven't caught up on SX yet... ragdoll = scary to see

I've been wearing the chest / back protector with camelbak - but pulls the back down and chokes me to death. I was thinking the mesh armour with kidney belt would be a good way to keep that from happening.

Elbow pads kept creeping down on me too - PITA on a hot day in the woods.

I've been curious about comments on the neck brace - might have to try one.

i wear a Fox R3 CP and slim Moose pack, no weight issues. the pack and bladder are slim enough where it sits great over the CP. pain in the ass sometimes to get on but otherwise i dont know its there. (gotta clean that thing this season, its nasty)

i wear a Leatt GPX brace and love it. snagged Tony's barely-used one for a great price. takes a little time to set it up right, little shims and adjustments to get it to sit right on your body. then a little more time to get used to positioning it under your CP then clipping it together but doing it over and over while looking in a car window will end up making it second nature.

i know you dont have one but...

the easiest way to get the Leatt into your CP is to 1. put the CP on but dont buckle it 2. put the rear portion of brace into back of CP 3. maneuver the front portion of the brace under the front of CP 4. clip the brace then clip your CP

sounds basic but its kinda like a puzzle until you get it down.

[union]

How about Stewart Jrs crash! Holy ruptured balls batman! I don't think he'll be a father anytime soon... or maybe ever.

I was watching it with Carrie and she commented how it looked like it hurt. I said of course it did his balls are up in his throat after that one.

[Paul_E_D]

He'd be lucky if they went in... I was waiting for him to puke. Probably the size of a grapefruit right now.

[jtaylor719]

So - the neck brace is recommended for woods / trail riding? I won't do any track riding - that I know of.

Do most of the local shops carry them now?

[breakdirt916]

Wirelessly posted (TELECA-/2.0 (BREW 3.1.5; U; EN-US; SAMSUNG; SPH-M810; Teleca/Q05A/INT) MMP/2.0 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)



I have a one piece you can try.

this summer...I def. want to

do you know which one it is?

[seth399]

I wear all the normal mx stuff (boots/goggles/pants etc) and I also wear a Leatt brace and almost always a chest protector.

[lrrs313]

Boots, goggles, MX pants jersey and gloves, knee/shin pads, usually a lightweight chest protector but not always (depends on roost and track conditions). Haven't added the neck brace yet; I just haven't gotten over the cost of them yet. As others have said I avoid anything that restricts my armsto reduce arm pump even to the point of not hooking the velcro adjusters on my gloves.

[danny86]

I was into all the gear when I first started.

Now I just wear a neckbrace alongside the usual boots, helmet, gloves, goggles, jerseys, etc.