Leatt Brace

[cee-jay]

Helmet removal thread made me think of this--

Had a friend ask about the Leatt neck brace, and am curious if anyone has used/seen/talked to someone that used it.

I have seen someone wearing something like it at the track, but can't remember where, or when I saw it.

Link: http://www.leatt-brace.com/

For those of you that like fine print read the indemnity clause found under the manual. Interesting.

Comments?

[Mr Sunshine]

I know of a gal who wears one down in WERA West. From my understanding it works for her. I thought Leatt was working on one that would be better for road racing as their current offering was for dirt and didn't allow you to get into the same position you'd want for road racing.

Frankly this is one of those things I need to get for my trail riding and possibly Supermoto.

[dakh]

I wear it on supermoto track. For me it restricts head movement side to side a bit, but this actually mostly points to where I'm not looking forward enough so it's kind of a benefit. Otherwise I just forget about it after the first few corners. The question is how probable is it that they'll help, or how often people get their necks injuried. Probably not that often on tracks with good runoff but maybe more often at Pacific?

[Mr Sunshine]

I wear it on supermoto track. For me it restricts head movement side to side a bit, but this actually mostly points to where I'm not looking forward enough so it's kind of a benefit. Otherwise I just forget about it after the first few corners. The question is how probable is it that they'll help, or how often people get their necks injuried. Probably not that often on tracks with good runoff but maybe more often at Pacific?

Getting hurt has nothing to do with run off.

It took 6 weeks to be able to turn my head all the way to the right again after this and this was just feet off the asphalt. With the Leatt brace this wouldn't have happened. Oh it is also this motion that can cause cervical vertebra to break due to compression.

http://studio819.smugmug.com/WMRRA/7-8-07/10/A8C9483/177691854_6BAgW-L.jpg

[cee-jay]

Fairly sceptical, but having read through the testing and FAQ, I might be a little more convinced. At best it could possibly prevent a bad injury, and might improve the outcome (recovery pain and stiffness) of a lesser accident.

Curious about your crash Chris--any diagnosed neck injury? Strain? Hyperflexion?

I could see it helping here, just looking at your pic.

cj

[Mr Sunshine]

Curious about your crash Chris--any diagnosed neck injury? Strain? Hyperflexion?

I could see it helping here, just looking at your pic.

cj

I did the stupid racer thing...."I'm ok...just fine...don't worry" So I never went to the doctor. I should have though as I also had a personality change for a few months. And after the accident I was seeing heat waves for awhile and repeated what I said a few times (although I caught myself doing that).

I now have standing orders...you see impacts on my helmet after a crash...I go to hospital even if you have to strap me down. I figure its better to be cautious than dead or worse.

[Lynk]

CJ, you mean this one?

WARRANTY DISCLAIMER
NO EXPRESS WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE BRACE OTHER THAN THOSE EXPRESSLY SET FORTH HEREIN HAVE BEEN PROVIDED.
LEATT CORPORATION INC., UNDERTAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE QUALITY OF THE GOODS EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED HEREIN. LEATT CORPORATION, INC. TAKES NO
RESPONSIBILITY THAT THE GOODS WILL BE FIT FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE FOR WHICH YOU MAY BE BUYING THE GOODS, EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED HEREIN. ALL IMPLIED
WARRANTIES ARE HEREBY DISCLAIMED INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Yeah, that's nice... "no responsibility for the quality of the goods." Hmmm.

Chris, that was a pretty nasty crash at Spokane. Next time you get a knock to the noggin, I'll help Ariana hold you down. :bigsmile:

[Will]

Having first sprained my neck in high school, more than 30 years ago, I can tell you the injury never really goes away. Something like a Leatt Brace is a great idea if it can be made to work with the kinds of motions and positions typical during a road race.

[cee-jay]

Man, the warranty doesn't exactly inspire a great deal of confidence either. I was looking at the indemnity:

"As a condition of purchase /receipt of the Leatt-Brace™, the user has fully read and understood the User Manual and understands that although the brace is designed to help reduce brain, head and neck injuries when worn in conjunction with a full-faced helmet, there is no guarantee that any injury will be prevented by the use of the brace. Each brace must be set up for the individual user and be of the correct size and fit.
As a condition of purchase and/or receipt of the Leatt-Brace™, the user has read and familiarized
himself/herself with the technical aspects, research and test results relating to the Leatt-Brace™ provided at Leatt Corporation, Inc.’s website (www.leatt-brace.com) and understands the nature of the brace and its intended use and correct fitment.
As a condition of purchase and/or receipt of the Leatt-Brace™, the user understands and recognizes
that the brace has not been tested on humans in race conditions for instrumented impact assessment and that this is a new design.
Should you not wish to accept the terms of this Indemnity, please return the Leatt-Brace™ for a full refund.
Always attach your helmet correctly according to manufacturer’s guidelines, ensure all your safety equipment has not passed its recommended lifespan and travel/race with safety as an important principal.
As a condition of purchase and/or receipt of the Leatt-Brace™, the user waives any claims against Leatt Corporation, Inc. the inventor, manufacturer, any subcontractor, agent or Global
Distributor. Leatt Corporation, Inc., the inventor, manufacturer, any subcontractor, agent or Global Distributor will under no circumstances be liable to any person for any damages, direct, indirect, bodily or otherwise including injury or death, that may be sustained by any person as a result of the use of the Leatt-Brace™, any alleged defect therein or its alleged failure to afford
the protection offered by it or for any consequential loss of profits or damages suffered by any person, however such loss or damage may arise or for any other reason or from any other circumstance of whatsoever nature."

[Mr Sunshine]

Why are you guys so stuck on the warrenty? Its normal...they can't guarentee you will be ok in all cases. They can only say this should help.

[tophyr]

Why are you guys so stuck on the warrenty? Its normal...they can't guarentee you will be ok in all cases. They can only say this should help.

+1

Every word in that disclaimer is also said in some form by helmet and CE armor manufacturers.

[FreckledGsxr6]

I have some input if anyone would like it. I have sold both the Leatt and the Alpinestar bionic neck brace. These are both awesome products and both can prevent some pretty major injuries. That being said there are some distinct differences in the way they help protect you the rider.

And what i mean by that is where each brace is resting on your body and how they are going to get rid of all of the energy created by a severe impact. First off the Leatt rests upon your skeletal structure where as the Alpinestar brace rests on the skeletal muscle structure. The other differences between them are the amount of break points, the Alpinestar brace has quite a few more than the Leatt brace. There is also a difference in fastening mechanism and location.

It also depends on what model Leatt your looking into buying. Not all of them are made of Carbon. Did any of you see Chad Reed take that huge header a year or two back at Daytona? He was wearing the A-star brace and smashed quite a few of the break points and walked away from that sore but able to race. What i am getting at is they are both fantastic products but do a little bit of research on the both of them.

Also if you have any questions about the options that are available for neck support, brace systems or just safety gear in general let me know!! I work up at Eastside Motosports and would love to help anyone with this stuff. Whether you have a question or are looking to buy something let us know if we can help.


Thanks, Patrick

patrick@eastidemotosports.com if you any questions don't hesitate!! I love this stuff and am a self admitted NERD when it comes to GEAR!

[cee-jay]

Thanks for the post-up Patrick. Much appreciated.

Do you mostly sell these to the dirt-bike crowd?

One brand more than any other?

last, how well do these work in a road-racing position? Are they just adjusted down in the back?

[Mr Sunshine]

Take a look at the bike 157 in this photo.

http://studio819.smugmug.com/WERA/4-11-09/Other/7905461_wtxBN#512929615_M4DUT

She wears a neck brace...I think it is a Leatt but I'd need to confirm.

[FreckledGsxr6]

Yep no problem! I do indeed sell them almost exclusivley to dirt riders. As far as which one sells more than the other brand, well that is an interesting one. When the Leatt came out and took the safety world and turned it on its head, they hands down out sold the competition. But the other part of this equation is the Alpinestar brace released at a later date than the Leatt. If i had both the carbon Leatt in shop next to the carbon Alpinestar brace i would have to say the A-star brace hands down. Now the other side to that equation is Leatt offers a clubman brace which is not carbon and about 200 dollars less the the other models. Those did really well due to price, but even then the A-star brace still was selling just as often.

I think it comes back to some of the features i touched on earlier. Also the Leatt has been given the not so great reputation of breaking collar bones on harsh impacts. This has been attributed to where the brace itself is resting. Which makes sense since it rests directly across your collar bone, where as the Alpinestar brace does not touch them what so ever. That being said they are keeping the all important neck stable! Which is what they were made to do.

And as far as them being cut for roadracing. You can get them to work, people have cut slits in there speed humps to tuck the back portion into there suit as well as some other simple modifications. I have heard that they are slightly restrictive to the rider in a full tuck position being that the brace is not allowing your head to roll back as far as you would like it to. But people are quite obivously using them on the track.

I have heard alot of grumblings about a road race specific version but have yet to see anything worth mentioning. You should really come by if you have some time one day. Bring your leathers and a helmet, I have a brace here, we will get you suited up and have you tuck in on a bike. That way you can make an informed decision about whether it is possible for you to use this comfortably in a competitive enviroment.

Let me know if there is anything else. Also A-star is releasing a cost effective non carbon version of there brace. They are trying to open this portion of the market up to more than just the rider with a little extra cash!

Thanks, Patrick

[cee-jay]

REALLY good info Patrick, again very appreciated!

Sitting on Eastside but do have a trip over yonder coming up sometime this winter.

The non-carbon A-Stars sounds like something to keep an eye on.

Cool!

[MadManx]

I m one of those people that gets queasy just thinking about a neck injury. I'm sure it actually "slows" me down. Its obvious from pics that it can be used for our super safe sport.

[Mr Sunshine]

I m one of those people that gets queasy just thinking about a neck injury. I'm sure it actually "slows" me down. Its obvious from pics that it can be used for our super safe sport.

I'm pretty sure the one in the photo is not a standard Leatt brace.

[Allister Squid #121]

The leatt is designed for motocross style injuries.

[Mr Sunshine]

Here's a very good shot of a Leatt Brace in use while road racing. I think this one is different than the normal one but I'm not sure.

[Allister Squid #121]

The various current neck braces were not designed for road racing.

They may have some proto types out there, I don't know.

What I do know is that the current models available to the general public are not designed for road racing.

Do some research and you can confirm this all by yourself.

[Geoff Klassen]

I work at a Honda Powerhouse dealer in Salmon Arm, B.C., Canada. This fall I went to an Alpinestars 2010 product unveiling put on by Scott Link, Product rep for Alpinestars Canada. Being a Roadracer and a safety advocate, the first question out of my mouth to him after introducing myself was, "When are we going to see a roadrace compatible BNS?"(Bionoic Neck Support)
Scott smiled and replied, they will be out by fall next year. They are finished with R&D and are almost ready to go into production.
So those who are interested in the BNS, you will hopefully be able to buy a Roadrace version by later 2011.
We also sell the dirt version in our shop and can say from personal experience that I also prefer the Alpinestars to the Leatt. But you should be the final judge of that as fit is the most important thing here, as it goes with helmets as well.

[cee-jay]

Allister, are you saying that they are not designed specific to road racing or ???

Leatt is advertising that the GPX is "suitable" for superbike racing and goes so far as to talk about modifying leathers (speed hump) to facilitate the brace.

I'm not saying that's a stunning endorsement, but I am not getting that these can't or shouldn't be used roadracing.

[jadeblue1]

Allister, are you saying that they are not designed specific to road racing or ???

Leatt is advertising that the GPX is "suitable" for superbike racing and goes so far as to talk about modifying leathers (speed hump) to facilitate the brace.

I'm not saying that's a stunning endorsement, but I am not getting that these can't or shouldn't be used roadracing.

hello,
i am new to your forum, but i'm the girl mr sunshine posted pictures of. i race in the leatt carbon fiber gpx brace. i have quoted this person above, because i approached leatt to design or modify an existing brace for roadracing after i was injured in a crash that required surgery at willow springs.

i worked with one of the techs at their santa clarita office to test and fit the brace over my leathers, and sent them pics of my riding position from all angles to have the doctor that designed the brace make sure i had not compromised the brace's effectiveness. the tech also came out to the track with me for a day of testing it. I also took it to my own orthopedic surgeon and doctor to have them check it out as it was over my leathers to make sure i was covering up what i wanted to cover.

all the testing i did and everyone i consulted with said that the brace would definitely help with lessening/preventing some severe injuries. what i can tell you is this:

my original intent with modifying the brace was to have it work in conjunction with a back protector to prevent whiplash and broken collarbones. how it would work: when fitted correctly, in the event of a crash, your helmet comes down on the brace and pushes it straight down onto your shoulder armor and back protector, when the force from the crash then transfers to your torso. because of the way we tend to crash (usually like a lawn dart) our collarbones in this sport typically get broken by the edge of our helmets hitting them when our necks flex from absorbing the force of impact. with the brace stabilizing your neck, you dont get the flexing, reducing the chance of breaking a collarbone or your neck.

the crash that made me seek this brace out - i was pushed off track by another bike- i launched over the handlebars, landed on my head, then the bike landed on me. i shattered the center section of my left collarbone. i got to have a 7 " plate put in. after the plat came out, the doc said if i broke it again, he couldn't fix it...

fast forward - i have been racing in the brace for about a year and half now. i have crashed twice with it on, 1 lowside at fontana- no damage. 1 t-bone from a 600 in t-1 at infineon..that one, cracked my helmet, knocked me out, broke 8 ribs, fractured my left shoulderblade, but my neck, back, and collarbones were intact...i had 2 bruises on the top of myshoulders where the brace came down, but that was it. and the brace was fine too.

the claims leatt is making about the gpx on their site is true - it is all from the information i gave them, and the testing, and my crash results. the gpx is not designed for roadracing-it is a dirt bike brace that i modified by taking off all the pads and repositioning the shim plates on the back tab to make it sit lower and further back.

we race motorcycles, i dont think anything can protect us 100%, but if a $400 dollar brace will keep me from looking like quasimodo, i'm willing to look like a goofball with it on. (my neck and collarbones are easily worth at least $400 :D)

[dakh]

Thanks a ton for sharing your experience jadeblue!

[cee-jay]

Thanks again Shandra. REALLY appreciate the information you posted here!!!

Good stuff! Glad to see they are working to make this work for roadracers, and even better yet that they have been working with you.

Very kind of you to take the time to share this here.

Come on up and race sometime!

cj

[Allister Squid #121]

Thanks for your info!

I just read in a long report about neck braces in one of the dozen or so motorcycle magazines I subscribe too, so I can't remember which one...
"Transworld Motocross", "Cycle News" mabye?

The report covered many of the current neck brace manufacturers. They spoke directly with reps for the companies. The MFGs' all said that they did not currently have road racing models available.

They talked about the specific injuries from moto cross racing and the impacts more common to that type of riding.

I'm glad that they are working with road racers and making prototypes.
Hopefully they will soon have something for us.

Thanks for the update

[FreckledGsxr6]

Allister is very correct in saying none of these were designed with road racing in mind. As far as anyone releasing a road race version, well i am still eagerly awaiting something!

Alpinestar and Leatt have said the same thing for the past couple of years! It is in the works. I will believe it when i see it! Check out the write ups on Dainese and the current air bag suit. I think that is a more viable option for our sport. I am not saying this is the end all be, but it may be a little less intrusive to us while riding.

Jorge tested it for last season, and it is really interesting to see what they are coming up with. Either way CHECK IT OUT!

Thanks, Patrick

[Mr Sunshine]

Check out the write ups on Dainese and the current air bag suit.

While this is a good thing...it is made for a different type of injury than what the neck braces are designed to help with.

[Allister Squid #121]

While this is a good thing...it is made for a different type of injury than what the neck braces are designed to help with.

Which is exactly what the article I read stated. The current neck braces are developed for motorcross typical injuries

[Mr Sunshine]

Which is exactly what the article I read stated. The current neck braces are developed for motorcross typical injuries

I think you missed what I was saying.

I wasn't saying the neck brace is only for motocross type injuries.

I was saying the air bag suit is trying to help with different types of injuries than neck braces are. You can not make the connection to neck braces are only good for motocross type injuries. In fact we had someone who has experience with the leatt brace in a road racing crash and has worked with leatt brace for road racing. She believes it helps.