Neck support for track riding

[Captain]

As you probably know, I'm a little preoccupied with protection. Here's a new product for dirt bike riders, designed to protect the sensitive neck and collar bone areas:

http://motocross.transworld.net/files/2008/08/brace_web.600x400.jpg

http://motocross.transworld.net/2008/08/28/first-impression-alpinestars-bionic-neck-support/
http://motostrano.blogspot.com/2009/10/alpinestars-bionic-neck-support-sb.html

I have not seen a similar product for road bikes ... is there a reason? Seems to me that if it's good for one discipline, it should be good for another.


EDIT: Maybe not such a bad idea, HellForLeather makes the same suggestion: http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2008/04/alpinestars-releases-bionic-ne.html

[DaveHin]

Yeah i was having a look at them the other day, it's a pretty good idea i though.

I'm guessing they would pretty restrictive for movement though with a full helmet on. I suppose if it saved your neck you wouldn't be whinging about a little loss of movement eh.

[SIX36]

There are mixed reviews whether these things are better or worse for your neck and spine, yeah in some spills they seem to look like they would give good support, But lest say u have a huge off and land face first the piece at the back of the sits down the back of your neck its been known to snap your spine between the shoulder blades...
Not really my 2cents but just some info from a few reviews in the supermoto scene

[Foghorn]

Interesting post Julian...........I've seen them at Bike Biz and have wondered.
I guess time will tell. I have a neck like a giraffe and I can't believe that I never damaged it playing rugby. You can have all the protection in the world but I believe ultimately fate always plays it's part.

[HYPE]

NO.


besides being too restrictive,

track surface is HARD and the last thing you want your body to be is rigid when you slam upon it...

dirt riding YES as alot of your impact can be absorbed by loose surface/dirt/mud/bush.

[Underground]

And if looks are important, put on your white leathers and helmet go into the bathroom and hang that Royal Doulton toilet seat around your neck, same same only a little more colour co-ordinated.

[Jamesy]

:lmao:

I suppose the Dainese Air Suits (http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2009/07/team-yamaha-fiat-to-wear-d-air.html) would be the next option.

Remember Lorenzo puffing up after his crash :)

http://static.blogo.it/twowheelsblog/PALLONE_GONFIATO_ruggeri.jpg

[WET4URacing]

my leatt brace has save my neck twice now . 1 MX landed on my head and the other retard again landed on my head. both time my helmet stopped against the brace and didnt let me head brake off. $900 well spent(full carbon model)

[Johnny]

And if looks are important, put on your white leathers and helmet go into the bathroom and hang that Royal Doulton toilet seat around your neck, same same only a little more colour co-ordinated.

:lmao: Your getting better :lmao:

[Captain]

my leatt brace has save my neck twice now . 1 MX landed on my head and the other retard again landed on my head. both time my helmet stopped against the brace and didnt let me head brake off. $900 well spent(full carbon model)
What's your opinion on using them on the track? I expected the usual negativity, warranted or not, anything new is opposed so it's difficult to know if legitimate or not. I would have thought the fact that we hit a hard surface would make the additional protection all the more important? Maybe not so .. there could certainly be a good reason, after all we don't see the motoGP / SBK riders using them, and typically they lead the way.

[gazujc]

my leatt brace has save my neck twice now . 1 MX landed on my head and the other retard again landed on my head. both time my helmet stopped against the brace and didnt let me head brake off. $900 well spent(full carbon model)

Did you have one at Newcastle motards when you had the moment?

I can't recall if you did or didn't.





Gaz

[AG23]

I have the Leatt and Alpinestars Bionic neck braces that I wear when testing off-road (or wore when I raced Supermoto) and I won't ride without them. To me it's like putting on a helmet now, it's just normal. Here's a few shots from last week wearing my Astars one: http://www.motoonline.com.au/2009/10/23/launch-test-2010-suzuki-rm-z250-and-rm-z450/

I wouldn't wear the off-road versions when on the road bike simply because you can't tuck in, but Alpinestars was developing a road version - that idea seems to have been replaced now by the airbag systems in the suits. Here is some info about that: http://alpinestarsinc.com/safety

Regarding the road version of a neck brace when it was in development, here is a story done by Road Racer X, but unfortunately it's lost from their website now that they've changed it all (so no pics!).

Between the Races: Alpinestars’ Jeremy Appleton
By CJ - Road Racer X

When we published Vincent Haskovec’s story in our current, March/April issue, we made a commitment to highlight progress made in the field of paralysis prevention and treatment, and we’re sticking with that commitment. (For example, we recently posted this interview with Wings For Life founder Heinz Kinigadner.) At the recent Jerez MotoGP, Alpinestars Press Relations Officer Jeremy Appleton showed us a prototype of a neck brace they’re working on—a brace that was being tested over that same weekend by Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup rider JD Beach—and we immediately sat him down in the Alpinestars hospitality center and grilled him on the exciting new product.

RRX: What’s the idea behind this new neck brace?
Jeremy Appleton: Clearly, even with as far as riding equipment has come over the years, there’s still a gap in protection—the gap between the head and the neck. We’ve been looking for ways to cover this gap effectively and with our A-CR [Alpinestars Cervical Road/Race] protector, feel that we have developed an effective means to reduce the risk of serious neck damage. While, fortunately, there aren’t a huge numbers of accidents in which there are injuries in this area, unfortunately, when an accident happens causing serious injury, the problem is permanent—it can be very severe. The most common types of accidents, when a rider has an injury to the neck, occur when there’s a forward movement of the head, as the rider rolls forward. This is the most critical movement to control, and although there can also be backward movement, as well as to the sides, the risk of severe injury appears to be lower. What we’re doing with this system is trying to limit the movement envelope of the head. It sounds simple, but the mechanics of trying to make something that’s quite wearable but actually helpful are very difficult. That’s where the bulk of the development goes for a project like this.

The Leatt brace has really made some waves in the motocross world lately. Will you make an off-road version of this brace as well?
We are doing parallel development for the off-road version as well. The off-road version is easier, because the rider is generally upright; you don’t have the same extreme head movements during riding that you have with a road race bike when leaning in the corners or tucking in on the straights.

Studying what movement the rider needs on the bike to define the profile of the protector is critical. It has to do its job under very heavy loads in a crash but also allow a road racer to function on the bike. The movements are different in motocross, because the head is more upright. For road racers to use it, they’ve got to be able to have a lot of articulation of the neck when they’re riding.

Can you explain how it works?
The chin guard of the helmet is prevented from dropping too far down and getting to the point where it’s connecting with your chest and allowing further pressure or rotation to cause serious injury. The A-CR protector supports the base of the helmet and prevents that excess movement. It’s similar at the back—you can’t move the head too far back before the helmet touches the protector and is stopped. It has a unique locating system, with the protector attachment located inside the hump on the back of the leathers.

Do you expect your top racers to use this?
Yes we do, although it will be easier for a young rider to get used to it and race with it. One thing to consider is that adult top racers have already been riding for a long time without any form of neck protection, so it’s more difficult for a MotoGP racer to start riding with a neck protector—especially on a race weekend, when performance is so critical. For a younger racer, this is easier to adapt to. The biggest impediment at the moment is the inability of the rider to completely lie down on the tank and tuck in behind the screen, as much as is possible without the protector [since it sits between the tank and the rider’s chest]. We will examine the structural profile of the front of the protector to find a solution for racing but, for track days and for road use, this loss of aerodynamics is not critical so it can be used without penalty.

How long have you been working on this?
Quite some considerable time now. Probably approaching a couple of years, although the concept has been around for longer than that. The last 18 months or so have seen the greatest development. It looks relatively simple, but a lot of thought has gone into it. There’s a lot of work to do in terms of understanding exactly how the shape is going to interact with the helmet, together with a large amount of medical study and input, given the sensitivity of the matter.

The A-CR protector has already benefited from Alpinestars’ biomechanical studies on the Airbag system. We started the development of the wireless activated Airbag, incorporated in a road riding jacket, over four years ago. The road project is developed and we’re working on the racing version of it now.

Where do you go from here?
The track and road testing and development continue. This is such a critical project that we’re not going to timeline it too definitely. The moment we’re sure that we have something that’s right for road and track use as a major contribution to safety—and at the same time can handle all the different parameters that it will face—then we can begin to produce it.

[Captain]

Alex to the rescue with top information :ayyy: Thanks mate.