Back protectors - Do you use any?

[CSV]

i think key issue with back protectors is comfort. if its breathable and comfortable and fits into my armour jacket, then i'll defintely go for it.

 

but right now, none of them qualifies. TS, do make sure you give your review also. help me ah.

[vyruz]

Hey guys

 

I bought the Forcefield Pro L2 last weekend. Bought at listed price. If I had bought another item, a 20% discount would've applied, but there was nothing else I wanted at the time (plus other items were quite expensive as well!). Picture below. I like the Ride Magazine Best Buy tag. Very reassuring. Certainly looks a lot more protective than the foam film I had before (pic attached).

 

Appearance: The Forcefield looks like a quality piece of kit. You can tell from the photos above that it has a better look than the more bulky Aegis. I say bulky because I'm not particularly wide and the Aegis is. I tried the Aegis on and liked it as far as comfort went. But the fact is that it is wide at the shoulder blades area and will stick out if you're not wide enough, making it look like you have a plank on your upper back. I also agree with an online review I read that the Aegis seems more gimmicky than the Forcefield.

 

Ventilation: The Aegis has a lot more ventilation holes in it and raised portions to keep your back from sticking to the protector, so presumably it will vent more. I couldn't really tell because the Knox shop was a lot warmer than the Forcefield shop, and it's unfair to draw conclusions from just wearing it for five minutes indoors! What I can say is that the Forcefield does make your back warm and toasty. This is expected. But it is only mildly warmer than non-standalone/insert-type back protectors. I wore it outside of my base layer (thin sweat-wicking shirt) and felt ok when we were moving. It did get hot when standing still, but I'm not sure if I can attribute that solely to the Forcefield because I was also wearing a full armour jacket. See picture below for decent ventilation holes in the Forcefield.

 

Weight: Both have roughly the same weight, I think. Once on your back, the weight is negligible, so it shouldn't be a factor.

 

Storage: Neither can be rolled up, so can't be stowed away in a pannier.

 

Comfort: The Forcefield is very comfortable, heat issue aside. I particularly like how it supports my back and stomach, making leaning over a sportsbike less straining. When riding, I barely felt it. The heat from your back makes the protective soft armour softer, and so it moulds nicely on your back. It's a securing feeling to know your back is decently protected from impacts. When off the bike for a break, I just un-velcro-ed the waist strap and left the shoulder straps on. This loosened up the back and allowed better ventilation and heat removal. I tightened it all up before getting back on the bike (otherwise the protection is loose and potentially useless).

 

Conclusion: I really like the Forcefield. Sure it's a little hot to wear, but for my leisure riding, I'd rather be a little hot and have a little more piece of mind. That said, I do find it almost unbearably hot to wear under a proper armoured jacket in the sun. I wore it under my Alpinestars T RC 1 textile jacket and was sweating quite a bit at all times when we weren't moving. I guess the Forcefield can realistically be worn for touring or trackdays, but day to day in Singapore might be tricky. I've decided that the back protector is important so will downgrade my A* jacket to an inner wear with armour (http://motoworld.com.sg/detail.php?pid=1088 - $200 from Motoworld) plus a shirt, and control the heat/humidity issue that way for city riding. For future long distance riding or trackdays, it'll definitely be back protector AND full armoured jacket (with the back padding removed of course).

 

Feel free to ask any questions!

 

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

Take it easy. No one is trying to "transplant" ideas. The whole point of a forum is to raise possible ideas and discuss them. If you don't like reading other people's thoughts and ideas, don't. No one is forcing you to read the threads posted.

 

In any case, your argument holds little water. The temperature in temperate countries can hit 30-40C during summer. There are still riders that practice ATGATT and bear the heat and sweat to avoid bleeding.

 

Culture plays a big part.

 

It's up to the folks who do long-range convoys and track days to experiment with not just advanced riding skills and team tactics but improve safety awareness as well. And that means first of all not turning up for my rides in flipflops and bare legs. This ain't no fashion show.

 

I like threads like what @vyruz stated as it's not exactly forcing the idea on anyone, just an indication that we do have room to improve the local biking arena.

 

I'll raise the point that in Singapore, many bikers on high end machines expect to have the right of way during motorway situations and can usually be seen actively overtaking and lane-splitting. Forget the argument of car drivers making local roads unsafe, when have you seen a more powerful machine on the road (than yours) waiting for a safe passing opportunity? The obvious answer is: never.

 

For riders who have adopted some part of our dear neighbouring country's riding style (more or less dogfighting through slow moving or stationary traffic to save time), safety gear should more or less be mandatory as in a crash they'll not only be encountering cold hard asphalt, but metal and plastic from other vehicles as well.

 

 

The reason why you don't see more people wearing riding armour on the road is.... we haven't started marketing them to our biking groups yet. Maybe you have, then it's just an invitation to market it to the general public as well, though SBF, which is what our friends here @vyruz and @mechwira on the "affordable FFs thread" are doing. A Good Thing.

 

Right now on and off the forums, there is a lot of enthusiasm on affordable full face helmets, a big improvement over the $20 so called PSB-approved types popular today. Give the safety topic some time to grow and for the sake of all, I'll say it's time to embrace new ideas, not argue against them for the sake of conforming to what is "the norm".

 

The norm is keeping ourselves alive, non? :3

 

Take it easy. No one is trying to "transplant" ideas.

 

In general, my experience in the local riding scene has told me one important lesson.

 

If you get negative criticism, even violent rejection, you're heading the right way. Race on!

Edited September 28, 2010 by Pandora's Kitten :3

[mmkbad]

Wow, Vyrus, u really seem like a strong proponent of ATGATT. I just realise you changed ur signature to MOTGATT. I guess it means Most Of The Gear, All The Time?

 

Question Vyrus, do u wear the Forcefield back protector together with the Komine Inner wear with armour on your daily commute to work? I'm assuming its okay to ride with the gear to work and change to your workclothes, but what about when u go out to town for a shopping trip/movie outing with your mates? where do you stow away your gear?

 

I'm also embracing the idea of MOTGATT, but the key issues that come to me are cost and practicality. Good reputable fully armoured jackets dun come cheap, and the thought of wearing and walking with the gear around town while my bike is parked is out of the question. haha.

 

Just for sharing, i wear a full face helmet and a Rays Swift Textile jacket which i recently. Cheap jacket that costs me $120, with soft elbow, shoulder and back foam protector and comes with a inner waterproof liner. Its not that bulky so i can roll it up and fold into my panniers when i'm walking around town. Its probably not as protective as other fully armoured jackets out there, but at least some form of protection is better than nothing,

 

i'll invest in better, more protective armours when i have the cash in the future or when i do trips up north. I'm not a tracking kinda guy. Hehehe.

 

On a side note, i'm starting to see more riders with full face helmets and gloves, even those on smaller capacity rides like a X1 or FZ150. I guess the local riding scene has been infected by the safety bug. Well done guys!

That said though, i do get comments from my colleagues when i wear my simple humble gear (compared to vyrus) to work like:

'eh, u racer ah?'

'Just came back from Sepang?'

 

I wonder what they will say when they see u in your gear vyrus.

[vyruz]

In general, my experience in the local riding scene has told me one important lesson.

 

If you get negative criticism, even violent rejection, you're heading the right way. Race on!

 

LOL. Thanks Cat! Btw, it was great to have finally met you last weekend. Riding was great and so was the chat session at breakfast.

[vyruz]

Wow, Vyrus, u really seem like a strong proponent of ATGATT. I just realise you changed ur signature to MOTGATT. I guess it means Most Of The Gear, All The Time?

 

You're right about the acronym, bro. As for me, I think myself as a realist. I try my best to do what seems best. If it works, great. If it creates other substantial issues (e.g. sweating so much I get distracted) then I must adjust accordingly. I changed ATGATT to MOTGATT because Singapore's humidity is unrelenting, so had to do away with the full jacket if I'm riding when the sun is out! The "Most of the Gear" for me is now a FF helmet, gloves, riding jeans and riding boots. I expect I will make my back protector compulsory for me too. The full armour jacket will come out for night rides, trackdays and touring (whenever I start them!).

 

I whole-heartedly understand the problems people have with ATGATT or MOTGATT if they use their bikes as transportation. It is no doubt difficult to store all the gear when you reach the mall, movies etc, or to take them all of to change into work gear. I think you're already part of the more geared-up rider group since you wear a FF and jacket! But do consider gloves and boots that provide some ankle protection. The gloves can be easily stowed away; good boots you can walk with and needn't find place to store.

 

As for people commenting on the gear I wear, if it's negative comments, I choose not to ride with them. Just like you wouldn't hang around "cool" people at school telling you that paying attention to the teacher is "lame", you wouldn't hang around riders who try convincing you that safety gear is not required. They seem to have not grasped the blindingly obvious fact that more injuries and deaths occur to riders on the public roads than on the track. Of course if they're just kidding around, then kid back! I try not to snap back with hard gear-up-or-die comments because many times they're just kidding around/making small talk.

 

This thread is bringing up some important gear issues. Maybe we should start a new thread dedicated to what ppl think about gear and how they go about gearing up.

[vyruz]

I've now started a new thread for those interested in talking more about what gears they wear --> http://www.singaporebikes.com/forums/showthread.php/302686-Gearing-Up-Are-you-ATGATT-MOTGATT-or-something-else

 

[vyruz]

I didn't ask the Wildroses shop this, but can extrapolate based on known information. The L2 online price is GBP85. Wildroses selling at S$250. Ratio is 1 : 2.94. Using the same ratio on the online price of the Sub 4 (GBP130), you can expect it to cost about S$385. Definitely expensive but it is the only back protector that has test results where the transmitted force is under 4kN (hence the name 'Sub 4'). 4kN is the magic number that most experts believe is the force above which you will start suffering serious injuries.

 

I will see if I can try that one on as well this weekend

 

Forgot to give an update on this. Wildroses only stocks the Forcefield Pro L2 back protector and Forcefield Action Shirt and Shorts. They don't have the Sub 4 back protector.

 

For those wanting to see what the Knox Aegis looks like and you're not keen on going to the Jurong distributor, I saw a yellow one at Motoworld Kaki Bukit the other day (near the RS Taichi gears).

[nabil15]

it is slightly inferior if the protector pocket is loose enough that it may move to a position where it doesn't really protect. Standalone ones that are secured to your back won't suffer from that problem.

 

That's something I have felt too. I have an armour riding jacket, which has that back protector (foam type with padding), it tends to drift somethings abit to the left or right when perhaps taking a bend or the way you sit on your bike. Thus, making it not as safe to do its job on an event of a fall. May not protect very well, to a stand-alone type.

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

That's something I have felt too. I have an armour riding jacket, which has that back protector (foam type with padding), it tends to drift somethings abit to the left or right when perhaps taking a bend or the way you sit on your bike. Thus, making it not as safe to do its job on an event of a fall. May not protect very well, to a stand-alone type.

 

You might try strapping your reflective belt over the jacket. If the belt part is tight enough it will hold the jacket and internal armour in place.

[shong]

back protector sure saved both me and my pillion's back during the self skid in Laos. deep scratches on them sure bring back some vivid memory.

 

my advice would be, wear one if you are going to do some high speed cruising up north. cos you nv know where u going to land after falling.

 

when asked "are you ok?",would you prefer replying "thanks to my gears, im fine" or lying there moan in pain?

 

after all, its your flesh and skin.

 

mine is a moto-cross armor, with thick enough plastics covering whole arm, shoulder and back. make sure you choose one that wont slide away during sliding.

 

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:jMPlSjUH3uyDYM:http://i732.photobucket.com/albums/ww326/katongka/222.jpg&t=1

 

its red version actually worn on NDP...wtf

http://www.singaporevr.com/vrs/NDP2010/NDP2010b.jpg

 

ride safe

Edited September 29, 2010 by shong

[rhema83]

I have had the Forcefield back protector for more than a year now. It is not uncomfortable. The key is to adjust the straps properly so that it is tight enough not to shift around, but not so tight that it restricts your breathing and movement (especially in race posture).

 

I had the unfortunate opportunity to test the back protector when I lowsided at PG. It did its job very well and I stood up at the scene without any bruise or pain on my back. It is well worth every dollar I paid!

[ahcaibiker]

upgraded my taichi stock foam padding with this...

 

http://komine.ac/catalog/images/product_images/04-479.jpg

 

http://www.komine.ac/products.php?function=detail&product_id=186&category_id=10

[Hellsing]

From reading this thread so far I take it that the guys with back protectors don't really wear it every time they get on the bike?

 

I actually removed the foam back padding in my jacket because I have difficulty placing my jacket in my saddlebags with it. I don't like to wear the jacket around in the shopping mall etc.

[ahcaibiker]

From reading this thread so far I take it that the guys with back protectors don't really wear it every time they get on the bike?

 

I actually removed the foam back padding in my jacket because I have difficulty placing my jacket in my saddlebags with it. I don't like to wear the jacket around in the shopping mall etc.

 

 

i don use the hard back protector all the time, local riding, i just use the stock foam padding, if go up north long distance, i just slot in the hard protector for additonal protection...

[ORen]

There is just 1 thing that i noticed about the Singaporean biker that i don't really understand. Are the roads harder in Malaysia compared to Singapore? Because, many riders wear some form of protection when they head into malaysia but in singapore, they don't care.

Is crashing at 100km/hr on the Malaysian highways any different from crashing at the same speed on ECP?

are the roads any harder?

 

Haha... this always taunted me too I must say. I think some think that it's worth it gearing up for a longer trip with higher speeds. There's also the fact that usually people don't know the roads that well in MY compared to the roads in SG, and they often travel at night, so I suppose they tend to gear up more when going to MY because of that. The other factor is fear: you hear a lot of stories of accidents happening in MY by SG bikers - doesn't mean we don;t have them here, but I guess they are more frequently told, all these tales of deaths or near deaths experiences outside SG. I don;t quite get it, but I guess it's a good thing that people riding outisde SG think about gearing up. Better than never gearing up

 

TBH, I'm not expecting many to go down the standalone back protector route as part of their daily gear. I'm not even sure I'm going down that route myself. But for those that do, I'd love to hear their experiences, especially those who've used them and tested them in a crash.

 

Agree.. my jacket has a hard armor in the back. Yet like someone mentioned it's not as fitting as a standalone back protector. I often see this CB400 rider when I leave work, wearing FF helmet and gloves and.. a back armor only. No jacket no boots nothing, just the back armor on top of his shirt/t-shirt. One day I'll have to ask him about it.. I assume he has back problems and the armor helps him ride more comfortably otherwise I don't see the point

 

For those who use a standalone back armor, do you wear it on top of your clothes, just before the jacket ? Or do you wear it on your skin, then add your t-shirt or whatever on top ?

[stoner]

I'll having the Komine Full Back protector from motorworld...

 

For local riding, I'll just wear my mesh jacket with the soft armour but for long ride across the border... I'll wear the back protector under my mesh jacket

 

My school of thoughts.... I would rather put up with a little heat & discomfort than to feel the pain later when/should "****" hit the fan!

[vyruz]

For those who use a standalone back armor' date=' do you wear it on top of your clothes, just before the jacket ? Or do you wear it on your skin, then add your t-shirt or whatever on top ?[/quote']

 

I find it most comfortable to layer up like this:

1. Cooling sweat-wicking base layer - like a Nike running shirt

2. Standalone back armour

3. Jacket

 

The heat build-up from the back armour is actually not much different from having a bag on your back when riding. It does get uncomfortable with both back protector AND a bag on because the heat build up has to get through way too many layers to get out! Speaking of bags, I understand it is a bad idea to carry a backpack full of hard stuff because you're more likely to do more damage (than if you wore no bag) if you slam on the road back-side first.

[vyruz]

double post

[ORen]

Thanks Vyruz for sharing, was definitely picturing a dry-cool-fit-whatever-nike-like t-shirt as a first layer too

Hey i never thought about the backpack content..makes perfect sense. I don't tuse a backpack usually, mainly because I often ride with a pillion so not super comfortable to have that between us, but also because I use a camelback hydratation bag (this thing is by far the best piece of gear I've bought for riding - besides what can potentially save my life of course).

 

Thanks to whoever started this topic, makes me think about how to further protect myself.

 

It looks like using a back protector on a daily basis to commute is troublesome, not just for storage , but also in terms of comfort when riding and off bike: you park your bike to go have a drink with friends. You can remove your jacket and put it on your chair, and put down the helmet somewhere, but the whole undressing of the back armor is a bit strange and annoying.. Or you leave it on and ask them to call you Donatello the whole time (Ninja turtle - get it.. ?)

[Guest metalgurusje]

After a recent bitumen hug @75kph, my interest in this topic is renewed. The irony is that i crashed on a rare occasion when I actually had good boots (sidi low cuts -excellent) and jacket (Taichi with 5 way armour incl back - also excellent) in addition to usual (light) gloves and helmet. New gloves have padding for scaphoid & base of thumb.

I use Forecfield upper and lower but not there back protector. A bit of a pain to get on but very comfortable to wear under jeans and cotton shirt. Fit must be 'right" to prevent body armour 'wander'. I have also played arounf with other brand knee and elbow guards eg Taichi - customising to my size.

I have a Spidi chest & back protector I love. Can wear comfortably with one piece leathers (track) or under an oversize cotton shirt for local road trips. Quick and easy to fit. very comfortable, and well made -I feel like ROBOCOP. Its a much cheaper than Alpine Star and Dainese products.

I also have the Aplinestar 7 point upper webbed body armour (fantastic joint protection) including a 3/4 zip in back protector but this i have removed (uncomfortable) as the Spidi unit (above) fits over the Alpinestar armour and feels great.

I have to mention my denim jeans which held up beyond belief - sliding instead of ripping at the hip. But the Forcefiled pants have from 1 to 4 layers of hip protection if yyou dont trust denim.

You get used to wearing protection in this heat but I have not been able to wear a leather jacket. Its crippling around town. My "fishnet" armour keeps me relatively cool.

My thumb still has pins and needles 8 weeks later. Always wear good gloves. Hands are too important to bear harm.

[Dafanshu]

your first post is a painful one dude!

[ORen]

After a recent bitumen hug @75kph, my interest in this topic is renewed. The irony is that i crashed on a rare occasion when I actually had good boots (sidi low cuts -excellent) and jacket (Taichi with 5 way armour incl back - also excellent) in addition to usual (light) gloves and helmet. New gloves have padding for scaphoid & base of thumb.

I use Forecfield upper and lower but not there back protector. A bit of a pain to get on but very comfortable to wear under jeans and cotton shirt. Fit must be 'right" to prevent body armour 'wander'. I have also played arounf with other brand knee and elbow guards eg Taichi - customising to my size.

I have a Spidi chest & back protector I love. Can wear comfortably with one piece leathers (track) or under an oversize cotton shirt for local road trips. Quick and easy to fit. very comfortable, and well made -I feel like ROBOCOP. Its a much cheaper than Alpine Star and Dainese products.

I also have the Aplinestar 7 point upper webbed body armour (fantastic joint protection) including a 3/4 zip in back protector but this i have removed (uncomfortable) as the Spidi unit (above) fits over the Alpinestar armour and feels great.

I have to mention my denim jeans which held up beyond belief - sliding instead of ripping at the hip. But the Forcefiled pants have from 1 to 4 layers of hip protection if yyou dont trust denim.

You get used to wearing protection in this heat but I have not been able to wear a leather jacket. Its crippling around town. My "fishnet" armour keeps me relatively cool.

My thumb still has pins and needles 8 weeks later. Always wear good gloves. Hands are too important to bear harm.

 

 

Not sure I understood you : you crashed at 75kph wearing all the gear and still got harmed? or did you only get injured in your fingers ?

[CSV]

i believe he is fine except for his fingers which were open to the road? or the glove did not cover the fingers?

[mmkbad]

The irony is that i crashed on a rare occasion when I actually had good boots (sidi low cuts -excellent) and jacket (Taichi with 5 way armour incl back - also excellent) in addition to usual (light) gloves and helmet.

 

I think he was using those thin gloves and everything is fine except for his fingers and thumb?

 

New gloves have padding for scaphoid & base of thumb

 

And then now learnt his painful lesson and bought a new pair of gloves with better protection?