Protective gear

[Seeker]

A German study has found that motorcycle protective gear does nothing for you with respect to impacts. It only reduces the effect of abrasion. The new airbag jackets are useless over 31 mph.
https://www.rideapart.com/articles/3...ctive-impacts/

I think most riders realise that a 2 or 3mm layer of leather or textile is not going to help when you hit an inanimate object at 70mph.

Isaac Newton's 2nd Law said that F=mv/t so your mass multiplied by your speed divided by a very small number (the impact duration) is going to generate a large force which may patially demolish a tree but it's not going to help your general well being either.

[daktulos]

About 20 years ago, I witnessed a head-on impact - the rider was catapulted forward over the car and landed on the road. it wasn't particularly fast, but was a big hit. He was wearing leathers and a full back protector and walked away from it (although he also told me he would never ride again).

I'm sure you're right about simple impacts, but there are so many other ways of getting hurt, it's worth gaining ever possible advantage.

[johnnyrod]

I tried following the links through to the Motorrad article but still no real facts. You're right in that expecting gear to protect you from impact is wishful thinking, however the armour bits do go some way to reducing severity. An arm pad could spread the load and prevent a break, for example, and I doubt there is any doubt (?) about back protectors beign better than nothing. Intertsting about airbags at high speed, are they worse than the MotoGP ones or are they not much use there either?

[Biker Biggles]

Im not sure about air bags either. I do think body armour in specific ares is useful though. So chest/back protector and pads in hip knee shoulder bits must help. In Moto GP surely abrasion is the big one and modern clothing deals with that very well. Racing fatalities seem to be mostly hard impacts with other bikes or barriers.

[maviczap]

Same fallacy with people who think everyone should wear a helmet when cycling and that it'll save your life. They're only good up to 12mph and it's isn't going to help much when I'm hit by a 2 ton metal box at 30mph.

Holland has a much higher cycle usage per head of population, only sports cyclists wear helmets and yet their head injury stats are amongst the lowest in Europe. Better infrastructure, better attitude towards cyclists are their answer, not compulsory helmets.

[daktulos]

Originally Posted by maviczap

Holland has a much higher cycle usage per head of population, only sports cyclists wear helmets and yet their head injury stats are amongst the lowest in Europe. Better infrastructure, better attitude towards cyclists are their answer, not compulsory helmets.

Also, risk compensation - people who are made to feel safe (by wearing a helmet) will take additional risks to balance it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_compensation

[johnnyrod]

True, as an aside. Also compulsory helmets in other countries has reduced the rates of cycling and so moved the problem on to long-term health problems due to less exercise, and other unexpected effects.

[Adam Ef]

I wish I'd be wearing something with knee pads in when I got knocked off a few years back...
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I was only going 30mph when it happened but I bounced on me knee and it was back when I thought wearing two pairs of jeans was enough to protect me. I nearly threw up with the pain the next morning and it was a few weeks before I could walk without wincing.

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by daktulos

Also, risk compensation - people who are made to feel safe (by wearing a helmet) will take additional risks to balance it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_compensation

True, and it's been shown that car drivers give riders without a helmet a wider berth than riders who are wearing a helmet. So feel that they can pass closer because even if they hit the cyclist they'll be ok because they're wearing a helmet

Originally Posted by johnnyrod

True, as an aside. Also compulsory helmets in other countries has reduced the rates of cycling and so moved the problem on to long-term health problems due to less exercise, and other unexpected effects.

Yep, Australia is the leading example in reducing cycle usage and with some of the daftest anticycling policies

[Craig380]

Originally Posted by Adam Ef

I wish I'd be wearing something with knee pads in when I got knocked off a few years back...

When I crashed on diesel earlier this year, my kevlar jeans had CE armour at the knees. Knees bruised black and blue but I swear without the pads, I'd have cracked my kneecaps or worse, damaged the top of the tib & fib.

I landed on hands and knees at about 40 - 45mph because the bike went from under me so fast, I literally dropped onto the road from the riding position of a pointy 'S'.

The worst was the 'carpet burn' abrasions from the kevlar lining, it stung like hell but was easily dressed & treated. Better than road-rash / digging gravel out of my skin.

My textile jacket had CE forearm armour which saved my left elbow for sure, too.