back protectors

so what's everyone's view on back protectors? good, bad or indifferent?

I personally don't have one, but my leathers have a cut down verson of the Hein Gericke one in them. but i was wondering if it's worth getting an 'extra' one to replace the foam effort in my winter ones. what do you guys reckon?

T.

I replaced the little one on my Hein Gericke with a proper Dainese one and I haven't looked back, I feel too exposed without it.

I simply refuse to ride my bike unless I wear a back protector. You can damage an arm or a leg, but your spine? No thanks.

I think Knox offer the best protection out there and I currently use their Stowaway protector as it rather conveniently rolls up when not in use:

http://www.planet-knox.com/Knox/index.asp

Am thinking about going for the complete shirt to give comprehensive torso protection.

My jacket has the short Knox back protector built in (so at the moment I use two together!) but it's the lower spine that's essential to protect fully. People that can't be bothered (yet are happy to spend sixty quid on some bauble for their bike) are (in my humble opinion) somewhat brain dead. Surely it's just common sense and a question of personal responsibility?


.

I wear a Dainese backpack most of the time - and this has a built in back protector. My regular bike gear is cordura - with no built in protection.

Probably not as good as a dedicated protector, but better than nothing, and I do feel nervous if I'm not wearing it.

Use the supplied one in my HG one piece race suit, CE approved for a freebe .

Use a seperate knox one when commuting in my fabric gear.

It was the first thing I purchased after the bike and helmet, when learning I couldn't get the image of sliding down the road into a kerb outa my head so got one for piece of mind.

As you say arms and legs can get better but head and spine injuries tend not too. Feel nakid without one now.

yep I think they are really good but never had to use one. My biggest accident was at 50 mph over a bonnet of a car and sailed through the air about 15 ft. Trouble was i landed on my side. So my ribs were bruised and so was my thigh, so I missed the back protector and knee protector and my thigh protector, but it did look good doing it. and two of us walked away from it with nothing broken
sexysi

I've got a good back protector in my jacket. I paid extra to have better armour put in than what was already in it.

Amanda

Disagree with you Pinkboy. If you land, flat on your back, on, say, a fist sized piece of crash debris or even on another/your bike (very lumpy), it could break your back without a protector if you've fallen from high enough. Obviously having a protector doesn't mean it wont, but it makes it less likely.

Back protectors do nothing but reduce bruising, if you think it's gonna help anything else, you're in dreamland

If that's dreamland then I'll sign up right now!

I wouldn't get on a bike these days without a decent back protector. The sort of thing that comes built in to some leathers just isn't up to the job.

I've had numerous crashes on the road and whilst racing on the track. I've had bikes land on my lower back from a great height and I've also landed shoulder first on the edge of the kerb.

In the first case I am convinced that my back protector spread the impact and was the only thing that stopped me from ending up in a wheelchair. In the second incident I was relying on the back protector that came with my leathers - I broke my shoulder blade as it wasn't up to the job.

A back protector is as essential as a helmet and gloves, particularly if you wear a rucksack on your back. If you come off and land on you back whatever hard or sharp objects that you are carrying will do their best to break you in half.

You'd be daft to risk serious injury for the nominal cost of a decent back protector.

I think we all know that NONE of our safety gear works miracles, it's just about stacking the odds in your favour.
Now, has it stopped bloody raining for home time??