Will Any Protector Prevent Broken Ribs And Probs

[German Shepherd]

I was reading the crash thread. I dont wear any thing but a helmet. I am considering a fox air frame, a bullet proof vest, or one of those new Armor suits that are paded with plastic. Which will prevent broken ribs and other crash related chest problems? I would prefer the fox air frame. Thanks

[frocashmoney24]

any old chest protector will do

[rebelbanshee2]

Im not sure what all a chest protector will protect against, but i know having one is better than nothing

[German Shepherd]

I heard some were just roost protectors. I am not worried about roos but i am worried about crash protection.

[Wallrat]

I've crashed plenty of times with a chest protector. They help...a little. Basically the problem is this: When your body smacks into something, all that energy is transferred to you. Putting a piece of plastic between you and a rock/tree/whatever will take some of that energy and dissipate it. The main benefit of that plastic is to keep sharp objects from cutting into the skin. For optimum impact resistance, you'll need something to dissipate as much of that energy as possible, hence the padding. For small projectiles smacking into your body, there isn't much force behind them. Think of a geo metro smacking into a cinderblock wall...aint gonna do much to the wall. Now for larger objects with some mass behind them, it's a different story. Take a semi truck to that same wall and that wall is gonna be dust. Same thing applies when you crash. Your body has a ton of energy cuz of the speed that you're travelling. When you hit something its gonna send all that energy first to your skin, then bones, then organs. Roosted rocks, with little energy, will bounce off. Trees, boulders, the earth...isn't gonna bounce. So all that energy is heading your way. Bullet proof vests work by absorbing the impact of the bullet and spreading that energy out over a large area. Body armor works under the same principle. All that energy is absorbed by the padding and spread out. The plastic on the armor helps add a little insurance and increase its resistance to abrasion. The trade off is that all that padding will limit movement and be warmer. I've got the ballistic armor from rocky mountain, cost is about the same as most chest protectors and it does a perfect job of deflecting roost. Its definately warmer than a chest protector, but its well made and doesn't limit any movement and I barely notice its on. I haven't crashed with it yet, but I know without a doubt that my injuries will be fewer with it vs. a chest protector. Don't believe me? Have a buddy smack your arm with a plastic baseball bat while you hold a piece of plastic on your arm. After the bruise goes away, hold a pillow over your arm and repeat the experiment...you won't feel a thing.

[German Shepherd]

How warm is the body armor? DO you have the Nemisis brand? What is the highest temp you can comfortably ride it in? Thanks

[frocashmoney24]

you can ride in it in any temp, because its notl ike a shirt, its just sitten on you, its not the most comportable thing, but when u get riding you forget it

[Wallrat]

Chest protector can be used in any temp. Yes I've got the $90 nemeses armor from rockymountainatv. I've worn it when it was 90 degrees out in the shade and as long as I was moving I was fine. If I took a break though it was nice to be able to unzip at the minimum. Its made of padding inside a nylon mesh - kinda like a coolmax type of fabric so it does a pretty decent job of staying ventilated.