Review: Leatt Brace GPX

I can finally conclude my Leatt Brace review. I have taken this brace to bikeparks, DH trails, FR spots, and even done some AM while wearing it. And I managed to crash 3 times while wearing it where I felt the Leatt Brace stepped in.

To see what this device does, go see this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jsSxlDvq7Q

Ok, lets get on with the review. The Leatt Brace has proven itself to be very easy to work with once its installed around your neck - I dont even notice its there, and thats a big plus for me. You can adjust the size of the Leatt Brace by adding longer or shorter "locks", these locks are included when you buy the Leatt Brace. It is however a bit difficult to get the device on when using the chest straps, and it can take some time to get on when you dont have someone around to help you out. You can use this brace without the straps tho', but I would not recommend that. Its also optional if you want to use this device wearing  body armor(chest), be sure your body armor is Leatt Brace compatible, or that it in some way can be manipulated to be so.

I managed to crash 3 times while wearing the brace, where my head/neck area was affected. The best way for me to describe the "Leatt Brace-effect" is that everything around your neck/head area stiffens up during the crash. It really feels like the brace hinders any unwanted head/neck movement during the crash. Its a bit hard to describe, but this has to do it. I know its hard to ultimately test this device, and to say weather or not it has saved me from some more severe injury, but I feel that it definitely does its job. There is no way that im going to ride full face again without the Leatt Brace.

The Good:
-Has the potential to keep you out of a wheelchair.
-Its adjustable to make it feel just right.
-you dont feel it when its on.
-It works!
-Use it with armor or without.

The Bad:
-Price
-Can be a awkward to put on if you are using the straps.

Concluding thought: This device has the potential to keep you out a wheelchair, and can really hinder some serious injury. Its no-bullshit when you wear it, its "just there" so to say, so this is a clear winner, and a true gem for present and future bodyarmor. If you are using a fullface helmet, then this is a must-have, go get it.

Score: 6/6

The brace. The straps can be detached.

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Use it with a full armor if you desire maximum protection.

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Or use it without full chest armor, the Leatt Brace works just fine without.

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Sam Hill was wearing the Leatt Brace in the Maribor 2010 World Cup. I hope this kind of  exposure will push the brace devices forward. 

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New Video: High-Speed-Footage-TEST 2

Just finished my new video, still testing and playing around with the high speed function of my camera. We had such a blast filming this, so sit back and enjoy:

Harz 2010 - Trip 2 - part 3/3.

This final post from the Harz will feature some random shots and thoughts. Sit back and take it in:

Doesnt look like much, I know, but bear in mind that I got this even tho' I was wearing full chest protection, with a hard chest plate and all. Man it saved me from some fractured ribs for sure! see the crash in the end of this small video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl_EgbjK3lY&

The video was made by Martin.

Fun scene on the XC trip:

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Some huckin' fun:

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Michael got his side-wall torn during a high-speed descend, apparently so much that the tube was sticking out. They fixed it by ripping a energy-gel wrap into a smaller piece and attached it from the inside out to keep the tube inside. It worked. Ive been trying to talk the xc guys into using some sidewall protection, eg; Schwalbe Snakesin, this would minimize dangerous incidents like this. But the weight obsession is clearly seen in the eyes of these guys, and the added 30 grams is apparently too high a cost to pay : / Makes me wonder.

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The Magdeburgerweg is my obsession, what an amazing AM trail:

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Chilling out it the spa area, "that huck was AT LEAST 15 feet!" ; )

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The TEAM. (well Thomas is missing here) Thanks for the fun trip guys, I had a blast!

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Well, thats it..Until next time...wait..thats in two weeks time!! WHOO!!! : D

Harz 2010 - Trip 2 - part 2/3.

Well we gave our best shot at the Hahnenklee Bikepark as well. The good thing about this park is that its really easy to session. Its very forgiving and does not require any crazy skills - a good beginner bikepark you might say. That said, its so damn fun! We had such a blast there Saturday and Sunday! We quickly found our favorite trail, a combination of the Freeride trail, and the DH trail. Here are some shots:

Remember to enlarge the pics, the quality is sick.

The park offers some fun drops, this particular drop has a very gnarly run-in, and its only gotten "worse" since last year, it actually takes some time to master it.

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Martin landing a small jump, he actually managed to destroy some of the Northshore equipment in the Park, now that takes skills : )

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Ok, guess I cant hide it any longer, I'm on a new bike, well frame to be precise.. Notice the lack of "Specialized" prints on the frame..

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Lars was riding his Zesty, It got taken to its very limits, perhaps a bit beyond as well, it somehow survived tho'.

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Out of a berm, and into a small jump, as fast as possible. We had a few cat&mouse runs, and I have to be honest that it spawned the most enjoyable and fastest runs.

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Kim rented a brand new (like, never ridden before) DH bike at the Hahnenklee bike shop. He was very pleased about it, so much that he ended up destroying it.

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Coming out of the jump, preparing for the next.

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Lars shot this great pic:

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More to come.

Harz 2010 - Trip 2 - part 1/3.

Not wasting too much time, I got back to the Harz. This time with proper backup, 6 guys all wanting to try it out with the Harz mountains, so thats what we did. We started out easy Friday, with some XC, it was raining, so it was good for what it was, ill spare you the details. Saturday was a blend of technical AM and Hahnenklee bikepark- boy was this a fun day! Let me show some highlights.

Martin had a good camera, so the shots came out sick! Be sure to click the pics to see them in a larger format, they really deserve that! Here we go:

"What line should I take?" - man I love rockgardens like this.

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Martin doing his shit.

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The rockgardens we came across where longer and more gnarly than what we saw in the bikepark.

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A steep learning curve, but it definitely makes you a better rider.

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Lars at full speed.

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More to come.

Harz 2010 - Trip 1 - part 2/2.

Some more pics of my Harz trip. I had a opportunity to check out 2 bikeparks, one of them was Hahnenklee bikepark, but the other was new to me, a bikepark at Schulenberg. So lets take a look.

The park was closed, but it wasn't any problem everything could be ridden anyway:

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Drops and jumps where found all over, I could not resist to try it out:

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Northshore segments to play around with:

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Nice roadgap:

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Got myself around Goslar as well, I was really amazed how beautiful this small city is.

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I have a weak spot for German architecture:

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Last picture I took with my camera. This is the second time in a few months that a Casio camera dies on me, so fuck you Casio! The last picture turned out great tho:

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I have so many more pics to show of, but I dont want to turn this blog into a gallery, as I envision it to be a proper mix between pics and words. Got an opinion about that? Want more pics? Less pics? Leave a comment and let me know. You dont have to be registered to leave a comment.

Harz 2010 - Trip 1 - part 1/2.

I went to Harz, Germany, for 5 days last week to build up strength, hone in some skills, and to enjoy the scenery. The plan was to stay out of the official mtb-trails, and to discover and explore the hiking trails. Former trips have shown that this is where the good trails are. The official mtb trails are, with a few exceptions, not worthy of a mention here.

The weather was amazing - I was so damn lucky, the hottest day presented itself with 22c!

Anyway, I shot some pics, so sit back and enjoy:

Ahhh, finally back to the mountains.

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The key to finding good trails is to be curious, a little luck....and to have some good maps ; )

It gives me great joy to battle descends like this:

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And climbs like this is a true challenge, although this picture does not justify how it really looks:

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Taken from my favourite AM trail in Harz, the rockgardens are huge, fun and harsh on the equipment:

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More to come.