Body Armor??

NYC XYZ said:

So, anyone have any experience with these?

http://www.blueskycycling.com/cat-protective-gear.htm

I have in mind that "Farmer John" and the "pressure suit"
together...sides of hips are covered, knees and shins are covered,
shoulders and elbows are covered, even the spine...cool!

Try picking up some used hockey equipment. Probably just as good and
you should be able to get it a lot cheaper. Of course, there is the
problem that hockey and football equimpment probably increase injury
rates but oh well.
John Kane, Kingston ON Canada

Phil said:

ray said:

NYC XYZ said:

So, anyone have any experience with these?

http://www.blueskycycling.com/cat-protective-gear.htm

I have in mind that "Farmer John" and the "pressure suit"
together...sides of hips are covered, knees and shins are covered,
shoulders and elbows are covered, even the spine...cool!

I'd only use them in wintertime, underneath a simple
turtleneck...that, and the exercise, should keep me plenty warm!

So how good is body armor in general? Are they like helmets, a
one-use affair? (Not likely, but hey, what do I know.) Think of
your worst bike accident ever. Would armor have helped you any?

And where can I get them chrome German helmets? Want 'em in chrome
since that's so damned reflective -- and of course I'd only use them
in winter time.

BTW, any of y'all use balaclavas like this from Outdoor Research? It's so
neat:
http://orgear.com/home/style/home/headware/cold_hats/balaclavas/85130.

Very silly. Body armour will not protect you in the least from being
collected by 1.5 tonnes of metal doing whatever speed, you will be
very very dead. The army-style helmets are designed to protect your
nut from shrapnel-type fragments, not cushion it when it hits the
ground or something equally solid, hard. If you don't like your
inherent vulnerability, you have no alternative but to become a cager
yourself with your own land barge. Which of course sucks.
Cheers,

Cager? This is bicycles we're talking about, buddy.

I take it you just skimmed the OP's paragraph?

Greg

--
"All my time I spent in heaven
Revelries of dance and wine
Waking to the sound of laughter
Up I'd rise and kiss the sky" - The Mekons

NYC XYZ said:

RonSonic said:

Yikes, what sort of insane riding do you do - but - only ride like that in the
winter? In the summer you pedal along multi use trails - but cold weather brings
out the downhill animal?

I don't get it.

Ron

Oh, actually, I x-posted to the MTB NG 'cause I thought y'all would
have some particular insight.

No, you cross-posted to a.m-b because you're a troll.

Greg

--
"All my time I spent in heaven
Revelries of dance and wine
Waking to the sound of laughter
Up I'd rise and kiss the sky" - The Mekons

On 2 Mar 2006 08:46:10 -0800, "NYC XYZ" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Thing I'm curious about is whether they "really work" -- think of your
worst-ever bike accident: would body armor have helped any?

No. Abrasions and minor bruises were not the issue.

Quoted message said:

Werehatrack said:

For their intended use, they can be worthwhile. On the street in NYC,
I think it's likely to attract EBWF wannabe attention, which would
produce exactly the opposite result from what you want.

What's EBWF?

Extreme Backyard Wrestling F(fill in your preferred word ending here).

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A plain stahlhelm can be had from a number of sources online, and
usually costs about $50 to get chromed, after which you get to rivet
that support stuff back in. (No, I will not sell you mine.) They
make rotten riding gear. Hot in the summer, cold in the winter,
heavy, and terrible protection from impact with large objects.

Well, definitely not "Stahl" (steel), but that type, yes.

To chrome it, you must have steel. There is no other choice. (Well,
there is, but do you want to pay for the extra steps to polish and
prep a nonmetallic surface for chroming? It often triples the cost,
if you can even find a shop that will try.)

Quoted message said:

I'll be
wearing a balaclava in winter, anyway -- Outdoor Research's excellent
excellent Gorilla Balaclava, which is user-customizable -- but I
thought the reflective chrome would be a modest safety feature.

Nope. It's the other way around. Chrome is almost camo in most
settings; it reflects the background, and blends in amazingly well.
How many times have you been in a room that had an entire wall that
was a mirror, and not realized there was a wall present? There's a
reason why road crews wear blaze orange or that new fluoroputrescent
green. To be visible, be *different*. Reflection guarantees that
you'll look largely the same as the surroundings.

Quoted message said:

But if they don't offer impact protection...then it's out of the
question! I find it odd, however, that a steel helmet should offer
less than a styrofoam one?!?!?!???

It absorbs none of the impact, transmitting all of it through. It has
knobby bits on the inside where the support stuff attaches. The only
thing it may help with is distribution of force in the case of a
localized impact, as from the prow of an old Pontiac, but in that
case, you're probably toast anyway.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

It seldom gets that cold here, sorry.

What's your 20?

The cool, dry and wonderfully varied marvel known as Houston. (By
comparison to Miami, where I grew up, it is all of the above.)
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Wow, with extrasensory insight like that, why don't you try finding
some WMDs while you're at it.

G.T. said:

No, you cross-posted to a.m-b because you're a troll.

Greg

--
"All my time I spent in heaven
Revelries of dance and wine
Waking to the sound of laughter
Up I'd rise and kiss the sky" - The Mekons

Werehatrack said:

No. Abrasions and minor bruises were not the issue.

Ewww...hope you're better these days, then.

Quoted message said:

Extreme Backyard Wrestling F(fill in your preferred word ending here).

Ah, trailer-sports!

Quoted message said:

To chrome it, you must have steel. There is no other choice. (Well,
there is, but do you want to pay for the extra steps to polish and
prep a nonmetallic surface for chroming? It often triples the cost,
if you can even find a shop that will try.)

Damn, you mean the Chinese don't have a cheap substitute??

I guess I don't mean literally "chrome," but something mirror-like and
reflective. Surely the popularity of these things (I see 'em every
summer) must mean there are cheaper versions...?

Quoted message said:

Nope. It's the other way around. Chrome is almost camo in most
settings; it reflects the background, and blends in amazingly well.

Oh, hehe, that too. I was just thinking of it catching the sun. Seems
to always catch *my* eye!

Quoted message said:

How many times have you been in a room that had an entire wall that
was a mirror, and not realized there was a wall present? There's a
reason why road crews wear blaze orange or that new fluoroputrescent
green. To be visible, be *different*. Reflection guarantees that
you'll look largely the same as the surroundings.

Right. Can't wait to see what Army "skunkworks" comes out with in
another few decades!

Quoted message said:

It absorbs none of the impact, transmitting all of it through. It has
knobby bits on the inside where the support stuff attaches. The only
thing it may help with is distribution of force in the case of a
localized impact, as from the prow of an old Pontiac, but in that
case, you're probably toast anyway.

Hmm, so it's purely a fashion statement, then! Thanks for the tip.
Back to styrofoam it is, damn!

Quoted message said:

The cool, dry and wonderfully varied marvel known as Houston. (By
comparison to Miami, where I grew up, it is all of the above.)

I'll assume you mean TX.

Quoted message said:

--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Quoted message said:

Try picking up some used hockey equipment. Probably just as good and
you should be able to get it a lot cheaper.

Wow, even cheaper? Oh, wait, "used"...! No way I'm buying used
anything I have to wear. And I don't want to have thick football pads
on my shoulders, either. These "pressure suits" (wonder how they came
up with that name) have them all integrated in one piece -- no straps
for this and that, it seems.

Quoted message said:

Of course, there is the
problem that hockey and football equimpment probably increase injury
rates but oh well.

Only if you run across a football game in progress!

Quoted message said:

John Kane, Kingston ON Canada

On 2 Mar 2006 09:53:26 -0800, "NYC XYZ" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Werehatrack wrote:

[about a steel helmet]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

It absorbs none of the impact, transmitting all of it through. It has
knobby bits on the inside where the support stuff attaches. The only
thing it may help with is distribution of force in the case of a
localized impact, as from the prow of an old Pontiac, but in that
case, you're probably toast anyway.

Hmm, so it's purely a fashion statement, then! Thanks for the tip.
Back to styrofoam it is, damn!

Intermediate point: BMX buckets have a thicker ABS shell, less swoopy
styling, and about as much styro as the average bike-racer version.
Many folks prefer that type; some of them like it for the lack of all
the frivolous (to them) bric-a-brac latticework and shaping, others
for the reduced number of holes, and some for the fact that a
good-sized avocado pit flung energetically will just bounce off.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The cool, dry and wonderfully varied marvel known as Houston. (By
comparison to Miami, where I grew up, it is all of the above.)

I'll assume you mean TX.

Ayup.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

"NYC XYZ" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

So, anyone have any experience with these?

http://www.blueskycycling.com/cat-protective-gear.htm

I have in mind that "Farmer John" and the "pressure suit"
together...sides of hips are covered, knees and shins are covered,
shoulders and elbows are covered, even the spine...cool!

I'd only use them in wintertime, underneath a simple turtleneck...that,
and the exercise, should keep me plenty warm!

So how good is body armor in general? Are they like helmets, a one-use
affair? (Not likely, but hey, what do I know.) Think of your worst
bike accident ever. Would armor have helped you any?

And where can I get them chrome German helmets? Want 'em in chrome
since that's so damned reflective -- and of course I'd only use them in
winter time.

BTW, any of y'all use balaclavas like this from Outdoor Research? It's
so neat:
http://orgear.com/home/style/home/headware/cold_hats/balaclavas/85130.

Wooo hoooo! You go dewd!

You can allways go the way of the Auto Airbag System. Before you hit
the car or truck inflate it. Ha ha ha

Quoted message said:

You can allways go the way of the Auto Airbag System. Before you hit
the car or truck inflate it. Ha ha ha

You mean like this?

http://tinyurl.com/ju53n

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

In article <[email hidden]>, John Forrest

Tomlinson said:

On Thu, 02 Mar 2006 18:02:16 +1100, ray <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Very silly.

For some times of use -- certain types of mountain biking ....

<snip>

Last summer when hiking the mountains of Nelson, B.C., (a mecca for
extreme MTBers), it was quite a revelation to encounter these storm
troopers on wheels. Adorned head to foot in polymer plates, with full
faced helmets, bash rings, 8" of suspension front and back - they more
resembled moto-crossers than cyclists. But I was in awe of their
technical skill - truly impressive!

These guys were hurtling down trails - forget pedalling uphill, the
bikes were too heavy to battle gravity - that made for difficult
hiking. 6+ foot drops, mud, knee high boulders, turns so tight they
required front wheel hops - one mistake and you could literally ride
off the edge of the mountain to the hereafter. And yet, down they went,
just another day at the office. Amazing!

Luke

Luke said:

These guys were hurtling down trails - forget pedalling uphill, the
bikes were too heavy to battle gravity - that made for difficult
hiking. 6+ foot drops, mud, knee high boulders, turns so tight they
required front wheel hops - one mistake and you could literally ride
off the edge of the mountain to the hereafter. And yet, down they went,
just another day at the office. Amazing!

There's a downhill course not too far from here. I gelt a bit worried
going down part of it in my studded orienting shoes on foot, never mind
on a bike!

'nuff respect to these guys!

OTOH, a pal of mine who's been a keen XC MTBer for years encountered
someone she knew out on her bike. She'd not known him as a cyclist
before, but there he was with full suspension, disc brakes etc. and body
armour. It soon transpired he couldn't ride worh a damn, he'd just gone
out and bought the MTB Lifestyle! ;-/

But the guys (and gals) that go out and tackle the Real Thing are brave,
talented and IMHO a bit mad...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Luke said:

These guys were hurtling down trails - forget pedalling uphill, the
bikes were too heavy to battle gravity - that made for difficult
hiking. 6+ foot drops, mud, knee high boulders, turns so tight they
required front wheel hops - one mistake and you could literally ride
off the edge of the mountain to the hereafter. And yet, down they went,
just another day at the office. Amazing!

There's a downhill course not too far from here. I gelt a bit worried
going down part of it in my studded orienting shoes on foot, never mind
on a bike!

'nuff respect to these guys!

OTOH, a pal of mine who's been a keen XC MTBer for years encountered
someone she knew out on her bike. She'd not known him as a cyclist
before, but there he was with full suspension, disc brakes etc. and body
armour. It soon transpired he couldn't ride worh a damn, he'd just gone
out and bought the MTB Lifestyle! ;-/

But the guys (and gals) that go out and tackle the Real Thing are brave,
talented and IMHO a bit mad...

I rode the NORBA downhill course at Deer Valley a time or two. The top
is sketchy, too steep feel comfortable about my COG, riding the brakes
hard. The bottom... I dragged my bike along with me as I scooted down on
my butt.

Those people are crazy.

--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
"You American workers haven't seen an increase in real wages since the
1970s... But are you rioting? No. You're voting for Republican
candidates who give people like me tax cuts. You know what? I think
that's your way of saying 'Thank you.'" - Stephen Colbert