Last July I thought I'd be riding up to the races in Monterey with my messed up neck. So I bought a Leatt GPX Club neck brace to provide a little insurance against possible further damage. We ended up driving so I never used the brace. That is, until now...
The Leatt brace is worn by a lot of motocrossers to prevent hyperextension of the neck in the event of a crash. You don't see them much on the street, but there are a few of us not-so-cool dudes that are now wearing them. Given that I have a little less flexibility in my neck now, I figure it's best not to stress it too much if that's possible. So I took a ride with the Leatt on to see how it felt. It's a bit of a pain to put on but once I get the hang of it, I'm sure it'll be easier. Once in place, you really don't notice that it's there. There's plenty of room available front to back for normal head tilts. Side to side is a little more restrictive, but nothing objectionable. There are other braces out there but after looking at several, the Leatt seemed to have the best design and build quality at a somewhat reasonable price. Given the additional protection it affords, I'll live with minor niggles.
I also wanted to try out some new boots. For quite some time, I'd been looking for some comfortable, shorty boots that offered more protection than tennis shoes. Finally came across the TCX X-Cube All-Purpose boots. Most appealing things to me about these boots are that they're lightweight, comfortable, and seem to have a fairly decent protection system for this type of boot.
They fit under jeans easily, and will look somewhat like normal shoes once I black out the TCX label. Also, they're thin enough that I don't lose any feel for braking or shifting. I did't have to modify my shifting method either since the boot easily fits under the shifter (unlike my dirt boots). Overall, I'm very satisified with these boots so far. I'm looking forward to putting more mileage on them.
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