Knox are widely accepted as one of the market leaders in bike safety protection technology, for sale I have a ‘ricochet’ and a ‘contour’ both are CE approved protectors that give good back coverage while remaining light and comfortable, but they do it in a very different way.
Firstly the Knox Ricochet, is a ‘Vertebra’ type protector, with an hard soft construction, hard thermo plastic outer, with cushioned variable density foam backing with channels to allow cooling air flow between the protector and your back.
This info is from the Knox website:
• CE approved racing style spine guard.
• 8 linked plates, with 'Hexprotect' honeycomb internal structure.
• The Ricochet back protector combines the best features of both "soft" and "hard" back protectors. It absorbs massive amounts of energy from an impact, comfortably exceeding the new European standard for back protectors (EN1621-2) and it can withstand repeated impacts.
• The Ricochet achieves this thanks to a unique honeycomb structure, which rebounds when impacted, while absorbing huge amounts of energy. So it acts like a cushion and an armour plate.
Also the design and construction (Hexpeotect system)of this armour is such that it can absorb multiple impacts.
The side tabs/straps allow the lower back and kidney area to be adjusted for increased comfort and support.
Further to this I can confirm that this protector is comfortable to wear under 1 piece leathers and is quite thin so doesn’t feel too bulky, so those of us who’s leathers have shrunk over the years should find it a good fit.
Also it is apparently the only back protector to meet both EU and US safety standards,
Size: Large, 8 plate 510mm torso lenght, I'm 5-11 / 6 ft and it fits me perfect, there's avery useful sizing guide / download on the Knox web site.
Price £30 inc UK delivery
Secondly a Knox ‘Contour’
sorry for the library pic but I managed to delete the one I took of if over the garden chair
this second offering from Knox is quite different in concept to the ‘Racier’ looking Ricochet but don't be fooled it is equally capable, it doesn’t feature the external ‘vertebra’ instead it is formed in a 5 layer mould Honeycomb polpropeylene protection that follows the ‘S’ contour of your back(hence the name I guess) this ensures supreme fit, comfort and impact absorbtion, the Contour is finished with technically advanced fabrics inc. Schoeller - PCM, Schoeller Dynatec, L System with Coolmax and antibacterial treatment, not sure what all that means but the fabrics are nice and it's very well made.
as with the ricochet the straps can be used in 2 positions.
Weighing in at only 600g it would be easy to think it sacrificed performance but this isn’t the case, like Ricochet it is CE approved and comfortably exceed test standards, it really is a very comfortable.
Size: Large, 510cm torso length
Price £30 inc UK Delivery
Condition: both are used but in excellent condition with no damage or signs of wear.
These are top quality pieces of safety gear at a fraction of their retail, if you don't have a back protector (and you really should) this is a great opportunity to buy a state of the art product at a sensible price, which would I buy? well they will both do the job and so which to choose is largely down to which you like the look of best, the Ricohet is slightly thinner so would probably be better under very tight leathers, while the Contour is lighter and slightly more comfortable due to it's softer contruction, either way they are both excellent products and I don't believe you would be disappointed whichever you choose.
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i wore it in bed last night and this morning its still working! the wife clung on like a limpet!