No matter what I do, I can't ever feel as dialed riding or racing with my leatt as with out it. I've tried messing with the adjustments on the brace, and have worn 3 different helmets with it and for a time that was cool and I felt pretty good. What I did notice was that during this same time, I felt like I got a little slower in my races, but I chalked that up to getting older. A few months ago, I forgot my brace when going to ride one of my favorite dh trails and POOF! I was riding faster and feeling more confident than I had on a bike in a long time. I don't know how to explain the feeling other than just less restricted, but if you asked me to tell you what motion it was that was getting caught up, I couldn't say.
Now for the internet armchair world cup coach commentary that's required for a proper ridemonkey thread:
It also seems this same sort of thing is affecting world cup riders:
Gee Atherton- fast last year, hard time getting sorted this year, just started racing with a brace.
Sam Hill- doesn't seem to be dominating the way he once was: started wearing neck brace
Aaron Gwin- Wore a brace previously, ditched it, is now killing it.
Obviously there are other factors going on here- Gee has been having mechanicals, Gwin has worked hard and has a great team supporting him and apparently is now taking the most powerful supplements known to man, Hill is getting fatter according to teh interwebs, etc.
Whatever... am I paranoid? I know I would feel like an idiot if I put myself in a wheel chair when all I had to do was put my neck brace on that day, but at the same time I've had two huge crashes with broken bones and all racing with the brace and only one good nutting on my stem when it off.
Now for the internet armchair world cup coach commentary that's required for a proper ridemonkey thread:
It also seems this same sort of thing is affecting world cup riders:
Gee Atherton- fast last year, hard time getting sorted this year, just started racing with a brace.
Sam Hill- doesn't seem to be dominating the way he once was: started wearing neck brace
Aaron Gwin- Wore a brace previously, ditched it, is now killing it.
Obviously there are other factors going on here- Gee has been having mechanicals, Gwin has worked hard and has a great team supporting him and apparently is now taking the most powerful supplements known to man, Hill is getting fatter according to teh interwebs, etc.
Whatever... am I paranoid? I know I would feel like an idiot if I put myself in a wheel chair when all I had to do was put my neck brace on that day, but at the same time I've had two huge crashes with broken bones and all racing with the brace and only one good nutting on my stem when it off.