CE Armour Level Ratings

[ThunderGuts]

Afternoon all,

Trying to get my head around this and I'm failing (repeatedly). Despite much Googling, I can't seem to find a "scenario" guide to CE armour levels. I'm keen to get some memory CE armour for my casual bike jacket, but trying to identify what level I should go for. Seems to be level 1 and level 2 stuff available, question is for casual riding (not racing around, so rarely going much above 50mph, not motorways, not the racetrack!) is level 1 appropriate, or should I try and find some level 2 stuff? Might be a bit like slide protection; what's needed on the track is rarely, if ever, needed to the same extent on the road (unless you're a proper lunatic - I'm not!).

Cheers
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TG.

[MCN]

You are wandering about in a retail Minefield.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[ThunderGuts]

[MCN]

It's a lot to do with safety and a lot to do with sales and a lot to do with shite.

Email the big gear manufacturers. You may get a candid response or you may get the corporate schpiel.

All my gear has ce armour fuctifano what grade.
It's the dense flexible black rubber stuff. With some plastic plates in forearms and shins.

The problem is the meaning or realistic comparisons of testing and real life protection.
They do test like they did with seatbelt etc. years ago but I think evidence is thin or maybe skewed.
An interesting minefield though.

Even wearing armour you can still get deaded coming off a bike especially, but any armour is always better than Hee-Haw.

I think it's a compromise between quality of build, material,comfort, cost and cetera.
And I'm on my phone so spelling is random.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[ThunderGuts]

Yeah good call. I might give d3o a call as they make the stuff.

It’d be nice to simplify all this stuff. It’s ridiculously confusing navigating through the world of biking kit.
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TG.

[Kentol750]

As mcn says..... minefield. D30 is awesome shit. Or, buy clothing and don't crash. No hurty, no worry. In b4 tef spells it out!
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Some bikes.

[Ste]

A cheese and red cabbage sandwich (made using cheap white bread and two slices of Edam cheese, all wrapped in clingfilm) passes the impact absorption tests required for CE approval.

https://www.johnsonleather.com/Downloadable_Articles/RideArticle_2-07.pdf

For your information
We Found 4 Clips With "Cheese And Red Cabbage"
We Found 692 Clips With "Cheese Sandwich"
We Found 0 Clips With "Cheese And Red Cabbage Sandwich"

[Bhud]

I don't place any stock in such ratings. I would rely on armour to protect my skin from abrasion, but that's all. Would like to know which CE test simulates your shoulder and collarbone when you slide down the road in your gear at 30 mph and into a kerb. Or the one that simulates a twisting injury to the knee or hip or spine when trapped under a bike sliding down the road at 50. Or the one that simulates your wrists and forearms when you obliquely crash headfirst into the side of a car at 40. Those tests exist, right? No?

This is why the very existence of the idea of government approved armour isn't about physically protecting your body but more about changing attitudes. The people who tend to know all about CE armour don't seem to ride a lot, or even live in European countries. Picture a typical American who talks a lot about riding, claims to have grown up on dirt bikes, has a Tuono on hire credit which he wiĺl sheepishly sell to a real motorcyclist in 40 years' time with just 5k miles on the clock, slick with polishing wax. HE knows all about CE armour, and has a wardrobe full of it. It's a roaring trade.

[talkToTheHat]

The impact test procedure is thereabouts dropping a steel impactor in a manner similar to a half brick from two metres. Transmitted force is about risk of broken bones.

It's not going to help much hitting a solid object at high speed. You need airbags and crumple zones for that. With proper armour hitting a car and going over is reasonaby survivable. Going through one isn't.

It can and does help with hitting the road from a height of 2m or so. The leather and any low friction sliding materials deal with abrasion aspect of horizontal velocity. Armor deals with vertical fall. Including your helmet. What it's designed to do is protect you from the vertical fall. Crush proof sole in CE boots prevents bike that falls on you mashing your feet. All very real, very common and easily mitgated injuries.

And everywhere outside europe has cottoned on to euro tests (and UK sharp helmet testing) being one of the few reliable ways to tell if something actually does what it claims to do.

And I'm riding loads, my bike is daily transport, and being able to tell if something is any better because it costs more is VERY important to me.

Having crashed in cheap nasty and having a hospital trip, and in leathers and CE level 2 armor and only having bruises on the gaps between armour (and minor ligament damage to my thumb), CE level 2 is worth it.

D30 and forcefield net aftermarket armor is really comfortable and less bulky than the RST stuff, the new rst level two inserts don't feel much different to wear than their level 1, but the material is different. Forcefield seems to fit my knees better.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[Ste]

[MCN]

[talkToTheHat]

[ThunderGuts]

All interesting stuff. As a new biker, I have been "born" into a biking world where there is a strong emphasis on safety kit; the problem is understanding what works and what doesn't!

It certainly is a minefield though; my textile trousers posses the "motorcycle" logo and CE approval, but I can't work out what level; the "matching" jacket doesn't appear to but doesn't have the usual PPE disclaimer either. I'm sure they both have CE approved armour in though, albeit the cheap stuff and who knows at what grade either.

Back to my original post, I think I'll go for the level 2 stuff, even though it's going into a non-CE approved jacket and isn't going to be used for hooning around . . .
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TG.

[Blueberry]