Review: 2011 Leatt DBX Comp II

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Neck braces, I’m not going to tell you about what they do because you should already know that they save lives and prevent serious injury. This is the new DBX Comp II, from South African neck brace pioneers Leatt and it kicks ass and stops you from breaking your neck! Sound good?

The Leatt DBX Comp II isn’t going to hold you back getting your gas on! The D3 helmet I’m wearing here is designed to work with the Leatt, but the DBX is designed for all helmets and more importantly, mountain biking.

I’ve been a long standing believer in neck braces having spent over a year now wearing the Leatt GPX Comp, the DBX’s Moto brother. Like a lot of people who splashed out on the GPX to find Leatt sneak the DBX out, a brace specifically designed for us mountain bikers, I was intrigued to see what the difference was. To be blunt, there is only one significant difference between the bicycle and MX braces, but it’s the one that counts; more backwards movement on the DBX, essential for tearing down steep descents and ripping to the finish line on downhill bikes!

Leatt product is not only functional but well made and deigned to do a serious job. The DBX Comp II comes with the top line Biofoam pad set and mighty fine it looks too, it would almost be rude to sticker this one up! The pads are easily removed and are machine washable, so don’t let that put you off the bling white option you see here. Construction wise, your looking at a fiberglass reinforced polymide resin body and carbon fibre reinforced with kevlar on the thorasic member. Impressive stuff!

The Thorasic member is designed to break at one third the force required to injure the spine. It’s pretty obvious that R&D and Leatt go hand in hand. Notice the red levers, more visible than the black ones I had on the GPX and that’s not for you and me, it’s for the emergency services. The pads sit on what are called ‘tables’, on the DBX Comp models these are adjustable to increase movement for the individual rider.

Room to maneuver! Check the profile, this is what Leatt call their “premium fit” coupled with the low profile pad set unique to the DBX line and designed specifically for the need of mountain bikers, this thing is dialed!

The way the Leatt behaves during impact is important in understanding the task the product has to endure under the extremes of use. What Leatt call “alternative load path technology” which essentially disperses impact away from critical area of the body, like the neck and spine and transferring it to less vulnerable areas.

The DBX Comp II is fully adjustable via 6 independent points that allow you to tailor the brace to fit snugly and correctly on almost anyone’s shoulders, it comes in two sizes, Small and Medium. The Small is primarily a children’s brace, but if your on the small side give it a try. The Medium is for adults of all shapes and sizes and with the adjust-ability this brace offers, getting a nice fit is only a few allen bolts away.

Taking the DBX Comp on and off will become second nature after a few trys, but the levers can get sticky when the temperature drops! Roll on summer.

The Leatt DBX Comp, when undone at both sides, consists of two main pieces that can be easily stored in your kit bag.

The DBX Comp II comes with a total of 4 different pins sets, a thorasic spacer plus an allen key so you can get tweaking. It really is worth taking some time and getting your brace adjusted correctly and where it should be, not just for that ‘in the event of an accident’ moment, but just to make it nice a comfy on your shoulders when your getting your shred on.

Pins, spacers and everything you need to get your brace working for you. Once correctly set up you won’t even notice you’re even wearing it.

The clear strap is a good addition and won’t interfere too much with your favorite race jersey.

When wearing the DBX Comp II, the first thing I noticed was literally how much more movement I had over my old GPX and it is good to see a manufacturer address the specific needs of cyclists rather than us putting up with more MX cross over kit.Weight wise, you’re not going to notice 830 grams on your shoulders and if you do, you’re in the wrong sport! I’m used to wearing a brace now, but to be honest after a few runs you’ll forget it’s there. The supplied clear plastic adjustable strap that keeps the brace where it should be is a great addition of the solid black one, but I’ll be honest, I don’t normally use the strap and don’t find I even notice not having it. It isn’t essential but it’s there and this is a piece of kit that you will need to familiarize yourself with a find what suits you best.

The Neck Brace Debacle

Okay then, so I like neck braces and I’m a long standing Leatt user, the big question that often surrounds the product is how important it is to everyday riding and is it just a fashion accessory for the Sam Hill-alike generation? Heard of Tara Llanes? Hear about what happened to Dan Atherton last year and not to mention Stephen Murray? You see where I’m going with this by now!

So lets talk money as it seems to be one of the biggest topics surrounding neck braces. These bad boys aren’t cheap, but are you really going to put a price on your health? This isn’t going to stop you treating yourself to that shiny new bike part you’ve had your eyes on, but not having it could seriously stop you standing up and holding your loved ones. Provoking you am I? This stops you breaking your neck and it shouldn’t matter if you haven’t broken it or come close to before.

I don’t crash much? Good for you, its not for the accident prone rider out there, a neck brace is there for that one crash, the one you don’t see coming and the one that you could potentially not get up from. How seriously do you take your riding is of no concern, the fact you wear a full face helmet is enough to suggest what you are doing is dangerous. How much did you splash on that downhill bike? The payments on the car sitting on the drive or the ghastly giant TV you’ve got taking pride of place in your living room? If you really can’t afford to buy one of these then that’s too bad, but sometimes you have to make financial sacrifices to do what you love and I love riding my bike. This could save your life and with prices starting at £230 I really think anyone not already thinking about making 2011 the year you get a neck brace should have a good think about changing their minds.

Conclusion

The Leatt DBX Comp II is available now from all good Leatt dealers worldwide and available in the UK from all Hotlines dealers nationwide at a worthy price of £359.99. There are cheaper and more expensive Leatts in the range, so get the best one that suits your budget and needs.

Go try one on if you can, borrow one or ask the guys at your local trails who use them what they think, feel free to ask me right here, but please don’t dismiss these as nothing more than fashion. In the meantime get that old junk on EBay and put a little aside to get this useful piece of reinforced fibreglass and carbon fibre on your shoulders, you never know when you will need it and lets hope you never will.

The DBX Comp is light, looks great, is available in 3 colourways, is totally adjustable, has more features than you can shake a stick at and could change your life, literally. Check Leatt-Brace out for more info.

Happy trails.

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