New: Leatt STX Road neck brace

Update: Read the Leatt STX Road neck brace review here.

I've recently taken delivery of a Leatt STX Road neck brace for review.

Leatt are a familiar sight in the off-road fraternity but not in the world of road riding or road racing.

Leatt have been on the scene for under 10 years, starting with their first neck brace sold in 2004 - after being conceptualised in 2001.

Although there are other similar items on the market (Alpinestars, MOVEO) Leatt are to neck braces what Hoover are to vacuum cleaning.

So to the STX Road; the company's first neck brace for road riders, launched in March 2011. The Leatt STX Road is - like the off-road models - designed to stop extreme movements in your neck and head which can manifest themselves in five different ways and lead to injury, paralysis or worse. The STX Road is not only designed to stop extreme movements but to also dissipate the force through your shoulders and upper body.

The five different scenarios the STX Road is designed to counter are as follows:

1. Hyperextension: Extreme bending of the head in a rearward direction
2. Hyperfl exion: Extreme bending of the head in a forward direction
3. Lateral Hyperfl exion: Extreme bending of the head to one side
4. Posterior Hypertranslation: Movement of the head relative to the neck, at ninety degrees to the neck.
5. Coupled Axial Loading: Helps prevent axial loading only when the axial forces act in combination with other mechanisms. As an example, this typically occurs when your head is forced downward and forward (Hyperfl exion) or downward and backward (Hyperextension).

It's designed to fit over suits with humps, leather or textile jackets and works with most full-face helmets including flip-front models. You need to set it up to suit your size and all the tools required are provided. The red tabs make it easy for medical staff to split it in two to remove it and the rear wings fold in for easier storage.

I've got the Leatt STX Road in to test out during my season in the Ducati 848 Challenge. I'm one of two guys in the BSB paddock wearing one, but I think that'll change a lot over the coming years.

Cost: £349.99

Sizes: S/M, L/XL andXXL

Contact: Leatt-Brace.com

We wrote a feature about neck braces in 2009, you can read it here: Neck Braces - the future of road riding?

By Ben Cope