Chris Westland

Sorry for the late reply, I'm just back from 2 weeks in Tunisa. I'm afraid I'll have to RSVP regrets for December as my daughter planned for the family to be in Snowbasin at that time. Will have to catch you whenever we do make it to Phoenix. Sounds like a fun ride. Enjoy yourselves!

It's pretty cool, but an unusual style ... I picked it up at a local store in Sugo, Japan when I was at Yamaha's Sportland race track. Typically Japanese, everything is non-standard, with a mesh polyester holding the elbow, shoulder and back protector as integrated parts of the plastic. The zipper pulls were terrible and broke apart after a few uses, so I purchased some replacements from Amazon that have served me well http://mobike.westland-cpa.com/x.jpg

Smart ... after my last accident (a comparatively minor distal radius fracture but painful and slow to heal) I am hopefully done with injuries ... I plan to protect to the max:motorcycle jacket (I have both summer and winter) wrist guards, knee pads and full face helmet.

Just a thought on using "tubleless" slime in a tubed tire ... If you used this in a tubed tire, you might gum up the spigot is what I'd heard, but it seems highly unlikely. My guess is that it might be a problem for Presta valves and the high pressure (>90psi) that these sorts of tubes use. But with a Schrader valve and ~40psi, the opening is big and the pressure low, so the valve would be fairly safe. Correct me if you have experience (or have tried this yourself).

The question of tube vs. tubeless Slime comes up a lot on bicycle forums. I think all EUCs are tubed (correct me if I'm wrong) so you would use that Slime (the name comes from "green slimy stuff" which is how mountain bikers referred to the original formula and was colored green to symbolize environmental friendliness). It's composed of fibers, binders, and proprietary clogging agents that build up and intertwine to seal punctures in inner tubes and tires; made by Chicago's Illinois Tool Works, they market their Fibro-Seal Technology is the basis of a number of products. When a puncture occurs, sealant is carried to the puncture site by the escaping air, forming a plug that stops air loss. The stuff never dries out in the tire; when constrained to a small space, the fibers cluster together through surface tension (kind of like a blood clot in a wound). The tubeless Slime has bigger pieces of rubber floating around in it, because there is more space that needs to be filled up with a tubeless tire, especially around the rim. If you used this in a tubed tire, you might gum up the spigot (though I'm not sure how much of a problem this is in reality).

@Barrett Roberts, I share the concern of others on this board, and wish your brother a speedy recovery. I think, increasingly we see these stories as cautionary for our own behavior.

Thanks for sharing. I'm still thinking about the boots too ... I have all my motorcycle gear, with much to choose from, but still considering the annoyance as well ...

Good idea. I just ordered one of these and will give it a try (versus the chin protector). Looking at the specs, it is quite light, with a good FOV ... and as you say protects the entire face. Seems worthwhile and I'll report after I receive this.

I agree; if you have too much gear, it will take the fun out of riding (as do injuries). Motorcycle jacket, helmet and wristguards... I haven't run into problems with leg or ankle injuries (not for lack of trying) so I would be interested in hearing how people have managed to injure these extremities. I'm not keen on the full motorcycle helmet ... I've worn these a lot and they are good protection, but they limit visibility... and you sound like Darth Vader inside that bubble

I've tried this ... you run your EUC on grass and fairly slow speeds (<10mph) and jump or fall off ... the wheel doesn't get too banged up that way ...

It's the same, but I think the chin bar+helmet is more compact and convenient. Just personal taste. It might, but my experience is on EUC's and motorbikes ... maybe someone else can chime in on this one ...

I've hit 30 mph on my ACM, but I'm really afraid to do more than 20mph, and at this point have limited all of my wheels to 20mph (built-in limit on the V8 and IPS Zero, but the ACM can go up to 35mph).

Haven't had a faceplant yet, but I'm afraid of them. I just purchased a Shock Doctor Ultra Carbon Chin Strap

I tend to agree, though falling off a motorcycle at 100mph+ (common in races) is dangerous, and I have witnessed crashes that have resulted in permanent brain damage and death. Even at lower speeds, e.g., 40mph, you skid a long way, and it is likely that there will be something along the way to bring you to a sudden halt, even on a racetrack. On the street, it is certain.

Having been through falls in both sports, my feeling is that strategies are entirely different. On lowsides (I've done many of these) you ride the motorcycle down, skid, and make sure you get away from the cycle, which has lots of bits that stick out and can hurt you. Typically this happens when leaned over on a curve, so you may be expecting the rear wheel to lose traction -- when you accelerate out of a curve, you are pushing traction to the limit, and if tires haven't warmed up, or are too hot, you may not judge where they will actually break from the pavement. On motorcycles, you need thick leather (I like kangaroo because it is so tough). EUC's are much slower, and your body drops down (or is thrown down, which is what has happened on both of my injuries). On EUC's you need good shock absorption, and control of joint movement (e.g., wrists). I like the strategy of rolling; but as one of my friends who has extensive background in skateboarding just found, if you don't wear protection, you're still likely to break or tear something (he had an AC separation from his roll when he fell off his MCM4). I've gotten much more interested in protection since breaking my wrist. No matter how good your strategy, your body still has to hit somewhere.