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Gear Review · Armor
All 10 pieces of protective gear we've tested and ranked, from budget roost deflectors to CE Level 2 race-grade armor, sorted by rating.
Upper body armor covering chest, back, and shoulders, from lightweight roost deflectors to full CE Level 2 systems.
Armor
Leatt's flagship chest protector clears CE Level 2 on both chest and back, one of the highest protection scores in the lineup, while dropping 30% of the weight and adding 50% more ventilation over the previous generation.
Armor
Alpinestars built the A-1 Pro to be the lightest CE Level 1 chest protector on the market at 664 grams, with 18% of its structure devoted to ventilation apertures, a genuinely low-profile option for hot climates.
Armor
Fox's Raceframe Impact Soft Back uses D3O armor in an articulated, low-profile shape built specifically for the Rider Attack Position, designed to disappear under a jersey rather than feel like a hard shell strapped to your chest.
Armor
TLD's Rockfight CE pairs a Stone Shield-certified front plate, specifically rated for roost and flying debris, with a removable D3O back insert that exceeds the CE EN1621 Level 1 standard for harder impacts.
Reduce neck forces and injury risk in a crash, designed to work alongside a full-face helmet.
Armor
The 3.5 is Leatt's most accessible flagship-tech neck brace, the same collarbone cut-out and independently lab-tested Alternative Load Path Technology as the pricier models, in a lighter, single-adjustment package.
Armor
The 4.5 sits between Leatt's 3.5 and 5.5 on both price and adjustability, adding 2-way thoracic tuning over the 3.5's single adjustment point for riders who want a more dialed-in fit without stepping up to the carbon-frame 5.5.
Hinged knee braces built to control ligament motion and absorb impact, not just cushion a fall.
Armor
The RK-1 Plasma uses a stainless-steel four-point hinge system with adjustable 0-30° extension stops, paired with a Nucleon PLASMA knee protector that disperses impact energy while staying flexible in every direction.
Armor
POD's K4 2.0 is a registered medical device with the FDA and CE, using Vectran fiber Synthetic Ligaments, rated 5x stronger than steel, to control knee motion the way your body's real ligaments would.
Hinged or 4-way-stretch elbow protection built to stay in place without restricting arm movement.
Armor
Leatt's 3DF 5.0 Evo pairs ultra-lightweight Deflextion shell material with a single-sizing anti-slip X-strap system, built to stay put and disappear on your arm rather than needing constant readjustment mid-ride.
Armor
The Titan Pro D3O uses a hinged, highly-vented exoskeleton over molded D3O armor, so the elbow joint keeps full range of motion instead of the guard riding up or binding through a hard landing or a rock crawl.