Ladies and gents, a fresh batch of Forcefield body armour just landed at Wideopen HQ
We’ve been hunting around for some armour to keep team rider Ellie Maxfield safe at the races for a little while now. She’s a fussy cow and wants something that will keep her safe, won’t cook her alive and won’t make her look like Mr Thundercleese.
After a bit of googling we came across Forcefield – a company that have done a wee bit of mountain bike stuff in the past and are looking to up their game in 2011. They’ve got heaps of experience in motorsports, particularly motoGP style stuff, but are trying to develop their action sports products a little bit for a relaunch at the end of this year. Given we’ve got a whole team of riders and one particularly choosy female rider we were perfect for the job of helping them with a bit of testing and feedback…
We’ll be giving the Forcefield kit a full run down in the mag once it’s been hammered … but until then, here’s a look at what we’ve just hooked Ellie up with!
Forcefield Action Shirt
This one stood out as a light-weight and non-bulky alternative to the likes of Dainese.
The low profile Nitrex® CE approved armour is removable to allow the shirt to be machine washed for maximum hygiene.
Designed to be used in conjunction with any Forcefield back protector to create the ultimate in upper body protection.”
Not cheap at £154.99 but looks light, comfy whilst still offering loads of padding.
Sportlite 1 back protector
Forcfield’s approach to back protection is really interesting. Rather than selling combined back and upper body suits they provide them separately. The theory is that people’s torsos don’t always dictate the size of their spine and that everyone’s bodies are different. The back plates therefore come in various different sizes and also in female specific shapes, which we’ve got here. Again, not too cheap at £99.99 but they look the business straight out of the box.
“The Forcefield Sport Lite1 is constructed using Nitrex® a unique high-tech triangular shock absorbing material combined with dense and lightweight layers of foam which disperse energy upon impact. Designed to be soft, flexible, breathable and comfortable whilst still providing maximum impact protection.
Nitrex® also provides Repeat Performance Technology (RPT) to ensure that even after multiple impacts there is no loss of protective performance.
Fully adjustable shoulder straps and double waist adjustment ensure a correct fit for different body shapes.”
Action Shorts
Afraid Ellie wasn’t in the mood to down-trou in the street for photos so you’ll have to make do with the Forcefield model’s legs. These are £94.99.
Constructed from BeCool™, a unique fibre that has a greater diffusive area than standard fibre, this ensures high levels of breathability and comfort.
The low profile Nitrex® CE approved armour is removable to allow the shorts to be machine washed for maximum hygiene and is available in two protective levels, Pro Armour or Sport Armour.
Fastened at the waist by a draw cord and with gripper elastic at the legs the shorts offer superior fit and comfort.
The Forcefield Action Short offers unparalleled comfort and performance for those demanding sports activities where impacts are an inherent occurance.”
Last but not least, check out this wee vid of Forcefield on the Gadget show. Sure, it’s a bit gonky but it’s a good intro to the brand:
Stay locked to Wideopen Magazine for a full test of the Forcefield kit. We’re looking forward to helping them develop the range and give them some great feedback on how it works for downhill.
Check out the Forcefield homepage here.
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Going to a be roasting hot weekend at Moelfre … perfect for testing armour!
Nice review. It’s a one of kind shirt on motorcycle market, I guess.