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Man wearing full face helmet and knee pads rides a mountain bike over a jump.
Can riding kit reduce crashes?

It feels like we have had decades of promises about “smart” riding clothes and now the researchers at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) are putting some of them to the test.

The Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety is asking riders to fill out a survey to help it assess the performance of kit that purports to prevent road rash, bruising and cuts.

Using a National Road Safety Action Grant, the researchers are testing whether the garment claims are true, and importantly, whether riders say they are comfortable to wear.

The first part of the project is an online survey asking riders what they wear, how clothing relates to the type of riding, and what their injuries have been in previous falls/crashes.

The next step will involve up to 10 focus groups of 8-10 riders to provide feedback on different clothing in the market.

Researchers will then put the garments to the test in the same way motorcycle clothing is assessed, looking at abrasion resistance, seam strength, impact absorption and “moisture vapour resistance”.

Volunteer riders will then be measured for thermal comfort and heat strain while wearing different garments at the QUT’s Exercise and Environmental Ergonomics Laboratory.

The researchers are hoping their results will help riders to choose protective clothing that’s effective as well as suited to particular types of riding and climates.

Riders who complete the survey can enter a prize draw for a $250 electronic gift voucher and riders who participate in the focus groups (online or in-person in Brisbane) will also receive a $50 electronic gift voucher.

If you are aged over 18, live in Australia and ride a bicycle you can fill out the 15-minute survey before 28 February: https://qsurvey.qut.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_2lYeWdG3jfW6JRc

People who fill out the survey will receive the results once the full project is completed to help them make future clothing choices.  

Image: Wikimedia Commons, Klarasth

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