Body Armour
Browse BMX body armour for sale from riders across the UK. Body armour covers the chest, back, shoulders and usually the elbows in a single piece, and is the protection riders reach for at race gates and on dirt jumps, where the risk is a collision at speed or a long slide rather than a slow tip-over. Limb armour is tested to EN 1621-1 and back protectors to EN 1621-2, each at Level 1 or Level 2.
What does BMX body armour cover?
One piece across the chest, back and shoulders, held on with a zip or an over-the-head pull and strapped at the waist. The hard plates take the scrape and spread a direct hit; the mesh between them is there to let heat out. Nothing in this category covers a knee, and most of it stops at the elbow, so it is worn alongside separate pads rather than instead of them.
Pressure suit or chest protector?
A chest protector is the lighter option — front and back plates on shoulder straps, worn over or under a jersey and quick to get on and off. A full pressure suit adds sleeves with elbow and forearm armour and a proper back protector, and behaves more like a garment than a harness. Younger race riders are often put straight into a suit; park riders who wear anything at all tend to prefer separates. Leatt, Fox, Alpinestars, O'Neal and Troy Lee Designs build both.
What do the EN 1621 ratings mean?
Level 2 lets less force through than Level 1, at the cost of bulk and heat, and the back protector is the piece where the rating is worth paying for. Plenty of BMX armour carries no certification at all, which does not make it useless against gravel rash but does mean the back panel is a moulded plastic shell rather than a tested protector. The label tells you which you are looking at.
How should body armour fit?
Sizing runs on chest measurement and torso length, so a suit that fits a tall, slim rider will ride up on someone of the same chest size but shorter in the back. The back plate should cover from the base of the neck to the waist strap without digging in when you get low over the bars, and the shoulder cups should stay on the point of the shoulder when you raise your arms. Try it with a full-face helmet and goggles on, because a high collar and a chin bar can fight each other.
How much should you spend on body armour?
Entry-level chest protectors are cheap because they are moulded plastic on elastic. The money goes on certified back panels, ventilated foam that stiffens on impact rather than staying rigid all day, and a cut that stays put when you land heavily. Foam also softens over its life — armour that has absorbed several hard hits gives less than it did when new, and there is no way to see that from the outside.