France in Focus

I have always ignored Black Friday but this time I’ve fallen for something I saw online. Earlier in the year I met up with an old school friend for a few days motorcycling in the Pyrenees. He travels much lighter than me but this time he had a new bit of equipment, an air bag gilet. I’ve been thinking of getting one ever since then and a Black Friday offer bringing the price down from a bit over €400 to a bit under €300 was enough to spring me into action. It looks as though it could be a useful bit of kit and a bit like a life jacket it is something that will be easy and unobtrusive to wear but could be a life saver in the right circumstances.
I hope I never find out how good it is.

A good idea. This sort of thing has become obligatory various horsey competitions and as a result, the serious injuries have dramatically reduced as a result of a fall.
The air bag is attached to the saddle by a cord and if the rider is unseated, the cord will yank the air bag and it will instantly inflate. The only problem is that if the fall is slow, and the rider is not thrown, the bag will not necessarily inflate and the rider could be rolled on by the horse.
However, perhaps this is less likely to happen whilst on a bike. OH has talked about an airbag for his moto ...

Blaze wrote: ↑Mon Nov 20, 2023 10:27 pm A good idea. This sort of thing has become obligatory various horsey competitions and as a result, the serious injuries have dramatically reduced as a result of a fall.
The air bag is attached to the saddle by a cord and if the rider is unseated, the cord will yank the air bag and it will instantly inflate. The only problem is that if the fall is slow, and the rider is not thrown, the bag will not necessarily inflate and the rider could be rolled on by the horse.
However, perhaps this is less likely to happen whilst on a bike. OH has talked about an airbag for his moto ...

I can understand that, mine needs quite a tug to operate the trigger. It’s a great idea for horse riding. There are also electronic ones available which use gps and changes in velocity to trigger the charge. I’m not sure they would be any better on a horse.

On an episode of "Traffic Cops" last week an elder biker was tank slapped off, got away with a few bruises, as he was wearing an air vest, he had to explain to the police how it worked, seen them many times on Pro racing circuits, a new idea but a very good one for leisure bikers, if I took up biking again that would be on my shopping list.

DominicBest wrote: ↑Mon Nov 20, 2023 10:34 pm There are also electronic ones available which use gps and changes in velocity to trigger the charge.

If they are too sensitive, it could inflate if, for example the bike hit a pothole or hidden obstruction. There's also the risk of a ricked neck as a bike helmet is much heavier and larger than a horse rider's casque. For riders, it could inflate if the horse tripped, jumped sideways, refused or made a sudden jerk which would unseat the rider without him actually coming off.

But the principle is very good - they've been used in Moto GP racing for years. I've worked at equestrian events, amateur and professional and the difference these air bag gilets have made to serious injuries is fantastic.
Sadly air bags on the bike itself have proved too expensive to be standard.

You just have to remember to unclip them before dismounting! Plus, keep a supply of spare air canisters as they're single use.....

I wouldn’t fancy wearing the electronic jacket on a horse. This is a good example of what’s available.