Fox Racing Friday | Raceframe Impact SB Guard

Fox Racing Friday | Raceframe Impact SB Guard

Presented by Fox Racing 

This week’s Fox Racing Friday feature is going to be a little different, as instead of looking back at a cool Fox product or memory from the past, I wanted to focus on a really important all-new product that was part of the recent MX20 launch from the guys at Fox. The new Fox Raceframe chest protector is all new and it comes in three different basic configurations. Designed to be worn beneath the rider’s jersey, it has a sleek design that includes plenty of flex panels for a truly streamlined fit.

The simplest version is called the Raceframe Roost Guard, and it features front and rear plastic panels that are designed to protect the wearer from roost. Many years ago when I was a youngster, things like this were actually called chest protectors by everyone who made them, but I assume that in sue-happy America, lawyers advised manufacturers to change the name to roost guard as incorporating the word protector into a title implies protection from injuries, and frivolous lawsuits could result if a rider were injured while wearing one. Anyway, the $99.95 Raceframe Roost Guard fits closely against your body, has lots of ventilation holes, and can go virtually undetected beneath a rider’s jersey. It can also be converted into a front-only roost deflector, as the back panel can be removed from the single back strap that remains. In this configuration, it reminds me of the Alpinestars A1, which is worn by a lot of the sport’s top racers, whether they are sponsored by Alpinestars or not. The Fox Raceframe Roost Guard is a great product and I am sure it will become the most popular guard in the brand’s catalog.

The burliest version is dubbed the Raceframe Impact Guard CE, and it costs $149.95. At first glance, it looks exactly like the Raceframe Roost Guard, but when you pick it up it becomes obvious that it has a lot more protection built-in. In FIM MXGP competition, all competitors are required to wear front and back CE-certified protectors, and this is what the Raceframe Impact Guard CE was designed for. The inside and rear panels of the guard are lined with an impact-absorbing armor insert, which provide much greater impact protection than the standard roost guard. I was told that this is what Tim Gajser has been dominating this year’s MXGO World Championship Series in.

The third version is the one I am most intrigued by. The Raceframe Impact SB Guard features the same front panel as the Raceframe Impact Guard CE, but the back panel is a thin, flexible panel of the impact-absorbing armor instead of the hard-plastic shell-type piece. Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen has been wearing this version all season long, and it is virtually undetectable on him. The $159.95 Raceframe Impact SB Guard actually has more of the impact-absorbing armor material on the back than the others, and that’s why I assume it is the most expensive offering in the group.

The Impact-Absorbing Armor feels like foam, as it is soft and flexible and especially so when exposed to body heat. The panel conforms to the shape of your back quite well and it doesn’t have any bulky edges that protrude through your jersey while you’re riding. It’s also vented pretty well and while it will never be as cool as wearing nothing but a jersey, the extra bit of warmth is worth it for the exceptional level of protection it offers.

The Impact-Absorbing Armor in the front panel of the guard can be removed as it is held in with three Velcro flaps. To be honest, I took this insert out before I even rode in the Raceframe Impact SB Guard as I don’t need any help making my tummy look any bigger, and it is my spine that I am most concerned with protecting, anyway. 

Almost a decade ago, my big brother Ross suffered paralyzing injuries in a motocross crash. We’re not sure, but we believe that the bike hit him in the back when it caught up to him. I was so devastated by his injury that I actually quit riding for several months, and ever since then I have been much more aware of protecting my back. Though I have worn full-coverage chest protectors here and there through the years, I have always struggled to find one that met me three mandatory requirements. 1. It has to be comfortable. 2. It has to look cool, like the old Fox Roost 2! 3. It can’t make me look fatter than I already am. Ironically, I was really pumped on the original Fox Raceframe years ago and I used to wear it over my jersey. I thought it looked pretty cool, but one day Rossi told me I looked L A R G E in a photo I posted on Facebook and I never wore it again. Instead, I’ve been racing in a sleeveless compression top that my friend Warren Johnson had made more me when he worked at a protection brand in motocross. Down the back over my spine, is a pocket that holds a piece of D30 impact-absorbing armor.

Needless to say, I was pretty excited about the new Fox Racing Raceframe Impact SB Guard when I saw it at Fox HQ last week, and I’ve been super pumped with the way it fits and feels when I ride in it. I wore it for nearly 90 minutes beneath my jersey earlier this week when I competed in my first Worcs event, and it never felt hot or uncomfortable. Adjusting the size of the Raceframe Impact SB Guard is as easy as making the shoulder straps tighter or looser, and beyond that, there is a youth size and also a big boy size available.  

Yesterday, I had Jeff Matiasevich on the SML Show and when we were done, we sat and bench raced about his career. I mentioned the Fox Racing Roost 2 and how I thought it still looked cool by today’s standards. “I wore a chest protector throughout my career,” he said. “I never took it off to be cool like so many other guys once they turned pro.”

Thankfully, with the advent of sleek guards like the Raceframe Impact SB Guard and others, more pros are protecting themselves these days than ever in AMA racing,..it’s just not as obvious. Look closely next time you’re watching the stars race on television; you’ll see.

Now, if big brother Ross tells me I look large in the Raceframe Impact SB Guard, I’ll just tell him that at my advanced age, I’ve finally come to grips with my puffiness…

CLICK HERE to check out the new line of Raceframes.

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