The U.K.’s Rheon Labs has announced it is making its advanced technology CE-rated impact protectors available through in-store and online retailers. The new Rheon Armour is manufactured using an energy-absorbing polymer that is soft and flexible. The pliability makes installation in your existing riding gear easy and ensures comfort when the product is in use.
A key feature of the Rheon Armour design is its airy three-dimensional structure, which enables the product to be lightweight and flexible, providing user comfort while maximizing impact absorption as the polymer stiffens dynamically in response to impact force. It also flows air efficiently.
In addition to the option to purchase Rheon Armor separately for installation in your existing riding gear, the Rheon Labs product is also available in select products from leading brands such as Harley-Davidson, Rapha, Mosko Moto, Thor, Fly Racing, Ruroc, and Kriega, among others.
I have reviewed Rheon Labs-equipped products in other applications—the Ruroc Atlas 4.0 Carbon full-face helmet and Bobhead Reaper riding gloves.
When I checked out the new Rheon Armour impact protector product line, it occurred to me that it might be beneficial to examine how well it could work on a retrofit basis. I had exactly the item to try it on, as well.
About 20 years ago, I purchased an Icon Asphalt Technologies Merc jacket. The rugged textile jacket still looks and works well. While it has legitimate shoulder and elbow impact protectors, the back protector pocket only has a quarter-inch-thick foam rubber pad that offers no significant impact protection.
I’ve long felt that getting a true impact protector for that back pocket would be a great thing to do. The Rheon Armour Full Back Protector earns the top-shelf EN1621-2:2014 CE Level 2 rating.
The Rheon Armour Full Back Protector’s dimensions are 5/8 inches thick, 10 inches wide at its widest point, and 15.5 inches long—perfect for the Icon Merc Jacket. Weighing in at 13 ounces, the back protector offers impressive ventilation.
Installation is easy: roll the highly flexible back protectors into a tube, slide it into the pocket, let it unroll, and smooth the protector out to the edges of the pocket. In the Icon Merc jacket, the Rheon back protector felt like a custom fit. Of course, it’s essential to verify the correct size for the armor pockets on your jacket.
In use, the fit of the Icon Merc jacket is just as it always has been. The comfort is improved thanks to the ventilation the Rheon Labs product provides to the back; the original non-perforated foam rubber pad allows no airflow. Full range of motion is available thanks to the product’s flexibility.
The Rheon Armour Collection also has a Level 1 (EN1621-1:2012) range that includes shoulder, elbow, knee, hip, central back, divided chest, and full (single piece) chest protectors. The Level 2 range includes shoulder, elbow, curved, knee, hip, central back, and full back protectors. Prices vary by the type and size of the Rheon Armour.
