Falling off a bike and bruising really sucks, but it’s fair to say that road rash is the suckiest of all cycling injuries. Santini wants to put a stop to that suffering with its new “fall-proof” Impact bib shorts.
- How to treat road rash
- Abrasion resistant fabric to debut in cycle jerseys and shorts to reduce road rash
The shorts are made from Dyneema — or ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene by its proper name — a super hardy and lightweight material which is used in a number of interesting applications, most notably for outdoorsy folks in lightweight slings for climbing.
Santini describes Dyneema as “the strongest material in the world”, though our brief two minute Google search reveals that this particular accolade actually goes to graphene (what’s the bet we’ll see graphene-infused cycling clothes at next year’s Eurobike?).
Small inaccuracies aside, there’s no denying that Dyneema is damn strong, with bullet proof vests and the like made from the stuff. Santini says that the material is 15 times tougher than steel and that as such the Impact shorts will keep “cuts and abrasions to a minimum” should you take a tumble. It's the hips and back of the shorts which are made with Dyneema fibres, and that covers the areas of the body most at risk of injury during falls, says Santini.
The clothing manufacturer was also keen to highlight that the shorts are “all-black to guarantee that they’ll coordinate effortlessly with any jersey”, which as we all know is key to performance.
The shorts will be priced at €185, with international pricing and availability yet to be confirmed.
What do you think? Would you like to see more protection woven into road cycling clothing?
