On Track Off Road No. 189

FEATURE
3. THE REST
The last items for Brad will be
his race boots, gloves and the
helmet: all items tailored specifically
to his fit and needs.
“The boots are basically the
same as the ones from the
shelf but they are customised
a little bit. I have extremely
small calves! So I need them
adjusted enough so I can
tighten them properly. I really
like my boots tight! I also
like the profile of the boot to
be narrower around the toes
so they are less bulky. I am
looked after very well by TCX.
I think I had 12 pairs of boots
last year and I used two, to be
honest. If I have something
that fits and works well then
I like to carry on with them;
I think it is a bit of a superstition
as well. The ones I’m
wearing now I think I’ve had
since the mid-point of last
season.”
“I hear a lot of people talking
about gloves and how they often
need a new pair. Personally
this doesn’t bother me at
all and Ixon again customise
the gloves for me. If any of
the fingers are a bit tight then
they stretch them out, or if
they are long then they shorten
them. I’ve had 3-4 crashes
in the gloves I’m using now
and they look brand new. I
know there are different materials
so that when you crash
it slides on the surface, like a
small carbon piece near the
palm of your hand. It can be
quite scientific but I’m lucky
that I have not had many injuries
at all with my hands.”
“When I first started with Bell
Helmets I flew out to their HQ
in Santa Cruz and they took a
3D scan of my head and completely
customised the inside
of the helmet. It is almost like
an internal liner that fits every
little bump! It’s perfectly
formed and I’m using the new
model to fit the new homologation
and it must be a kilo
lighter!
They are an insane company.
On a normal day I’ll wear a
tinted visor. If it has been
raining and there are some
patches on track or it’s cloudy
then I will wear a half-tint.
Bell brought out a visor with
some new technology last
year where water never sits
on top and it never mists up.
Since then I’ve never worried
about it. Before we had
that dual visor system that
you get in normal helmets
for the road but water could
sometimes drop in between
the two layers. Since the new
visor it’s been really cool.”
Finishing our shoot we ask
Brad if there is anything that
he’d like to see changed or
introduced to his race outfit.
Riders obviously need to
move and react to the full
behaviour of the bike so flex
is key, but aerodynamics
are also vital in the chase of
winning lap-times so keeping
their shape slim and narrow
is paramount. “I don’t know
what else we can wear or do,”
he thinks. “I think every aspect
is covered!”