On Track Off Road No. 194

PRODUCTS
www.leatt.com
leatt
Not content with neck brace innovation, Leatt
have applied their creative and pioneering
R&D to helmets and knee braces in the last
half a decade and have now produced the
5.5 Flexlock boot.
The product has been three years in the
making (meaning that Leatt are now a headto-toe
brand) and prioritises comfort and
protection; to the degree that the Flexlock is
proven to provide 35% reduction of forces to
the knee and 37% to the ankle. To find out
how we asked Dr Chris Leatt himself.
“The thing about motocross boots is that
they are traditionally really rigid; the idea is
that the more rigid the boot the more
injuries it will prevent,” the South African
says. “We looked at all the AMA accident
statistics and lower leg injuries, knee injuries,
hip injuries and the design of boots. We
took one of every boot on the market and we
went to a military test centre where they test
seats for armoured vehicles when they go
over IEDs. It is very high-impact velocity and
involves a plate being accelerated upwards to
the dummy in the seat. You can position the
foot so that it flexes or inverts or has rapid
deceleration. We put the products through a
test and measured all the forces in the ankle
and the forces in the knee. We compiled all
the data and the problem we saw is that the
foot is not allowed to escape. The more rigid
the boot then everything you are putting into
the bottom of the boot will be dampened by
the sole and will be transmitted up the leg.”
“So, we ‘chopped out’ the middle of the
boot just above the ankle and lo-and-behold
fantastic results. It reduced the forces better
than anything else on the market. That was
the thesis: to make a boot so the foot can
escape the initial impact but not be allowed
to go as far as producing an inversion injury
or allowing the ankle to twist in or out. Now
we are left with a boot like the C-Frame knee
brace that allowed you to change gears, feel
the bike and it transmits far less force.”
Other features include 3D-shaped impact
foam over ankles, heel grip ankle design for
stability when riding on your toes, low-profile
toe-box for easy gear shifting, a DualZone
hardness sole, an extended foot peg riding
zone for arch and on-the-toes riding style,
steel shank reinforcement, CE certified, a
cool slideLock system, auto-locking, one-way
sliding closure and forged aluminum, overlocking
function buckles. The inner liner is
made from breathable mesh 3D with antislip
reinforcement for zero heel lift and the
5.5 Flexlock comes in three colour options.
Expect to pay around 330 pounds in the UK.