Do you know that there are bike landing airbags that can handle 5–10 G’s force from a dirt bike? The thrill of extreme sports, with rapid heartbeats, dilated pupils, and heightened alertness, keeps thrill-seekers returning to taking risks. Inflatable landing pads or airbags provide safety for daring sports players. These sports can cause severe injuries in slight miscalculations or human error. Bike landing airbags in stunt arenas and outdoor events provide crucial safety to ensure protocol compliance.
Inflatable bike landing pads come in different shapes, materials, volumes, and features. Understanding their intricate aspects can help buyers select the ideal one for their usage scenario. This blog provides in-depth details of bike airbag landings and factors buyers must consider before purchasing. Let's begin!
Action sports involve real life-threatening situations. A wrong fall or slight misprediction can lead to devastating consequences. To fully understand the importance of bike airbag landing, we need to observe the risks involved without it.
These are the most common injuries, as bones are less flexible than muscles. They can easily be damaged under force. Falling while attempting a stunt on your bike can lead to this injury, especially on dirt bikes, where the weight of the motor can also come down on the stuntmen. Bike airbags for landing can drastically reduce the force. Without the airbags, the fracture can take between 6 and 20 weeks to recover with proper medical attention.
We must emphasize the use of helmets more. Most countries and places require helmets, and there are even laws surrounding their use when riding bikes. The skull is a vulnerable bone structure that houses the brain. Any trauma to the head can lead to death or life-threatening illness.
Protecting the back is an absolute necessity. It is the main conduit that connects your nervous system and is vital to mobility. Any damage to it can lead to paralysis or other severe disabilities. While performing backflips, the chances of landing in a bent back position are high, and an inflatable landing airbag can help.
Another common injury is joint dislocation. Most users can relieve the pain of dislocated joints through first aid, but the pain is excruciating. It can lead to muscle injuries due to overstretching.
The muscles become vulnerable during extreme stress, such as attempting to force yourself on a bike and doing stunts. When falling on a hard surface, the body parts may move in unnatural positions that can stretch the already swollen muscles and cause them to tear.
You may be used to falling and getting bruises as a bike rider. However, in the case of high-altitude maneuvers, the injuries can be fatal. Human error plays a critical role. Understanding human limitations can lead to more safer sports.
Trying your first or double backflip can be an adrenaline rush every sportsman craves. However, doing it unsafely with no bik airbag landing can have severe consequences. During practice, one can fall many times before executing the trick flawlessly. Therefore, practicing in a safe condition is vital.
If you can execute numerous tricks on the ground, then trying your first air trick requires safety measures. Avoid being overconfident and opt for safer conditions. Getting injured is hard on yourself and those who love and care about you.
Even after being an expert in bike stunts, you are still prone to errors caused by external factors at significant events. Distractions can be found anywhere. A smartphone flashlight, crowd noise, or other riders can impair judgment and increase the risk of accidents.
Stress and fatigue can be significant factors in a bike-related accident while practicing or competing. One has limited energy to utilize in such conditions, and fatigue can lead to losing focus or control of your bike. The slight loss of focus can cause miscalculation, leading to injury.
As we know, some severe injuries can originate from the slightest human error. Landing bike airbags can eliminate the chances of getting injured. Let's see how landing airbags are an excellent means of avoiding injury.
Performing the Superman trick while in the air looks fantastic, but it can cause injuries if the trick is not completed in the air. Therefore, needing a landing airbag. Here are features of bike airbag landing that can prevent injuries:
Stunt inflatable airbags provide a soft landing that can absorb most of the impact caused by high-altitude falls. They contain a significant air volume that acts as a cushion. Falling onto a hard surface can lead to injuries to the head, neck, spine, and other body parts.
Whether the bike airbag landing is in the shape of a square, circle, hexagon, or wedge, all of them may or may not have winds and flaps. These prevent riders from falling off the airbag. If the wedge is not too wide, the wings eliminate the chances of falling from the inflatable airbag.
Regular wooden wedges provide a suitable angle for bikers to land correctly after performing a 360-degree air trick. However, the fast and slippery descent can cause the rider to lose control. Inflatable bike landings can provide a smooth and slow descent that breaks the speed smoothly while providing the rider with a comfortable landing.
The landing airbags for bikes consist of a large volume of air. Engineering requires keeping the air within such a large object while ensuring no punctures occur. Landing airbags utilize the following engineering aspects to ensure longevity, durability, and safety.
A typical landing airbag absorbs the impact by evenly distributing it across the material, leading to a softer landing. The airbag is not completely inflated by air. It has some margin to deform, which further dissipates the energy of impact into the deformation of the airbag. The material is specialized to be elastic to allow flexibility.
High-end bike stunt airbags have a two-zone landing system. The top zone is soft for direct impact, and the material is robust to withstand wear and tear. At the same time, the lower part that supports the upper part has a firm shape with full-pack air. The lower zone protects the bike rider from hitting the ground, regardless of weight.
The top layer, which holds the air inside, is PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride). It can be between 0.55mm and 0.9 mm thick. PVC is used because it is water-proof and heat-resistant, making it ideal for all weather conditions. High-end bike airbags for soft landing consist of 3P Raw Material that is good for the environment and capable of having UV resistance and anti-aging characteristics. High-end PVC sheets have a texture that adds to the durability of the sheet and provides a more robust visual appeal of toughness.
Bikers and motorcyclists may need different types of stunt landing airbags. Manufacturers produce them in various shapes and materials to cater to their needs. Here are the three most popular designs:
These inflatable bike landing airbags are best for stunts that require ramping up in the air. Bikers can perform many tricks, such as no-hander, superman seat grab, barspin, tailwhip, etc. However, landing safely is very important in such scenarios. A ramp airbag allows the users to decelerate and ramp down to the ground safely and slowly. In case of failure to perform a trick or human error, the airbag protects the biker from injuries.
These are the ideal airbags for practice as they provide a safer approach. Flat airbags are best for you if you are just practicing your tricks and do not require a landing that takes you back to the ground. They have lots of air loosely filled inside a PVC sheet that absorbs all the kinetic energy exactly on impact. There is no slipping away or chances of falling off.
Another popular design for bike stunt airbags is the mattress-style airbag. It's relatively flatter and ideal for tricks that do not involve high altitudes. Event organizers sometimes use these as additional protection to the ramp or flat airbags. In case the bikers fall off, there is cushioning to avoid injury. These are placed around the place of impact.
Finally, we can provide tips on choosing the right landing airbags for your biking event or practice. We can divide the process into three major parts:
As we have explored all the aspects of a bike airbag landing, we can understand these factors and their consideration when purchasing.
● Airbag Type: Consider the types of landing airbags for your application. Do you need a ramp, flat, or mattress stunt airbag?
● Longevity: Ensure the material is scratch-resistant, fire-resistant, and UV-resistant for longevity.
● Standard Compliance: The product should comply with Inflatable play equipment standard EN 14960: 2013.
● Weight: Consider the product's weight and foldability for ease of transportation.
● Softness Adjustment: Adjustable air outlet ports to determine the softness of the airbag. It will cater to the sportsmen's requirements.
● Protective Layer: Buy a product with a replaceable protective top sheet, as it can be damaged by wear and tear.
● Anchoring: The product should anchor firmly to the ground with high-quality stainless steel rings built to last.
Finding the right size for your application is essential. We recommend going for a medium size for beginners. They have the ideal surface area for new riders who are currently practicing and trying to improve their skills. Dirt bike riders should also choose a medium size as beginners. However, a smaller size can also suffice in case of space constraints. Large ramps and flat airbags are best for significant events involving riders with varying backgrounds and practices. They will lower the chances of riders getting injured.
Everything from material, size, shape, and manufacturing technology depends on the application. If you want to perform stunts using a dirt bike, a protective layer of PVC is vital to avoid puncturing the inflatable sheet. In the case of BMX or FMX, the weight is lower, and no heat is involved, which can damage the sheet. So make sure you have a compatible bike landing airbag.
1. Is a bike airbag effective in preventing injuries?
Inflatable bike airbags prevent fractures, head injuries, broken backs, and muscle tears. They provide a safety net for bikers performing stunts or practicing their skills. They completely absorb the impact force by deforming and providing cushioning to the human body.
2. How do I know if my landing airbag is working correctly?
You need to inspect the whole landing airbag for tears and punctures visually. You can also perform the inflation test to see how long the airbag stays inflated before defaulting. Put some weight on the airbag and see how it performs against it.
3. Can I use a landing airbag for multiple sports?
Landing airbags protect users from impact injury, and all high-adrenaline sports can utilize them for safety. Some of the sports that use landing airbags are skateboarding, BMX, gymnastics, freestyle, snowboarding, motocross, and parkour.
4. How often should I replace my landing airbag?
A typical landing airbag can last years without being replaced entirely. High-end landing airbags come with protective sheets that withstand all the wear and tear. The protective sheets are easily replaceable, while the material is generally fireproof, UV-resistant, waterproof, and much more. They are highly durable and come with a 2-year warranty.
5. Are landing airbags expensive?
Landing airbags come in various types, sizes, shapes, and materials. A typical landing airbag can have 0.55 to 0.9mm thickness made from PVC material. They are generally inexpensive compared to other protective measures, such as on-body airbags that only work once.