Nothing says pain more than coming off your bike at speed, using the road as your break, and any rider will tell you that road rash rates around a 7.5 on the pain scale. However the clever people over at Scott and Schoeller Textiles have come up with new carbon fibre reinforced clothing that could make road rash a thing of the past.
The company is developing a range of shorts and jerseys that are made from a blend of Carbon yarns and ceramic prints which provides the fabric with a very high abrasion resistance allowing the garments to hold up even if the rider ends up sliding across the road
In the racing scene, crashes at high speed happen all the time, normally not causing broken bones, but definitely tearing the skin. This mainly leads to gnarly infections and in most cases, a recovery period of 3 to 4 weeks.
Carbon fibre has been woven directly into the fabric, ensuring an even higher breakage strength while also adding an antibacterial element. The clothing is covered in patterns of ceramic particles in a pentagon-shaped design which protects the material from the friction of a rider hitting the road and also helps the fabric resist tearing.