How do you measure the value of a human life? You might get different answers depending on who you ask, but most of us would agree that if it’s not priceless, it’s at least pretty close. Swedish protection specialist POC can be counted among those who believe that no expense should be spared when it comes to keeping people safe, and as such, they often push beyond the established norms in pursuit of marginal safety gains of some kind. Working with Recco to add radar-reflection capabilities to their line of mountain bike gear is a prime example of such marginal gains, but that doesn’t make it a gimmick. We were invited up to Sweden to see the new tech in action, and we’re here to report back on what we learned.
Recco technology comes from the world of winter sports, where it has been serving to help first responders find avalanche victims under the snow since 1983. Recco’s reflectors are small, passive components that are placed on or in the user’s gear – preferably something unlikely to be knocked loose during an avalanche episode. These passive reflectors can then be detected by hand-held radar units, which are part of the standard equipment of resort staff and mountain rescue teams in most areas blessed with an abundance of snow (495 ski resorts and 473 mountain rescue operations around the world are currently equipped with Recco radar units). The reflectors are meant to be a complement to the transceivers that many backcountry users will also carry on them.
So what is new then? A few years ago, Recco decided to develop a helicopter-mounted radar unit that can be used to localize Recco reflectors from the air. The idea here was to go beyond the classic avalanche scenario to broaden the technology’s applicability to other types of rescue situations. Using the Recco SAR helicopter detector, rescue teams can search for users equipped with Recco reflectors in a more efficient and effective way – flying at an altitude of 100 meters and at a speed of 100 kms/h, the detector can cover a search area that is 100 meters wide. That translates to a search grid that covers approximately 40 acres/minute. An unconscious or trapped user can be detected from the air even if they are hidden by dense vegetation, which makes the technology particularly interesting for mountain bikers who are of course uniquely predisposed to covering a lot of ground before crashing awkwardly somewhere under the biggest trees they can find.
To see the technology in action, POC and Recco invited us up to Åre Bike Park where we got to tag along as a helicopter rescue team demonstrated searching for a lost mountain biker. “Last seen headed southeast along the fire road leading from the power station, and known to use a POC helmet,” was the information we were given to commence the search. Sitting in the helicopter, we were handed a small earpiece to wear under the standard communication headphones. Once we were airborne, the Recco SAR operator calibrated the system and we headed out on the search.
Flying over the designated search area, we quickly picked up a series of beeps in our earpieces, telling us that we were closing in on a Recco reflector. By flying back and forth and observing changes in the signal strength, the SAR operator and the pilot were quickly able to hone in on an area no more than a few square meters in size – and sure enough, we were soon able to spot the bright orange colors of a POC helmet, partially hidden under a tree.
POC “Whole Helmet Concept”
POC’s protective headgear is developed using the “Whole Helmet Concept”, an idea where even the smallest details are considered in order to create the safest helmet possible. POC talks about helmets doing their job “before, during, and after” the crash. Comfort and ventilation are generally considered desirable features in a helmet, making you more likely to actually wear it and also contributing to keeping you cool and lucid during efforts. Multi-layer EPS foam, protection against both lateral and rotational impact forces, strap placement and material distribution all contribute to keeping you as safe as possible during a fall. Finally, technologies like Recco reflectors and NFC chips that can store your personal medical information help mitigate the danger AFTER you have crashed.
Individually, many of these features may seem like overkill, but if your goal is to produce the safest helmet possible (subject to inherent design constraints like weight and shape), they all make sense. POC and Recco wouldn’t tell us precisely how much cost a Recco reflector adds to a helmet, but we’re probably talking a few dollars at most (Recco sells standalone reflectors that you can add to your gear yourself for 25 EUR, a price point set to make sure not to cause any potential issues for their OEM customers).
We’ve previously tested both the new Otocon full-face helmet and the Kortal half-shell, both of which are equipped with both Recco reflectors and NFC chips (follow the links to read our reviews and learn more about individual helmet features and our ride impressions).
While in Åre we also checked out some of POC’s latest apparel, where select pieces now also feature the Recco reflectors. The Signal All-Weather Jacket is an impressive piece of rain gear, featuring a 20k/20k waterproof and breathable fabric that will keep you dry and comfortable even in heavy downpours. The cut is athletic and the fit is tight, with a longer rear panel to eliminate the risk of any unwanted gaps out back. The inside layer is soft to the touch and feels great even on bare skin, and the high degree of breathability makes this a prime choice for all-day adventures in changing weather (the jacket packs down in its own pocket, making it easy to store if you need to take it off). We used it for a windy day of bike park riding with temperatures of 13-degrees Celsius (55 F) and intermittent rain, and we were able to get by with just a warm base layer underneath.
Product Links
Signal Jacket
Otocon Race MIPS Helmet
Kortal Race MIPS Helmet
What’s The Bottom Line?
There is little doubt that the main function of protective gear is to protect the user during a crash, and that is what the vast majority of mountain bike riders need it to do. However, once you exhaust the design aspects directly related to impact protection, other factors can be considered in order to make further, marginal improvements in regards to user safety. Putting Recco radar reflectors in certain pieces of gear to make the user more easily searchable is definitely an example of the latter, and we’d be lying if we said we think it’s the next big thing in mountain bike safety. That certainly does not mean that it has no value however, and if you are already spending on premium gear, why not stack the odds a little further in your favor? POC and Recco are investing in that direction, and we see nothing wrong with this approach at all.
More information at:
www.pocsports.com
www.recco.com
About The Reviewer
Johan Hjord - Age: 49 // Years Riding MTB: 17 // Weight: 190-pounds (87-kg) // Height: 6'0" (1.84m)
Johan loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After many years spent practicing falling off cliffs with his snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Ever since, he’s mostly been riding bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many flaws as a rider. His 200-pound body weight coupled with unique skill for poor line choice and clumsy landings make him an expert on durability - if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much okay for anybody. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as "none" (when in actuality he rips!). Having found most trail features to be not to his liking, Johan uses much of his spare time building his own. Johan’s other accomplishments include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly on 11.
Photos by Johan Hjord
7/18/2022 5:55am
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