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Asterisk braces?

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Posted by: KawieKX125---------------------

I tried the asterisks on today at the southwick national (thanks to Tom Carson for the help) and I have some questions before I shell out 500 for em.
1)I can still hyperextend my knee(lock it) even when the stops are adjusted and the sleeves are tight. The size was correct(medium). What would fix this?
2)They only apply pressure in two small points and I think that this would brake my chicken legs like a twig. Is this normal?
3)Are they durable? One local has had 3 sets of cables snap, and I don't want to have to replace them all the time.
Thanks


Posted by: Jaybird---------------------

Snapped aircraft cable? Yikes
Worn out maybe, but snapped?


Posted by: wcook---------------------

I purchased a pair last fall and have maybe 25 rides on them. I have not had one any bad spills while wearing them. One cable is broke (they are multi strand and start to fray until all the strands break) and the other is about broke. There is also a place in the composite frame that is already cracked.


Posted by: MoO_coW---------------------

$550 for broken cables and cracked frames? Someone please tell me this isnt normal because I was thinking of getting a pair but thats a BIG investment


Posted by: flo---------------------

With the cables i think they have a problem. I have a pair of Asterisk braces, i wear them only 20-25 times and the left braces has broken cables on both sides, and on the right foot the inner cable begins to broke out. I did not crash only normal use. Because of it i looked closer to the system and i think that the cables must be from time to time inspected and changed.


Posted by: DanS---------------------

According to Asterisk the latest update came out last week. If you contact them I'm sure they will hook you up.


Posted by: Okiewan---------------------

There is an update and yes, they will send you the new version to put in your braces.
Free. Call them.


Posted by: KawieKX125---------------------

To the other questions:
Why didn't they hold my leg from overextending? They wer ethe right size and they were adjusted properly, but the only thing they prevented was side to side movement.


Posted by: 01HondaCR---------------------

May I ask why they are so expensive? And I thought Tech 8's were steep.


Posted by: BillyWho---------------------

Kawie, did you ask or go over your problem with Tom while you were there? We have had a few cases of people that wanted shorter cables which we can do, but for the most part the standard length works.


Posted by: KawieKX125---------------------

honda cr, they are not boots, but they are knee braces. As far as knee braces goes, it is a decent price for an off the shelf knee brace.
Billy-Tom and I spent about 10 mintues trying to get them to work. They just dont stop my knee and I dont see what they would do to protect me. All I see them doing is breaking my bones without stopping knee injuries.
What else can I do? There was a huge space between the pad and my knee when the leg was straight, but when I bent my leg, it was tight so the pads were the right thickness.


Posted by: 01HondaCR---------------------

Yes I know that they arent boots. I guess when you consider the cost of knee surgery it doesnt sound so bad but I still cant see paying that much.


Posted by: KawieKX125---------------------

Well, if you mess up your knee, you are screwed up for life. I don't care what people say, it is never back to what it was before an accident. That alone is enough to scare me into getting braces. They are not only for MX too. If you ski or snowboard, you can use them for that. When you consider that a form fit CTI brace is about 700 per knee, the 550 for a pair that offers near that level of protection and even better in some areas(like the knee cup) it is a great deal.


Posted by: Thump---------------------

Quote:
Originally posted by KawieKX125
Well, if you mess up your knee, you are screwed up for life. I don't care what people say, it is never back to what it was before an accident.
Truer words have never been spoken.

To answer your questions if I can:
1)I can still hyperextend my knee...
Answer
The shorter cables Billy mentioned. I am like you, after my surgery my right knee locks out way before the extension stops. The shorter cables fixed it.

2)They only apply pressure in two small points...
Answer
From what I have experienced no. The condial pads, which is what i think you are talking about above, on the sides of the knee do not touch when my les is straight either but as the brace goes into hyperextension the frame flexes inward (pinching) to add stability laterally to the knee. The other places it should touch is across the tibia and theigh, but in those areas it should be well disbursed not concentrated in one area. When you get them on make sure to stand up, not just straighten your leg because your muscles will flex changing the contour of the leg and the way it fits. This may also fix your hyperextension problem, as the muscle flexes the brace will not sink into the "soft tissue" (quad and hamstring) as much as when the muscles are relaxed causing a greater angle to the brace and an earlier lock posoition.

3)Are they durable?
Answer
I have had a pair longer than they have been available to the public and I have had to replace my cable one time. I have had them for over a year so that does not seem bad to me, but I do check them before each ride.

The above are not facts, just my observations... Hope it helps.


Posted by: KawieKX125---------------------

Thanks for a straight honest answer thump!
I was standing when I tried them and I believe that the shorter cables are the answer because when they were adjusted to the tightest, my knee almost stopped. A little more and they would be perfect.
The pads are not contacting my leg fronts evenly. The brace stops well before my leg stops moving. My leg has about 1.5 inches of plat before the brace did anything. Is this because the sleves were not tight enough? Tom said the were plenty tight, but my knee cap and adjacent leg parts did not contact the from on the brace at full extension like I would have thought they did.

Maybe I should just get a pair and if I do not like them, then I can just use the 30 day garantee.


Posted by: BillyWho---------------------

Kawie, when you tighten the laces, it is important that the lace loop closest to your joint on both the upper and lower liner be pulled tight first ( kinda like a shoe lace at the toe end). Also after a couple rides the brace seats in quite a bit and the stops become more abrupt. We designed the brace to have a little more soft dampening to the stops than say the CTI2 before they lock, to dampen and stop rather than ubruptly stop. We tried to incorperate a rigid frame support to the knee with a reduction in the immediate stop against the bones and soft tissue, that's why we call it a " knee protection system" rather than a knee brace. If/when you order, tell them you tried one on with Tom and request a shorter cable, and any other questions or problems I promise to answer them a little quicker next time :D , been a little busy.


Posted by: KawieKX125---------------------

I will be ordering soon as long as the 30 day garantee has no catches.


Posted by: BillyWho---------------------

There are no catches, you can ride with them and if you want to return them, just call us within the 30 days and your good.


Posted by: KawieKX125---------------------

I like it! If I remember, I will call you guys tomorrow!

BTW Billy, is there any sort of rider support program? I know it is a bit late, but can we say it is early for next season?


Posted by: oldguy---------------------

Kawie altho there is no way to absolutely guarentee anything will prevent an injury the cells do a pretty good job. Thekid has had his for almost 2 season now and we have replaced the cables 3 or 4 times. It is simple to do and just like a prte-ride check of your bikes bolts and parts it is necesary to give the cells a once over.
He has spent time recovering from a knee injury (precipitated our purchase) and since then he has not ridden with out them. He has had some horrendous crashes -the latest broke his collarbone and a couple ribs but not even a tweaked knee. They are an investment well worth the money if not just for the peace of mind


Posted by: Jaybird---------------------

Never too late for an athletic supporter!

I want to mention one thing for those who are worried about economy...from personal experience, I can tell you that one trip to the ER for a small endo and a twisted knee is easily $1500.00 Now, do the math!


Posted by: KawieKX125---------------------

Well, the rents are funding the braces for the very reason. Luckally we are fortunate enought to be able to provide this kind of prophalactic(sp?) insurance for me. I also know that it is not a garantee, but it is a bit more peace of mind.



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