Cycle World
"a small price to pay
for the protection and comfort the belt provides"
A quality kidney belt is an essential part of
the off-road rider's wardrobe. Most kidney belts, however, are nothing more than
constrictive elastic devices that support your stomach and lower back at the expense of
squashing your insides.
Now there's a kidney belt that supports your
vital parts without wrenching your gut. The Kevco/Stubbs Racing belt is manufactured from
heavy-duty elastic and nylon webbing, with a perspiration-absorbing tricot liner. Attached
to the belt's exterior are a pair of wing-like elastic straps. These Velcro adjustable
straps tailor compression and support without altering the pressure applied by the main
belt.
Several months of trail riding and
bone-jarring motocross revealed that the belt is everything it is claimed to be. The
support is as good, if not better than, that of any kidney belt on the market, and comfort
is unsurpassed. Street riders, especially those who regularly travel rough roads, will
also appreciate the benefits offered by the hand-washable belt.
The belt comes with a six-month unconditional
warranty, but even after nine months of regular use, the belt's medical quality elastic
shows little wear. Available in many sizes and colors the belt retails for $40, a small
price to pay for the protection and comfort the belt provides.
Trail Rider Magazine
"this is the best kidney belt to ever
come down the pike"
It seems like we've endured a ten-year style
attack. "Leathers" disappeared more than a decade ago, and in their place we've
replaced the protection (and heat) of leather with squashed Day-Glo butterfly-printed
nylon. Boots went from leather to plastic to leather with plastic, then back again. We've
especially strayed with the kidney belt, a basic support item pioneered by Gold Belt, and
lately reduced to a blow-molded piece of plastic and Velcro that has lost most of its
initial intention: to hold your insides tight and reduce the pain and suffering that comes
from bouncing around on a dirt bike.
Well if you've missed that kind of protection
you're in luck. Kevco/Stubbs is a name that's going to be familiar if you're in the
orthopedic supply business but they just happen to have a "racing" division that
manufactures what is quite possibly the best kidney belt ever made. The Kevco/Stubbs
kidney belt seems to wrap around your normally enough, although when you can't get it on
and finally read the directions you find that there's a double set of Velcro straps to
pull tight-the main belt hooks around you and sticks together, and then two elastic belts
get pulled tight from either side (it's a lot easier than it sounds).
When you're all wrapped up you can feel the
incredible support this belt offers, without squeezing your diaphragm and affecting your
breathing, Nice and tight, plenty of muscle support...but the truth comes out when you
ride with it. We rode all six laps of the Delaware hare scrambles this month, a rough,
hard, pounding course, and although everything else hurt afterwards, we suffered no
low-back or internal pain. This is after coming to accept at least a little bit of
"kidney" pain as normal!
If you're concerned about your insides and
want all the support you can get, this is the best kidney belt to ever come down the pike.
Motorcyclist
"they're great for street riding
too"
The lower back support benefits of kidney
belts for offroad riding have been known for some time to those who like to fool around in
the dirt. For us asphalt-oriented folk who schlep over the oh-so-punishing pavement day in
and day out, we think they're great for street riding too, and the Kevco-Stubbs kidney
belt is one of the best going. The snug, custom fit is attained via a secondary system of
elastic straps, which add tension without affecting the compression of the main
hook-and-loop closure. The Kevco-Stubbs belt is constructed of elastic and nylon webbing
and backed with a tricot liner.
Motocross Action Magazine
"greater lower back
and kidney protection than any other"
Kidney belts are an important asset to any
motocross racer's wardrobe. Unfortunately for consumers they all look alike and offer the
same exact features. Now, however, there is a new belt on the shelves which may not be the
most stylish, but claims to offer greater lower back and kidney protection than any
other-and why shouldn't it be the best? It was designed and built by a company that has
been making medical braces for over 25 years. Kevco/Stubbs' belt is more flexible than
your typical riding belt. It is tall in the back which holds your kidneys in place from he
hips to the ribs, and slims down in the front to allow unrestricted breathing. Unlike
other belts on the market, the Kevco/Stubbs belt does not have hard plastic over the back,
making it more flexible. It is tensioned by two Velcro-type side straps that snug the back
and sides more than the front, which allows a more precise tension adjustment and more
tightness at the back and sides where it is needed rather than across your stomach.
Dirt Bike
"offers better fit and comfort than
most we have tried"
Kidney belts have been an essential piece of
riding gear for as long as people have realized that their bodies, no matter how much in
shape, don't have a way to protect the kidney area from the constant bouncing that comes
with riding in the rough. Riding belts in general have not changed much from the first
types that appeared, but Kevco/Stubbs, a company that has made medical braces for over 25
years, has made one that offers better fit and comfort than most we have tried.
The Kevco/Stubbs belt is taller and more
flexible than typical riding belts. It's tall in the back to gently encase the entire
kidney area from the hips to the ribs and tapers up front so it doesn't jab or roll at the
bottom-front of the rib cage near your diaphragm to allow unrestricted breathing. The
entire belt is flexible, unlike the hard, plastic-clad items common today, and closes at
the front. It is tensioned by two Velcro-type side straps that snug the back and sides
more than the front. The result is more precise tension adjustment and more tightness at
the back and sides where it is needed rather than across your stomach. The result is an
outstanding feeling of support and comfort, especially on long, rough rides.
Dirt Rider
"allowed us to ride hard the entire
day"
In the early '80's wearing a kidney belt was
like strapping an oversized tortoise shell to your lower back. The thick plastic that
covered the belt dug into your sides like a set of Ginsu knives. Luckily, a company with a
history of designing medical support systems decided to update the most archaic version of
apparel since the motorcycle grip.
At first glance the Kevco/Stubbs belt looks
like nothing more than a piece of flexible nylon pulled together by two-hook-and-loop
closures. In reality, this simple hooking device has the capacity to hold a 20-pound side
of bacon to your waist. Once the double-hook front closure is tightened, the two
adjustable sides can be pulled down to snug the belt to your sides. In addition, the front
panel is a full three inches shorter than the rear so leaning forward doesn't send the
belt unmercifully into your gut. The belt's shape is designed to give extra support in the
back while limiting chaffing on the hips.
In the desert we found it holds your gut
fine, but like all kidney belts is makes your waist feel hot enough to cook a pizza. On a
motocross track this heat factor was not a problem, and the added support for the lower
back allowed us to ride hard the entire day. The belt comes in an assortment of sizes and
colors and at $39.95, the Kevco/Stubbs belt is the best low-cost alternative to back pain
and kidney ache.
DR Rating ****
Tommy Norton
"forgotten I was wearing it"
I was introduced to the
belt at the '93 Blackwater 100. As soon as I put it on, it felt
so comfortable. I have been wearing the Gold Belt for 12 years and
had not found anything to replace it. The Kevco belt takes the Gold
Belt one step further. It applies pressure where you want it, on
your lower back and kidneys not on your stomach and diaphragm. At
the Blackwater 100, I wore my Gold Belt practicing and my lower
back would hurt after only one hour of riding. On race day, I wore
the Kevco belt and had no back pain after almost 4 hours of racing
and 2 hours of autograph signing. I had even forgotten I was wearing
it.
Sincerely,
Tom Norton
FRANK
STUBBS CO., INC.| 2100-B Eastman Ave. Oxnard, CA 93030
Phone: (805) 278-4300 | Fax: (805) 278-6609 | (800) 223-1713
|
