Airbag cycling bib shorts designed to reduce injuries could become a reality in 2025

Airbag bib shorts designed to reduce injuries could become a reality as soon as next year if a Belgium-based project goes to plan. The team behind the product, now called aerObag, report that they’ve developed a functional prototype and have spoken to the UCI, medics and clothing brands about introducing this innovative technology.

We first reported on the airbag bib shorts for cyclists back in April when Sam Ratajczak, founder of the SID Sport Innovation Design and former head of research and development at Bioracer, said, “Ultimately, the introduction of an airbag system in professional cycling could represent a significant leap forward in rider safety, potentially mitigating the severity of injuries in crashes.”

> Airbag bib shorts for cyclists are “a potential game-changer for safety”, says inventor 

In short, the idea is that cyclists wear shorts incorporating airbag technology in the bib section to offer protection with minimal impact on performance. The design isn’t intended to offer complete protection for all parts of the body.

“We cannot protect the shoulders or the head, because our concept retracts itself after use, not like an airbag from a car,” says Sam Ratajczak. “For us, it was important that after a crash you can still get back on your bike and finish the race. We can protect your back, torso, neck, and also hips.”

Just to be clear, it's the upper sections that inflate rather than the legs.

Things have moved on over the past few months.

“First, we needed a working prototype – a kind of proof of concept presented to the stakeholders,” says Sam Ratajczak. “We prepared a presentation for Belgian Cycling and medics, and the UCI picked up the rumour and they requested a meeting because they didn’t want to be surprised by something new, so we met and it was positive.”

“In our meeting with Belgian Cycling and medics, there was also an ex-pro in the room. They were all convinced that it was necessary and then the question was: okay, how can you introduce this in the peloton?”

So where are we now?

“The idea is to introduce this in the youth cycling, because in Belgium there are a lot of young kids racing,” says Sam Ratajczak. “The second thing is to introduce this to track cycling where there are a lot of back and neck injuries. The idea is: let's introduce it on the track because it's an environment you can control, more or less.

“And then we can take the step to training. Pro cyclists train more than they race so the idea is to use it as training equipment and then slowly get into the races.”

The aerObag relies on a series of sensors to determine when it goes off, and there’s also the possibility that riders will be able to activate the device themselves.

“We analyse crashes, and most of the time you know when they’re going to happen, so it could be interesting to self-activate the system. This gives the autonomous decision to the cyclists themselves. This is something new.

“The idea is also to have several mappings, like for rainy weather, training, or race day.”

On a side note, do you know about risk compensation, the theory that suggests people become less careful when they feel more protected? Is that a danger?

“It is interesting to pick up some rumours from the peloton already,” says Sam Ratajczak. “There are some opinions that this kind of safety will stimulate risk. Some voices are saying that it will increase the risk of riders diving in that small spot at the end of a sprint or something like that.”

What do you think about that as a possibility?

The aim is for the final version to be compatible with 'aerObag-ready' cycling bibs or aerosuits from various companies. In other words, aerObag wouldn't make shorts itself.

“Bioracer is a partner of Belgium Cycling, and they're on the table. They will probably be the first to integrate this in their bibs, but there's no exclusivity. All the brands that sponsor pro teams can integrate this system in their own bib shorts.”

It's difficult to talk about timescales in any development project but Sam Ratajczak hopes to get aerObag out into the world next year.

“We would like to see traction on this project in 2025,” he says. “We would like to see it picked up by teams and by the UCI. There has been an acceleration [of attention] over the past weeks and months which makes this interesting.”

Further testing and software refinements are underway.

What do you reckon, is aerObag the next big thing or can't you see it catching on?