POC, a mutiple award winning company, whose mission is to provide the best protection available on the market, whatever it takes. The have a very scientific approach to all their designs and consult with experts in their fields of relevant scientific and material engineer practices. All this adds up to a product which is going to give you the best fit and best protection compared to anything else on the market.
POC has not seen a NZ distributor for the mountain bike product until now, and the 2012/13 summer will see the POC brand hit the shelves of all the best local bike shops (including Vertigo Bikes).
The guys at POC sent us through some samples to try out throughout the summer so we could get a feel for the product and see what the fuss as all about. In the mix was the POC VPD knee and elbow guards, the HIP VPD Shorts and the Spine VPD tee. We are fortunate enough to be able to test all these items on a daily basis with our guiding and coaching that is held in the Queenstown Bike Park, so if there was going to be any short falls they would soon be apparent.
The most heavily used item over the season were the VPD 2.0 Knee guards. I havent been a fan of wearing knee guards on a daily riding basis and always felt restricted but these ones have changed my mind. The fit is great, you do have to remove your shoes to put them on, but the sock design is a common one amongst this style of knee guard, so not a big deal if your riding all day. The first thing that you notice about them is they feel very light and when you first put them on they feel very rigid. But there in lies the beauty of the VPD technology. Once you have them on, the VPD warms to your body temperature and moulds around your knee and feels very soft and agile almost like you are wearing nothing! There is only one velcro strap to hold them on at the top of the pad, which doesnt seem like it would be enough, but they just don't move once you have them on, no matter how rough the descent.
Pedaling in them is a breeze and since autumn has hit us here in Queenstown I have been enjoying using them to keep my knees warm during XC and trail rides.
What is VPD 2.0?
Visco Elastic Polymer Dough, a material used by POC through out all their body armour range. It is a special impact absorbing material designed by POC designed to take protection, agility and ergonomics to a new level. It is temperature sensitive and the material gets better once you have it on and body temperature starts to heat it up, which doesn't take long.
During the recent Queenstown Bike Festival I got to test out more of the POC goods whilst competing in the Dirtmaster DH event. It gave me the opportunity to try the VPD 2.0 Elbow guards and the Hip VPD 2.0. These are two types of protection I normally wouldn't wear but was keen to try them out and see if it was something I was use on a more regular basis.
The elbows have a very similar feel and look to the knee guards and the fitting system is almost identical. The biggest problem I have found with elbow guards in the past is that they do not stay in place, especially during rough descents. I was skeptical as to whether POC had solved this problem. It seems they have through the same way as the knee guards stay in place, as do the elbows. The VPD moulded perfectly to my elbow shape and they never moved at any point during the weekend. The picture above shows clearly that they are right where they should be and this was at the end of my race run.
The Hip VPD 2.0 was a completely new concept for me, I have never raced DH with anything like this on before even though other companies have offered it in the past. I loved it! It was nice to have something to offer protection for my bum and hip area. I did take a couple of small falls during the race weekend where I slid out onto my hips and the POC hip protectors stopped me from limping away with bruised and scratched up hips. You don't even notice having them on, which was a concern and I felt free to ride as I always do.
Overall I have been really impressed with all the POC gear, it does live up to the hype. The subtle, clean design and logos are a real selling point for me too, it all looks so clean and tidy when you have in on.
We are lucky that we now have the opportunity in NZ to purchase and feel more protected through these great products! I can wait to try the helmets, but that is another story altogether!
Thanks to Patrick Fallon Photography for the picture - www.fallon.co.nz
POC has not seen a NZ distributor for the mountain bike product until now, and the 2012/13 summer will see the POC brand hit the shelves of all the best local bike shops (including Vertigo Bikes).
The guys at POC sent us through some samples to try out throughout the summer so we could get a feel for the product and see what the fuss as all about. In the mix was the POC VPD knee and elbow guards, the HIP VPD Shorts and the Spine VPD tee. We are fortunate enough to be able to test all these items on a daily basis with our guiding and coaching that is held in the Queenstown Bike Park, so if there was going to be any short falls they would soon be apparent.
The most heavily used item over the season were the VPD 2.0 Knee guards. I havent been a fan of wearing knee guards on a daily riding basis and always felt restricted but these ones have changed my mind. The fit is great, you do have to remove your shoes to put them on, but the sock design is a common one amongst this style of knee guard, so not a big deal if your riding all day. The first thing that you notice about them is they feel very light and when you first put them on they feel very rigid. But there in lies the beauty of the VPD technology. Once you have them on, the VPD warms to your body temperature and moulds around your knee and feels very soft and agile almost like you are wearing nothing! There is only one velcro strap to hold them on at the top of the pad, which doesnt seem like it would be enough, but they just don't move once you have them on, no matter how rough the descent.
Pedaling in them is a breeze and since autumn has hit us here in Queenstown I have been enjoying using them to keep my knees warm during XC and trail rides.
What is VPD 2.0?
Visco Elastic Polymer Dough, a material used by POC through out all their body armour range. It is a special impact absorbing material designed by POC designed to take protection, agility and ergonomics to a new level. It is temperature sensitive and the material gets better once you have it on and body temperature starts to heat it up, which doesn't take long.
During the recent Queenstown Bike Festival I got to test out more of the POC goods whilst competing in the Dirtmaster DH event. It gave me the opportunity to try the VPD 2.0 Elbow guards and the Hip VPD 2.0. These are two types of protection I normally wouldn't wear but was keen to try them out and see if it was something I was use on a more regular basis.
The elbows have a very similar feel and look to the knee guards and the fitting system is almost identical. The biggest problem I have found with elbow guards in the past is that they do not stay in place, especially during rough descents. I was skeptical as to whether POC had solved this problem. It seems they have through the same way as the knee guards stay in place, as do the elbows. The VPD moulded perfectly to my elbow shape and they never moved at any point during the weekend. The picture above shows clearly that they are right where they should be and this was at the end of my race run.
The Hip VPD 2.0 was a completely new concept for me, I have never raced DH with anything like this on before even though other companies have offered it in the past. I loved it! It was nice to have something to offer protection for my bum and hip area. I did take a couple of small falls during the race weekend where I slid out onto my hips and the POC hip protectors stopped me from limping away with bruised and scratched up hips. You don't even notice having them on, which was a concern and I felt free to ride as I always do.
Overall I have been really impressed with all the POC gear, it does live up to the hype. The subtle, clean design and logos are a real selling point for me too, it all looks so clean and tidy when you have in on.
We are lucky that we now have the opportunity in NZ to purchase and feel more protected through these great products! I can wait to try the helmets, but that is another story altogether!
Thanks to Patrick Fallon Photography for the picture - www.fallon.co.nz
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