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Video-review: POC Joint VPD 2.0 knee protectors

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Testing conditions

The knee protectors have been tested in the Netherlands, Italy and France in forest and mountains (excl Dutch Mountains 😉 ). Asfalt, unpaved roads, singletrack and freeriding in temperatures between 20 and +30 degrees celsius.

Review

product_viewNot without my POC’s. That was my conclusion after 4 weeks of riding and testing the knee protectors by POC. The reason for that is that my riding “style” (if you can call it that) is an unstable fusion of suruplus of ambition and a lack  of the necessary skills (as of yet) to meet the requirements of said ambition. To quote Captain Stinger in Top Gun: “Son, you’re ego’s writing cheques your body can’t cash.” In tat sense I am the ideal crash test dummy for protective gear. I feel the need for speed (as did Maverick in the aforementioned classic) and love the challenge that steep, technical routes put to me. The feeling of being well protected helps in making this conscious choice for not always the safest way down. And as I didn’t always manage without taking a spill or two, the POC knee protectors really showed their worth. No knee wounds or injuries due to the mishaps I enjoyed. (Check the video review for images of two of those.)
That the knee protectors would be well worth their money on downhills tracks was immediately obvious; but I was a bit worried about wearing them on the way up. Wouldn’t they cramp my uphill “style”, forcing me to take them off when I didn’t need them? I am happy to say they hardly bothered my at all: sure you can feel them and the knee isn’t as free if you had nothing on, but I never had the feeling that I could climb less efficiently due to my wearing them. That is due to the great fit, the comfortable and flexible materials used, the elasticity of the kevlar reinforced stretch fabric and the breathablity of the protectors. Even during long and steep climbs at high temperatures they didn’t bother me. Compared to the hardshell elbow protectors I put on during some really rock strewn technical tracks, the softshell VPD’s are a breath of fresh air, and during downhills you just forget you even have them on. Untill you (or I in this case) crash and count my blessings I was wearing them in the first place. Schermafbeelding 2014-12-29 om 10.56.18For longer enduro or XC rides with nice downhills these are really excellent protectors; for more risky and rocky hard core downhills I would imagine that a hardshell variation of the knee protectors (which POC also sells, the Joint VPD 2.0 DH Knee) would protect even more against direct and hard impact. Having said that, the technology in the VPD 2.0, is such that at impact the Visco-elastic Polymer Dough instantaneously stiffens to provide extra impact absorption qualities. So comfort and protection are not separate worlds any longer.

Pro’s

  • Great fit due to elasticity
  • High measure of protection
  • Light and comfortable to wear, also during climbing
  • Breathability of the material

Con’s

  • none

Retail price (online): € 120,-

Ik would advise this product to my friends

Picture of Mark Stokmans

Mark Stokmans

Since I can remember I have been very active in many different sports: started with baseball, tennis and riding later hockey, football, running and aikido. In addition, since twelve years old I've been into actionports: at first windsurfing, later climbing, inline skating, snowboarding, mountain biking. With the first action cams coming onto the market I've been making action sports videos. Furthermore, I've worked in the sports industry since 1990, sports marketing, media and live TV and until the end of 2016 at the Dutch Olympic Committee. Besides being partner in GearLimits I work as a digital freelancer. Based in the Netherlands, Married with Children (11 and 13 years old)
Picture of Mark Stokmans

Mark Stokmans

Since I can remember I have been very active in many different sports: started with baseball, tennis and riding later hockey, football, running and aikido. In addition, since twelve years old I've been into actionports: at first windsurfing, later climbing, inline skating, snowboarding, mountain biking. With the first action cams coming onto the market I've been making action sports videos. Furthermore, I've worked in the sports industry since 1990, sports marketing, media and live TV and until the end of 2016 at the Dutch Olympic Committee. Besides being partner in GearLimits I work as a digital freelancer. Based in the Netherlands, Married with Children (11 and 13 years old)

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