Looks like this stuff is actually available at some retailers now? Any experiences? Fit information? I was considering replacing all of my protective gear this year and their stuff really looks nice, but nobody carries it around here, it's expensive, and they don't seem to have sizing charts anywhere.
POC Armor?
- Thread starter ebarker9
- Start date
Weve had a batch arrive. Fit is good for me in a L at 6'2", though when standing the just below the knee the pad floats about 6mm away from my leg. Maybe a design feature to keep cool, maybe not. Dunno. Theyre not the lightest of pad but they comfy as and work really well.
What retailers did you see that had the POC stuff? I REALLY need a new helmet and was thinking about picking up one of theirs.
Both Canadian and USA distributors are delivering product. The fit and finish is unlike anything in the industry.
- The helmet is revolutionizing safety standards for both open face and full face helmets. Dual shell, multi impact, highest EN standards, full kevlar liner to protect from penetration
- They are the only company in the world to create a full VPD (Vapo plastic dough, soft stuff that goes hard)back armour with multiple densities to protect the full spinal column including C1-C7 and Coccyx areas.
- The only knee shin combo that has a VPD reticulating protector for the knee and patella (ie: when the knee bends and the hard plastic shell moves, the VPD stays in place over the knee and patella to protect it and we all have scars from when our old plastic moved and our knee got bashed)
VPD knee and elbow guards are cheaper than 661.
If you are in the ski industry at all you know how these have taken over the race hills in about 2 seasons. It will be interesting to see how dominant they may or may not be, they certainly have the potential.
I have had all the product for a couple months now, give it a try.
- The helmet is revolutionizing safety standards for both open face and full face helmets. Dual shell, multi impact, highest EN standards, full kevlar liner to protect from penetration
- They are the only company in the world to create a full VPD (Vapo plastic dough, soft stuff that goes hard)back armour with multiple densities to protect the full spinal column including C1-C7 and Coccyx areas.
- The only knee shin combo that has a VPD reticulating protector for the knee and patella (ie: when the knee bends and the hard plastic shell moves, the VPD stays in place over the knee and patella to protect it and we all have scars from when our old plastic moved and our knee got bashed)
VPD knee and elbow guards are cheaper than 661.
If you are in the ski industry at all you know how these have taken over the race hills in about 2 seasons. It will be interesting to see how dominant they may or may not be, they certainly have the potential.
I have had all the product for a couple months now, give it a try.
Got any idea which US distributors I can pick up an open face helmet from? I can't find any info on their website.
I'm convinced... Anyone know the best place to buy?
Actually, it looks like Competitive Cyclist in Little Rock is a POC dealer. They only list the full face helmets on their site so I emailed them about the open face (got an auto-reply that they are out until Monday). So I will let you guys know what they say. If you're looking for the full face, it's at http://www.competitivecyclist.com/mountain-bikes/apparel/poc/helmets.2211.html.
EDIT: Here's all the POC stuff they have: http://www.competitivecyclist.com/poc.519.m.html
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Any sizing guidelines? I'd just like to get some feel for it before I spend $400-$600 on gear.
Also, it seemed like backcountry.com had their stuff in stock as well.
anybiody tried the POC armor with a leatt brace yet?
haha, close, POC is actually short for "Piece of Cake". Look at the symbol and you'll see the resemblance to a piece of cake, also their symbol is their take on a crash test dummy symbol used to measure the impacts of crash testsPiece Of Crap armour? i mean, seriously!
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Neither competitive cyclist or backcountry.com carries the open face helmet.
Whoops. Didn't notice that you were looking for the open face. None of the UK distributors that I can find seem to list it either, so maybe it's not out yet?
And sizing info for the skin/knee guards especially?
Just emailed POC - their open face helmets will be available thru backcountry.com in 2 weeks or so.
I just couldnt resist it..
To answer my own question, I got the following back from the POC folks:
"You will need a medium in everything except the VPD Leg where you will need
the L. (You can cut this down to fit perfectly.)
These will all be available through backcountry.com (they have these in
stock right now I believe.)"
And then wondering about the "cut this down part":
"Based on the length of your shin you can pull the plastic out of the shin
guard and cut it shorter if need be."
May have to give them a shot and report once I've got some riding in.
"You will need a medium in everything except the VPD Leg where you will need
the L. (You can cut this down to fit perfectly.)
These will all be available through backcountry.com (they have these in
stock right now I believe.)"
And then wondering about the "cut this down part":
"Based on the length of your shin you can pull the plastic out of the shin
guard and cut it shorter if need be."
May have to give them a shot and report once I've got some riding in.
sorry to revive this one
but i have to repeat my question
anybody tried the jacket with a leatt brace?
but i have to repeat my question
anybody tried the jacket with a leatt brace?
the joint Elbow Guard covers appr 8-10 cm from the "bend" of your arm on the arm if you look at it writing Quick Replys on Ridemonkey. I wear size Large right now.
Visited the head office today and learned some interesting stuff about their research and concepts. The products are pretty much more thought through than I ever expected.
The helmets use APP material which retains it's impact absorption abilities after chrashes which means you can continue using it until you break the outer shell, no problem! The conventional material is called APS which only lasts through one crash, in theory.
Visited the head office today and learned some interesting stuff about their research and concepts. The products are pretty much more thought through than I ever expected.
The helmets use APP material which retains it's impact absorption abilities after chrashes which means you can continue using it until you break the outer shell, no problem! The conventional material is called APS which only lasts through one crash, in theory.
Do you own the knee/shin gaurds as well?
yep the multi impact liner is genius, it also diffuses the energy of the impact better therefore transfering less energy directly to the head/brain/spine
Iridemtb: ufortunately I don't own the stuff, my friend is doing a test for a website, I borrowed his.
The stuff he is going to test is
cortex flow helmet L/XL
spine VPD tshirt L
bone VPD leg L
joint VPD leg/elbow/ankle
index flow gloves L
iris flow googles
dh jersey
The stuff he is going to test is
cortex flow helmet L/XL
spine VPD tshirt L
bone VPD leg L
joint VPD leg/elbow/ankle
index flow gloves L
iris flow googles
dh jersey
Sorry to bring this back from the dead, but I just got my stuff in and have a few impressions.
-The knee/shin guards are genius. You can't believe how strange it feels to actually be able to use your knee unlike any other guard I've tried. You also don't have to cinch down the straps very tight because they're not fighting to make their way down your shin, so this is a lot more comfortable as well. The calf protector is a nice addition, but on my exceedingly skinny legs, it can't quite figure out if it should tuck under the front part or over it. On someone with a normal sized calf, there probably wouldn't be an overlap. I may just end up removing it. I went with the size L and it's perfect. I'm 5'11 and the length is right on...I think they would accommodate pretty much the full range of giant to skinny legs. Also, my shorts seem to want to get caught slightly in the hinge part, but I doubt it will be an issue on the bike.
-Hip shorts. Very nice. Padding is nice and solid but comfortable. Wearing a medium with a 31" waist.
-Spine adaptive tee. Also very nice. The M size fits me really well. Slight bunching in the belly-button area and the collar rides a little high, but overall very comfortable. Seems like it will breathe nicely as well. The backplate is barely noticeable.
-Elbow guard. Not quite as big a fan of these. There's a reasonable amount of friction in the sliding parts so they don't move nearly as freely as the knee/shin guards. They do cover pretty much all of the forearm, however. I have a feeling they'll be unnoticeable on the bike and may break in a bit with time.
Overall, great stuff. I think I would slightly prefer a full upper body pressure suit to the tee and elbow guard combo, but this does give you a bit more flexibility. Everything seems very well made and I expect it to last a long time. Also, ventilation seems quite good, but I'll have to wait for the hot weather to really test that. HUGE improvement over the 661 stuff I had before.
-The knee/shin guards are genius. You can't believe how strange it feels to actually be able to use your knee unlike any other guard I've tried. You also don't have to cinch down the straps very tight because they're not fighting to make their way down your shin, so this is a lot more comfortable as well. The calf protector is a nice addition, but on my exceedingly skinny legs, it can't quite figure out if it should tuck under the front part or over it. On someone with a normal sized calf, there probably wouldn't be an overlap. I may just end up removing it. I went with the size L and it's perfect. I'm 5'11 and the length is right on...I think they would accommodate pretty much the full range of giant to skinny legs. Also, my shorts seem to want to get caught slightly in the hinge part, but I doubt it will be an issue on the bike.
-Hip shorts. Very nice. Padding is nice and solid but comfortable. Wearing a medium with a 31" waist.
-Spine adaptive tee. Also very nice. The M size fits me really well. Slight bunching in the belly-button area and the collar rides a little high, but overall very comfortable. Seems like it will breathe nicely as well. The backplate is barely noticeable.
-Elbow guard. Not quite as big a fan of these. There's a reasonable amount of friction in the sliding parts so they don't move nearly as freely as the knee/shin guards. They do cover pretty much all of the forearm, however. I have a feeling they'll be unnoticeable on the bike and may break in a bit with time.
Overall, great stuff. I think I would slightly prefer a full upper body pressure suit to the tee and elbow guard combo, but this does give you a bit more flexibility. Everything seems very well made and I expect it to last a long time. Also, ventilation seems quite good, but I'll have to wait for the hot weather to really test that. HUGE improvement over the 661 stuff I had before.
I'm getting ready to order the Spine Adaptive Tee. Just out of curiosity, what size t-shirt do you normally wear? I'm pretty much 100% sure that I need the Large just want to make sure.
Edit: How low-profile is it? I currently have the 661 armor and it's pretty bulky...was hoping the POC would be pretty low-profile.
Edit: How low-profile is it? I currently have the 661 armor and it's pretty bulky...was hoping the POC would be pretty low-profile.
I'm a M t-shirt in sort of a fitted style or undershirt or a L in a looser fit (sleeves more toward the elbows). I think if I were any bigger the L would be preferable.
It's definitely lower profile than the 661 that I had. I decided to try on the Tee without the waist belt/girdle thing (it's removable) and I find it actually fits more naturally that way.
For fit email POC. They got back to me on a size when I gave them my lack of height and medium build. The recommended a small which I now have a fits perfect and I assume would for someone of my build and up to 5'8". I wear a medium T-shirt which fit perfect. What I really like is the spine protector is just right for length and I believe the spine protector is the same for small and medium sizes but you might ask POC.
Very nice stuff. Very impressed and super low profile chest and back but the shoulders with a jersey on are as typical for body armor. Very light and you hardly notice the spine protection as it moves with you. My kids dug whapping me in the back last night when I got to try it on and storm troopered around the house for a bit.
Hey, so after another nasty fall this weekend, I've decided its time to get back into some body armor. The POC stuff is top of my list, but I'm wondering if the VPD stuff works as well as it sounds. For the back armor, how well does it actually contour do your spine? Is the flexibility and range of motion as good as they say? The biggest thing I don't like about most armor is how it limits your ability to twist between your hips and shoulders. Does the POC spine armor affect this?
Also, I'm undecided between the vest and the tee. I like the shoulder cups on the tee, but not the chest plates. Are the chest plates noticeable? Or do they look like they could be easily removed?
Also, I'm undecided between the vest and the tee. I like the shoulder cups on the tee, but not the chest plates. Are the chest plates noticeable? Or do they look like they could be easily removed?
Jon, Check out Geoff's Adaptive Tee. The chest plates are not noticable at all and the fit is very comfortable. The back plate is the same material as the knee and elbow pads and kinda melts(conforms) to the contours of your back.
As far as twisting, best bet is to try his on.
Oh I didn't know he actually had the upper body armor. I thought he just had the knee pads.
VPD spine works great. As you warm up it conforms and does not feel restrictive at all. Somewhat feels like riding with only chest armor only. Nice stuff. Make sure you get the size right. You might want to email POC for sizing.
Yea I was reading about the sizing being a little off as its based on Euro sizes, not US.
I'm between the VPD vest and tee, the vest is only spine, while the tee has shoulder and chest.
tHE WAY YOU CRASH THE CHOICE SHOULD BE EASY !!
I don't notice the back protector affecting my range of motion at all. You completely forget about it once it's warmed up a little. WAY better than the standard plastic exoskeleton setup.
I don't think you could really remove the chest plates without major unstitching. They don't bother me at all, mainly because the fit is good and they stay in place.
I'm up at Diablo most weekends and you're more than welcome to check it out if you want.
At least I move fast enough to warrant body armor when I do crash
This is exactly why its on the top of my list. The VPD material sounds ideal to me, even compared to the d30 stuff (which no one is using for spine protection as far as I'm aware).
I'm gonna be up at Diablo one day this weekend since its close to me, I'd love to be able to check it out.
edit: in regards to the chest plates, unstitching them is what I would anticipate having to do to them.
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So did you pick one out yet? I'm in the same boat. It feels sssoooooo good to ride without armor that I was thinking about picking up just the vest but then part of me thinks the shoulder/chest protection would be nice. Oh...decisions, decisions.