7 years with Poc Joint VPD 2.0 DH Long, Elbow DH, Shin pads

Knee pads:

Since July 12, 2017, I have spent more time with these knee pads, and I took more pictures. I have improved the text and rest of the review.

I had two pairs of the knee pads, and used one when the other was wet from cleaning. So the wear is about the same on both.

The first pair I got.

I have used these pads for a really long time now, the whole year, and I put them trough some hard crashes, and they protected me every time.

I was so satisfied with these, that I bought second pair as spare,So I always have clean protection, or if I damage one the other can be repaired.

When the rear fabric has worn or got damaged so are resulting in similar effect to stretching, make sure you fix it, get it back to the correct measurements again so the pads fit as intended,which is important so they don’t slide around,So they give you maximum protection, but these this product is easy to repair, and the fabric does not stretch out of shape.

You have to use the right technique to put them on:

if the pad slides up its because you did not use the right technique to put them on,You should hold the top part with 2 hands and pull them up so all the fabric slides upwards keeping the pad low, and have to top part with the adjustment strap as high as possible, this way they say in place, I have the typical muscle legs and thighs, And I use size Medium and have worked perfectly, as long as I did put them on right. I also noticed that they will make noises as the pads are against each other, as for the discomfort,you should have the upper part as far up as you can,if it’s right under the knee it will not be comfy.

The stitching should be close to the end of the pad, thigh pad and leg pad should be overlapping, slightly. The strap should NOT be way on the top,the rubberised material on the in side of the pad should be on the end  near the end,there should be about 0,5cm  space between the Velcro and the end of the pad, but as you use it it move little bit,as seen in this picture,few millimetres of change will happen as you have the knee in a different position.

Some pads have removable pads, but these protectors don’t have that. the pads secure inside the sleeve.

Pros:

• durable long lasting, both pairs held up well, with some wear the later years, but with about 7 years of use, that’s great.
• easy to repair if seams, back of the leg material get damaged.
• robust sleeve covering the pads, even after years of use it still held up well.
• comfortable(if worn & put on correctly)
• 1cm thick VPD2.0 pad kept me protected, I could not even feel the impact at the impact area, no pain whatsoever, even when falling off a 1m concrete wall or a 1m rock roller.
• good fit, the upper is made like a joint, so the upper part stays n palace while the rest moves with your leg and knee. this work very well.
• The pad it self does not slide down, only slides a bit if very sweaty, but they still stay secure, it’s only the thigh section that sides down a bit if very sweaty.
• Great protection on the side of the knee
• Robust Velcro straps
• no movement restrictions

The wear you see between the plastic plate and the Velcro strap is caused by friction from bending your knees, which causes friction.

How to wear them correctly:

Thigh pad and leg pad should be overlapping, slightly.The strap should NOT be way on the top, the rubberised material on the in side of the pad should be on the end near the end,there should be about 0,5cm space between the Velcro and the end of the pad, but as you use it it move little bit,as seen in this picture,few millimetres of change will happen as you have the knee in a different position.

The stitching should be close to the end of the pad

With 2015 Poc Trail shorts

• size matches the size guide, not like 2015 products from Bliss

Cons:

• The pads are quite heavy.
• Too warm, sweaty for summer use, the last few years I had rashes after almost every time I wore the knee pads, the rashes were often runny, and and very itchy and sometimes even had a bit of blood. I did not get this issue with the elbow nor shin pads. I could not continue like this. So I had to get different pads.

Wear

A close look and look at the wear June 15, 2022

It was no surprise when I saw torn grip strip, it was used for years. The first pads were used since 2015, the other I got later, but both have similar wear.

Some holes in first layer of the 2 layer sleeve, due to pedal strikes during crashes, which have been sewn shut to prevent further damage.

Triangle shaped gap to assist bending.

Some of the wear on the plastic pad is due to working on the bike on asphalt and concrete, gravel but a lot is due to crashes.

Example of how you can have the elbow, shin pads if you can’t fit them in a backpack, but want to put them on for the gnarly riding and not have them on for the road riding.

All of the pads together 2X of each.

Shin pads

pic taken Taken on May 15, 2016 of the first pair, they got some signs of wear, but this is unavoidable,the way its made, but the way its made gives you good protection, and the wear you see here developed slowly.

This is the first pair, one of the pads got wear on the stitching for the Velcro, but The Velcro was still good.

Shin pad album: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmMMBnmU

Elbow pads:

I have only ne pair of the DH version of the elbow pads, but I do have a non DH version too it has no sliding pad, and is bit smaller, but still good protection. I got what I could get at the time from where I could.

Elbow pads album

Here you can see the wear after long years of use, pictures were taken at June 15, 2022 .

The first pad I I got from Bike 24, had faulty Velcro, the top Velcro failed after few rides it, it would not stay put, it opened many times during the ride, so I contacted them, they sent me a new one, and did not have to send back the faulty unit, and I used the replacement pad, which you see pictures of here, as you see it held up quite well.

This is the grippy strip that keeps the pads from sliding, they might a tiny bit if very sweaty, but it works quite well.

Velcro was still not worn out.

After years of use, some wear is expected, I think these pads did well.

Sickline.com video in the Poc stand at Interbike 2014: No point in my making the same video, so watch their video:

Price :1.249,- NOK

read the view of POC Joint VPD Air Elbow pads here: https://wp.me/p60aTF-96

Verdict:

Well thought out pads for maximum protection and coverage, but I think these pads are one of the best on the market right now for downhill and extreme riding, but not suitable for long sweaty rides. These pads are approved for motorcycle use.

20.10.2020 Updated review Review: POC Resistance Strong shorts

Since the review in 2016 I’ve continued to use these shorts, and now it’s 2020 and will continue to use them until I can’t, but since it was time for an update, in the mean while I took a lot of pictures. I might update this review in the future.

The pockets are smaller than in the trail vent shorts, a small wallet or keys will fit perfectly, also these shorts use 2 buttons instead of one button through a hole.

I a thing I don’t like about a lot of shorts is they have the same material all over, so the crotch, butt area gets worn faster than the rest, but some shorts have more robust material there. I’ve not had issues with the shorts getting hung up on the saddle with my gear, I have Fabric Scoop Shallow race saddle, and Poc Resistance Strong Shorts they fit me very well, and have the robust material at the saddle area.I think one of the reasons shorts hang up on the saddle is they sag too much in the crotch and are elastic so they wrap around the saddle tip, issue probably gets worse if the shorts are tight elsewhere.my shorts if worn correctly don’t have the flop underneath the crotch, it fits snug, it fits well all over, and has waist straps, and the lower back area has a woven sock-like area, that has a weave that works as elastic despite not being an elastic band. but it might feel like the shorts are falling off at first, but once you get used to it, it’s nice, the shorts sit nicely, while you move, they stay put, and don’t make the jersey pop out so easily.

A closer look at the shhors:

The shorts have a hook in the rear under the small pocket, but I have not used it.

Here you can see how big the rear pocket is.

Rear inside out.

Front inside out.

Taken on February 23, 2020

These picture shows the wear where the the shorts rub against the knee pads. So the wear was as suspected, nothing unusual, so no complaints there.

Pros

• Comfortable
• the Ykk zippers are smooth

Zip pocket at leg works well as phone pocket if you have a small enough smartphone, but biggest phones won’t fit so good, and with a case it might be too tight fit.

As you can see the Cat s 50 phone hits perfectly inside the pocket., but My Sony XZ Premium with LoveMei Powerful case barely fits, also it put extra wear in the pocket and made a hole in it, this happen on several of the shorts, but also the zipper failed on all of them.

Durable material used in the the seated area.

• light weight
• True to size fit
• good breathability, the short is made of a thin material in the thigh and front area, and with Super Fabric on the sides. these shorts are a huge improvement in terms of cooling over the trail vent shorts.
• perfect with knee pads
  

Good adjustment & sizing, the sizing is perfect for me, I am 32 in waist and 26 in the hips, and I use the adjustment straps to the max both on the Poc Trail vent and Resistance shorts.

The VPD padding does not compromise comfort.

If you don’t adjust the straps just right the back of the short might feel like it’s going to fall off, even if it does not, I think this is due to the stretch material, but as long you adjust it properly it’s not an issue.

the material with stripes is the stretch material

The shorts have good length, so they won’t slide up and look awkward or get stuck.

The upper pockets are big enough to fit a snack like a school bread, one or several energy bars.

Cons:

• And of course white will look dirty

• the VPD padding could be wider and longer.
• only 2 colour choices
• better zippers are needed, stronger zipper, with strong zipper grip.

I had to use a zip tie to fix the broken grip.

.

eventually the zipper failed on all of the shorts.

Conclusion

Because of the fit, comfort, and protection, and durability, I recommend these shorts.

These shorts are one of the best shorts you can get, but these are the only proper shorts I have tried so far, but there are some things that should be improved.

Handguards I know of so far in 2020-2021 Wip

If you have been bushwhacking/riding through bushes, or if you have been smashing into trees, you might want to try handguards, or already hhave tried some already. I found some Hand Protection, not all of these are equally well known, some I showed for a long time, some I discovered recently, I’m sharing this so you know of more choices.
Not much info on this.

I needed hand guards so I got what I could get the fastest. A Norwegian retailer had them so I went for it. It was Acerbis X-elite, you can read more about them in my review.

Sofar these are the only guards I’ve tried. I might try others later.

But they were not perfect, as I mentioned in my review, they use a screw head standard most multitool won’t have, and the screws can loosen. But not really a big deal if you have this tool with you.

Recchie by MrWolf:

‘Recchie

These protect the cockpit controls too. But it has somewhat a sharps shape the inside so in a crash that might be unpleasant, but it’s unlikely to get your body infront of the cockpit or jam a finger in the hole the guard has.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/its-the-final-randoms-eurobike-2017.html
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/mr-wolf-wants-to-protect-all-your-enduro-digits/

AVS:

These don’t go as far in to the centre of the cockpit so won’t cover the brake as much.

Product page: https://www.avs-racing.com/index.php/en/store

AVS offer Plastic & aluminium support

A concern some people have is the metal mount might snap a carbon handlebar. But I am not an expert on this.

https://www.avs-racing.com/index.php/en/store/aluminium-supports/aluminium-support

https://www.avs-racing.com/index.php/en/store/aluminium-supports/plastic-support

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/avs-racing-handguards-review-2017.html
These are seen a lot in the Enduro World Series, among other events.

VC Guards:

https://vcguards.com/

VC Guards protect your fingers with customizable mountain bike handguards

GEO Handguards

https://www.geohandguards.com/

https://bikerumor.com/2020/05/08/review-geo-handguards-protect-your-paws-and-controls-from-trees-just-dont-go-otb/

I see a concern of some riders is that these will snap your arm in a crash. Is this true? Mabye not. But I am not saying this is the case, just stating the fact that some are concerned about this.

But for me a concern is i run the brake levers quite flat as most will probably do with modern bikes with long reach high cockpit, this type of geometry, allows you to have more relaxed upper body and arms, hands, I rest my hands on the grip, my arms are relaxed, I don’t have to hold on to the grip, and brake levers are quite flat, but it seems like this might be an issue. But not tried Geo handguards.

But as you can see in some pictures, the hands have plenty of room between the brake lever and guard, but this can vary some depending on which brake levers, and more, you have and how far in or out you have them mounted, but it seems like even if the guard was stretched out more on the bar, I twould still give enough room. In the pictures on bikerumor I see i would have the have the brakes ghosted into the guard, which is physically impossible, so brake lever angle has to be compromised, thus comfort, and would get faster fatigue, I just can’t do that. But I guess if you could install the guard flipped, this could potentially solve the issue by making the guard higher at the brake lever, allowing flat lever setup, but currently this is not feasible. So to me it seems like this eliminates them for me.

Another concern is how it will fit with different brake, dropper post lever combinations. I don’t want to compromise any of the angles, positions of the cockpit controls. As some brakes, shifter, dropper lever, mount further in, some further out, The bikerumor review concerns me. Buy i don’t know how well the others do. Dropper post lever usually has adjustment, some shifters do, but brakes don’t.

Acerbis X-Lite

https://www.acerbis.com/motorsport/en/product/mtb/accessories/0024489?fbclid=IwAR2xX9snt1HavQd-fa_uoiYqi27ThshCyjjzIg5c0tQlbTiBW0mABO_Uftk#a_page

Acerbis Also  more mtb products for MTB including pant, shorts, jersey, helmet

Enduro Engineering MTB Handguards V2.0

His product is not officially listed yet, so you have to contact them to order. I don’t know why. I don’t know why, I don’t think I asked them that.

https://enduroeng.com/

.

Revgrips has handguards now too

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1122/5908/products/HANDGUARD-TIM-2_1800x1800.jpg?v=1603551593

https://revgrips.com/collections/hand-guards/products/hand-guards

These guards don’t cover the brake lever body. So if that’s a concern for you that’s not the guards for you.

The guard is transparent plastic. The mount is aluminium.

Zeta IMPACT X3 HANDGUARD

This is not a MTB specific product, but it should do the job, But I don’t know about compatibility with shifters and so on, how the clearance is .

So I can’t state it will work for you, but here is a video from someone who has them, and you can see their setup.

http://www.zeta-racing.com/handguard/impact_x3/index.html

Used to failure updated Review: 100% Racecraft MX Goggles

I have been using 2 pairs of these goggles for since winter 2016 to April 2018.

Some words about the brand:

100% is a well-known brand in the motocross community & the past years more and more knowledge in the Mountain bike community.These goggles are made FullFace helmets like used in downhill and motocross.

 

If you use the tear-offs, in rain or humid weather, there will be fog between the lens and the tear-off. So in rain or humid conditions, I don’t use the tear-offs because of this.

After riding in 1 Celsius

 

Pros:

• Comfortable.
• does not obstruct the view, you might barely notice them, or not at all.
• I think it’s easy to change lenses, but not too easy like with Adidas Pinner googles.
• It to change lenses in a hurry while out riding because they are so secured so well, but for me, this is this is not a con, you do not wave to worry about the lenses falling off.
• the triple layer foam & the vents make sure you don’t overheat and/or get soaked of sweat. The difference between the Adidas Pinner and 100% Racecraft is huge, soaked versus dry or almost dry to slightly moist foam in 25 Celsius, and soaked vs slight moist in not so hot days. But the sweat travels through to the Grey layer and if it’s much it can drip some.

  

  triple layer foam is a must for me.

  

  100% Racecraft goggle vs Adidas Pinner goggle

• even after 4 weeks of summer riding the foam did not stink, this was done to test it, But I have been cleaning them at a regular basis, and swapping to fresh pair when the washed goggle was drying.
• The foam is well glued, and the durability of the foam is much better than the Adidas Pinner google has, none of the foam peeled off.
• good FOV/field of view
• the lens will stay on even if you are rough with the goggles.
• The rubberised strap works well, I use a 2015 Mavic notch & Fox Rampage Pro Carbon helmet, and it never slipped off.
• The tear-off system actually work, unlike on the  Adidas Pinner goggles.,the plugs are the correct size, and the tear-fit tight so they won’t fall off. But I don’t use Tear-offs.
• Nose guard, which is a must for me, I hit branches sometimes, which can be painful.
• good ventilation

  

  RC 1.2

• the nose guard sits snugly and won’t just fall off I had to replace it
• Comes with 2 lenses
• comfy fit
• several colour choices.
• the lens stays in place well.
• the perfect shape on the top which will not leave a big gap between the goggle and the helmet which some goggles do, Adidas Pinner for example.

Cons:

• no replacement foam.
• you can lose the nose guard without even noticing it, which I did with one of the goggles, mine probably snapped out when I took them off or a branch hit them, who knows.
• the extra lens got an anti-scratch sticker on it which needs to be removed, but one of the lenses that came with one of the 2 goggles I got left glue residue, so you should clean it off.

After a long time of use they showed signs of wear:

• The summer of 2017 the foam got a little bit torn, which is not surprising after so much use I put them trough.
• then some of the white parts have been discoloured, with a red tint, the same goes for the foam, why this happens I don’t know, it might be a reaction to sunlight or temperature, or something else, I am not sure.
• and the strap has been stretched by few cms.

used to failure:

April 2018 the plastic part on one of the two goggles on the strap failed, this resulted in the stram loosening up, The difference in wear was probably due to me using one goggle more than the other, but both goggles had on the sticky strips, they had cracked, and did not grip as well as when the goggles were new.

The strap arms were starting to separate from the goggle frame, which could be fixed with glue, but for me it’s easier to just buy new goggle instead of doing a DIY repair job, I am surer someone could do it.

 

The nose guard I replaced also showed signs of wear, the paint was peeling off.

Verdict: Recommended

This is a decent google, but It would be nice it had replaceable foam, but if you have the skills you can repair them with aftermarket foam, if needed, if the foam separates from the goggle, you can glue it together if you got the right glue.

 

Flickr album

So far it is the best goggle I have seen to a decent price.

The goggle offers excellent ventilation and comfort at a excellent price.

it cost about the online same as I paid for one Adidas Pinner in the local bikes store

Product page: http://www.ride100percent.com/mountainbike/goggles/

You can buy them here:

http://www.ridestore.no/100-racecraft-goggle-mx-airstr-s-w-mr-silver?q=100%25%20%22Racecraft%22%20Goggles%20MX&p=16&gclid=CjwKEAjw-r27BRCzsNyzrMrM-j0SJACp2TiBIXc9tSoPPVdzX-4JUsDzY7aYRhmcczPYGx0H3nqZXxoCDc_w_wcB

http://www.freestylextreme.com/user/searchresults.aspx?q=100%25%20racecraft

https://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=13&search=100%25+Racecraft+

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/no/en/100-racecraft-goggles/rp-prod77022

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=100%25+RACECRAFT+Goggles

everything from 100% on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/100/b/ref=bl_dp_s_web_15592588011?ie=UTF8&node=15592588011&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=100%25

Revised Review: 2016 POC Resistance Strong Gloves

Since I first wrote this review in 2016 I have improved this review, more & better pictures, improved text, and more details.

Pros:

•  no more twisted strap, like on 2015 Index DH glove
• more air flow than the DH index glove provided by the holes in the palm
• I stay cool even in 25 deg. Celsius
• comfortable
• true to size, I have 21cm knuckle size, and the medium fits me perfectly. I went from Index DH gloves in large which was a bit too bit too big, to this glove.
• Durable ceramic-coated SuperFabric® with abrasion-resistant properties, this actually works.
• Great fit.
• Has impact protection at the knuckles.

Cons:

• the impact protection is silly thin, they won’t help on a proper impact, I tested it with hitting my hand harder and harder on a stem.
• Because of the holes on the palm, the durability suffers when you get something (pedal pins for example) stuck in the holes you can tear the fabric, but this is also caused by the fabric’s weakness.but if you do it can easily be fixed if you got some sewing skills.

  

• the triple dots on the fingers wear off fast because they are glued on.

Holes got bigger.

The Stitching failed on one pair, They were Only used one day, I put these on today and the stitching came loose.

• the glue holding the Velcro to the rubber strap failed of some pairs of gloves, but you can easily fix this with a sewing kit. Sadly I got an inconsistent quality of the stitching on these gloves with the gloves I got.
• after many months of use, the glove stretched and had to be sewn in the palm to fit me properly.

• :

New glove, measurement at area which gets stretched.

Photo Album: https://flic.kr/s/aHskCuD9Ar

Verdict: 

But if you want longer lasting palm to get the Index DH glove instead, but it will of course not be as cool as the Resistance glove, but the durability of the palm must be improved.

I still use my Index DH gloves in size L, for colder days, I wear them over fleece gloves in size M, which works well.

I want to look into other gloves, like Mechanix for example, they got full finger padding and knuckle padding. but that might be overkill.

Review: POC Joint VPD Air Elbow pads

The pad is cut so it bends easy and comfortable, but when I crashed one time and the pads squeezed my skin so it was red few days, but that not really a big issue

Pros:

• easy and fast to take them on and off
• the right materials used so they will be durable and wont wear out
• very comfortable,not as hot as the Bliss ARG or similar pads.
• they did not wear out just in weeks like the 2015 Bliss ARG.
• light weight
• not as bulky as Bliss ARG or similar designs.
• The strap and rubber part at the bottom stop the protector from slipping.

Cons:

• quite warm, but not as warm as POC VPD2.0 DH .
• No upper strap, and quite baggy at the top, so does not fit as securely as it should for me. This might not be an issue for you, but at the time I had quite thin arms, small biceps But if you hit something backwards and it gets hooked on the upper side it can pull on the pad.
  

Verdict:

Get the Joint VPD 2.0 Elbow or Joint VPD 2.0 Elbow or instead, which I have done.

Album: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzVfdu

REVIEW: 2015 BLISS ARG Vertical Elbow Pad & BLISS ARG Vertical Extended- NOT! recommended

updated.27.09.2015

i do not recommend these: read why below:i have been riding  wit these on every ride no matter if just to commute or to ride on the trails. now as i have used them a lot i can say that they are not up to my standards.

Design and materials used:

Bliss use the similar mesh design and materials to Raceface,Fox’ Launch Pro,661’s Rage Hard Shell pads,but with just one elastic strap,of course Race Face and 611’s will stay in palce better. If they use the exact same materials they will wear out fast, specially if u grap them by the mesh where the wear elastic materials are and the side pads, which is not what I have done on my bliss ARG’s but they are just too weak they will break and get big holes no matter what you do or not do, so if you crash or take them on and off a lot they will wear off.,this is unacceptable to make such  bad products.

protective gear must be durable and withstand much abuse,and be comfortable, if its not don’t buy it unless its the only thing you can get at the time.

Pros:

• lightweight
• Kevlar® at elbow area,which is very durable material.
• more comfortable than plastic pads not as bulky and weird looking when you have a jersey on top of them.

cons:

• mine are bit too big,i should have gone with size small.
• Hook and loop fastener wear out fast more strap loops needed.
• the elastic rubber mattress alike mesh is not durable. Just after few weeks or riding and the mesh on my left pad ripped.it is made of weak of weak material,the mesh stretched until the point it got big holes in it.the elastic band is rubbing holes

• its a bit warm.

 

Price:

79,90 EUR

incl. statutory VAT 19%

Official site: http://www.blisscamp.com/en/bliss-arg-vertical-elbow-pad/a-18799/

 

BLISS ARG Vertical Extended Knee Pad

Pros:

• lightweight
• Kevlar® at elbow area
• Hook and loop fastener on the works well
• more comfortable than plastic pads not as bulky and weird looking when you have a jersey on top of them.
• they don’t feel warm all around, like the elbow pads.

Cons:

• Hook and loop fastener wear out fast
• more strap loops needed.
• silly logo on the bottom that wears out and looks ugly
• they are uncomfortable on the back side of your knees
• too little side protection, so the handlebar can hit your knee on the side
• they don’t stay in place,they slide down, look at pic below: this is how they will be afther u have doen soem hard riding. they should be about 2 or 3 cm upward, they wear otu pretty fast,so the elastic on the sides wears out and dries out, it looks to be rubber.
•  the result of wearing bliss arg pads,it hurts afther a while.
• the front of the pad gets very hot in the sun,almost feels like a heating oven

• 

  they stretched so much that I needed to pull the elastic strap past the hook and loop fastener

• 
• Enter a caption

the pedal hit it an made a 2 holes.

 

99,90 EUR

incl. statutory VAT 19%

official site: http://www.blisscamp.com/en/bliss-arg-vertical-extended-knee-pad/a-24440/

i now have POC Joint VPD Air Elbow pads and i am satesfied with them so far.

Verdict For both the knee and elbow pads:

overall this product is awful, I advise against buying it, but some materials like the Kevlar  durable.

If you want bliss elbow pads get BLISS ARG Minimalist Elbow Pad instead,or a other brand