We’ve been riding with POC’s VPD 2.0 knee pads through freezing snow, burning sun, penetrating rain and clagging mud. Here’s our four seasons review of one of the best knee pads on the market. £79.99 from Amazon.
POC Sports have really made an impression in recent years with their range of quality mountain bike protection gear. We picked up the VPD 2.0 knee pads and haven’t looked back since.
For all-mountain and gravity riding, rigid shin length armour felt too bulky and constricting. We wanted flexible protection without the feeling of being weighed down and POC’s newest soft knee pad showed us the way.
The VPD material moulds to your body when warm
POC VPD 2.0 Specifications
• Weight : 250g each
• Sizes: S, M, L, XL
• 3D moulded VPD material for shock absorption and movement
• Perforated inner knee fabric for heat and moisture control
• Stretchable fabric for freedom of movement
Comfort and Fit
The VPD 2.0 knee pads are very comfortable. We found POC’s sizing to be just right, so you don’t need to get a different size to what you’d normally wear. As a 6’1 regular rider the medium fit like a glove, but the adjustable straps and elasticated material mean you can get a larger size and not worry about it falling off. They’re light too, weighing just 250g each.
Even on pedal-heavy riding sessions, you’ll barely notice you’re wearing knee pads. This great freedom of movement comes though the clever use of POC’s VPD material.
A top and bottom Velcro strap help to adjust the tightness of the knee pads; however we found that they didn’t need to be tightened excessively. POC’s knee pads fit us like a glove and in the 18 months of riding with them, they’ve never slipped.
Even on hot days, the pads are breathable, especially with the rear perforated fabric. After a long ride they were comfortable enough to leave on due to the moisture-wicking Polygiene material.
The top velcro strap is hardly needed as they whole knee pad fits your form
The Magic VPD Material (Visco-Elastic Polymer Dough)
The soft VPD adapts to the shape of your body, but when exposed to an impact, the material stiffens up and gains extreme absorption properties.
This means the knee pads are flexible when you’re pedalling but change to a hard-shell type pad on impact. You get the benefits of both hard and soft knee pads with none of the disadvantages, such as restriction of movement or lack of proper protection.
Advances in the VPD material mean that it now has greater flexibility in the cold too. On warm days we found it was more pliable, but needed a bit of heating up when it was snowing.
After just a couple minutes of wearing them the material was supple enough to mould to our legs, so no gaps or chafing from any uneven distribution of pressure.
There’s a bottom velcro strap too if you need, but the stretchy Polygiene fabric helps keep the pads in place
Soft Fabric Polygiene
POC’s knee pads are covered in their soft and stretchy Polygiene fabric. This adds extra grip to keep them in position. The anti-bacterial properties of the fabric mean that they stay fresh and odour free. We still wash ours though, as they’re machine washable.
Our Final Take
The POC Joint VPD 2.0 Knee Pads are comfortable, light and practical. After over a year of testing they’ve not let us down once. Moisture wicking fabric and POC’s smart VPD material keep you from overheating without uneven pressure distribution too. You’ll forget you’re wearing anything at all.
Having the perfect balance between flexibility and protection mean they’re suitable for downhill gravity runs as well as all-mountain or Enduro climbing sessions. It’s a big fat thumbs-up from us. Go get ’em.
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