Body Armour POC VPD alternative

Hi guys,

I’m looking for some body armour to replace my 661 stuff. I just find it a bit bulky. The new POC VPD2.0 Jacket is great but I don’t think I can bring myself to spend £300 on it. Can anyone think of any cheaper alternatives that use 3DO instead of hard plastic?

Thanks,

Angus

661 stuff seems to spend a lot of time talking about “high impact foam” and “inteler foam”, guess they’ve founf a cheeper product than d3o, bluegrass have d3o upper body jackets.

Not sure I’ll bother next time, I managed to hurt my back and break my arm wearing a presure suit, so it’s of doubtfull benifit.

The O Neal Sastec (sp) is meant to be very similar?

There are some new troy lee ones that look nice

Nukeproof are using sastec for their new body armour too

Seems to me that D30’s a great material for soft, flexible pads- elbows and knees- but not really such an asset on torso stuff where flexibility isn’t such a big deal. It’s cool stuff but not actually as effective at stopping blows as a bulky foam-and-plastic protector, which is the tradeoff of the flexibility.

I really like my IXS Hammer, which is just old-fashioned foam-and-plastic. It’s got a bulky spine protector which makes me look like a hunchback but it’s very unobtrustive on the move. Better than my old Pressure Suit (which to be fair is a pretty old model)

The POC suit is probably superb but worth it? Depends how much you wear it and how much you intend to crash I guess.

+1 for O’Neal. The SaasTec/VPD stuff is tougher than the d30 stuff, no?

I know it’s expensive, but the POC body armour is the comfiest I have ever worn and I’ve had dainese and 661 in the past.

Contrary to what Northwind says, (and it appears that he actually hasn’t tried the VPD stuff from his comment), I have found that I bend my back and sides a lot when riding and the rigid plastic back protectors would dig in and move about. The VPD just stays in position and moulds to your figure.

For a cheaper option the O’Neil Saastec is the same material as the POC and worth looking at for sure.

Not 3DO or similar but the new Troy Lee Shock Doctor shirts might be a worth a look – many of the pads are removable so you can customise how much protection you require. Had one for about 8 months now and has worked well not to bulky either. Leatt compatible also.

i think scott have a tasty looking vpdesque shirt too\
here it is the recruit pro has back protector

http://www.walliscycles.com/acatalog/Scott_accessories.html#a420

http://www.bike-mailorder.de/shop/Clothing/Functional-Wear/Functional-Underwear/Scott-Compression-Recruit-Pro-Protectorshirt-2012::29856.html

Forcefield body armour

Tried this on a cycle 2011, felt comfy to me and not as pricy as POC

Great – Thanks for all the replies.

I got one of these from china a while back for £80 including the postage, there were about 10x sellers with them for sale last year.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DAINESE-Body-Armor-JACKET-WAVE-V-1-2-3-NECK-M-L-XL-XXL-XXXL-/270882528971?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Protective_Clothing&hash=item3f11db5ecb

Have to say it’s nice armour and I’m glad that I bought it

There’s a weird collar that reduces certain nech injuries, but it’s removalble

Out of interest what size are you looking for?

Ordered the POC VPD 2.0 jacket today. I know it’s expensive, but I see protection as something that’s worth investing in. Can’t wait to try it out.

Ah… Something I meant to mention, if you’re intending to use it for downhill, some race organisers specify a hard back protector. Which is stupid, but is maybe something to bear in mind.

In practice I just wore my old, soft protector and hoped nobody would notice, which worked fine 😉

Which organisers?

I have used mine for over 3 years now, in local, regional, national and international events all without problem on inspection. The VPD back protectors are CE approved and some would argue they are safer than hard plastic spine protectors.

Any organiser stating that they are not allowed would be on very dodgy ground.

Kuco – Size small I think. I’m 36-38″ chest and 5’7″ 170cm

Cheers

100mphplus – Member

Which organisers?

I have used mine for over 3 years now, in local, regional, national and international events all without problem on inspection. The VPD back protectors are CE approved and some would argue they are safer than hard plastic spine protectors.

Any organiser stating that they are not allowed would be on very dodgy ground.

Le super-old reply… The SDA require a hard protector and have been known to check. No Fuss also require it, but obviously couldn’t give a rat’s ass 😉

I don’t know what 3DO is, but at the Nukeproof launch in Bristol a few weeks ago the Leatt guy was showing off their new 3DF body protector vest which looked pretty impressive.

http://www.leatt-brace.com/index.php/choose-your-sport/mountain-biking/body-protector-3df