POC Spine VPD Tee Chest Armour
If there's one way to feel invincible out on the trail, a POC Spine VPD Tee is going to be it. Combining integrated Polycarbonate shoulder plates with articulated plates, chest armour and a VPD Spine protector, the POC Tee is the ultimate protective suit for those that ride hard. Specialising in high-end mountain bike and ski protective gear, POC Sports is a swedish brand that has burst onto the downhill mountain bike scene with a range of body armour and full face helmets that are here to rival, and exceed, the best. With a fresh approach that balances a scientific background with real world rider feedback, the POC body armour range has a focus on rider safety like no other brand. So if you're looking for high-end bike wear that fits as good as it looks, POC protection is a new alternative to the usual motorbike-styled products on the market, packed with the kind of technology that will keep you out of hospital and on the bike.

Suiting Up
The Spine VPD Tee chest armour from POC is the centrepoint of their foray into mountain bike protective gear. Heavily over-engineered, impressively articulate, lightweight, breathable and made to last a very long time, the VPD Tee is a very well-designed piece of equipment. The whole garment revolves around a lightweight short sleeve jersey that uses a breathable mesh material that wicks away sweat and works underneath or over the top of other garments. The full-length zipper at the front means getting the suit on and off is about as easy as crashing. Taking the same principles as the Bone armour, the two large chest plates and dual-shell shoulder plates are made of strong polypropylene to protect you under hard and fast impacts like landing on a sharp rock. The ventilated plates complement the rest of the suit by providing airflow to keep you cool. A huge elastic waist band keeps everything snug and in place, though is removable if you feel the need. Adjustable straps on the upper arm and shoulder allow you to position the shoulder guards in the right position and leave enough room for you to run your elbow guards.

VPD Wizardry
However, the big deal with the Spine VPD Tee is the back protection. The Visco-elastic Polymer Dough (VPD) material is employed to provide full spinal coverage and sits inside a breathable mesh sleeve in the suit that is removable. The VPD material is a POC-engineered product that is a soft, mouldable dough-like substance that hardens under impact. As it rests against your back, the VPD softens and contours under the warmth of your skin, allowing flexibility and articulation like nothing else on the market. Though as you slam into a tree stump or rock face, the molecules inside the VPD lock together instantly to provide impact protection much like the hard shell on the chest plate. Very impressive stuff, and possibly the difference between riding out of a crash or acquiring a potential spinal injury.

From POC Sports:

"All our products have been tested by top world gravity sport athletes and then further refined to perfection. Our athlete friends love to go flat out but without suffering cuts, bruises and headaches, or in the worst cases, risking back or brain damage as a result of crashes that sadly happens to even the best athletes. The end result is a line of lightweight, high performance gear that offers the ultimate protection against injury thanks to superior impact absorption and penetration resistance. When developing a product at POC, we do it in the spirit of doing the best. We never compromise in choosing materials or construction, to make a product cheaper or to increase margins, if that means compromising safety, quality or performance".

"It's our mission to do everything we can to develop protective gear that can save lives and reduce the severity of injuries"
 

The POC Spine VPD Tee features:

• Polypropylene dual-shell shoulder armour
• Polypropylene chest armour 
• Visco-elastic Polymer Dough (VPD) spine protector
• Certified Level Two of the motor cycle standard EN 1621-1
• Full-length front zipper
• Large, removable elastic waistband with velcro closure
• Lightweight breathable mesh short-sleeve design that is machine-washable
• Adjustable arm and shoulder straps
• XS-S: 150-165cm (height)
• Medium: 165-180cm (height)
• L-XL: 180-195cm (height)