POC Hip VPD Shorts
Combining a slim profile with protection in key areas, there is no excuse not to ride without a pair of VPD shorts. Specific plates that protect your hip bones and coccyx minimise the likelihood of impact damage and bruising, while the lycra platform keeps everything close to skin and snug whilst pedalling. 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.

Essential Armour
So you've got your full face helmet, you're wearing your chest armour and you've got your arms and legs covered - that's pretty much it right? Well take a minute to think about the falls you've previously had and the crashes you could potentially have; if you come off the bike, what part of your body is always going to hit the ground at some point? Thats right, your bum!
Unfortunately this is an area that a lot of mountain bikers tend to overlook, though your hip bones, thighs, femur and tailbone are some of the most under-protected areas on your body, with only small layers of tissue between that rock and your bones. The Hip VPD Shorts from POC aim to address these vulnerable areas by providing ample, flexible protection that will reduce bruising and prevent situations that have you yelling "ouch" every time you sit down on the couch after a crash-filled ride. Expanded polypropylene padding on the outer thigh and the hip bone distribute the force of an impact and maintain body-hugging flexibility even when you're sprinting out of the saddle. The tailbone, or coccyx, utilises the VPD padding over the polypropylene, due to it's improved ability at responding to heavy impacts and provide more protection at the base of your spine.

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 Hip VPD Shorts feature:

• Form-fitting lycra shell
• Visco-elastic Polymer Dough (VPD) padded tailbone padding
• 2 x Heat-molded expanded polypropylene foam pads per thigh
• Elastic lower legs to keep everything in place
• Colour: Black/White
• Sizes: Small (28-31" waist) Medium (32-34" waist) Large (34-38" waist)