Hey everyone,
I wanted to share a recent, very frustrating experience I had with a POC VPD Air Flow elbow pad. I bought it just two days ago, hoping for reliable protection from a reputable brand. Unfortunately, it completely failed when I needed it most.
Yesterday, I was riding at Bike Park. On my very first run down a green trail, I had a pretty minor, low-speed slide out. My Garmin Fenix 8 showed I was only going about 20 km/h (12 mph). It wasn't a hard crash – I just slid sideways, and my forearm grazed the ground.
What happened next was shocking. The POC VPD Air Flow pad tore instantly on contact, literally ripped apart, shifted entirely to the side, and offered absolutely zero protection to my elbow/forearm. As a result, I ended up with an injury that these pads were supposed to prevent.
This is incredibly disappointing, especially for a product from a brand like POC that's known for safety. A protection pad that fails this catastrophically at such a low speed is simply unacceptable.
Has anyone else experienced similar issues with POC VPD Air Flow or other protection that failed to perform? What are your go-to elbow pads for reliable protection?
Stay safe out there, and always double-check your gear!
by Giraffe-ua
12 Comments
Looks to me like it’s done its job pretty well unless I’m missing something?
Compared to a similar crash I had recently looks like you got off pretty lightly.
It looks like it did it’s job well. Look at the impact area. It’s mountain biking…it’s an inherently dangerous activity and crashing is going to hurt, so don’t do that.
Wild to see people work for free in the warranty denial department for a brand they feel connected to because they got duped out of higher than average bucks on a product lol, OP this product failed.
Edit: r/MTB is plagued with buyers Stockholm syndrome lol
[similar post](https://www.reddit.com/r/mountainbiking/comments/xb1mdn/warning_gform_knee_pads_are_dangerous_crap/) but the seams around the padding seem to be a failure point, i mean it is literally a lycra sock sewn on to some padding.
can’t say for sure if you’d fare any worse with injuries if you weren’t wearing pads at all but if anything reach out to POC and see what they have to say.
All of that skin would have been broken open instead, no?
I have the Troy Lee sleeves and I get the same results. The pad shifts when I crash and it doesn’t offer complete protection. It’s definitely better than nothing though. I got the POC shoulder and elbow pads that you wear as a jacket (POC VPD Air Comp Jacket) and those have prevented all scrapes on my arm.
Get that road rash nice and clean, friend. It won’t leave what looks like scars.
Not fun, but cosmetically important as time passes.
Pads offer protection, they don’t make you invincible. Skill issue.
You say you broke ribs and twisted your leg, but you describe the crash as “pretty minor.” I’m so confused, that sounds like a serious crash. Why do you think the pads should have performed differently?
I dunno, I’ve crashed and still bled from the impacts of crashes with pads on. But me knees and elbows still work, so I call it a win.
Pads often shift after an impact, the question is were they in the right place at the time of impact. Impact ≠ road rash.
Not sure how you expect something that slides on to stay in place during a slide along the ground.
If you want protection from road rash, get a leather motorcycle jacket.
Your lucky you were wearing them. My last bad crash knocked a hole to the bone, ruptured Bursa, literally my elbow leaked fluid for 5 weeks. It still hurts, but at least it’s not leaking.
Wish I was wearing anything.
You have the pattern of the pad on your skin from the impact. After the impact you skidded on the ground and with it, the pad. AFTER the impact….