Interbike 2013 – Seven iDP Armor
The Seven Intelligent Design Protection company is closely tied to Royal Racing. The Seven iDP (Intelligent Design Protection) armor system was developed by a diverse team of seven world-class riders, including Steve Peat, Kurt Sorge, Neil Donoghue, Garett Buehler, Chris Akrigg and Trek World Racing. The 7iDP system took fives years of design and testing to complete, and vast array of new armor, covers the gamut from mild All-Mountain to pure downhill usage.
Tactic Series
The Tactic is their high end lineup of armor and includes a knee, knee/shin and elbow version. They each use BOA dial closures in which the cable snakes its way throughout the gear, for accurate indexed tightening and even tensioning around the knee or elbow. The knee/shin model has a nice pull-tab quick release on the back, so that you don’t have to take your shoes off for removal. The X-Profile cap uses the hard outer Curv shell material, which is a highly drawn polypropylene. The Curv is 1mm thick, low in weight, has high strength, fits well and offers good pedaling mobility, and its smooth surface allows the armor to slide during a crash instead of snagging. To assist in pedaling and movement, they include an internal floating socket, so the knee and elbow can move around while the pad stays in place. The X-Profile is surrounded by TPR flex support, with some air ventilation ports, and the rest of the armor includes double layered perforated foam, and things are backed up using neoprene. They come in small, medium, large and x-large, and the knee retails for $170, the elbow for $140 and the knee/shin combo for US$220.
Control Series
The Control is a bit simpler than the Tactic series, and they’re pull on units that close with Velcro straps. They still use the Curv cap, and have double layered perforated foam and neoprene backing. They have a flex zone, that allows freedom of movement while the pad stays in place. They come in small, medium, large and x-large, and the knee retails for $11o and the elbow for $85. There is also a Control ankle guard with foam protection and 4-way stretch mesh for comfort, comes in S/M/L/XL and retails for $20.
A very wild piece of gear in the Control group is the Control Suit upper body armor. The suit includes a flexible rear spine protector, adjustable shoulder caps and padding, double layered perforated foam, and removable chest and back sections for integration of Atlas or Leatt neck braces. The suit has a slim profile to fit under jerseys, and the main body uses a poly/spandex blend and a 4-way stretch mesh for comfort and air flow. The suit comes in small, medium, large and x-large, and retails for $180.
Covert Series
This was the group of armor I was most interested in, since I tend to wear more comfortable soft armor. The lightweight Covert knee and elbow are pull on armor, and the main body is made from a poly/spandex blend and a 4-way stretch mesh, which provides a compression fit and good ventilation. The system is comprised of the pull on body, and a foam and hard cap armor. You can wear just the body, or insert the foam into the inner sleeve, or the foam and hard cap together into the sleeve, etc. This combination of hard shells and foam pads that can be removed and configured into the main body based on rider preference, and makes for a unique and innovative set of armor. They come in small, medium, large and x-large, and the knee retails for $90 and the elbow for $80.
Transition Series
The Transition base suit comes in a long sleeved and short-sleeved version, and includes the Curv material in removable spine protector, double layered perforated foam, the configurable Covert series padding on the shoulders and elbows and can integrate Atlas or Leatt neck braces. The suit uses a poly/spandex blend and a 4-way stretch mesh for comfort and air flow and a compression fit. They come in small, medium, large and x-large, and the long sleeved retails for $160 and the short for $140. The Flex series shorts (shown in the photo), have flexible Curv side panels, removable perforated foam on the hips and legs, and use poly/spandex and a 4-way stretch mesh body.
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