The best mountain bike body armour offers the right blend of high protection, breathability and comfort while riding, and EVOC’s protector vest offers a great blend of those attributes. Among the best body armour that we’ve tested, it’s low-profile, consisting of a lightweight mesh vest with an integrated removable back panel.

Its flexible Liteshield Plus back pad slides in and out of a fabric sheath, and is essentially the same expanded polystyrene sandwich successfully used in EVOC’s backpacks and armour for years. There are also two further sections of EVA foam padding ridges – one at the coccyx and another at the upper few vertebrae at the nape of the neck.

The latest Liteshield Plus panel weighs 165g, retains the same, higher, Level 2 motorsports protection as previously and has extra inbuilt flexibility by using square ‘segments’ that can bend in four directions. Like others here, it’s easy to remove the padding to machine wash the jacket, and EVOC also offers a free crash replacement programme if the back protector gets damaged in an accident.

Sizing here is generous with the Large considerably baggier than other equivalents. As the comfy tech T-Shirt-style fabric is quite floppy and freeform, and the Liteshield back panel is also being pretty long, going down a size might be a sensible move and deliver a snugger fit. Some riders with shorter torsos may also find the integrated tensioning belt sits too low on the hips and interferes with trouser waistbands and fasteners.

Even with EVOC’s wide waist belt cinched tight, stability here isn’t as good as some, especially compared to tighter, compression-style, fits like Six Six One Evo Compression Jacket). It’s still very comfy and lightweight for the protection rating, but with the waist belt fastened or not, the back panel feels a bit flappy and can occasionally wriggle when riding. We reckon this vest might work best worn on top of a base layer or mesh top rather than on bare skin, especially as the hip belt is also a bit sharp and scratchy next to flesh. 

If you’re looking for maximum protection, check out the Leatt 3DF AirFit Body Vest. Or if you want something a little lighter try the 100% Tarka Protection Vest.