My only experience of leg protection is my old hardshell knee/chin 661 pads I only wear for uplift days and the Alps – so basically never – they are a mare to pedal in. The knee-only ones reviewed in the mag look and sound like they are so wearable on any given ride you’d be a fool not to. Anyone use them for all/most trail riding they do? Makes sense to I s’pose – almost bound to **** my knee on next ride without them now 🙄

Love my POC gear. Like you I’d have reservations about knee/chin gear. Sounds a bit OTT. 😀

I tried some of the Ion K lite pads at a demo day, you don’t really notice them whilst riding and they have that D30 stuff in so they harden on impact but mouldable enough otherwise. I have ordered myself a pair as I’ve only got bigger ones which are awkward to pedal in otherwise.

Yes.

TLD 5450s now worn on every ride. Very comfortable and you’re not aware of them.

This is after a very uncomfortable weekend in the local hospital getting my knee scrubbed and stitched under general anaesthetic. Knee pads worn on every ride after that. 🙁

I haven’t read the mag yet but I do basically all of my riding in old-model 661 Rages. They’re all day comfy, they make basically no difference to my pedalling (I’ve worn them 8 hours a day for weeks in teh alps, soloed the glentress seven in them…) and they have good protection. Sadly discontinued but Fox, ION and others have very similar pads. (the Rage has one particular downside in that the back of the knee is wide open for ventilation- it also sometimes lets mud and rocks fall in the back which can be annoying!)

There’s a trend for minimal pads and imo it’s mostly stupid. The pads usually have just as much enclosure so they’re generally no less sweaty, they’re not usually any less restrictive (because normal pads are barely restrictive at all) but they have less coverage and often less padding even when they do have coverage. So you’re still getting probably 90% of the downsides and maybe 30% of the benefit. First time you take a knock on the side of your knee you’ll wish you’d bought full pads…

(the exception might be if you want to wear them under trousers though)

knee/chin

That’s some rather specific coverage…

I’ve got some of the Alpinestars Paragon. They’re OK, breathable, the coverage isn’t great and the pad is a bit inflexible. After a while the stretchy material at the top becomes a bit baggy, washing can help a bit to restore it, but eventually it slips again. Lightweight and airy though for XC-ish rides. Good value for money if you ride somewhere like Chilterns, Swinley etc

hardshell knee/chin 661 pads

They’re the next big thing 😳

I have the POC ones. They were the only ones that sized up correctly as I have big calves relative to the tops of my knees. I like them – even if I do have a bit of shin missing from just under where they fit 😳

I always used knee pads just on the DH bike. Uplift days and Alps trips only.

Last year I lost a Scott Grenade just before a trip to France and paid an eye watering sum of money for a pair of Troy Lee Raid’s in an LBS. I’m kind of glad I did. They’re so comfortable with no sore spots or chafing. I’ve started using them on every ride now. They’ll be a bit hot and sweaty but I haven’t been out riding in warm weather since Morzine last year.

The general consensus seems to be ‘get some’…might just do that.

I have the Dainese Trail Skins & wear them every ride, as they are comfortable enough to not think about them.
Like you, I came from wearing hardshell knee/shin combos many years ago & they were so uncomfortable I only used them for downhill races & even then they would leave my knees red raw.
They have definitely come a long way…

TLD 5450 knee/shin for me, unless it’s mega hot then Dainese Trail Skins.
Don’t really notice the TLD when pedalling. Means I get away with wearing shorts all year round too.

I ride XC and now wear knee pads all the time after a mate had a nasty accident and spent a week in hospital (including two operations). By the time he came out all 5 others in the group had purchased pads.
I don’t know I’m wearing them and could easily ride all day (Dainese Trail Skins).

Never wore knee or elbow pads before in the previous 25 odd years mtb’ing but when i bought my Scott E-Genius last year i thought i’d better get a set of knee pads just in case so i got those Poc VPD Air , have to say i’ve never worn them but i guess my ability to ride (more akin to a bimble) these days bears absolutely no resemblance to how i rode a few years ago – they’re still sitting in the back kitchen so i may as well sell them.

My Raceface hardshell ones are coming to the end of their life but they’ve been great for probably 3 years now.

I wear them (and elbows/arm pads) on every ride. It’s a bit rocky round here and bloody hurts when you hit the deck.

Got some IXS Dagger knee pads – they have a hard shell – wear them every ride. Glad I do as well. Sunday had an off and even with the pads now have a massive bruise on the side of my knee cap. Dread to think what would’ve been the injury if I hadn’t been wearing them.

I always wear the type reviewed, but the trails here in Coed y Brenin are pretty hard if you come off!

Only at BPW.

I wear kneepads pretty much every ride, if they are comfy then why not
I’m now two rides into the Endura Singletrack ones and they seem pretty good for me.

Any advice for kneepads for skinny 8-year olds?
My lad has a set of cheap kids skate-boarding pads from Argos, which give him confidence, but they’re not comfy.

Which pads are these? Link?

I’ve fully integrated knee and elbow protection into my standard ride gear now, a bit like helmet gloves, shoes, glasses.

Elbows are as low profile as I could find, knees are less minimalist because of the reasons Northwind cites.

The only place I ever wear pads is in trail centres and on some of the more committed “big mountain” descents. It’s only the G-Form type, so they’re comfy enough and would only prevent against minor impacts and abrasions. I’m happy that my riding is restricted by my protection.

I notice the review didn’t make any comment on the effect on tan lines.

scotroutes – Member
The only place I ever wear pads is in trail centres

yeah, but you wear a parachute there too…. 🙂

Not deployed, not deployed!!!

ir_bandito – try youth elbow pads.

Sc_jr (a solid 11-yr old) has been through Raceface youth elbow pads (age 6), TLD youth knee pads (age 8), and is now on TLD 5450s XS,

661 knee pads all the time for every ride.

Cant say I notice them, till I’m on my knees 🙂

(Oh, and in winter they keep your knees warm)

I wear my knee pads all the time now.
I have tried a few different ones that have come recommended but settled on the POC vpd 2.0 ones which are really comfortable for all day riding Up and down, and seem to offer a fair bit of protection.

Others I have tried are the troy lee KG5450(the longer ones that cover some of your shin) I also like these and were very comfortable for all day riding too, however the grip around the top didn’t quite fit my leg right and was baggy/loose it seemed more like the fit lower down was keeping them in position.

I have also tried the 661 evo?, (Grey ones with orange trim and the D30 stuff in them), these are really comfortable for going down but no good for pedalling uphill in, I found them too bulky.

Fox Enduro, these were very comfortable but very minimalistic, I liked wearing these. However had an off and pretty much worn them through around the pad, my knee was OK, just a bit of bruising though so they did work!

NB: The Fox ones are the only ones that I have crash tested though touch wood!

The fox ones which look like all the others 661 / nukeproofs work well and were only £30.. not sure if that was an offer though. Happy on 8 hour days with them though in all weathers. I’ve got fairly big legs but somehow have small/mediums

RaceFace Charge ones suit me, though they are really just padded knee warmers.

Also got Bliss Minimalist ones that were recommended on here, a bit more to them than the Charge’s but still pretty light, they do have some of that clever hardening rubber stuff.

I must have sent back 8-10 different sets before finding ones that are comfy for all day xc bimbling

what was the name of the race face (minimalist looking) pads reviewed in the mag, please? don’t have access to the mag, cannot find anything on here, memory has gone, and looking for something for a Easter (or should I call that Extended Spring Holiday Weekend?) Lakes trip….

I have the Dainese Trail Skins & wear them every ride, as they are comfortable enough to not think about them.

Yeap. Plus another.

Also got some Fox Launch Pads (fine for pedalling in, a little hot in summer) and have used 661 Kyle Straits (which were great). Didn’t really wear them over the winter, but now things are warming up and trails are getting faster, I’m back in pads.

I’m another one who won’t ride without something covering my knees.

Anyone running the D30 Troy Lee Speed knee pads?

Jamie – I also have the Troy Lee Speed knee pads.

Bought them recently as I wanted some shin coverage but there’s not much and find them a wee bit tight compared to the 5450s.
Not had a chance to crash test them and will reach for the 5450s in preference.

Only wearing knee pads for DH or trail centres is fine for dealing with big knocks but the common problem is getting the grit out after a crash – and that can happen anywhere.

I bought the Troy Lee Speed pads and sized down, as advised. Rode last night and they were great. I am now a convert to the idea of minimal comfortable 24/7 pads.

Dainese Trail Skins – had them for a while now and they have earned their keep. A lot of these light weight knee pads don’t have any side protection so keep that in mind

Only wearing knee pads for DH or trail centres is fine for dealing with big knocks but the common problem is getting the grit out after a crash

Plus even minor knee injuries can be seriously irritating whilst they heal. Had a minor bump/cut which made it rather hard to bend my knee for about a week. Rather annoying.
Hence I tend to ride wearing pads. Can mostly forget I am wearing trailskins and whilst I think they would be quickly outmatched by a serious crash they work for the most likely scenarios.