I have some hard shell knee/shin pads for the Alps but was considering some soft pads this time.

Any suggestions?

soft plus alps plus crash = useless.

661 Veggies for arms and knees here. You forget you’ve got them on. Bought them for Morzine and they were fine

i’ve got some fox launch pros, they are a soft pad, but with a solid cup that covers your kneecap. comfort and protection 🙂

I think scott grenades are similar.

Dave

I picked up a set of 661 Evos out of the classifieds. I had some hard shell Dianese before that and they made my legs waaaaaay to hot so I gave up for a few years, by contrast these Evos seem quite comfy. I bought my brother some Veggies over xmas, he gave up with them pretty quickly saying they cut into/rubbed the side of his knees. Although i’ve not tried the veggies I can’t say i’ve found anything like that on the Evos.

Gform here, multiple sizes to get the correct size, fit round the knee well & don’t slip during a couple of hours riding.
I’d recommend the black set unless you want to look like spiderman. Much to GW’s disappointment I haven’t yet fallen off with them, so can’t tell you how well they work in action

Endura MT500….excellent, just invisible after a couple of minutes (but warm in the winter).

PaulD

honestly. all the above reviews are based purely on comfort.

i had soft knee pads, i crashed into a tree stump, and shattered my knee cap. i have now walked with a limp for getting on for 3 years, and struggle walking up and down stairs etc.

in the alps, where presumably lifts will help to a degree… why the **** would you sacrifice protection?

you have one set of knees. if you’re gonna wear pads, wear proper ones, not neoprene with a bit of flexy takeaway tuppaware stuck down the inside.

I appreciate the point about protection but we all make concessions to comfort – I don’t ride in a full face lid on day rides, I don’t wear arm pads on local rides etc. Plus, for me, crashing is, fortunately, a rare occurence 😉 The Fox Launch look tidy, I’ll see if I can try some on locally.

tracknicko is right about the Alps and serious DH tracks anywhere.
You have hard pads for that.
Soft pads are for the flat and uphill/XC days such as my riding Swinley and Tunnel Hill….and comfort is vital or you will just leave them off.

PaulD

cheers fella.

trail centre. 8mph average, max of about 20?

pleney at morzine (for example) 20+ average, max of what 40?

and the rocks! ohh the rocks.

be safe, suit up.

661 Kyle Straits for me but I haven’t had a crash in a while! They’re a bit bulky though so I’m looking for something else. Probably going to get some Shadow Conspiracy Slim bmx pads when they’re out over here, and if they get good reviews.

it was 661 KS’s that i crashed in.

pick them up and flex the ‘hard’ plastic bit in your hands.

**** useless.

Yeah they flex loads. I don’t really ride anywhere rocky though so they do the job for me.

good stuff. i smashed my knee at hopton. not a rock for miles

😉

POC joint knees here. Fine for 5-6 hour XC rides or shredding gnar (not that I know how to do this). Expensive though.

+1 for the 661 Kyle Straits, can wear them all day and forget I’ve got them on, had a few crashes wearing them and they’ve been great, I mainly ride trails with very few rocks though.

Always used to use 661 KS, but they bunch up and bloody annoying. I also found after a while they start to rub my knees raw.

Got some POC VPD ones now. They seem more comfy & a lower profile.

Hard or soft shell, if you hit something hard enough to break, it will break regardless. Armour doesn’t stop bones breaking, it stops knocks, scuffs & scrapes that otherwise might keep you off the bike for a day or two.

661 Veggie Knees for me good in a crash but I really hate them they just won’t stay up I have to keep pulling them up! It must be my manly legs (FAT!)

So Fox launch/scott grenades offer more protection than 661KS but as comfy for long periods?

Might look at these for my next set if so.