Viewing 22 posts - 1 through 22 (of 22 total)
  • Tell me about knee pads
  • bwakel
    Free Member

    I know there are a few posts asking for advice on knee pads but none of them seem to come from quite the same position as I’d like to come from.

    What I’d like to know is, as a fairly fast XC rider, will I be able to put up with knee pads? Are they going to be too constricting? Will they be too hot?

    I will only use them when riding in the Lakes, Dales and Peaks, which I visit once or twice a month. I ride up hill at least as much (much more in terms of time) than I do downhill and I generally ride natural trails over longish distances (my last two rides were 63 miles and 34 miles). Am I better off ignoring knee pads and continue to be slightly constrained on the descents or are there pads that offer a bit of protection but which will still enable me to ride long and uphill? I’d like to be able to take more risks on the descents so but not at the expense of my uphill and flat riding over distance.

    Thanks!

    mcdonagh2962
    Free Member

    wearing knee pads wont let you take more risks on fast descents as they don’t offer enough protection , your mind allows you to go faster as your skill level increases . I ride a lot of fast xc like yourself and yes I do actually wear knee pads but only on new trails that ive never ridden before or if I know I am going to be doing some nasty rock gardens , and they do start to rub after 30 miles irrelevant of what ever pad you are using

    bwakel
    Free Member

    Thanks Mcdonagh, really useful response – thanks for actually reading and responding with relevance to my post, I really appreciate it. It sounds like I should only consider pads for shorter, very technical rides where I know I’ll face some challenging terrain. I agree that you only get faster as your skills improve but I’ve been mountain biking for 25 years and, although my skills improve every time I go out, I know there are routes I could ride faster if I had the knee equivalent of an enduro helmet with a peak. Make sense? I often use my head to deflect branches, safe in the knowledge that my helmet and its peak will divert them away from my head. There are descents in the Lakes that I know I would be smoother on if I knew that I could use my knee to balance myself on the way down. I’m not looking to save myself from a major accident but use the pads to maintain forward momentum in tight, rocky situations. I’m not hung up on going a few seconds faster but I know I’d love the buzz of clearing those descents a bit quicker. The mental playback after the ride would stay with me for some time, which is what mountain biking is all about for me.

    I’m doing a challenging 23 miler in the Lakes later this week and might try some lightweight pads on that ride.

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    takisawa2
    Full Member

    I’ve always hated pads but an upcoming trip to Bike Park Wales prompted me to pick up some RaceFace Charge pads off here last week.
    Wasn’t looking to walk away from a tumble down a cliff face, just something with a bit of padding to take the sting out & stop me taking the skin off.
    They don’t have straps, just stretchy material with leg grippers (like leg/arm warmers). In terms of comfort, they seem pretty good.

    661 Evos are supposed to be good also.

    continuity
    Free Member

    Can we stop using this **** nomenclature.

    “Tell me about x”

    “Talk to me about x”

    partickbateman
    Free Member

    I don’t ride those distances regularly but would agree any pad will be uncomfortable after 30 miles. I usually keep mine in my pack until the first major descent, or just undo then and let them sit around my ankles. That said, I do 20 mile ones with my POC ones pretty comfortably on the whole time.

    If you can’t face that, I’m pretty sure you can get some that will slip over a shoe too so the on and off thing isn’t too laborious.

    And Continuity – give the guy a break. He just wants some advice. Can we stop being so **** catty?

    bwakel
    Free Member

    Amazing, continuity, that you can get so irate about something that you can take the time to contribute a completely unhelpful response to a topic you have no interest in and to what end? If you don’t like the nomenclature why on earth did you bother reading the post and responding with a valueless response? Who do you feel is clogging up the forum more? Those asking valid questions phrased in this way or those posting pointless responses condemning them? When others reference this post looking for insights, how will you have helped?

    bruneep
    Full Member

    Yes you will, we all will at some point.

    bwakel
    Free Member

    Thanks Patrick, some really helpful insights for someone who’s never used pads before. I hadn’t considered slipping them down to my ankles and, like you suggest, I can imagine having them available to use on just the short, technical sections on a longer ride.

    simon_g
    Full Member

    I like my Troy Lee 5400s that I bought for a BPW trip. They’re also the stretchy grippy type like a set of hardy knee warmers.

    Comfy, but I’m not sure they’re 60 miles in the Lakes comfy. I’d happily do a couple of hours or a trailcentre loop in them though unless it’s hot outside.

    bounce
    Full Member

    Another vote for 5400s, best balance between comfort and protection I’ve found. Saved my knees yesterday in a pretty unpleasant crash landing.

    pinkwafer
    Full Member

    I’ve recently bought some Dainese trail skin knee pads. Nothing like a full hard-shell type pad in terms of protection (yet to actually crash in them) but I’m sure they’ll be better than nothing and quite comfortable last week pedalling around the black xc loop at Glentress and the beast trail at CyB. Maybe worth considering?

    Pawsy_Bear
    Free Member

    I think it’s wiser and quicker to descend safely than pad up and try to descend faster and crash. The pads may not save you from injury and certainly wont stop damage to your bike.

    Del
    Full Member

    i’ve been using 661 kyle straits and now the ‘rage’ ( grr! ) replacements for 8 years or so now. i very rarely ride mtb without them. i’ve done 100k in mine, so anyone who suggests they get uncomfortable after 2 hours i would guess either hasn’t found a good fit or has not worn then sufficiently to conform them. bit like a new pair of shoes never feel as comfy as an old pair. sudo-cream is your friend in the early days 😉
    your knees want looking after. if you hurt them badly you’re not going to be riding for much longer.
    also i went down like a sack of shit yesterday. cut up hands through gloves, new lines of scratches on the arm/elbow guards, large welt on my hip. although my knees are bruised, and the one that took the brunt of the impact has a 50p sized welt on it, they both would have been skinned or worse.
    i love my pads, me. 😀

    bwakel
    Free Member

    Thanks for all the responses. Sounds like it’s all about finding a set of pads that really fit will and aren’t too thick. Might take some experimentation. Glad you survived your crash Del – sounds nasty! I won’t be pushing so hard that I’m increasing my risk of crashing, it’s more about being able to avoid crashes by being a bit more committed to certain lines. Things tend to go wrong when you having second thoughts at the wrong time!

    teamslug
    Free Member

    I was looking for a similar kind of thing after my mate had a big off and smashed himself up a bit on local trails so if we are doing anything a bit more gnar ( not that its very gnar at all!!!) I got some of these. Can’t tell i’ve got them on. Lightweight and thin. I know they wont offer massive protection but they have saved my knee and elbow once. Only thing I have noticed is that if its cold they go quite hard. Body heat softens them up after a bit.

    http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/body-armour?f=4294955272

    Not sure where you are but welcome to come and try them if you are south yorks area

    Northwind
    Full Member

    I’m not a fast xc rider but I wore my 661 Kyle Straits for soloing the glentress seven last year, never made the slightest difference to the day. Good pads are a bit warmer than bare knees but that’s about it once they’re on- I don’t often do the “push it down your legs” thing either even when it’s proper hot.

    It’s a bit counterintuitive but a lot of these minimal pads don’t work too well, you tend to give up a lot of protection (not so much in the pad, but in the bits where the pad isn’t) and they’re not really much less hot either. Often they’re more enclosing, too, whereas bigger pads tend to have open sections.

    gonzy
    Free Member

    What I’d like to know is, as a fairly fast XC rider, will I be able to put up with knee pads? Are they going to be too constricting? Will they be too hot?

    it depends on the pads.
    there are some that are just a soft foam pad and there are those that use a hard shell on the outer. how they feel will depend on the fit and design of the pad.
    it will also depend on whether they are secured with just straps or if you have to take your shoes off first and then slide your leg into them.
    IMO the best ones are a combination of the 2.
    again ventilation performance will depend on the material used and the design of the pads.
    raceface do some D30 pads that are soft but the material hardens on impact but there arent cheap
    i’ve used knee/shin pads on xc type long distance rides in the past. if i know the route is pretty safe then they will stay off but if there is a section or if the route is likely to give me some sort of injury then i will wear them

    my pads arent exactly knee shin pads but in fact are arm/elbow pads that i bought in a larger size. because my legs are quite skinny they are a perfect fit. their design also means that if things get a bit hot or uncomfy then i can slide them down and pull them back over the knee when i need them. when i’ve needed their protection they’ve always stayed in place too.

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    There are descents in the Lakes that I know I would be smoother on if I knew that I could use my knee to balance myself on the way down. I’m not looking to save myself from a major accident but use the pads to maintain forward momentum in tight, rocky situations.

    What?!! How are you using your knee/pads to balance yourself or maintain forward momentum?

    Stevet1
    Free Member

    What?!! How are you using your knee/pads to balance yourself or maintain forward momentum?

    Bwakel yesterday (nicked from the reach/stack thread)-

    rooster42
    Free Member

    I’ve been wearing 661 Rage knee pads for about three years, ride twice a week in the Lakes and also worn them in the Desert on a trip to Arizona last year. Basically they rub your knees raw first couple of rides as they break in, then after your knees heal and toughen up they become comfortable like a well worn pear of trainers. I wear them all the time, don’t see the point of having them around your ankles or in your backpack as you never know when your going to fall off, but when you do fall off they have saved my knee’s countless times, I feel naked without them.

    Only problem is that after three years of abuse I now need a new pair which I’ll have to break-in again. Longest ride I’ve done in them is 30 odd miles and only complaint I can think of is they can soak up a lot of water in monsoon conditions and start slipping down your legs, but this has only happened once to me recently, probably because they are worn out. Keep your knees warm in winter as well so you can wear shorts all year round 🙂

    jonathan
    Free Member

    Hehe – I’ve used padded knee to balance with in very rocky steep technical stuff. I remember the first time I did it was a revelation as I was expecting it to hurt and surp[rised myself when it didn’t 😉

    I first started wearing pads after damaging my kneecap snowboarding – it was tender for about 6 months so needed some care. That was a while ago and they were the lightest pads I could find at the time – Raceface Veggie Wraps – but they were thickish neoprene and got really hot so I ditched them after a while.

    Fast forward a few years and I managed to deglove my knee in a fairly innocuous fall on a fairly smooth trail centre trail. 6 weeks of work, 4 months off the bike, several years to properly get it back to normal. Unsurprisingly I virtually always wear pads now and had enough falls when I just get up and dust myself down and thanks something I was wearing them.

    I guess it’s all about the perceived benefit, which is going to be different for everyone. I’ll happily wear my worn out Kyle Straits for 4+ hours riding because in my mind there’s a much bigger benefit to wearing them than the downsides of getting a bit hot. I know that if I wear them all the time I don’t have to decide how I’m going to ride a section and I won’t have any regrets that I should have put them on.

    I have some very gruesome pics (which I’m not going to post) if you’re in any doubt as to what knee pads (even fairly lightweight ones) can prevent happening.

    Oh and TOP TIP ALERT – chammy cream on the front and back of the kees. Works on your arse, works on your knees (to coin a phrase).

Viewing 22 posts - 1 through 22 (of 22 total)

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