Review | These Leatt 3DF 5.0 soft-shell knee pads are almost perfect

James Vincent gives us his longterm review of Leatt’s soft-shell 3DF 5.0 Knee Guards

It’s incredibly rare that you’ll see me out on a bike sans knee pads. Ever since I had a relatively innocuous low speed crash that left me with a loose ACL and needing 13 stitches in my left knee, I’ve worn pads. In fact, in the 19 years since that incident, I can probably count on one hand the rides I’ve ridden where I haven’t worn them.

For some unknown reason, my elbows, wrists and shoulders all escape unscathed (famous last words), but my knees continue to take the brunt of any crashes (which to be fair are few and far between, but when they happen, they happen in a big way).

I have no doubt that I’m doing something wrong, but until that changes, I’ll continue to wear pads. And so it is, my ideal knee pad is something soft and relatively unobtrusive that I can happily pedal in all day, while providing enough protection to keep my delicate patella in one piece.

Upon first inspection, these 3DF 5.0 Knee Guards from those South African purveyors of protection, Leatt, looked like they’d fit the bill.

Leatt 3DF 5.0 Knee Guard Features

• 3DF AirFit Impact Foam
• CE Certified as impact protection [EN1621-2]
• Pre-curved 3D design for better fit and function
• Perforated for ventilation
• Increased Side Protection
• Aramid Outer Layer
• Anti-Odor & Wicking Fabrics
• Silcone printed non slip cuff
• Sizes: S/M & L/XL
• RRP £74.99

Construction

The 3DF 5.0 pads are a slip on affair, so you’ll be fitting them at the start of a ride, rather than faffing around with them at the top of a Lakeland pass while your riding buddies scoff Haribo. Fortunately, they’re very comfortable and you won’t object to wearing them while pedalling in all but the hottest of conditions.

They feature a pre-curved foam pad for the primary protection, and plenty of additional protection at the sides. If you’ve ever had the misfortune to catch the side of your knees you’ll appreciate this extra padding.

The outer soft shell is hard-wearing aramid (similar to kevlar), and there’s a mesh back with plenty of ventilation, including a whopping great hole right at the back of the pad so there’s no bunching up of material. A silicone lined elastic cuff works in tandem with a single velcro strap at the top of the pad to let you fine tune the fit, while the lower cuff relies on some elastic and silicone thread.

Fit & Comfort

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Looking for more knee pad reviews? Then check out our group test, which has 14 different knee pads tested & reviewed!

Review Info