The better the rider I become the more I fall, which sounds counterintuitive but I’m pushing myself more and more. I keep banging my knees up and really need a bit of protection now. I need something that isn’t going to be hot, itchy and slip down when I’m riding. The only experience I have of pads was when I was a kid roller blading at skate parks. They were awful. I don’t really want to spend the earth, but if I have to in order to get comfortable ones then I guess I’ll have to.

Suggestions?

Ta,

Harry.

Bliss Minimalist, brilliant stuff
http://www.madison.co.uk/search?tags=minimalist&tags_clicked=&tags_cat=&x=0&y=0

Dainese Trail Skins.

i dont ride without pads these days, i have some chunkier ones for certain occasions but for day to day riding its the Trail Skins. hardly know ive got them on.

Troy Lee 5400. I can’t put up with pads that bind up behind your knees even a tiny bit, these don’t. Mine are a good few years old now and still look near new.

I have a set of 661 evo knee pads with the D3o padding, a little chunky to look at but they’re comfy once you get used to something being in constant contact with your knee (I’ve only ever ridden in shorts so this was somewhat alien to me at first)

A friend has some troy Lee designs ones which look more slender but then ultimately I don’t know if they would offer the same protection in the case of a hard fall.

Trail skins here too. Very comfortable and forget they are on after a minute or 2.

I did like the look of the trail skins and they are a trusted brand, certainly in motorcycle circuits anyway. I like the look of the POC but not all reviews are favourable and if I was going to spend such an amount I would want universal praise!

The fox enduro (natch) ones are really good. Not full on and really comfy. I’ve mentioned it before as well but ruccanor do some ones designed for hockey I think, and there are like £10 and do the job

G-form. Same type of reactive material as 661 Evo, POC etc but as a pad on a minimalist lycra sleeve.

Only negative is the lycra and stitching is vulnerable to tearing from flat pedal pins, so long-term they are less robust than others.

I’ve got POC elbows, G-form knees and 661 Evo knees. all are comfortable and are worn all-day (the 661s are the bulkiest) but the G-forms you genuinely forget they are there.

Not tried the Dainese trail skins but I am a big fan of their stuff, most of my motorbike stuff is Dainese.

edit: 661 Evos are £39.99 @ Start Cycles and code CLOUD5 might still take another 5% off.

Another for the Dainese Trail Skins here

The slip on protection like G-Form, Fox Enduro and Troy Lee KG 5400 are all very comfortable and are good at absorbing some impact. However these pads are easily displaced if you have a sliding impact, I have had this happen to me and my knee took weeks to heal.

I’m now wearing Fox Launch Pro they are more bulky but protection is on another level.

Another vote for Troy Lee 5450s (longer version than the 5400) if you can get a set to fit snuggly, would advise trying them for size before splashing out. The fit comes from the support around the calf so get that right and don’t worry too much about the fit around the knee.

Offer the right amount of protection vs weight/comfort IMO, only pads I’ve ever worn that Im happy to do long back to back days in the saddle.

Launch Pro/NP Critical

4 pairs tried and tested. Most excellent

trail skins are pretty darn good

Trail Skins for me too. Knees and elbows are both in better condition from their usage!

Very comfortable, not restrictive, but enough protection for most trail riding.

For all day rides then definitely the ones that fit you best. Fit is a somewhat personal thing and pads that rub can really ruin your day. I have fox launch pros and I can now ride in them for 8 hours happily BUT I had to cut large amounts of fabric out of the backs of them as they were eating the backs of my knees.

BUT I had to cut large amounts of fabric out of the backs of them as they were eating the backs of my knees.

I think that’s what I’m going to try with my POCs. They just rub like crazy, which means I don’t wear them, which is obviously as good as not having any at all.

I do almost all my riding in 661 Rages. Slightly warmer than no pads, but not terribly, all day comfy- I solo’d the GT7 in them frinstance. Fit is really important as above, and keeping them clean and good condition (and don’t buy anything not machine washable, that’s just daft)

I’ve tried a couple of minimalist pads and tbh they all seem to have pretty much all the drawbacks of proper pads, and no advantages other than wearing under long trousers, while being much less protective and largely missing the point. I wear some Gform elbow pads but only because they go well under a jacket, they’re less good ay everything else (and are sweatier than my proper elbow pads!)

TLD 5400’s here for all day and they’re great, sizings a bit funny so make sure you look at the sizing chart and measure your thigh.

I’ve also got an old set of Dainese Freeride hard shell pads that I wear when I know I’m going to be riding particularly rough rocky stuff but they very rarely get used now as the TLDs are so comfy.

OP. First thing you need to decide is how much protection you want. If you don’t want to split your knee open landing in a rock adter a jump/drop then get a hardshell type pad. If you don’t go too fast or ride rough stuff go for something with minimal padding to help against scrapes and skids.

I wear fox launch pros which are pretty comfortable and offer great protection.

I’ve done many a mile in 661’s bulky but forget their, there once there on.

And I’ve hit a concrete drainage ditch at 18 mph with them on and walked away and carried on riding.

I liked the look of Trail Skins bur wanted Elbows too and nowhere within a reasonable drive of south Yorkshire that I’m aware of had them, and I wanted to try and the only available size charts at the time didn’t cover them.

I’ve ended up with POC VPD2.0 Joints. Mine are great and I forget I’m wearing them. The strapping has changed significantly since some of the early reviews floating round the Internet. Getting injured interrupts my life badly so I didn’t mind spending a little more this time.

Fit is personal as bodies are different. What works for pipe cleaner kid blogging in the States may not work for a competitively fit Enduro racer, which may not work for a fifteen stone bloke in his local woods. No substitute for trying on. This was brought home to me a couple of years ago buying TLD 5430’s which the net had raved about after reference to sizecharts. They were on their way back to CRC by return of post…

A typical ride for me is 4/5 hours at various different places, trail centres and natural. The last few rides i’ve come off on slow technical stuff and knocked my knees about. I think if I was going to be doing downhill/freeride lines I would get hardshell pads but I think the soft shell should suffice for now.

…… or stop falling off.

Just to add a wee bit more to my earlier post… I think this stuff can be a bit counterintuitive. If you want to get good protection from a thin pad, that tends to mean making it denser and stiffer, which means it’s less comfortable and harder to keep on. So you end up with more straps and a bigger “sock” which ironically makes them sweatier. Whereas a big flexible pad can move better with the arm or leg and ends up bulky but comfier.

The best example I have of that is my elbow pads, POC Bones. They’re massive, proper DH protection but because they’re big and articulated and move well with the arm, they barely need held on at all- there’s a very light, loose “sock” and 2 loose straps and that’s it. So they’re cooler and comfier than any other pad I’ve ever tried. But look like cricket pads.

Coverage is important too… Kneecap cover is obvious and I think all pads do that as a priority but some of the worst knee knocks I’ve had have been to the side of the knee, from the top tube sometimes or from the ground. And it’s pretty amazing how many pads have no side protection at all, or little bits away from the joint but none on the joint itself. That’s something well worth having imo, a pad without it is just much less likely to be useful. And again there’s not much downside to it.

I’ve got IXS Flows but they’ve started to slip down and rub.

I think I tried on all the usual ‘all day pad’ suspects at some point and still haven’t found anyhting that I think feels good.

Think I’m going to order a set of the 7 iDP Covert’s and the new POC Airs once there released. Failing that I might just stump up the cash for the normal POC VPD 2.0’s.

I’ve got the G Form knee/shin combo, very comfortable but I can’t vouch for the padding as I haven’t managed to come off while wearing them yet (need to try harder :-))

I’ve got the dainese trail skins. They rub the top of my kneecap unless I wear 3/4 lycra underneath, which I do most of the time anyway.

Other than that, they seem comfy enough. I haven’t crashed in them yet but I’ve only worn them for a couple of enduro events. In general i don’t bother.

If you’re going to be going out and pushing it, I’d go for a bulky pad like the Fox Launch Pro or NP Critical mentioned above.

I’ve got some of the Troy Lee 4500 which I wear on XC rides, but they are barely any less comfy and simply don’t provide the same protection.

If you’re interested in vpd 2.0’s and are on size, Winstanley might be worth a look…

They rub the top of my kneecap unless I wear 3/4 lycra underneath

My Troy Lees do this, it’s insanely irritating, so I stick a buff under one of them.

Not ideal but does the trick.

might be my knees. every set of kneepads I’ve ever had did. T-bones, POC bones, POC VPD, these.

In fact, some 3/4 lycra with padding built in would be perfect. Are you listening Endura?

I have some Knox ones that grip around the calf muscle and hardly at all above the knee. Comfy for me but, as said above, it’s a personal thing…

Another for the Dainese Trail Skins here

if your pads are rubbing then they don’t fit you. only time my trail skins rubbed my knee was when I forgot to fit the bottom strap on the right pad.

I have some of these….I like them a lot.

ive got the fox enduro ones. they are comfy but too thin imo. Its just a knee warmer.

The G form ones are the best comfort vs protection and they really work. But as another person has said they arnt durable.

Ive also had the raceface indy d3o ones which are really good but i ended up with bloody shins where they rubbed after 5 miles.

if your pads are rubbing then they don’t fit you.

Or the lining material has worn and allowed a bit of plastic to protrude.