I got some really cheap 661 evo over summer and they’re fine for riding for several hours in. I mostly got them for when I’m intending to ride technical or push myself a bit as my knees are a mess and I don’t want to risk doing too much more damage to them.

use mine on every ride that entails leaving the black stuff

few years back when nobody wore them I got into loads of trouble with work for having cut legs from brambles etc when out riding so I got some and never looked back every now and then I look at them (currently on 3rd set) and see how many scratches scapes and big gouges are not in my legs, smile quietly on the inside and carry on wearing them

I bought 661 EVO’s when i started back a year ago , i wore them occasionally but not all the time . I ride trails , basically technical XC , i do downhill runs … everything . All on the same AM bike .

Last november on a nightride i basically put my knee down on a slow corner as i had climbed the inside of the trail wall and i was going to wash out . This resulted in an infected chop to the bone which put me in hospital for 4 days and off the bike for 7 weeks . I always wear them now , every ride , i dont notice them there anymore . The 661 evos are amazing pads for riding in and i do 2-4 hour rides 3 times a week . There are new 661 XC Lites out now , they might be worth a look if you dont want the bulkiness of the EVO’s.

We’ve made it “company policy” to wear knee/shin and elbow/forearm pads all the time now (for us, guests can wear them or not as they please!). Riding every day, mostly descending, the little knocks add up. I took 2 fairly minor spills early last summer and managed to cut myself badly on sharp rocks on both occasions. I MTFU’d and carried on with the ride on both occasions because I was with guests, but it’s really not clever. Since we ride bikes for a living, we can’t really afford to be off the bike for a few days for something minor.