[drastic.]

i took a spill in a section of riding today that threw me over the bars and landed knee first into a root (as well as the mouth piece of the helmet slamming into the ground). it swelled up and very difficult to move, and hoping its just bad bruising and not a broken/cracked knee cap. talk about a painful hike out.


after coming from 2 hand injuries from 2months ago (fractured left wrist, broken right pinky), its time i start looking into safety riding equipment.

is there a knee pad that offers knee guard worthy protection at the knee cap?

was looking at the fox launch pro knee pads prior, but im thinking i may way want more protection w/o a full knee/shin guard.


anyway, here's a vid. nothing special, plus the sunlight put a horrible glare killing any detail/depth of the trail.

 

[Bikael Molton]

IMHO some pro-tec style vert skating pads are the toughest protection you'll find. The inners rubbing against your downtube could be an issue.

I still use TLD knees, but have often considered going to a skate kneepad for the reason you mentioned.

 

[Da Peach]

Any protection is better than none. Just make sure it fits and doesn't move. The Alpinstars stuff seems to have awesome fit (read: tight) and is fairly low profile (if you care about that sort of thing).

If you don't, the race face rally knee/shins provide awesome protection.

Everyone has their faves....

I've got TLD Lopes right now... I think I'd prefer the A* stuff though...

 

[Bikael Molton]

The RAce Face rally slide down, leaving your knee unprotected on any head first, superman-style slide. Every kneepad on the market is better than the RaceFaces in that regard.

 

[scottishmark]

What's wrong with the Launch Pro's? They sounds like they are exactly what you're looking for, hard cup, but 661 Kyle Strait style fit

 

[drastic.]

@rpet, i was looking at the pro-tec gravity knee pads wondering if theyd be good. since u suggested them, i may have to look more into it.

peach, didnt know A* offered knee pads, ill take a glance now.


mark, nothing wrong w/ the launch pros. i just assumed since it was a knee pad, maybe the knee guard area would be flimsy plastic (which i heard the 661 KS's were), and may not protect to well.

the launch pros are on top of my list, but im just seeing if there's better offerings for protection in a similar style guard.

 

[roel_koel]

The RAce Face rally slide down, leaving your knee unprotected on any head first, superman-style slide. Every kneepad on the market is better than the RaceFaces in that regard.

this is where body armour is really tricky to recommend, or even fit to customers if you work in a bike shop

everyone has small variations in terms of body sizing (length of limbs, volume of limbs, shape of limbs)

I found the Race Face Rally FR to be the absolute DON of lower limb protection in terms of sheer impact protection and slippage-free movement, like a good fitting full-face helmet for my knees and shins!

I did many stupid things wearing these guards, and eventually after 3 years of abuse the foam got thin and started irritating the skin around my knees

luckily I was in Whistler, and easily got another set on discount

I only used them for the remainder of my Whistler vacation, and since those days don't do the stupid stunts on the woodwork and find the 661 Kyle Strait knee guards perfect for winter XC riding and all-mountain adventures, plus the odd DH race from time to time

previous to the RF I had Dianese freestyle (terrible), Fox (terrible), 661 knee/shins (terrible) the RF were a relevation in comparison...

 

[scottishmark]

mark, nothing wrong w/ the launch pros. i just assumed since it was a knee pad, maybe the knee guard area would be flimsy plastic (which i heard the 661 KS's were), and may not protect to well.

the launch pros are on top of my list, but im just seeing if there's better offerings for protection in a similar style guard.

KS's have no plastic at all, just soft padding, really wish I'd bought the Launches instead

 

[Bikael Molton]

^ yes it's true that body size/shape comes into play, but I have probably 4+ friends who found the same thing with the Roach Rally FRs that I did. You are stoked that they fit you!
Everyone went to knee pads with the assumption that a seriously damaged knee is much worse than some pedal strike scars.

 

[rockofullr]

P-town eh?

Have I seen you at the BMX track?

As for knee armor my all time favorite is RF/Roach guards. They may be harder to find due to the recent issues with Race Face though. I like em cause they stay in place, provide complete coverage and they fit around my legs (I really don't understand why some armor is made for stick figures). I guess I'm a pussy cause I hate taking a pedal to the shin. Also hard plastic is a must for me. Seen a friend bust his kneecap through one of the soft padded style guards on a sharp rock.

Don't buy RF elbow guards. They suck.

 

[drastic.]

i live right around the corner from the bike park. i just take the back entrance from shadow cliff to get there.
if you have seen me, cant miss me. i romp around on my white scott voltage there when i cant make it out for a full day of riding.
ride there often, or live close by?
shoot me a pm and lets exchange numbers, we should go ride albeit the bike park or some dh stuff. i only got 1 buddy i ride w/, so we could use some more folks to roll with.

didnt see a roach lineup on RF's page?

P-town eh?

Have I seen you at the BMX track?

As for knee armor my all time favorite is RF/Roach guards. They may be harder to find due to the recent issues with Race Face though. I like em cause they stay in place, provide complete coverage and they fit around my legs (I really don't understand why some armor is made for stick figures). I guess I'm a pussy cause I hate taking a pedal to the shin. Also hard plastic is a must for me. Seen a friend bust his kneecap through one of the soft padded style guards on a sharp rock.

Don't buy RF elbow guards. They suck.

 

[drastic.]

ordered fox launch pros for 53$ shipped, and they just arrived.

thick neopene/foam side protection on the inner/outer sides of the pads. good knee protection against the fram.

the hardcap for the knee is pretty sturdy. its not really flexible. it takes 2 thumbs pushing down w/ a decent amount of force to even feel the plastic indent a bit. aside from impaling a pointed rock straight on, they should do well.

be careful on sizing...

i'm 5'6, 160lb. so i ordered the S/M. size instead of the L/XL (or is it M/L, idk)...using the fox recommended measurement procedures to determine sizing...
about 2" above my knee measures out to be 15 1/4" dia.
thickest part of my calf measures 14 1/4" dia.

i dont have chicken legs, but at the same time i have huge quads/calves either. the S/M is a super snug fit. it feels comfortable, and likely, if i leave the velcro straps loose, they'd most likely not move down. any bigger legs, and id need to consider going larger. so if your leg measurements are larger than mine, and you're considering the fox pros, get the L's.

 

[Bikael Molton]

thanks drastic, I think I will try these for next season. +rep for the sizing help.

 

[drastic.]

no problem. they feel very comfortable to wear around (as i was hoping a soft-shell knee pad should), as i walked around the house. lol there's a thread on mtbr.com just created the other day about how they feel bulky and uncomfortable. bulky? no more than what you'd really expect from it w/ about 1/2" thick hard foam protective pads in certain parts of the guard. and i cant 100% comment on the comfort-ability until i ride with them, but just strapping them tight and bending them and walking, they feel plenty good. the guy rode prior w/o knee guards and i guess for some people that dont wear protective gear, i could see how theyd think a guard would be uncomfortable.

i will bump this thread after i get 3-5 solid rides in and see if there's any quirks or things as such. some of the places i ride at require a 3-4mile climb, so ill also leave them on 1-2x to gauge how restrictive/bothersome/hot they are climbing.

 

[Da Peach]

pads are for descending! but climbing with 'em will definitely let you know if (that/when) they get uncomfortable...

chafe on!

 

[Beast]

Or you could go with an aluminum knee cup -

 

[buckoW]

These ones protect well but might be a bit tight if you have huge legs.

SCOTT Knee Guards Scott O-Zero - Bike Protection

 

[KavuRider]

I have these:

Been using them for 2 seasons now. I like them a lot, don't move on my legs, the hinge is nice for pedaling. We have lots of sharp rocks out here, so a hard shell is important. Not a lot of padding though, but they are tough.

I have crashed a few times, never had them slide down. And they are fairly comfortable.

 

[squiby]

POC Joint VPD Knee Guards are the shyte!

From my experience they protect the knee better on impact than the heavy duty Roach Rally knee shin guards that I have. I crashed big into rocks of the backside of a jump SMASHING (crushed the end of the radius and displaced the little joint bones) my wrist this year...impacted on my knees and shins after plowing through my wrist and not a scratch on 'em. I have had the Roach's slide of my knee a few times leaving a nice "rock" rash.

 

[jrnolan]

POC Joint VPD Knee Guards are the shyte!

From my experience they protect the knee better on impact than the heavy duty Roach Rally knee shin guards that I have.

Me too! POC VPD are the best pads I have ever owned.

 

[drastic.]

just wanted to say, these fox pads are the ****.

fit snugly to my leg (look above for prior leg dimensions). doesnt drift down my knee even if theyre unstrapped. Great knee cap protection for a flexible knee guard.

9/10 times, i would get this over the straits (that my friend now owns). better knee protection. better/thicker padding. same price. the 1/10 time, is for when somewhere like hucknroll has the straits for sale for $20...thats too good of a price.

overall, satisfied 100%.

 

[phycoref]

A buddy of mine and I both ride with THE Industries Storm Leg guards and both find them to be great! Great protection, very comfortable even when riding all day (not super hot either) and don't slide down at all.

 

[Freeridin']

$20 for Kyle Straits on hucknroll. I've been using the POC knee and shin combo for a few seasons now but picked up the KS as a back up.