I'll admit I'm not too worried about my knee pads getting dirty, but if you're obsessed with keeping your gear clean it does take a thorough washing rather than the occasional brush off to keep dirt from showing up in all the nooks and crannies of the main pad. No matter the material used, all 6 of the options included here meet CE level 1 certification, which was originally designed for protective motorcycle apparel. The test involves a 5kg weight being dropped with a force of 50 joules onto the pad. The resulting force is measured, and the average of nine tests must be less than 35 kN, with no single impact greater than 50 kN. Essentially, seeking out pads with that certification helps make you're purchasing protection that will at least do something in the event of an impact, rather than just being knee warmers that'll help hold all the pieces together. Just as an aside, the EN1621-1 certification allows a residual force of 3.5 tonnes (presumably over any amount of surface area? I couldn't find more info so please let me know what's up). That's still quite a bit. Designed to keep weight down the compression fit, the slip-on design fits higher on the thigh than most pads. An internal silicone strip keeps the pads from slipping down. Protection) warrants all original 7iDP products for a period of one year to be free of any defects in workmanship or materials. The warranty does not extend to any damage experienced through crashing, misuse, abuse, negligence, poor fit, modification or alteration or if used other than in the manner intended.

Developed with Sam Hill, these are for aggressive trail and enduro riders who seek a lightweight and protective set of knee pads. The protection has been good but sliding crashes have not been good, that's what killed my first set, I slid on a gravelly trail and it pulled the pad down and ripped the upper cuff to shreds. Had a pretty good scrape from that, but I'm sure it would have been a lot worse without them. Had a couple other big crashes and was very thankful I was wearing them. The fit for me is really good, I put them on and forget about them, even on long rides, even on 90+ degree days. That's not to say they don't get hot, but I feel it's tolerable. And they do not slide down at all for me, which is key. I think the extra tall sleeve is the biggest reason for this. Finance is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. Performance Cycling Limited FRN: 720557 trading as Tredz are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are a credit broker not a lender – credit is subject to status and affordability and is provided by Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC. Terms & Conditions Apply.

Buyer’s guide to MTB elbow pads | What to look for

I took the plunge on these (a very spendy, especially for me, 90€ plunge) after trying a couple of contenders to start with; Oh, and they may not fit the best under all pairs of pants. That rubbing the knee feeling, I get earlier when its winter and I'm wearing my Endura Spray pants. The surrounding padding, which isn't removable, does a great job and locating and retaining the main pad. Fastening is important here, but most pads will also have an articulated fit to match the shape of your arms and come in a range of sizes to suit different riders. Breathability Many pads use mesh fabrics and cut-out sections on the inner arm to improve breathability. Perforated pads are also common to further aid cooling.

USG Inc. will replace any Seven iDP product that is defective or was shipped in error at no cost to the customer. For more information see our full Scott Soldier 2 Knee Guard review. The best mountain bike knee pads: what you need to know How much should I spend on MTB knee pads? Rapha's move to add a set of knee pads to its blossoming MTB range is quite a departure for a brand that is best known for its road wear. Despite being the brand's first try at any protection, they have managed to develop one of our favorite knee pads on the market.

Conclusion

The Scott Soldier 2 is a lightweight pull-on sleeve with a smart-tech D30 insert (like the Fox Launch D30 above) which automatically molds to your knee contours and stiffens on landing. One of the downsides of the D3O insert is it’s wipe clean-only, so it must be removed when you wash the knee pads. Also, during testing, the insert's lower edge caused some shin chafing. Ventilation -​ The ‘23’ In Project.23 refers to the 23 full-bore vents that allow air to flow in at the front, move through the specifically designed channels and exhaust heat at the rear. This enables incredible through-flow for ease of breathing while helping you stay cool. Pros: Super comfy, protective and lightweight, pedal all day pads that can be relied upon to stay in place when you crash. Rumour has it that these pads will help you ride sketchy inside lines just that little bit better. Protection comes down to two things: coverage and the protective padding itself. The protective padding should encapsulate the entire knee cap, as that's why you are wearing the pads in the first place. The sleeves of the pads should also cover the areas both above and below the actual knee cap.

Another thing that impacts comfort is breathability and ventilation, which will be discussed later. Do you get hot wearing mountain bike knee pads? The Sam Hill knee pads remain comfortable during long days in the saddle and offer ample protection for even aggressive trail riding duties. Like the Transition pads before, expect to see the updated Sam Hill pads popularity increase out on the trails this year because like it’s predecessor, its light and comfortable but also does it’s job well. shall not be liable for any incidental or consequential damages. If you believe your 7iDP product has a potential warranty problem: Designed by multi-time Enduro World Champ and downhill legend Sam Hill, his pro model pad from 7 Protection meets the protection and comfort sweet spot for enduro riding. Johan loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After many years spent practicing falling off cliffs with his snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Ever since, he’s mostly been riding bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many flaws as a rider. His 200-pound body weight coupled with unique skill for poor line choice and clumsy landings make him an expert on durability - if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much okay for anybody. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as "none" (when in actuality he rips!). Having found most trail features to be not to his liking, Johan uses much of his spare time building his own. Johan’s other accomplishments include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly on 11.The Sam Hill knee pads offer impressive levels of protection while retaining a slim and sleek feel and appearance. Yes, there are more protective pads in this review, but we found the 7iDP pads deliver adequate protection for aggressive trail and enduro applications without the bulk and heft of the burliest options. Who's this item for: These pads are perfect for general Trail riding and hardcore Enduro racing. The lightweight design is very pedal friendly but can also be relied upon to protect your knees and stay in place during those inevitable crashes.

Like the Sweet Protection pads listed above, the Sam Hill knee pads feature the same impact-absorbing SAS-TEC foam cup that stays flexible for pedaling comfort but hardens up upon impact. The removable pad provides plenty of protection over the knee and upper shin, and this pad is definitely one of the longest we've tested. The Sam Hill pads have a fairly substantial profile due to the generous coverage, which means there are more streamlined pads out there. That said, they fit well under riding pants, and don't give the feel of being oversized or cumbersome. They pedal well, too. On my initial ride they slightly pinched behind my knees, but since then have become my go-to.

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The Sam Hill is EN1621-1:2012 LEVEL 2, Type B certified. What does this mean? There are two levels of protection that can be certified Level 1 and Level 2. Level 1 allows for ≤35KN to be transmitted to the rider whilst level 2 allows a max of ≤20 KN to be transmitted to the rider. Type A or B refers to the area of protection, Type B giving greater coverage than Type A. Where 7IDP win is that we make Level2 Type B pads that are more comfortable than our competitors Level 1 Type A pads! This is a nicely designed, high-quality knee pad that comes in individual sizes with a comfortable smart-tech insert offering loads of protection. Breathability is great, and even though a little on the expensive side, the quality and construction are both first rate. It all comes down to both the material of the sleeve and whether it features any perforation or other ventilation. Pads with more ventilation features will generally be more breathable, and therefore comfortable. The Trail knee pads use a sleeve design to hold the pads in place and house an 'active polymer' insert from Rheon Labs. This insert has non-Newtonian properties which means it's flexible when pedaling but stiffens upon impact. I have both of these. The Sam Hill's are what I ride with. Protection is great but the pad itself doesn't have that much width coverage tho. Those little side pads are literally just the most basic, soft foam. No protection there other than abrasion and very slight bumps. Plus the seam between the main pad will leave you bloody in a crash as it creates a gap between the pad and little foamy spots (its not impact foam, just basic foam). They are comfy for sure and I wear them year round. I just wish they actually covered around my knee laterally more like some of the newer pads do. Some of it has to do with the sastech pad is really stiff and firm so its hard to get any ergonomics out of it. Being that they aren't super minimal, I'd want more protection there. The elastic material is also entirely shredded. They still work and I would definitely NOT want any knee pads made with stupid neoprene material lol. You don't want a mini wetsuit around your knee.