# all day light duty knee pads ?



## akiracornell (Jan 16, 2012)

I have 3 memorable crashes that hurt me. all washouts while turning right . broke ribs the first time. slammed my melon the second, and hamburgered my knee most recently. 90% of my riding is xcish but that last descnt of the day i push... looking for an all day knee pad that's comfortable in the heat and wont leave fleshless when I screw up. any ideas, I just don't want inhibited range of motion or something too cumbersome. the cheaper the better but if that aint gonna happen I will probably pony up the dough. what are you guys using and how do you feel about them?


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## grok22 (Apr 18, 2013)

Gform


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## Impetus (Aug 10, 2014)

Alpinestars Paragon Knee pads. under $40.

Comfy for all day, even in the desert. They can't be taken off without shoe removal, but I've not found the need to, so it's a non-issue. This may sound like an exaggeration, but one several occasions I've forgotten to take them off post ride, and realized they were still on while driving home.

Crash-tested by me many times, both the pads and my knees survived just fine.


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## akiracornell (Jan 16, 2012)

ARandomBiker said:


> Alpinestars Paragon Knee pads. under $40.
> 
> Comfy for all day, even in the desert. They can't be taken off without shoe removal, but I've not found the need to, so it's a non-issue. This may sound like an exaggeration, but one several occasions I've forgotten to take them off post ride, and realized they were still on while driving home.
> 
> Crash-tested by me many times, both the pads and my knees survived just fine.


I saw those. really hard to beat the price. I can order some brands at discount from the shop I work at but I cant try them on or return them. I can get g form, fox, 661, and poc. but no clue how they size. I could go for the alpinstars cuz jenson is near me so I can try them on.... might be the way to go. thanks man.


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## Impetus (Aug 10, 2014)

FWIW, the sizing chart was spot-on. I originally couldn't accept that I needed a small size, so I got mediums....they were too big, so my Uncle and frequent riding partner bought them from me and I bought smalls. 
We've both been pleased with them after nearly a year of riding in them. I wear mine about 9/10 rides. 

Outside Outfitters has Paragons for like $35 right now. Jenson should match that. Or there's a 15% code from the Deals subforum.


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## akiracornell (Jan 16, 2012)

ARandomBiker said:


> FWIW, the sizing chart was spot-on. I originally couldn't accept that I needed a small size, so I got mediums....they were too big, so my Uncle and frequent riding partner bought them from me and I bought smalls.
> We've both been pleased with them after nearly a year of riding in them. I wear mine about 9/10 rides.
> 
> Outside Outfitters has Paragons for like $35 right now. Jenson should match that. Or there's a 15% code from the Deals subforum.


sweet, they really look to fit the bill, thanks man


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## fdes (Apr 16, 2014)

The alpinestars look good, the other option that I use are the fox launch enduro pads. i swap betwen those and ixs flow pads depending on rockiness.


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## asmolow (Oct 26, 2009)

McDavid compression knee pads aren't bad if your looking high mobility with light impact protection.


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## b-kul (Sep 20, 2009)

those new specialized pads look like they would be good, light, all day pads.


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## GSPChilliwack (Jul 30, 2013)

I've read plenty of good reviews of the Dainese Trailskins, but they don't qualify as low-budget.


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## gsa103 (Sep 1, 2014)

Paragon knee pads are very nice, and reasonably priced.


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## ride the biscuit (Jun 4, 2009)

same here; I'm gonna watch this thread. my 661 kyle straits have been hangin in there for 3 years, but they are getting pretty ratty. They are starting to draw comments, haha


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## Legbacon (Jan 20, 2004)

My POC VPD 2's are light and comfortable but get pretty sweaty. I'm keen on the Trailskins as they offer similar protection. Paragons look great except the protection is a little light. Seems hard to get comfort in the heat, great protection, and cheap.


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## owensjs (May 21, 2009)

I have some of the Fox Enduro knee pads and love them. They're not super protective like some knee pads on the market, but they do have some light padding and they're really comfy to pedal in.


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## Dickbrown (Feb 18, 2012)

Here is a discussion on the very same thing, although it has died out a bit. The thread hones in on 7iDP pads which look very interesting.

http://forums.mtbr.com/apparel-prot...-leatt-g-form-dainese-slytech-ixs-948333.html


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## Bent Wheel (Oct 6, 2007)

Kali Aazis are inexpensive and comfy. Jenson or Pricepoint had them pretty cheap recently.


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## Impetus (Aug 10, 2014)

Travis Bickle said:


> My POC VPD 2's are light and comfortable but get pretty sweaty. I'm keen on the Trailskins as they offer similar protection. Paragons look great except the protection is a little light. Seems hard to get comfort in the heat, great protection, and cheap.


Paragons are Cordura over some kind of dense honeycombed EVA foam. mine have held up well to the abuse that I've subjected them to- sharp loose AZ desert rock and Sedona redrock surf slides. They're also withstanding repeated contact with flat pedals on the calf side well. They're not hard pads for sure, but they offer very similar protection levels to Gforms and Ixs pads


Dickbrown said:


> Here is a discussion on the very same thing, although it has died out a bit. The thread hones in on 7iDP pads which look very interesting.
> 
> http://forums.mtbr.com/apparel-prot...-leatt-g-form-dainese-slytech-ixs-948333.html


Those do look very nice. I wish they were cheaper, or at least more common so there were more reviews. 140 is a lot of scratch for some knee pads

Edit: those Kalis were high on my short list when I was shopping but I couldn't find a pair in the size I needed and the colors I was good with. I don't do camo. I had enough of that after 9 years in the army. If I could have, I might have gotten those


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## iamtylerdurden (Mar 17, 2009)

Race face indy have been very comfy. Haven't taken a fall yet. Were much cooler here in Georgia than my kyle straits.


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## Lornholio (Mar 5, 2013)

owensjs said:


> I have some of the Fox Enduro knee pads and love them. They're not super protective like some knee pads on the market, but they do have some light padding and they're really comfy to pedal in.


Likewise, I have the Fox Launch Enduros and really like them. Not a whole lot of protection but they suit how I ride as I would otherwise ride with no pads a lot of the time or have to take my normal Fox Launch pads off for climbs.


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## ride the biscuit (Jun 4, 2009)

Bent Wheel said:


> Kali Aazis are inexpensive and comfy. Jenson or Pricepoint had them pretty cheap recently.


I noticed those, more specifically the price. Hows the size/fit? Im 5'10" ~185lbs in case you are similar enough to comment.

I dont care if its super protective as long as its comfy and cheap. I dont crash a ton, so I just need something to take the brunt of the impact


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## owensjs (May 21, 2009)

b-kul said:


> those new specialized pads look like they would be good, light, all day pads.


I got to check these out this morning when our Specialized rep stopped by the shop. They feel as comfortable as knee warmers and have a decent amount of padding. It's still a soft pad, but I liked them. If I didn't have the Fox pads, they would be on my list for sure.


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## DriverB (Apr 29, 2014)

Also looking for this as a double to poison oak protection! I feel like a design that is more like a compression sleeve like fox, race face, or g form would be good. The race face charge is lighter than the Indy. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## JCWages (Jan 26, 2015)

The Kali Aazis fit great and the knees are comfortable. The sizing for the knees was right on but I miss-measured my forearm so I got the wrong size elbow pads and had to order a different pair because they ran out of the black color.

Eventually I'll get something even lighter for easy rides. Something without plates.


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## 06HokieMTB (Apr 25, 2011)

I just bought Alpinestars Paragon's for my wife. She tried G-Forms and didn't like the way they fit. Some people don't like how G-Forms put pressure on the patella.

I tried to find the new Specialized Atlas, but couldn't find any shops with inventory and they're priced higher than the Paragons.

I got mine from BikeParts.com (which is run by Peak Cycles, which is a shop in Golden, CO and local to me) with next day availability for $36. Hard to beat that.


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## El_Duderino (Dec 2, 2005)

+1 *


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## aggrochooks (Mar 28, 2015)

I recently purchased g-form knees and elbows. They don't put pressure on the patella, I would think they would have to be very tight for them to do so. Or are you saying in a crash? Anyway, the pads are comfortable. They don't really impact range of motion and are pretty light. It's warm here (AZ) already and was 84f with intense sun on the trail this morning. The pads are definitely warmer than going without although the knees aren't noticeable until the ride is done. The elbows on the other hand have a sleeve that goes from over my biceps to a few inches from my wrist, they are noticeably warmer than going short sleeve. I can't imagine any pads being cooler. I have half a notion to try taking the pad off of the elbows and sew them onto some white UV arm protectors.


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