# Knee pads for thunder thighs?



## Prognosticator (Feb 15, 2021)

I'm just under 6 feet tall with a 30-inch inseam -- so short legs. Once more, my thighs are thick, taper quickly to my knees, then flare again dramatically to thick calves. In short, my legs have sort of an hour glass shape.

I also live in NE Georgia, where it's hot as eight hells like 6 months of the year.

I bought some 661 knee pads based on reviews. Had to exchange the large for the extra large. They still don't fit great and the quality is crap.

Does anyone have knee pad recommendation for a guy with legs like mine in a very hot and humid climate?


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## useport80 (Mar 6, 2008)

i like the gform eline in xl


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## Paranoid_Android (Oct 11, 2006)

useport80 said:


> i like the gform eline in xl


As a fellow wide/tapered leg-having dude, I would say that pads like the G-Form E-Line are the type I would avoid. They fasten with a big strap above and below the knee. Great, if your legs are straight. The more tapered your legs are, the more this type will move out of place. With hourglass legs, these wouldn't be good at all. As you tighten the strap you can literally feel them being forced down toward the knee. Pads are rarely cut for a tapered leg and most work better if the sides of your legs are closer to parallel. I've found that the only thing that works is the compression/stretch sleeve-type pads like the Seven 7 iDP Sam Hill Knee Pads. The longer the compression sleeve, the better. The entire sleeve grips against your thigh rather than one strap area and they can stretch to fit rather than needing to be designed for your shape. Once they're a little sweaty, they stay there amazingly well because of the coverage + friction. There's plenty of other brands making similar style pads, but go for the longest stretchy sleeve that goes right up to or under your knicks.


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## useport80 (Mar 6, 2008)

Paranoid_Android said:


> As a fellow wide/tapered leg-having dude, I would say that pads like the G-Form E-Line are the type I would avoid. They fasten with a big strap above and below the knee. Great, if your legs are straight. The more tapered your legs are, the more this type will move out of place. With hourglass legs, these wouldn't be good at all. As you tighten the strap you can literally feel them being forced down toward the knee. Pads are rarely cut for a tapered leg and most work better if the sides of your legs are closer to parallel. I've found that the only thing that works is the compression/stretch sleeve-type pads like the Seven 7 iDP Sam Hill Knee Pads. The longer the compression sleeve, the better. The entire sleeve grips against your thigh rather than one strap area and they can stretch to fit rather than needing to be designed for your shape. Once they're a little sweaty, they stay there amazingly well because of the coverage + friction. There's plenty of other brands making similar style pads, but go for the longest stretchy sleeve that goes right up to or under your knicks.


i fasten the g-form's extra tight, just in case and haven't had any issues. i've tried the long sleeve gform version and it wasn't horrible, but didn't have a hard shell, which is what i was looking for


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## Paranoid_Android (Oct 11, 2006)

useport80 said:


> i fasten the g-form's extra tight, just in case and haven't had any issues. i've tried the long sleeve gform version and it wasn't horrible, but didn't have a hard shell, which is what i was looking for


With my tapered legs, I find that the tighter they're fastened, the quicker they come down. It's the act of tightening that bunches them up and pushes them down my legs because the sides of the pads are parallel and the sides of my legs aren't. Obviously, we're all shaped differently and I haven't tried all pads (too many for my bank account though) so I'm sure you've found some that work well for you. You're absolutely right, it can be harder to find a hard shell pad in the long sleeve variety.


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## Prognosticator (Feb 15, 2021)

Paranoid_Android said:


> As a fellow wide/tapered leg-having dude, I would say that pads like the G-Form E-Line are the type I would avoid. They fasten with a big strap above and below the knee. Great, if your legs are straight. The more tapered your legs are, the more this type will move out of place. With hourglass legs, these wouldn't be good at all. As you tighten the strap you can literally feel them being forced down toward the knee. Pads are rarely cut for a tapered leg and most work better if the sides of your legs are closer to parallel. I've found that the only thing that works is the compression/stretch sleeve-type pads like the Seven 7 iDP Sam Hill Knee Pads. The longer the compression sleeve, the better. The entire sleeve grips against your thigh rather than one strap area and they can stretch to fit rather than needing to be designed for your shape. Once they're a little sweaty, they stay there amazingly well because of the coverage + friction. There's plenty of other brands making similar style pads, but go for the longest stretchy sleeve that goes right up to or under your knicks.


I've never even heard of the Seven 7 Idp Pads. Thanks for the advice. I'll check them out!


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## Paranoid_Android (Oct 11, 2006)

Prognosticator said:


> I've never even heard of the Seven 7 Idp Pads. Thanks for the advice. I'll check them out!


The extra length can feel weird on first fitting, but if you get the right size, you can forget you're wearing them and they don't budge. Protection-wise, they're not hard shell but are definitely heavy duty enough for trail riding, enduro etc. I use them for DH too. Not an XC-only pad. Various other brands offer similar pads that are shorter but probably fine for your legs. Mine are a bit too long for most.


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## Impetus (Aug 10, 2014)

I'm late to the discusison I guess. I came here to recommend the Sam Hill 7IDP pads. I see others beat me to it.
I *love* mine. 
My waist is 30, my thigh is 21.5 (55cm). I often have trouble with pants fitting in the upper leg.

I've done all-day rides of 40+ miles of pedaling, and crash-tested them on occasion. 100% would recommend.
I will concede they aren't the coolest pads, but they're not roasters. I've ridden in them in the SW US desert in temps up to the mid-90's.
The length is weird at first, but on colder days I actually kinda like it. The shin protection is most welcome.
My only real complaint is the 'armor' is (really) stiff when its cold, so if they made it to the trailhead rolled up and stuffed in a gear bag they need to spend some time on the dash in the sun. Once on your legs they're probably good to go, but they're probably not the best choice for true cold rides below freezing.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

This is one major issue that's kept me away from knee pads.

I have this leg shape and it's endlessly frustrating. Knee/leg warmers NEVER stay put. I've got a 10" difference in circumference between the widest part of my thigh and the narrowest part just below my patella.


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## SoDakSooner (Nov 23, 2005)

G form elite in xl. 34 inch waist, 24"+ thighs. I have a terrible time fitting knee pads. These fit decently well, but not perfect


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## NorCalTaz (Nov 12, 2013)

I am in the market for some new pads, my IXS Flows have held up well, but are on their last legs  I am looking around to see what else is out there. The 7IDP's look interesting, I am wondering if anyone has experience with the POC Joint VPD 20's ?


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## rod9301 (Oct 30, 2004)

I have 24"thighs, measured high, and i use the dainesi knee and shin pads. Hard shell, very good in hot weather, you can put them on without removing the shoes, which you cannot do with g form of other sleeve type pads.



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## Prognosticator (Feb 15, 2021)

This is great information. Thanks, all!


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## unrooted (Jul 31, 2007)

I don’t have this issue, but I do have Dakine Anthem pads and think they may be good for thunder thighs since they aren’t a slide on pad, they have 2 Velcro straps on each of the thigh and calf sections. It looks like the new version is called the agent 0/0. They are pretty expensive, but being able to strap em in or off without removing shoes, which keeps me a lot cooler than wearing pads all day.


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