in Bikes and Gear

The jumps at Quarry Ridge keep getting bigger, and I'd like to keep my knees safe. I bought some Dainese Trail Skins knee pads, but they put pressure on my knee caps, which is causing pain after a long ride. Not really what I was hoping for. Anyone have knee pads they'd recommend? Where can you buy them in Madison? It would be nice to try them on instead of just buying another random pair online.


In related news...anyone want some free knee pads? Size medium.

I have G-Form knee and elbow pads.  As an old, fat, slow guy whose tires rarely leave the  ground, it's kind of silly for me to be wearing pads, but that little extra protection makes me feel a lot more confident.

I still remember a low-speed fall I took at Blue Mound many years ago -- that sharp rock to the knee hurt for months.  It's this memory that drove me to purchase the pads.

I couldn't be more happy with the comfort of the G-Forms.  They are stretchy and low profile -- they don't feel that much different than wearing compression tights.

In terms of crash protection -- I thankfully can't tell you how well they perform.  They look like they would be a lot lighter duty that the bigger, hard-plastic options, but I really don't know.

I do have one durability concern.  With both of my knee pads, the top part of the pad tore away from the fabric sleeve (while pulling them onto my legs).  Either this is a weak spot in the design or I need to be more careful about where I grab them when putting them on.  Both elbow pads are the same age and they don't show any signs of wear.

I've been pretty happy with the 661 Rage knee pads I got a couple of years back. They are occasionally annoying from slipping or having the straps try to bunch up a little but I generally don't notice them much after the first few minutes on the trail.  I have taken a couple good tumbles with them on and my knees came out just fine.  It could be that the pads are awesome or it could be that I didn't happen to land on my knees.  Once I hit the ground I usually only focus on what hurts rather than what hit first.

Ill second 661.  I have a pair of 661 slip on knee/shin protectors.  Aside from being a little hot some days and sliding down slightly every now and then they do well for the protection i wanted learning jumps.

Recently picked up a pair of Alpinestars Paragon knee and elbow pads. They are light, breathe well and don't really notice them after a few minutes of riding. Haven't had to use them yet (knock on wood) but feel they'll hold up pretty good if/when I do.

I have G-Form knee and elbow pads.  As an old, fat, slow guy whose tires rarely leave the  ground, it's kind of silly for me to be wearing pads, but that little extra protection makes me feel a lot more confident.

I still remember a low-speed fall I took at Blue Mound many years ago -- that sharp rock to the knee hurt for months.  It's this memory that drove me to purchase the pads.

I couldn't be more happy with the comfort of the G-Forms.  They are stretchy and low profile -- they don't feel that much different than wearing compression tights.

In terms of crash protection -- I thankfully can't tell you how well they perform.  They look like they would be a lot lighter duty that the bigger, hard-plastic options, but I really don't know.

I do have one durability concern.  With both of my knee pads, the top part of the pad tore away from the fabric sleeve (while pulling them onto my legs).  Either this is a weak spot in the design or I need to be more careful about where I grab them when putting them on.  Both elbow pads are the same age and they don't show any signs of wear.

I got a pair of the G-Form. The first pair had defective sewing defect but that can probably happen with any.

http://g-form.com/en/shop-sport/bike/pro-xc-knee-pads.html

These are for sure "shut up 'n buy em" products. I've had older generation 661 and Raceface that were not as comfortable. They work for long rides. They make all the difference in the world for the sort of riding where you can have a knee bang on frame, bars or rocks.

Having them on for a few hours has not bothered me at all. It might look silly as street clothes but they're super with longer or knicker type shorts and higher socks. So far they've cut out a lot of minor damage and solved those bigger hits that are sometimes pretty bad.

It would be really sweet if someone stocked them locally. If not these something like them with a lot of positive crowd-sourced reviews.