Knee protection on a budget...

[Arries87]

Hi all, seeing that it is a work-in Saturday (for DECEMBER?!) for me and most are riding, figured I might as well do the next best thing... MTB research! 

 

I am in the market for knee protection; mostly trail riding with the associated drops, jumps, berms, etc. with the odd trip to the Drakensberg and some trail finding/shuttle sessions there. Nothing too hectic. Currently I have no knee protection and it is definately showing in my willingness to ride harder. I was loaned a set of knee socks over December and they definately helped me. 

 

I am on a very strict budget of R1 000 (preferrably lower) seeing that our first born is arriving in August (holy crap kids are expensive?!)

 

So far I am looking at:

Fox Launch Enduro pads - Lightweight knee sock, good reviews, good sliding protection, poor hard impact protection i.e. rocks

 

Fox Launch Pro pads - more heavy duty, side protection, also decent reviews, hard plastic, better hard impact protection

 

Leatt Airflex Pro - good reviews, soft shell but hardens on impact, has side knee protection

 

Alpinestas Paragon Knee Protector - have used them before, soft shell, good sliding protection (tested), poor hard impact protection, more expensive than the Fox Launch Enduro Pads (essentially the same)

 

Are there other options that I am missing?

 

 

 

 

 

[BaGearA]

Hi all, seeing that it is a work-in Saturday (for DECEMBER?!) for me and most are riding, figured I might as well do the next best thing... MTB research! 

 

I am in the market for knee protection; mostly trail riding with the associated drops, jumps, berms, etc. with the odd trip to the Drakensberg and some trail finding/shuttle sessions there. Nothing too hectic. Currently I have no knee protection and it is definately showing in my willingness to ride harder. I was loaned a set of knee socks over December and they definately helped me. 

 

I am on a very strict budget of R1 000 (preferrably lower) seeing that our first born is arriving in August (holy crap kids are expensive?!)

 

So far I am looking at:

Fox Launch Enduro pads - Lightweight knee sock, good reviews, good sliding protection, poor hard impact protection i.e. rocks

 

Fox Launch Pro pads - more heavy duty, side protection, also decent reviews, hard plastic, better hard impact protection

 

Leatt Airflex Pro - good reviews, soft shell but hardens on impact, has side knee protection

 

Alpinestas Paragon Knee Protector - have used them before, soft shell, good sliding protection (tested), poor hard impact protection, more expensive than the Fox Launch Enduro Pads (essentially the same)

 

Are there other options that I am missing?

go for the leatt , fox's elbow and knee protection have been very disappointing in my experience 

[PhilipV]

Plus one for the Leatt. I have the air flex elbow guards, and they've taken big hits that I've walked away from.

If you somehow can get the Ion K-pac knee pads with the zip in budget, then that would be my first choice, even if it means a couple of months of saving beer money to get them.

 

I have two small kids, you're in for a hell of a ride, but it's worth it.

 

 

Ps:my 661 knee guards worked very well for crawling after little kids, so put some diaper money in the knew guard kitty.

[RiverInTheRoad]

I would say don't buy the Leatt Airflex. They are flimsy. Very nice when new but age badly. Of your options I would go for the Fox Enduro.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Add ION to your search. Several people I know have gone from Fox Launch and Launch pro as well as Leatt stuff to ION. It seems well built, hardy and is great with the zip closure instead of faffing with taking shoes off and on all the time. 

 

Me, I like my Leatt Enduro guards. Plastic hard shell outer and gel inner. Comfy, but a bit warm. 

[V18]

Ion zip knee pads. Love em. Put in pack. Ride up. Zip on. Ride down. Or just leave on. 3 of my buddies have them including myself. No issues whatsoever.

[Arries87]

 

Thanx for all the replies! Good to hear some opinions from the more experienced riders.

 

As if to subconciously prove a point, I worked on my high speed OTB parking skills on Monday. Murphy’s law... anyway, got the standard roasties on my knees but also some decent “blou kolle” on the sides of my knees... I assume it was from hitting the frame and some rocks hidden in the grass/bushes. It seems side protection is important also now.

 

The Ion one; are they the Ion K-Lite ones? If so a bit far out of the budget, cheapest I could find is R1 500.

 

I can get the Leatt Airflex Pro for R990, so leaning towards it as it is in budget, has mostly good reviews and will be adequate for my current skill levels?

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

K Lite Zip or K Pact. 

 

And what is "adequate for my current skill levels"? Knee injuries don't care about your skill levels. They just happen regardless of how fast you go. 

 

The Airflex pro are better than nothing, but don't offer the same protection as "proper" pads like the K Pact do. That said, they're light, breathable and do the job of basic abrasion protection. 

[GrahamS2]

 

I can get the Leatt Airflex Pro for R990, so leaning towards it as it is in budget, has mostly good reviews and will be adequate for my current skill levels?

The lower your skill levels, the more you should be spending on protection IMO.

[Arries87]

And what is "adequate for my current skill levels"? Knee injuries don't care about your skill levels. They just happen regardless of how fast you go. 

 

 

The lower your skill levels, the more you should be spending on protection IMO.

 

Maybe I should rephrase, I am not at a level where I will be hitting big drops/jumps or very technical terrain soon. I need some form of buffering for the spills I have, bearing in mind that a major wipe for me will be a run of the mill event for other riders.

 

When I improve enough that I would even contemplate rougher terrain, I will definately upgrade to proper protection.