Quick question about knee guards

r3 guy

Cant make my mind up, if i should get 661 kyle straits or the new 661 evo d30 knee pads

So the quick question is - Do kyle straits have a hard plastic type shell under the fabric (cant seem to tell even off the 661 website)

Cause if it is hard plastic then surely the all the evo has going for it over the kyle straits is comfort (and bling?)

In my opinion i would expect a hard shell to provide more protection against sharp objects and similar protection towards a blunt thud.

Can anyone clear this up for me?

Alex

Yes, Kyle straight knee pads use a hard shell under the fabric.

A hard plate will offer more protection than D3O at the expense of flexibility.

jairaj

I find the Kyle versions more than comfy enough for all day use. Personally I'd save the money and go for them.

Guisamo

I've had Kyle straights for about 5 months now, they are comfortable. don't really notice them once you're out. Thought they were going to be hot and sweaty in the Summer but they were fine. Good level of protection and they look good and wash well, they've been in the washer a dozen times now and they're good as new.

r3 guy

thanks guys

I see online shops sell the patriot, slim and earth do they all have the hard shell?

Can you use shin pads with the kyle (veggie wrap or the d30)?

Tom Barton

Yep - those 3 are the kyle straits with colour schemes and are often the same price as the standard kyle strait. Its the D30 that truely unique (and expensive!)

mac_man

r3 guy wrote:

thanks guys

I see online shops sell the patriot, slim and earth do they all have the hard shell?

Can you use shin pads with the kyle (veggie wrap or the d30)?

+1 for the Kyles. Very comfy and unobtrusive

Don't see why you can't use the veggie shins with the Kyles. The veggie knees don't have the hard shell and so are a little more flexible than the Kyles.... but don't have quite the same protection. But they look similar in terms of their size (height) to the Kyles.

I'm considering a pair myself to go with the Kyles as (IMO) you don't need a rigid shell over your shins if you're mainly doing XC and trails, rather than DH. Especially if it's mainly to prevent pedal strike on your shins.

r3 guy

thanks for all your help - Question answered !

Raymondavalon

r3 guy wrote:

thanks for all your help - Question answered !

And just for the record.. :P I got 661 KS knee pads and they're awesome. The only "issue" I have is that one of them sometimes creaks when I pedal and no, it's not my knees making the noise :P

P-Jay

I might as well get a H&S 2p in. The best ones are the ones that fit best. Doesn't matter how much plastic they've got, if they're half way down your shin when you crash - like my old 661 race lights, useless.

P-Jay

I might as well get a H&S 2p in. The best ones are the ones that fit best. Doesn't matter how much plastic they've got, if they're half way down your shin when you crash - like my old 661 race lights, useless.

cat_with_no_tail

Raymondavalon wrote:

r3 guy wrote:

thanks for all your help - Question answered !

And just for the record.. :P I got 661 KS knee pads and they're awesome. The only "issue" I have is that one of them sometimes creaks when I pedal and no, it's not my knees making the noise :P

Hahaha, my Patriots do exactly the same thing. Took me about 5 mins to figure out wtf it was the 1st time too :roll:

As for shin pads, I've got some umbro ones I picked up for about £3 at a local sports shop. Do the job nicely.

captainfly

I use 661 ks pariots and veggie shin wraps comfy enough as pads go and stay in place. I haven't had a major off so can't say how well the protect :roll:

delcol

i use veggi shin guards with kyle st's... good combination...

another option could be the tld t bones,, they ment to be better than kyle st.. i not personally used them but from what riders in whistler were saying they more secure than the kyles,, kyles have a habbit of moving under impact, the t bones stay put very snug and secure fit....

Northwind

It depends what you intend to ride into. If you're going to get stabbed, you want a steel plate not a cushion. If you're going to get hit with a baseball bat, you want a cushion not asteel plate. Hard armour spreads impacts and prevents penetration but soft armour also spreads the impact, while also reducing it, which hard armour is ineffective at. Some armour succesfully combines both, but IMO except for the more extreme use (ie DH) soft is generally the best for biking- it's flexible, and it's highly protective against blunt force impact, which is what you get most of the time.

The exception though is shins and northshore, where you're fairly likely to take a hard hit from a wooden edge, or if you ride somewhere with lots of jaggy rocks. But you still want softness as well, which is where stuff like the POC Bone legs really shine- a hard case to spread the impact, and D30 and conventional foam inside to reduce it. Like a cushion inside a steel plate. Brilliant stuff.

Also, hard shelled armour is more survivable- it scrapes where fabric tears. So a hard outer and soft inner can be very effective.