661 kyle strait knee pads gone soft!

Cr3do

The formally hard shell on my 661 kyle strait knee pads have gone quite soft, they been worn a washed a over the last couple of months, so not there old.

Is this normal, or should they still be hard

Thanks.

allthegearnoidea

if the hard shell that offers the protection has gone soft, then i'd say they are toast and good for keeping your knees warm but not a lot else!
time for some nice new ones!! :-D

ilovedirt

They've gone soft? What do you mean? It's just a bit of plastic with some padding round it...

paul.skibum

mine are nearly 3 years old, have been worn a fair bit and washed a good bit too - they are still hard - as mentioned not sure how they go soft - its plastic.

What temp are you washing them at?!

bennett_346

Out of all the knee pads out there these are categorically the least durable i've ever had.

Cr3do

I washed them on 30deg.

I don't know if it's just me, but they feel softer from when I first bought them.

It has not lost it shape, just feels soft I can bed the shell when I squeeze it, is this normal?

ilovedirt

Yes, that's normal.

paul.skibum

Mine aren't bullet proof - they protect though and they pedal well - I cant imagine anything more solid being more user friendly and as I say mine show little signs of wear except on inside of left knee where it catches from time to time on my cable guides.

Blind Danny Johnson

Mine definitely feel softer than when I got them, about 8 months ago, but I thought it was probably what to expect after a while. They still do their job though, I've crashed a fair few times over the course of having them and my knees have never got hurt. Lots of other stuff has but not my knees.

Anonymous

If you're frequently washing them that's probably softening them up quicker.

I wash them about once a years (mmm, smelly !!!). Some don't bother at all. Most the time I just wipe and dust them off and that's all. The shell is maybe a little softer than it was a year or so back, but still tough enough to take impacts on the knee.

Can't say it's saved my knees, I just haven't noticed but landed on them a few times. Seems what I need now is arm and chest protection as these are taking some serious beating.

DodgeT

Mine are approx a year old, been washed about half a dozen times, once they're nice and smelly
Usually just give them a squirt of febreeze and hang them on the line after a ride.
Not noticed them being any softer than when I bought them.

karlbrewster

They're probably not fully made of plastic. Plastics are waterproof.
Perhaps the manufacturers mixed the pads with other materials (carbon compound or something) to make it more lightweight.

timpop

Whe you say soft to you mean they bend easily? Surely the overall surface is still hard?

DodgeT

They're not a hard type of pad though, like plastic, they're more like a real dense padding inside the knee cap part. They will bend if twisted enough.

timpop

Oh I see. I just had a look on the 661 site. It's ok if they bend as long as they still offer good protection. There is still a hard shell under the soft covering so should protect from impacts. It's hard to say without having a feel but perhaps the padding under the hard part is a little soft.

Twelly

Might help

timpop

TwellySmat wrote:

Might help

You shouldn't really offer stock from your own supply. You might need it.

Twelly

I have plenty, and I never have the opportunity to use it. So it's fine

timpop

TwellySmat wrote:

I have plenty, and I never have the opportunity to use it. So it's fine

DodgeT

Don't be stingy, get em shared out. Come in handy for a nice long walk

ilovedirt

Yeah, they're meant to be fairly soft, that's part of the design, but they still offer good protection. I went down HARD on the 4x track on chavannes in the alps a few weeks ago (hard pack surface). Totally messed up my hand and my helmet, got a slight graze on one knee through my pads (661 kyle straits). I'm guessing had I not been wearing them, I'd have barely been walking.