ion k_pact knee pads, anyone tried them?

ej2320

I'm trying to find some slim/lightweight knee pads with decent ventilation
There's a lot of the 'enduro' ones.. The IXS Flow knee pads look nice but none of them have the side padding as I often hit the inside of my knee on the frame

These looked more slimline than most http://www.ion-products.com/bike/men/protection/k-pact/
Has anyone tried them? Or can anyone recommend some pads that fit my requirements?

I like the look of the Fox Launch Pro pads but they look a bit too bulky and warm for what I want

Thanks

poah

check out the dainese trail skins (review on my blog)

ej2320

Those look good.. I just had a quick search and pinkbike gave them a good review

My only concern would be the amount of protection they actually offer, can you comment on this?
The side pads are a nice addition and I'd like to see other lightweight pads have these like the Fox Launch enduro or iXS Flows

I know these aren't going to be as protective as full on knee pads hence the light weight, but some of my local trails are quite rocky in places and they'd need to work in a moderately high speed crash on gravel/rocks
The Ion pads just seemed to have a bit extra padding

Nice blog btw!

poah

not had a fall on them yet but they won't offer as much protection as full on pads but you did ask for lightweight ones. Those Ion K_pack look similar pad wise maybe a bit thicker.

ej2320

Yeah there's never going to be the full protection so I'd probably put my other pads on for rough rides

I think it might be a case of ordering a few and trying like you did
But thanks for suggesting the Dainese ones, they look good

ej2320

Any others worth looking at?

I don't mind if they're more DH specific as long as they're fine to wear on long rides and don't get too hot

rockmonkeysc

One to avoid for longer rides is the 661 rage. I did 50km in mine last weekend for an enduro race. By the end of the race they had rubbed so badly that it was very painful, they kept slipping.
I will continue to use them for downhill but to be honest, if im covering a reasonable mileage I would rather just risk it and not wear them.

ej2320

That's exactly what's been happening with my Oneals.. Great on short rides but eventually they start to rub my knees and slip down (Probably not helped by sweat)

So I'm looking for a pad more suited to longer ride but with decent padding still, thanks for the comment and I'm not really keen on any 661 pads as they all seem a bit too bulky

I think I may give the Trail skins a go, POAH seems to like them and pinkbike gave them a good write up
But if there's any other options I'd like to know as they may seem better or the trail skins may not fit me

I also really like the look of the Ion K Pact pads, they look a bit more slimline than most and Wideopen posted a picture saying they were comfy but not a full review.. So if anyone has tried them I'd be interested to hear your opinion

Angus Young

RockmonkeySC wrote:

One to avoid for longer rides is the 661 rage. I did 50km in mine last weekend for an enduro race. By the end of the race they had rubbed so badly that it was very painful, they kept slipping.
I will continue to use them for downhill but to be honest, if im covering a reasonable mileage I would rather just risk it and not wear them.

Alternatively, I can wear my 661 Rage for 50km and forget I've got them on.

CitizenLee

I usually hate wearing pads but recently got some of these and can't fault them at all...

http://www.freeborn.co.uk/bliss-protection-arg-knee-pad

Don't remember paying that much for them though, so must have got them from Bike-Discount.de

ej2320

The Bliss pads look good but they might be a bit too expensive, I didn't want to pay more than £60 really

Just as I thought I'd decided I came across the RaceFace Ambush pads, anyone tried them?
The reviews claim that while they appear bulky and offer good protection they're actually light, comfy and breathable, and being able to put them on without removing shoes is a nice touch

poah

I tried them before I got the trail skins. I really didn't like the fastening system and they bunched up behind my knees when cycling. The fit wasn't particularly good but thats obviously a leg size thing. The pad itself feels more sturdy than the trail skins but thats no indication how much energy they absorb.

The best bet is to get a few from CRC and wiggle and then send the ones back that don't fit. Remember to actually cycle with them not just walk round the house

ej2320

I think it will come to that

It's a tough one as I value high protection as knee injuries are very annoying yet I want confort and suitable for lots of pedaling..

I'll probably try; Dainese Trailskin, iXS Flows and maybe the Raceface Indy or Fox launch enduro.. Although those look a little too light on the padding for my liking as local riding does have a lot of rocks

The iXS Carve might also be worth a go.. Plenty of padding but a bit bigger

Anyway Enduro #009 is worth a read to anyone else looking for pads as they do some in depth testing on 12 knee pads
http://enduro-mtb.com/en/magazine/

CitizenLee

ej2320 wrote:

The Bliss pads look good but they might be a bit too expensive, I didn't want to pay more than £60 really

I think they work out around £70ish from Bike-Discount or Bike24. In fact Amazon.co.uk have them for less if a Medium would be ok:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listin ... B00B1JKTKK

If you value knee protection then probably worth going over budget.

As I said, I hate pads but after 5 minutes I forget these are on. No nasty sweat rashes too, which most other pads give me (661, RF, etc).

ej2320

I might try those then

The Enduro review said the bliss pads were very comfy and well ventalted
But they didn't do too well in the impact adsorption test.. Better than G form pads though

ej2320

I think I will also try the Leatt 3df pads

They seem to have the perfect balance between protection and comfort
The Knox pads also look very good but reviews don't exist so I have no idea if they perform as well as Knox claim

I'll report back once I've tried some