new knee pads

sofaboy73

after some new knee pads. my fox launch pro's have been great for the past couple of years up until the last 6 months where they have started rubbing the skin off my knees when i ride.

want to stick with something that has a flexible plastic cup or similar as ride on a fair amount of loose rock.

any recommendations?

Antm81

I've got a set of nuke proof ones (critical I think), hard shell on the front, found them comfy enough too.

rockmonkeysc

Troy Lee do some good, light weight knee pads which are suited to enduro/trail/xc
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobi ... lsrc=aw.ds

peter413

Raceface Ambush are the best knee pads I've used. Super comfy, good protection and no need to take your shoes off. Or if you really want a hard shell, the Dig is also very good. I've got both and the Ambush's are that little bit more comfortable.

Cqc

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Troy Lee do some good, light weight knee pads which are suited to enduro/trail/xc
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobi ... lsrc=aw.ds

Those are elbow pads, but yeah I have the knee ones which are great, keep your knees warm in winter too.

rockmonkeysc

Cqc wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Troy Lee do some good, light weight knee pads which are suited to enduro/trail/xc
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobi ... lsrc=aw.ds

Those are elbow pads, but yeah I have the knee ones which are great, keep your knees warm in winter too.

Yep, wrong link but they do a knee version which is great.

.blitz

sofaboy73 wrote:

want to stick with something that has a flexible plastic cup or similar as ride on a fair amount of loose rock. any recommendations?

Antm81 wrote:

I've got a set of nuke proof ones (critical I think), hard shell on the front, found them comfy enough too.

^^ these

They're Launch clones, just a little bit more workmanlike in some of the details but otherwise fine. After two pairs of Launches and two pairs of NPs I prefer the NPs.

sofaboy73

.blitz wrote:

sofaboy73 wrote:

want to stick with something that has a flexible plastic cup or similar as ride on a fair amount of loose rock. any recommendations?

Antm81 wrote:

I've got a set of nuke proof ones (critical I think), hard shell on the front, found them comfy enough too.

^^ these

They're Launch clones, just a little bit more workmanlike in some of the details but otherwise fine. After two pairs of Launches and two pairs of NPs I prefer the NPs.

whats the manufacturing quality like / how well do they last? seen a few reviews saying they fall apart fairly quickly, how have you found them?

my kyl straits lasted for years so i'm a little narked that after 2 years i've got to replace my fox's so dont want to go for another short life pair of pads

.blitz

sofaboy73 wrote:

whats the manufacturing quality like / how well do they last? seen a few reviews saying they fall apart fairly quickly, how have you found them?

Not so much falling apart but little things like loose stitching and small tears have appeared on both pairs after just a few rides. The straps stretch as well. They soon look scruffy but don't get any worse and the important bits such as the hardshell, staying put and being comfortable are pretty good, better than Launches imo.

I'd be surprised if you get two years out of them though

Angus Young

These...

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/poc- ... -prod93574

Fantastic pads. Very reassuring and the fit is better than anything else I've tried.

rockmonkeysc

661 Rage pads are best avoided. Mine are falling apart after six months occasional DH use. They are too bulky for enduro or trail riding

Angus Young

RockmonkeySC wrote:

661 Rage pads are best avoided. Mine are falling apart after six months occasional DH use. They are too bulky for enduro or trail riding

How many times have we been through this?

Depends which 661 Rage you have. These ones are very good...

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/661- ... prod113560

They're not the ones that Rockmonkey has so it's misleading to say "661 Rage pads are best avoided."

Beware of advice on the internet.

rockmonkeysc

Angus Young wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

661 Rage pads are best avoided. Mine are falliart after six months occasional DH use. They are too bulky for enduro or trail riding

How many times have we been through this?

Depends which 661 Rage you have. These ones are very good...

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/661- ... prod113560

They're not the ones that Rockmonkey has so it's misleading to say "661 Rage pads are best avoided."

Beware of advice on the internet.

They are the ones I have got. The older ones were even worse quality but better fitting. They are really cheap in my local shop which is about the only good reason to buy them.

Angus Young

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Angus Young wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

661 Rage pads are best avoided. Mine are falliart after six months occasional DH use. They are too bulky for enduro or trail riding

How many times have we been through this?

Depends which 661 Rage you have. These ones are very good...

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/661- ... prod113560

They're not the ones that Rockmonkey has so it's misleading to say "661 Rage pads are best avoided."

Beware of advice on the internet.

They are the ones I have got. The older ones were even worse quality but better fitting. They are really cheap in my local shop which is about the only good reason to buy them.

Well they can't have been all that bad if you went and bought another pair after all the slagging you gave the old ones. No matter what the price, who goes out and buys another pair of pads that they insist are to be avoided at all costs?

As for the ones linked above, good fit, don't slip and I forget I have them on after the first pedal stroke. In the 8 months I rode them before getting the POCs I had a load of heavy offs and they remain more or less unmarked. Only thing against them is the bad graphics so that might put the image conscious off.

rockmonkeysc

I bought another pair because I only paid £15 for them new. They arent to bad as a DH only pad but for enduro or trail riding they are extremely hot and uncomfortable. I would rather take the odd injury than pedal ten miles in them.

Angus Young

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I bought another pair because I only paid £15 for them new. They arent to bad as a DH only pad but for enduro or trail riding they are extremely hot and uncomfortable. I would rather take the odd injury than pedal ten miles in them.

That will be your Dennis The Menace knees.

rockmonkeysc

Not just me. Plenty of people find them hot and uncomfortable. Plus why would you buy them when you can get the much better Troy Lee pads for around the same price?

Angus Young

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Not just me. Plenty of people find them hot and uncomfortable.

And I'd guess plenty don't. I can't be the only one.

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Plus why would you buy them when you can get the much better Troy Lee pads for around the same price?

Better? Maybe. Maybe not. That's your opinion, nothing more. And you could just as easily say "Why would you buy the Troy Lee pads when you can get the much better XXX XXX pads for around the same price?" And, besides, as bad as the 661s look, Troy Lee kit is so universally naff looking anything else looks good by comparison.

rockmonkeysc

Angus Young wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Not just me. Plenty of people find them hot and uncomfortable.

And I'd guess plenty don't. I can't be the only one.

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Plus why would you buy them when you can get the much better Troy Lee pads for around the same price?

Better? Maybe. Maybe not. That's your opinion, nothing more. And you could just as easily say "Why would you buy the Troy Lee pads when you can get the much better XXX XXX pads for around the same price?" And, besides, as bad as the 661s look, Troy Lee kit is so universally naff looking anything else looks good by comparison.

The Troy Lee pads are much lighter, better quality, more breathable, they flex with your knee better and who gives a toss about how knee pads look? I cannot think how the 661 pads could be better in any way unless you want protection more suited to downhill racing (bigger rocks and higher speeds, a bit much for trail pads).

Angus Young

Do rocks at 30mph-knee-first on a black run hurt more than rocks at 30mph-knee-first on a blue run? I'm never going near a black run if that's true. The blue rocks hurt enough for me!

rockmonkeysc

Angus Young wrote:

Do rocks at 30mph-knee-first on a black run hurt more than rocks at 30mph-knee-first on a blue run? I'm never going near a black run if that's true. The blue rocks hurt enough for me!

Try sprinting flat out on the wrong line in to the Zut Alores rock garden at bike park wales if you want to find out (I missed the turn in on a race run). You will also get to meet the lovely nurses at Myrther MIU. Black, DH trails tend to have bigger, pointier rocks in places where you are going fast, blue trails have slabby rocks where youre going slower.