Other than football and skateboarding in my teens and early 20s, I've never worn pads. Picked up the TLD Speed Sleeves for my old knees. I live in Texas, so I waited for cooler weather. I can honestly say that they are nearly completely unobtrusive. Two 3 hour trail rides and a 6 hour shuttle/pedal day with out any issues from a comfort standpoint. Size does matter though, so get the right size.
I was taught to bail to my knees on a skateboard half-pipe, so you practice getting comfortable hitting the deck and sliding down on plastic outer shell of the pads. The Speed Sleeves are going to be on the opposite end of the spectrum ...there is no way I'm intentionally bailing to the knees with these on but that is not how they are marketed.
Based on how comfortable these are and my concern about the actual level of protection, I'm going to pick up a pair of TLD Raids for the knees. I think I will also get some TLD Raids for the elbows.
Summary: Very comfortable, but not confidence inspiring.
I was taught to bail to my knees on a skateboard half-pipe, so you practice getting comfortable hitting the deck and sliding down on plastic outer shell of the pads. The Speed Sleeves are going to be on the opposite end of the spectrum ...there is no way I'm intentionally bailing to the knees with these on but that is not how they are marketed.
Based on how comfortable these are and my concern about the actual level of protection, I'm going to pick up a pair of TLD Raids for the knees. I think I will also get some TLD Raids for the elbows.
Summary: Very comfortable, but not confidence inspiring.
They are probably warmer or more rigid than the knee sleeves though. That said, I pedal up with them on all the time and forget about them.
