[SuperWookie]

Just looking for THE BEST DH knee pads, that are still comfortable, have some flex, but offer class leading protection on heavy falls. I have some really nice ION K Traze Amp zip knee pads for trail riding, and I LOVE them. Fit, flex, comfort is amazing. But they do not protect against heavy high speed crashes very well. I've had a few heavy/fast falls as I push myself more lately, and really wrecked my knee a few times. Specifically my knee cap bone.

So I ordered the 100% Surpass knee pads a week ago and they do seem better (still haven't worn them riding yet, its too cold to ride), but not sure if I'd say they offer amazing protection. I played hockey most of my life, and even light weight shin/knee pads had serious knee protection. You could get hit with a 90mph slap shot and all you feel is some pressure at the point the puck hit your knee. NO pain or discomfort what so ever. And that was what I was expecting when I ordered these 100% Surpass after reading reviews and seeing the price of these. But after inspecting them in person and trying them on, not so sure they will be what I'm looking for? So just checking for suggestions on knee pads that offer THE BEST protection for your knee cap.

I've read all the internet articles from different mags or blogs, and they all have more or less the same choices as "THE BEST DH Knee pads." But then reading reviews of most of them leaves you realizing they all have problems. The only other ones I've seen that "look" super heavy duty other than the 100% Surpass, is the ION K Pact Zip and Scott Grenade Evo.

So just looking for suggestions for the best DH knee pads, cost is not a factor. Specifically hoping to find some that have good hard material or some sort of D30 or something similar on the outside, padding on the inside, and hopefully that donut type shape on the knee cap area to hold the pad in place and really absorb heavy blows to your knee cap. Thanks

 

[Moosedriver]

Check out Demon United Hyper Knee X D3O. I don’t know if they’re DH rated nor what it takes to be DH rated. The times that I’ve crashed wearing these I have not felt a thing. They have Velcro straps both top and bottom, so they stay in place very well. They do run on the small side, so I would recommend sizing up if you try them. Demon United also provides a 20% off first order code when signing up for their email newsletter. I’ve been wearing them for over a year now and they’re quite comfortable. My previous pads were G-Forms, they offered much less protective covering and were much warmer than these Demon United pads.

Demon Hyper Knee X V3 D3O

Hyper Knee X D3O V3

demon-united.com

 

[Nat]

I got some of these Dakine pads recently. They feel super burly but for the sake of full disclosure I haven’t ridden with them yet. They have a donut thingie.

Dakine Mayhem Bike Knee Pads

Pedal-friendly, pro-level impact coverage. Designed for gravity-fueled riding with input from Dakine team riders, these mountain bike knee pads are designed to articulate while you pedal, so they stay in place as you ride. A skid plate and foam padding combo disperses impact loads, while the...

www.dakine.com

 

[JK-47]

I too have played ice hockey, competitively for nearly 20 years. I use these Leatt HEAVY DUTY knee pads for the bike park and shuttle days. They pedal reasonably well, and offer a stupendous amount of protection but are too hot for SoCal weather, when pedaling STEEP climbs (Cholla, Mathison), which is my main form of riding in Aliso (5 Oaks, Rock it, Lynx, Car Wreck etc.) and other Orange County trails (The Luge, Santiago Oaks).

leatt

Protective Neck Braces, Body Armour & Sports Gear

leatt.com

 

[AlpineVulpine]

POC all the way.

Joint VPD 2.0 Knee

 

[mlloyd007]

Leatt all the way. I have Leatt, Fox, Dakine, POC, 7iDP gear, and Leatt design and quality is best in class in my book. I have the Leatt 3DF knee/shin guard for bomber protection on Northstar days.

 

[CrozCountry]

I use IXS Cleaver (I think that's the model). Hard plastic is what you want. The viscoelastic pads are OK for small to medium hits, but above a certain point you need hard protection. You know this already from hockey.

 

[Stop Drop N Roll]

Agree with Croz. IXS Cleaver is hands down the best. Full coverage, hard shell protection yet flexible.

 

[Muddy-Runs]

661 DBO.

 

[silentG]

7-idp Sam Hill - Sam Hill Knee or Leatt is pretty hard to beat.

I have run a set of K-Pact Zip which were good although the fit on those is tight.

RF Ambush and that Demon pad are pretty similar and I have time on the Ambush and the prior version of the Demon pad.

Depending on your needs you may want to look at knee and shin with the trade-off there being more protection vs less pedally feeling on the bike.

 

[CrozCountry]

Most of the pads here use the generic D3O knee pad (even brands that do not say D3O sometimes have it inside). OK for trail riding or enduro where you need movement. But for park, you need a hard shell.

 

[SuperWookie]

Wow! Thanks for all the awesome suggestions! If I hadn't just found the best knee pads, there would have been some good choices in here to try! So thank you.

So I ordered the ION K Pact Zip and they are exactly what I was looking for!

I returned the 100% Surpass. Not that they weren't good. They're great! It's just for 150 dollars, I felt like they should have been as good or better than a hockey shin pad/knee pad, and they weren't. I have top of the line hockey shin/knee pads, and they only cost a little over a 100! And they are WAY heavier duty, much larger/more material obviously, and WAY better protection in every single way. So much of this MTB gear is SUCH a rip off! The prices are just outrageous and you don't get what you pay for. These ION's were just a tad over $100, so still not a good price or cheap, but $50 less and better protection is an improvement.

Plus the 100% felt like they might have durability issues not too far down the road. The material used on the back of the leg is thin and seems like it could tear easily. There's far too many little pieces and materials used, which overly complicates everything, which means more little pieces that could tear, brake or rip. The straps seem kind of cheap as well. The edges aren't stitched or finished, so I feel like sooner than later, the Velcro straps would start fraying or getting messed up. Plus the padding they use on the sides and top of the knee (which is extensive) is not very dense padding at all. It's very squishy and cheap feeling, which means even though its there, it wouldn't do much in the even of a crash. Plus the inside knee area isn't the most form fitting shape, and neither is the pad overall. It's good, but not great in that respect and felt a little odd on my knee. But, they are one of the only MTB knee pads with a L2 certification for crashes. So that is huge. They also have the hard shell on the outside right around the knee cap. And they are nice and long, protecting a lot of your leg and knee area. With a few adjustments and a lower price, they would be the best. So I would highly recommend them as an option for someone looking for a top notch super protective knee pad. Just try it before you buy it.

But the ION's are amazing! The second I put them on, I knew I was keeping them. They have that super heavy duty fabric material on the outside, heavy duty stretchy neoprene material in lots of other places, and then a perfect knee/upper shin pad that really curves and forms to your knee bone and just below it. It's a very round knee cap shape, so it goes around all of your knee cap and then down your shin a bit on both sides. VERY form fitting and made anatomically proper. It's not quite as much padding in the actual knee area as the 100% Surpass, as it just has the Sastec/D30 material and then the stretchy neoprene material, but it just feels SO much better and more protective. Plus WAY more durable and high quality. Plus the small pads on the inside and outside of the knee joint are WAY denser and heavier duty than the 100% pads. Then on the inside where your knee bone touches the pads, it has this neoprene like material that is stretched tight and is up and away from the actual pad. So it kind of acts as another layer of protection, keeping your knee away from the pad, so that when you crash, it has to stretch through that first, then hit the pad.

Then of course the fit is just TOP class!!! No knee pads fit like ION (at least none I've tried). I already have the light duty Traze Amp, and these K PACT are the same, just way heavier duty. They fit AMAZING! The zipper function is amazing to help get the pads on and off. And then the two heavy duty thick straps on top and bottom of the knee joint allow you to really fine tune the fit so they won't come off. But the neoprene wetsuit like fit already does an amazing job helping the pads stay put if you get the right size. I wear size L in almost everything I buy, clothes, pads, jerseys, etc. And these are perfect. Not too tight, but not loose. The straps are there for an even better "staying put" fit.

The only thing these aren't good for is lots of pedaling. These are pretty much just for bike park, DH, or long descents. As the pad is SO round, stiff and around your knee cap, that it would make pedaling kind of a pain as the pads would be bumping around and not move as well. But that is not a problem, as these pads weren't made for pedaling. They were made for bike park and gnarly steep long descents. So they do exactly what they are supposed to do... protect your knee from rough crashes! Can't recommend these enough and now it's on to continue my search for the best elbow pads. I've already gone through 3 different versions and none of them are good at all.

Thanks again for all the suggestions!