There was a time in the not-so-far-distant past when knee pads would get you laughed off the trails. Especially if combined with Lycra, which will rightfully still get the same reaction. But now knee pads are almost as de rigeur as helmets and gloves, which seems to make sense as the mountain biker’s knees cop a fair bashing over the years, as mine will attest. These days there’s hardly a ride that will happen without slipping on some protection for the knobblies.

I’d tended not to pad up frequently as the models I’ve tried over the years were just too bulky, not a good look (or feel) on my spindly pins. And most would hook up on shorts, or fall down, or have to be done up so tight with their useless Velcro that they’d be better not worn and I’d take my chances I wouldn’t crash. So when the GCs at ADU Industries showed me the new Leatt Airflex Hybrids, I was keen to see if they’d finally offer something that would work for me in all those vital areas.

First up, I liked the look of them. Simple, uncluttered, minimal hard shell, no Velcro. What size would I need? Duncan took a quick look at my legs and suggested Large, which he got spot on. The pads use a single sleeve fitting with elastic at both ends and a silicon gripper at the top, and the front of the pad uses a stretchy material while the back is lighter weight, less stretchy and more breathable. Small logos on the cup, top and side complete the minimalist look.

The fit is snug and secure yet not restrictive, and the gripper does a good job of holding the pad in place even when placed over the leg of a Lycra undershort. Having no Velcro is a godsend for me, I’d always have an excess of strap hanging out the side, and not much contact between the hooks and loops that were supposed to hold the things up. Shorts don’t get hung up the pads, and Twat Gap is eliminated. At the back of the knee there is an opening for unrestricted movement and I guess breathability, which seems to work for both. I haven’t got overly sweaty in the cooler conditions so far, but the knitted liner seems to do a good job of keeping things cool and dry.

Thankfully, I haven’t put them to the ultimate test as yet, but I feel confident that if I do that I’ll get as much protection as needed from the large Air Flex gel impact pad and the sliding hard shell cap on top. Until that happens, I’m comfortable wearing them and happy to know they are in the right place when they’re introduced to terra firma. They’re as much a part of my kit as a helmet and gloves now, and like those items we hope we’ll never need them but it’s good to know you have the best when we do. Get some.

More:

Leatt

ADU