MTB Knee Pad Comparison Review - Leatt AirFlex Pro vs. G-FORM Pro X2 vs. Fox Enduro Knee Sleeve Pads
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ม.ค. 2022
- Video review and comparison of knee protection pads for light to intermediate mountain bike trail riding. Products reviewed are Leatt AirFlex Pro, G-FORM Pro X2, and Fox Enduro Knee Sleeve.
Amazon Affiliate Links to bike gear I use:
Knee Pads:
Leatt AirFlex Pro: amzn.to/3oaM9sL
G-Form Pro X3: amzn.to/3IGDHt0
Fox Enduro Knee Sleeve: amzn.to/3KWlppG
Body Protection:
Leatt 3DF Airfit Armour: amzn.to/3s1yBRi
Leatt 3DF Impact Shorts 5.0: amzn.to/3ga4xgR
SixSixOne EVO Shorts: amzn.to/3uiqNO1
Shoes:
Five Ten Freerider Pro: amzn.to/3s31Va5
Well done, thanks :-)
I have a set of the Leatt Airflex (and BTW they do come as a L/R pair like the Fox). I really like them because they are comfortable and light, and not too hot. However, on my legs, they do tend to slip down a bit on my thigh, and I don’t always keep up with pulling them back up.
I had a pretty minor get-off about a month ago, and earned a somewhat gnarly hemo and multi-level strawberry on my knee that is about 95% healed now. I suspect it’s because the knee guard had slipped down somewhat during my ride, and then continued down during the accident. It left a “flesh eraser mark” in the top part of the inside of the pad 😬. We can always wonder what would have happened if I’d NOT had any knee protection, so I’m still glad I had them on!
So, I’m now on the hunt for something that has a bit more total coverage and that secures a bit better than the Leatt Airflex. I’m not back on the bike yet (same accident other injuries), so it’s been “living room tests”. So far, for comfort and coverage, I’m liking the G-Force “Pro Rugged” protectors that are a notch above the ones you show here. I’ve tried three sets of POCs that are basically unwearable (back of knee discomfort), and the Leatt Airflex Hybrid, which has good coverage, but is uncomfortable like the POCs.
It’s looking like I should maybe try the RaceFace Roam, too. Looks like the back of the knee is a very fine mesh and they also can put on or removed without fooling with your shoes.
If none of these work out, the Leatt is still a good choice, IMO. Again, given how messed up my knee got, I can only imagine the mess it would be if I didn’t have anything on.
No matter what protection you get, they must fit and stay in place to function as intended. My POC elbow pads fit snug, but tend to slide down mid ride where I have to pull them up every 20 minutes. Leatt elbow pads do the same, so I literally had to size down from Large to Medium even though Large fits "snug" when not riding. You might want to size down on the knee pads to see if they stay better. I see a lot of people riding with RaceFace, but rarely see anyone wearing G-Form Pro Rugged. No matter what you get, always wear them. In fact, I was riding this weekend where I was going down hill and my rear brake failed causing the bike to slide and side swipe a tree. Lucky me because I had my knee/elbow pads on and walked away without a single scratch. However, two weeks ago I was riding in the rain and my shoe slipped off the pedal going over a slippery rock causing a pedal strike in the shin. bloody ouch, but nothing like what you have going on with your knee. Glad to hear you're 95% recovered. BTW, I'm also happy with the Leatt 3DF 6.0 knee pads for riding trails with rock gardens. amzn.to/492SIDp
@@udtrader I’m def going to try the Leatt 3DF 6.0 knee guards based on your recommendation (and the fact that they are open-back, which seems to be key to comfort). I think I tried the size smaller in the Leatt Airflex, but it was just too small and pinched me. I have the matching elbow protectors but have yet to wear them 😬. I’m also a motorcyclist (on and off-road), and I gear up to the max for that (thousands invested). But when already sweating my ass off on a bicycle, it’s sometimes difficult to add to the heat factor of protective gear in my humid location.
Back to the get-off where injured my left knee, I had chosen not to wear my Leatt Impact 3DF 4.0 shorts (I see that in another of your vids you got the 5.0). So, as luck would have it, aside from the knee injury I ALSO got a nasty contusion/strain in my right quad. Crashes are difficult to analyze, so I’m not sure what I really did. If it was a contusion from the bike frame, handlebars, or log, (as opposed to a strain from being contorted) then the shorts might have helped. I had ALSO considered not wearing the knee guards that day, which would have been a dire mistake. As a bonus, I also probably broke a rib in my upper right chest. All this on a 5mph-ish fall:
th-cam.com/video/T3Xhlh-xTyg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=s3pYuOJVTPtLTxed
It’s pretty sobering. Plus, it sucks getting old and fragile.
So now I have an Amazon cart with your recommended knee guards, and I just added a Leatt Airflex chest protector vest. I can’t really see going beyond that for pedaling, though I own several types of chest/back protectors for motorcycling (have broken ribs doing that, too). I bought a Leatt Enduro convertible full-face helmet a couple weeks ago, as well.
Sad thing is I don’t even ride anything crazy, mostly green/blue XC trails with sprinklings of roots, rocks, and rollers. But it doesn’t take much of a fall to do real damage, as I’ve just learned. So I’ll roll around on easy trails looking ridiculous. Oh well, whatever helps me keep at it at my advanced age (61) 😆.
Thanks for your well wishes. My quad is finally coming back to full strength and flexibility after four weeks. I’ll probably get the bike out (so glad it’s an eMTB, for recovery) today and just ride easy on pavement 🎉.
@@mike.thomas Here are my observations after watching your videos. 1) Heckler is too much bike for Deer Haven. It's heavy with too much power causing you to develop bad habits relying on the bike. I can tell by the way you pedal hard to go over logs instead of using arm & body shift technique to push the bike over the logs. 2) You're wearing hydration pack on a 2.3 mile trail with 39ft elevation. I'd replace that with a single water bottle and lose the backpack. This will lighten the weight on you AND the bike to help you be more nimble. 3) If your bike was lighter and you didn't have a hydration pack, you might have been able to escape your injury being able to simply walk away from your bike. However, a heavy bike falling over with hydration pack will restrict your movement to escape. At 5mph, you should've been able to simply throw the bike and walk off as if you're getting off a treadmill.
I would recommend riding Deer Haven on a simple hardtail with a water bottle wearing knee & elbow pads. Also, lose the gopro as it adds to distraction. IMHO, you'll have a lot more fun this way while developing better riding technique.
@@udtrader Been trying to figure out how to respond to this puzzling comment.
I've been riding seriously, on and off, for a few decades and have owned many bikes during that time. I spent more time as a roadie, and I confess that I'm no expert at MTB. But I'm also not a complete novice as your commentary suggests, having spent a lot of time MTBing in the foothills of Colorado in the early 2000s. There’s been a long gap though, and I’m just getting back into it, in a much older body.
With that background, and reflecting on your commentary, on the one hand it seems as though you’re trying to be helpful. On the other hand it seems like you’re (unintentionally?) being a bit of a gatekeeper. Regardless of your intentions, you’ve made some poor assumptions, and produced a number of incorrect assertions and weird takes, so it really doesn’t sit well. I’ll leave it at that, I guess, unless you want a full breakdown.
Super cool man, I was on the fence with the fox and the leatt. Ended up going with leatt because of the side padding, looks like I made the right choice! Thanks for the content
Thanks for taking the time to post your review, I am getting the Leatt Airflex based on your recommendation.
Thanks for the review. Been leaning toward the Leatt and this probably sealed the deal.
Thanks for the great comparison video!
Ok, dude, I bought the Leatt based on your recommendation and I am pleased so far. They stay up well and will be great in cold weather. Thanks.
Great video mate! Thanks for the info.
best video so far for the Leatts
Great review. Thank you
looking at the Knee Guard AirFlex Hybrid Pro - any thoughts on these?
Very nice review. Thanks for sharing your experience with those :)
I own the Fox enduro D30 myself but they irritate my tendons at the back of my knees a lot. I'll try a size up though to see if the problem persists.
I was looking at the Leatt because of that hole at the back of the knee which I guess, provides more relief and comfort while pedaling and suppress that "cutting/pinching feeling" behind the knee.
I usually make rides from 30 to 50km and I wear my pads all the time. I only need a light protection for light/medium trail like you said, do you think those Leatt would be a good option over the Fox ? Do you still wear yours ?
I've used the same pair going on 2nd season and still love them and they are still my #1 choice. There's no "cutting/pinching" and I don't even notice the pads and my rides are usually 8 to 12 miles through flow trails with roots, rock gardens, stream crossings, etc. Yes, I'd get these over the Fox. amzn.to/3wbmwMz
I'm in the exact same situation. Currently wearing the ION K-Impact and none on the reviews mentioned the pinching when pedaling. Have you found the solution we are all looking for? What have you bougth?
@@Hello_riders_1993 I found that the key to knee pads comfort is a hole in the back to avoid that pinching at the rear of your knee on the tendons. I bought Leatt Airflex Pro and swear about them. So comfortable you don't even feel them. They are very well ventilated so even in hot days during summer, not a problem at all. I already recommended them to a lot of friends :)
They are also super stable and don't move one single millimeter when you are pedaling. No slipping or whatsoever.
I find the Leatts to be super comfortable. You can totally forget they are on, even in hotter weather. Unlike the reviewer and commenters, I do find that they slip down a bit on my thighs.
The plastic/D3O knee pad stays more-or less-in place, though I feel like it does move down a bit, of course (see my separate post about my minor crash). This knee section has silicone rings inside, so I think that helps keep it in place a bit (but I have to ask, at what cost to your skin in a crash?).
WRT slipping, on my legs it’s like the upper thigh sock and pad kind-of “accordion” a bit. My thighs taper pretty significantly from mid-thigh to knee, so it’s not really surprising. If you have more “tubular” legs, you may not have any issues.
You are awesome
Have you tried the POC VPD Air knee pads? If so, how do they compare to the Leatt Airflex Pro
POC VPD Air is good, but my preference is still the Leatt. The "molded" shape of VPD Air sometimes gets annoying when you straighten your legs riding standing up or just stretching your legs. I'm also not much a fan of straps on trail riding. All my DH pads have straps though.
@@udtrader Thanks for the response. Did the VPD Air have any side protection like the Leatt? Looks like I'll try the Airflex Pro
@@ericrollins4607 VPD Air doesn't protect sides like Airflex Pro. However, I have fallen (mostly lean outs) on both and they seem to protect equally well. My preference is Leatt for knees and POC for elbow.
Agree with author
Does the Leatt offer protection on inside of knee? I hit the inside of my knee repeatedly on my bike frame, right knee only, for some reason, so I want inner protection.
yes, there are 3 foam pads on both outside and inside for protection.
@@udtrader Thanks!
Have you used the Dainese Trail skins too?
I replaced Dainese Trail Air with Leatt AirFlex Pro. Those porous first layer don't protect from small thorns or shrub branches from penetrating, which are plentiful where I ride. Also, note that side padding is below knee closer to upper calf area. It's also annoying when you fall and small gravel pieces get stuck in the grill. Otherwise, very good pads keeping you cool.
@@udtrader are the leatts much warmer?
@@piciu256 They are about the same, but Leatt has ventilated back where I tend to sweat more than the front ventilation of Dainese.
@@udtrader thanks, so I should be happy with my promo Leatt order :)
@@udtrader damn, it's downright magical how comfortable they are, I don't feel them at all, plus the material feels like plastic when impacted, so should protect quite well, even though it's thin. That was a good choice, also I can add that the sizing chart is accurate, took me by surprise that Small is too small for me, medium fits perfectly, but not tightly, so should leave Abit of room for muscle growth if I ride more.
Have you crashed in the Leatts? How is their durability?
I haven't crashed yet, but the material is solidly made - similar to materials on any good knee pad.
Did you try IXS?
Carve EVO+ is comparable to Leatt but I generally don't like ones with straps for pedaling flowy trails because the straps usually don't flex with the leg muscles.
Do Leatt AirFlex Pro stay in place? I have limited trust to knee pads with no velcro
Fox and Leatt stay in place. G-Form does not.
Airflex is not 3DO bro, just printed silicone.
What size the leatt are you using
XL for knee pads, L for body protection. Their online sizing guide correct.
We're not giving you nothing! Just kidding 😂
They're like women's stockings....I don't know 'cause I've never worn them. LOL
Can I just have a damn knee pad without any stupid logo on it please? I hate all of them. All of these are just screaming MTB kneepads from the top of the mountain. I just want something protective and stealthy.
I also have Leatt Enduro pads for downhill and the logo is less pronounced. amzn.to/3FNIZ5U