Best MTB Knee Pads for Your Next Off-Road Adventure

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Unlike driving a car, riding a bicycle or even a motorbike leaves you out in the open, and therefore exposed to the elements. This means that there’s much in the way of physical barriers that serve as protection in the case of unwanted accidents. Once you brought your bikes to your favorite off-road location using a tailgate bike pad, it’s time for the thrill.

As such, it’s best practice to stock up on the right gears to keep you safe on the road, especially if you like to seek extra thrill and adventure whenever you ride your bicycle. One of these things should be MTB knee pads.

We have listed down the best mountain bike knee pads in 2021 right down below so you can have only the best options to choose from, and we’ve also provided a helpful buying guide so you can pick the right knee pads for you.

Top MTB knee pads

Here are the top seven mountain bike knee pads for 2021 that are guaranteed to keep your knees safe from scratches and injury while ensuring a fun, comfortable, cool, and dry ride no matter what the weather is.

Whether you are looking for light-duty, all-purpose, or heavy-duty knee pads, we’ve got plenty of options that guarantee the best in terms of protection, comfort, breathability, quality, and price, so check them all out!

What makes good MTB knee pads?

There are hundreds if not thousands of options out there when it comes to knee pads, and while you can just grab a random pair from the store shelves or click the first thing you see online, you really want to make the right choice to ensure that the knee pads perform well for you.

In order to help you make the right decision on which knee guards are best for you, here are the most important factors that you need to consider before making a purchase. We are talking about comfort, quality, breathability, and protection.

Comfort

Not all knee pads are made the same. Some focus on offering the maximum protection possible, while some are more geared towards comfort. After all, you don’t want to wear something that feels too restrictive and cumbersome, right?

What you can expect is that generally, protection and comfort don’t always go hand in hand. This is especially true for lower end knee pads that are made with ultra thick and firm paddings that don’t allow for as much movement.

On the other hand, the most comfortable knee pads that just feel like typical clothing may not give you as much protection, so they are not really suitable for heavy duty use and one that’s prone to impact and abrasion.

That said, there are lots of great knee pads out there that promise the best of both worlds when it comes to comfort and protection. These ones may be considerably more expensive, but they are well worth the price.

Quality

The overall quality of the knee pads is perhaps the most important thing you need to look out for. This will largely be dependent on the material, engineering, and construction of the knee pads, which all determine their performance and durability.

Are the knee pads made with the latest technologies available? Are they equipped with superior features that improve their fit, comfort, performance, and wearability? Does the stitching and the materials themselves seem sturdy and durable?

These are just some of the questions you need to ask yourself when it comes to the knee pads’ quality. When you’re buying in a sporting goods store, you can always just inspect the product yourself, but you need to have a good eye to know what’s quality and what’s not.

But, when you are shopping online such as in platforms like Amazon, you will mostly have to rely on other customers’ reviews and see what they think of the product. If the reviews are negative or mediocre at best, don’t push your luck.

Breathability

Another important factor is the breathability of the knee pads. Think of it this way- these things will stay glued on your legs the entire time you ride, and there are lots of sweat glands where these knee pads are supposed to go.

You don’t want to wear something that will make you sweat like crazy, especially when you ride throughout the hot summer days when the sun gives off that blistering heat. Poor quality knee pads will cling on to your skin like icky plastic.

The good news is, plenty of knee pads offer breathability in one form or another. Sometimes, the fabric may be perforated to allow air to pass through freely, while sometimes, the fabric itself is designed to allow for ventilation even when it’s thick and fully closed.

How effective the knee pads are in ensuring that you stay cool and dry generally depends on the type of fabric used and how it’s designed. To a lesser extent, you might also want to consider knee pads that are breathable but won’t let you freeze during the winter.

Protection

After talking about all those things, the bottom line is that you are buying knee pads to protect your knees. And as such, this should be the most important consideration of all. Ask yourself, just how much protection can these knee pads offer?

Some knee pads are made for light duty and all purpose rides. They are thin, comfortable, and breathable, but not much goes in the way of protection, save for a few layers of fabric and perhaps some other material.

Other knee pads may make use of a variety of padding materials such as foam and gel. These are somewhat thicker, but still allow for a wide range of movement, so you can pedal and walk freely without feeling constricted.

And then there are also knee pads that make use of hard plastic paddings that are either sewn into the fabric or come as detachable cases. These offer the most protection since they are highly abrasion and impact resistant, but they can be uncomfortable and restrictive.

Summary

If you love riding your mountain bike and are passionate about cycling, but you’re a little bit on the clumsy side, or you just like to push yourself to the limit and thus expose yourself to lots of danger for the sake of excitement, wearing the right gear is a must.

For one thing, wearing MTB knee pads help protect your knees from scratches, wounds, impact, and abrasions. This is especially important since unlike other parts of your body, the knees are all bone and no fat, so injury is always more painful and severe.

The good news is, there are lots of different knee pads out there for you to choose from, and they all come in various colors and sizes, as well as a variety of features, so you can easily make the best pick on which knee pads are perfect for you.

And, with the affordable price range, as well as the fact that all cyclists wear them nowadays, there’s no reason for you not to buy a pair!

• Category: Buying Guide