[Idahoo]

So, took a nice spill in a rock garden with my Kyle Straits and ended up cracking my knee-cap through them. I'm sure without them, I would have a shattered knee-cap and not a cracked one, but now i'm looking to possibly swap up the knee protection. The Kyle Straits are comfy, well fit, and padded, but the plastic plate inside is pretty damn flexy.

I was considering the Alpinestar's Moab knee/shin but not sure if it's a hard plastic or not. Ideally, if 661 made a Kyle Strait with a hard plastic instead of soft, that would be my dream knee pad. Does anyone have some Moab vs. KS experience or just a good review on the Moab's?

Also any other suggestions that are low-profile and have a hard plastic knee cup?

 

[gemini2k]

The rockgarden NEO sounds pretty close to what you're looking for. It's cap is quite a bit harder than the KS. It's not quite as hard and stiff as the old 661 tomcats. It has pretty large area of coverage too.

 

[frango]

I've got O'Neal's knees, which have got pretty hard plastic cap. There is similar design from IXS and TSG, I think. Check for RF knees, too.

 

[contactjt]

The Moabs are properly tested and pass the Knee protection required standards.

The Kyle Straits are just knee "pads", which means they do not need to pass proper protection rests.

 

[MarkDH]

What you want is some Pro-Tec Gravity pads:

http://www.pro-tec.net/gravity-knee-pad-snow.php

Feel a set of these alongside a set of Kyle Straits and you realise the KS's have all the protection of wet cardboard. The Gravitys have much harder plastic in the knee cap and it extends a bit further down the shin, plenty of padding backing it up and the face material is tough and slides better on the ground. I've never had a problem with them slipping down either. If these ever wear out I'd get another set straight away.

 

[daisycutter]

I like these

http://raceface.com/protection/legs/rally-fr-leg/

 

[Snowflake]

Just throwing this out there.. I not only cracked the plastic on the knees of a pair of Rockgardns, but I also cracked my kneecap in half. I would in no way suggest the knee guards from them. The guards had only been used for a couple weeks when this happened.

I rocked POC bones for a while, and they kept my knee cap safe and sound. Although they aren't low profile.

I recently got TLD T-Bones recently, and I freaking LOVE them. I took a digger a couple weeks ago in a steep rock garden, and first thing to hit was that knee. Not an ache, or even a scratch on cloth covered the plastic.

Check em out.

 

[Idahoo]

Thanks for the various inputs. Those Protecs look pretty damn similar to KS's. Going to take a hard look at them as well as the T-Bones and hope to get some hands on the A-Star's Moabs if I can find a local shop that has them.

 

[stoney]

661 makes a pair

 

[Hesh To Steel]

More food for thought: knee and elbow pads are not really meant to protect you from catastrophic injuries like a cracked kneecap if you're going fast enough to crack a kneecap in a softshell pad, youre probably going fast enough to crack your kneecap in a hardshell pad. I think of knee/elbow guards as protection against flesh wounds/bruises and that's it.

 

[MarkDH]

Thanks for the various inputs. Those Protecs look pretty damn similar to KS's. Going to take a hard look at them as well as the T-Bones and hope to get some hands on the A-Star's Moabs if I can find a local shop that has them.

Yeah myself and my mates use these various pads and I had a feel of them all when I got the ProTecs (cos I'm weird like that). ProTecs have a harder cap than the T-Bones which in turn are harder than the Kyle Straits. Definitely keep them in mind if you want a tougher Kyle Strait, I don't think you'll be dissapointed.

 

[MinorThreat]

SixSixOne Pro knee/shin. Low-profile enough that I can wear them inside my Royal SP247 pants without binding.

A closer look with pics if that helps:

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3572454#post3572454

 

[gemini2k]

More food for thought: knee and elbow pads are not really meant to protect you from catastrophic injuries like a cracked kneecap if you're going fast enough to crack a kneecap in a softshell pad, youre probably going fast enough to crack your kneecap in a hardshell pad. I think of knee/elbow guards as protection against flesh wounds/bruises and that's it.

Yep. I'd agree.

 

[karpi]

I have the moabs myself and I think I'll never buy other knee pads. This past weekend I took a fall and the knee pads were locked in place... never felt a thing. Then, as the day went by, I flat landed a decently sized jump which made my right foot come of the pedal upon landing and had the crank and pedal come around to smack me on the shin. I felt the impact but nothing really tramatizing which is pretty impressive considering the speed and impact it took. The knee guard feels so secure that I have to unbuckle it if I want to move it around. Its also low key, I used it under my jeans and its not invasive at all. I ride the S/M cause I have skinny legs at 6'0. You won't go wrong with them.

 

[Bikael Molton]

TLD T-Bones seem a lot more sturdy all over than the 661s KS, including on the knee cup. And they didn't disintegrate in less than a season like 661 often does, since the TLD has a lot more cordura on it..

Those Pro-Tecs look pretty nice; would like to handle/try on a pair.

 

[sethimus]

was snowscooting and fell on a hidden rock this winter, good impact. nothing happend to the knee

 

[Idahoo]

Thanks for all the input. I got my local shop to put some A-stars on order being they didn't have any and wanted some for their inventory anyways. Put a deposit down to reserve them when they arrive to get a hands on. That way if I don't like them, just get my deposit back and get something else.

 

[Sandwich]

The astars look great but they seem awkward when you stand up. That might be fine, but it might also indicate a weird fit or fit issues.

 

[MmmBones]

I wore Shadow Conspiracy Knee Gaskets for over five years and had great success with them. Slim and tough, they dont move when dragging a knee while cornering. It looks like you can snag a pair for $25. Now I am using Alpinestars Moabs w/ Neoprene sleeve to protect all the scar tissue on my shins. They do feel funky when standing, like the knee pad wants to push away from my knee but I haven't noticed any problems or restrictions while riding.

 

[Sandwich]

I wore Shadow Conspiracy Knee Gaskets for over five years and had great success with them. Slim and tough, they dont move when dragging a knee while cornering. It looks like you can snag a pair for $25. Now I am using Alpinestars Moabs w/ Neoprene sleeve to protect all the scar tissue on my shins. They do feel funky when standing, like the knee pad wants to push away from my knee but I haven't noticed any problems or restrictions while riding.

that's cool. I had noticed before that other people said they pull away when you stand up, so that frightened me a little compared to a pad that fits normally all the time. I do think that lots of people missed the point with their knee pads-they should fix best when your knee is flexed, as that's when an accident is more likely to happen compared to when you're standing straight up.

There are multiple threads on knee pads, but I think my next setup will be the 661 pros. I like the fit system and they are reasonably priced. I'm just nervous about durability otherwise I'd own a set.

 

[Idahoo]

Well I'll try to get some photos and a decent review when my a-stars come in and when I finally get back on the bike. Looks like I'm still 4 weeks out from a full recovery. Want to ride NOW being 3 races are this month but if I were to take another spill and hit the same spot, it could be surgery and 6-8 months of no riding.