off-road.cc

The Sweet Protection Knee Guards are super minimalist pads that are lightweight and very comfortable. Perhaps inevitably though, they don't provide a lot of protection for the money.

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The Sweet Protection Knee Guards are really simple. They slip on with a silicone strip across the top to keep them in place, and are made of a thin neoprene-like fabric with perforations for airflow.

The actual protective part of the pad is made with Sweet Protection’s Visco elastic soft foam, which promises high shock absorption values.

In terms of fit, they’re perfect. The sleeve is a good length and the pad provides coverage to your kneecap, if not far beyond. The neoprene sleeve can provide a bit of scratch protection to the sides of your legs in a crash, but I wouldn’t count on it for anything more.

Sizing is good – they’re not too tight and definitely not too loose.

While these are pretty low-profile, they're still thicker than the likes of the 661 Recon pads, so can get a little warmer – but then they offer a little more protection too. Also, the perforations help and these never get uncomfortably warm.

Adding to the level of comfort, the protective foam conforms to contours with body heat.

I usually keep pads like these for laps around my local – where it’s hardly gnarly and I know the trails like the back of my hand – because they’re super comfortable and provide the exact level of protection I think I need.

The Sweet Protection Knee Guards do this job perfectly thanks to their level of comfort, the fact they stay in place, and how easy they are to slip on.

The Sweet Protection Knee Guards finds their place by offering superb comfort during long rides alongside a useful, if not colossal, level of protection. They’re also great if you’re not a fan of pads, but kind of feel tempted... If you’ve already got some comfortable 'regular' pads that offer more protection though, there's no real reason to rush out for these.

• www.sweetprotection.com

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