The Rapha Trail Knee Pads are the first piece of protection from the prestigious cycling brand (their helmet is made by Smith). More well known as a high end roadie brand, last year Rapha entered the MTB clothing game and now have a pretty broad and all encompassing range.
- Brand: Rapha
- Product: Trail Knee Pads
- From: rapha.cc
- Price: £80.00
- Tested by: Ross for 2 months
Given that the Rapha Trail Knee Pads are part of the ‘trailwear’ collection, it’s no surprise that they’ve been designed with pedalling – and all day – comfort in mind, but without sacrificing on the protection. You’ll not find any ‘foam’ protection on these.
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Construction
The Rapha Trail Knee Pads are a sleeve style pad, with no added straps or closure system. They utilise a broad silicone band on the inner – at the top and bottom – along with ergonomic patterning behind the knee, to stop the pads from slipping during use and keep things in place. The main sleeve fabric has a four way stretch to keep things comfortable during extended stints of pedalling which extends a long way up the thigh for added security.
Inside the Trail Knee Pads you’ll find a pad that is custom made for Rapha in conjunction with RHEON™ Labs. The pad is made with an ‘active polymer’ that basically remains soft and flexible for comfort and compliance when riding, but then hardens on impact to provide protection from crashes. This equates to Level 2, Type B protection which is apparently the highest certified level of protection for a lightweight pad.
The RHEON™ Labs pad itself is made in an open geometric mesh pattern to aid with airflow, while the material on top of the pad is made using SuperFabric™. This is a synthetic fabric that has a proprietary ceramic polymer print that is designed to be tough and durable, and protect from knocks and scrapes.
Fit and performance
We were sent a set of size M pads and have been using them multiple times per week for the past couple of months. Going off Raphas size chart I’m pretty much bang on a size M and the pads fit well with a good, tight fit, but without any hot spots or pinch points, making Rapha’s sizing info accurate.
The upper part of the sleeve sits a good way up the thigh and is designed to sit under a set of liners / bibs (ideally theirs) to add further security, although when used without a set of liners I can’t say I’ve noticed any difference. The bottom of the sleeve sits just on the widest part of the calf meaning that there’s a fair bit of overall coverage.Â
Slipping them on for the first time they are properly comfortable, with a semi compression fit. The RHEON™ Labs pad has enough shape to stop them from feeling odd when stood up and walking, and once on the bike they are genuinely fit and forget.
In use the pads have remained in place and secure on every ride I’ve taken them on. No matter how rough the tracks, how long the pedal, or how sweaty I’ve gotten, the Trail Knee Pads have remained in place without any movement. And not only have they remained in place, the comfort levels have remained the same, with no rubbing, chafing or annoying bunched up material. Since I started testing the pads the weather has been generally good with temperatures even heading into the high teens at times, but the pads have stayed acceptably cool.
While I’ve managed to avoid any near death experience while testing the Trail Knee Pads, I’ve had the odd unplanned dismount and slide out, and they’ve kept my knees cut and bruise free, while remaining in place and aren’t showing any signs of undue wear.
Overall
Rapha might not be the first name you think of when deciding on a new set of pads, but it’s one you should definitely consider. With the Trail knee Pads, they’ve made some of the best knee pads I’ve used. They’re properly comfortable, genuinely great to pedal in and offer a good amount of protection. Top it all off with a plain and understated look and they are pretty hard to beat.
