 You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
My left elbow has had 2 speerate trips to MIU and a seperate 2 days inpatient stay (infection after debridement) - all for being torn open near the pointy bit on XC style rides - not on technical stuff just lack of concentration while in the pain cave etc (a lot of the time I'm sort of roadying on fire trails etc)
I had a minor off at Swinley a couple of weeks agos which hurt my knee. Being slower and a looser dustier bit (coming onto a fire road after a tech section) it wasn't too bad. Luckily as it was cool and as Swinley is hard I'd used my 661 rythms as arm warmers. My left elbow sported a little patch of red spots from the foam.
I would like to try the G form knee pads - are they comfortable for XC training etc?
Yes. Well at least I find them much more comfortable than the MT500 pads that I used before (which themselves are more towards he comfortable end of the comfort-protection spectrum). Basically I put them on for all rides now and don't notice them. Had a comedy OTB last time out and my knee clipped the bars on the way past. I noticed it had happened but no pain or damage, so they do something.
Yes, I use them all the time, and as per RP once on I don't notice them.
Troy Lee KG5400s are pretty comfortable.
mine are very comfy!
At the moment I'm trying to decide between G-Form and POC VPD 2.0 knees/elbows. Anybody used both and can comment about comfort/stay-put-ability? This is the main concern as I only ride XC but would like to be able to wear something on every ride without thinking about it.
Normally I would just order both from CRC or wherever and try them out but G-Form are out of stock at the moment, plus I suppose you can't really ride with them if you're going to send one lot back!
I find the g forms very comfortable, and they stay put very well too. I can't compare to the POC ones but they are much better in both respects than the 661 Evo D30 ones I used before (and I didn't think they were bad at the time).
They are really lightweight and have no side padding though, which means less protection but I really don't notice them except that my knees are unscathed from brambles and nettles at the end of a ride!
They are like leg warmers with minimal padding on them, so yes very comfortable. I think you will struggle to find anything more comfortable. The only downside is that as they are like leg warmers, they fully cover the rear of the knee which gets a bit much on warmer days. Would be nice if they did some with perforations or cutouts. Also because they have no cutouts, they bunch up behind the knee a little. Only very minor annoyances but does add up over long days.
An alternative perhaps?
http://singletrackmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/eurobike-2013-dainese-trail-skins/
Mates tell that G-forms are very comfy when they fit, I'll have to try them at LBS some time.
I have the POC 2.0 knee pads and RaceFace Charges, POCs are much more protective but they are also much bigger and more restrictive.
The RaceFace Charge series are probably the most lightweight knee pads out there but they are really more like arm/knee warmers with strip of kevlar sewn on. They will not do anything to soften any impacts but I'm only hoping that they will prevent some of the cuts and abrasions.