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What do you guys swear by? Will be doing mainly XC/enduro, possibly some light dh...
ion K-pact. lower profile than full 'soft' pads like fox launch pro and with better protection. comfortable enough after the first couple of rides to wear all day. have crash tested mine a couple of times including knee on to pointy rock at fairly high speed and they've been great. don't really see the point of the light weight enduro type pads as they seem to provide little protection other than stopping grazes and a bit of skin loss
For general riding and just quick messing about I use Alpinestars Paragons. They were cheap, but fit well, are comfy, light and have shrugged off a fair number of minor crashes so I'm more than happy. When I feel like I need something more serious I have a pair of POC VPDs mainly because they fit me really well.
The old model 661 Rages. Fit me like a glove, all-day comfy, good coverage. The new ones are totally different sadly.