Which knee pads are you guys using?

padz with sleeves at least stay on in a crash  but if the pad moves on you during a crash that is a good indication it doesnt fit

which is why you needed to try them on in the shop

Not sure if that was directed at me. But for what it's worth I bought mine from Lynn Valley bikes and I did try them on.

For me the long sleeves at the top of the chromags seem to work their way down, especially if I'm sweating, then there's basically just 2 or 3 inches of bunched up sleeve at the top that is not holding anything. This behaviour would not be easy to anticipate when trying on in the store. It could be a sizing issue but I definitely couldn't go smaller, the sleeve fits pretty tight. Maybe bigger would help but I feel like it's be a lateral move at best.

Either way, just because a pad stays on in the store, or even pedalling, doesn't mean it will stay in place in a crash. Obviously it improves your chances, but it's not always that simple.

I think my thighs taper down to my knees too much, I have better luck with pads like the ixs with a strap at the calf and minimal sleeve above.

Personal body shape plays a big factor here.

Kenny - have you tried the 7idp Knee Flex pads - no idea why they call them knee flex as that makes it sound like some kind of gform style pad - but they are a hardish shell closer to skateboard pads. In fact they felt a little similar to Smith Scabs with the top and bottom straps.
Pretty sure that LVB stock them but I'm also selling mine if you wanted to try them out at all,  as I prefer the Rifts and switch to a set of RaceFace flanks for park and big consequence rides

Posted by: Kenny

Posted by: Ride.DMC

Posted by: DanL

Chromag rifts have become my knee food of choice.

Same. I put them on at the house and take them off at the house - even when I have to drive 45 minutes to the trails. They're super comfortable and don't move around.

I've crashed in mine twice and they've pulled down and messed up my knees both times. Time for something else.

Thinking about leatt airflex.

I've been using a pair of Airflex for a couple years now. They are pretty comfortable, though they do slip down a little over lots of pedalling especially when it's hot and sweaty. It isn't enough to be a problem for me, I just pull them up sometimes.

I've not had a major crash with them on  but have taken some spills and my knees have been pretty well protected. They haven't pulled out of place, but the side protection is minimal so I've still gotten some small bruises around the knee.

My biggest complaint about them is the mesh they use on the sides gets torn pretty easily (pedal pins are the biggest culprit). I'll probably end up binning them because the mesh falls totally apart before they wear out otherwise.

ime you can fix the mesh with seam grip ( Liquid ureathane ) which is also good for all kinds of repairs

Posted by: shoreboy

I think the plastic caps came back into style when people realized that they slide over hard ground better than fabric knee pads (which tend to just get pulled down out of place). I just updated from my RF Ambush (D30) to RF Roam (with plastic caps and D3O), but havent had enough time on them to say if they are better or worse. The deal breaker for me is that I need a pad that I dont have to take my shoe off to put on. There are very few apart from RF that have this option.

Do they Roams use that light stretchy mesh backing that the RF Indys use? I had a pair of those and they ripped super easily, ended up getting warranty after a few months of ownership and upgraded to the Ambush kneepads in 2015 and they are still going strong all these years later. They fit in my riding pants but are pretty bulky and I get some chaffing, whereas they are fine with shorts. Wonder if the Roams would work better, I feel like with pants and my riding these days I don't need super bulky pads.

Posted by: XXX_er

ime you can fix the mesh with seam grip ( Liquid ureathane ) which is also good for all kinds of repairs

Mm, good tip. I'll try that.

yeah so splooge some liquid ureathane onto the hole and  press it between a couple sheets of plastic bag is what i do, i even fixed a hole where a stick had gone thru my stretchy riding shorts

so do we have to start another thread for elbow padz ?

I got 661 2x4's from back-in-the-day and they are still great for wrist to above elbow protection

full sleeve with a couple of straps

@Endur-Bro

Concerning the Leatt 3DF 6.0, I have taken a picture to compare with my Dakine Hellions (which are 4 years old). In the photo, both are at the ideal spot for pedalling/crashing. The material doesn't bunch up as much behind the knee on the Leatts compared to the Dakine, which were already very comfortable and almost never felt while riding for 2-3hrs. Both pads have the velcros stuck in the "beginning" of the strips and I was straight in the middle of the size chart for the same size. I could tighten quite a bit if they were to drop, but it's never happened with the Dakine. The Leatts have a nice silicone strip at the thighs openings so they feel like they won't come down.

The Leatts feel looser around the knee but seem to be holding on just as well as the Dakine. I'd say that the Leatts have a tiny bit better side protection below, besides and over the knee, but they have slightly less padding under the plastic shin cap (on the knee it's pretty similar). The Dakine don't have plastic pieces over the D30 material, but they have thick D30 pads which feel secure.

If I was to crash on pointy rocks, it would be even for both I think. When walking, the end of the Leatt's can be felt more than the Dakines on the shins, but pedalling I guess I won't feel it. I have tried the Medium Dakines and they felt too constricting so I went for the looser fitting Large and they are perfect. The Leatts are L/XL size and I guess the S/M would be too tight. If they had a Medium or Large I guess I'd probably barely be on Large, but they don't.

To answer your original question, they feel slimmer than the Dakines but just as protective. Hope this helps!

/\ Now that is how a helpful post is done. My man. 🍺

@XXX_er, liquid urethane is just from the hardware store? Is there a brand name you use? Sorry, I'm in Europe and Google results are just hilarious.

Posted by: Hepcat

/\ Now that is how a helpful post is done. My man. 🍺

@XXX_er, liquid urethane is just from the hardware store? Is there a brand name you use? Sorry, I'm in Europe and Google results are just hilarious.

well here in BC it could be a fishing store or MEC

the stuff all appears to be made by gear-aid, could be aqua seal or seam grip or shoo goo

Posted by: Hepcat

/\ Now that is how a helpful post is done. My man. 🍺

@XXX_er, liquid urethane is just from the hardware store? Is there a brand name you use? Sorry, I'm in Europe and Google results are just hilarious.

Haha! Thanks! I try to be as helpful as I can with the spare time I have left 😅

I've also used Seam Grip on a few things and it's (very) smelly but works awesome. Do it outside or in a ventilated room if you can. My old steel-toed boots lost all their sole when I was working full-time as a trailbuilder. I thouroughly cleaned both surfaces properly at night (with 70% isopropyl alcohol), put on a layer of Seam Grip and tped that together for 12-24 hours. Not only did they last for many more months of 50-60hrs/week in the mud and knocking stumps and rocks, but they're still glued together 10 years later.

aqua seal, seam grip ,shoo goo, freesole is all just Liquid ureathane in various consistancies, good for glueing all kinds of out door stuff like loose velcro

i use a lot of Aqua to fix dry suits as a side gig

IME Freesole is far more effective than Shoe Goo, which has always failed me.