After a helmet, a pair of the best mountain bike knee pads is probably the wisest protection to use. That’s because your knees are generally one of the first – and most painful – parts of the body to hit the ground in a crash.
As a moving part, your knees are also vital to protect, and wearing pads is one of the best ways to keep you on your bike, rather than resting on the couch.
Knee pads vary wildly, though. Some are super-lightweight sleeves, more for scuff protection than big hits, while others wouldn’t look out of place on a motocross bike. As such, the padding can vary from simple Kevlar-wrapped foam through to high-tech materials that are malleable until hit and then seemingly magically harden up, to hard-plastic skid plates covering impact-absorbing materials.
Fit is vital. A baggy, loose feel may aid comfort, but it can lead to the pad moving in a crash, decreasing the protection it offers. Some designs rely on a long upper sock with a silicone gripper to keep them in place, while others have Velcro straps so you can cinch them down over your thighs and calves.
The trade-off for more security and protection tends to be less comfort and breathability. Unless you want to whip off your shoes at the top and bottom of every climb, your pads are likely to stay on throughout your ride. As such, you need a pair that don’t chafe on long climbs or get too sweaty when the sun comes out.
We’ve taken the pads in this list on both short spins and longer cross-country rides to find out which pads go unnoticed on longer rides, and which get the sweatiest. While protection is vital, if pads don’t feel good you’re less likely to wear them, so comfort has taken equal precedence in our reviews.
If you’re in the market for protection, we also have lists bringing together the best mountain bike helmets and the best MTB elbow pads.
What to look for in MTB knee pads
Velcro straps
Being able to tighten things down with a Velcro strap adds security, but also weight, warmth and faff. If you want the best protection, though, Velcro-secured pads are likely a good option.
Behind the knee
The area behind the knee is often where pads cause the most skin irritation. Thinner, more breathable materials tend to bunch and chafe less. Some pads have a cut-out here, which may add cost but can definitely help with comfort.
Articulated or not?
Your knees bend thousands of times during a ride and your pads need to be able to move with them. Soft pads articulate easily, but harder designs may have cut-outs to help them flex as you pedal.
Side protection
While the front-of-knee protection is most obvious, some designs have extra padding on the sides. This can really help when you bang your knee on the top tube!
Shin protection
Pads extend differing lengths down your shin – the deeper they go, the more protection they offer, but also more warmth and potentially more discomfort too, if the pad itself isn’t particularly flexible.
Best MTB knee pads in 2022
- Sweet Protection: £90 / $100 / €100
- 7iDP Project: £110 / $120 / AU$220
- Endura MT500 Hard Shell: £80 / $115
- Fox Enduro D3O: £75 / $85 / AU$140 / €85
- Troy Lee Designs Raid: £110 / $115 / AU$220
- Bliss ARG Minimalist: £70 / AU$90
- G-Form Pro Rugged: £100 / $80
- iXS Carve Evo+: £90 / $115 / €100
- Leatt 3DF 6.0: £87 / $100 / AU$154 / €100
- Pearl Izumi Elevate: £120 / $125 / AU$230
Sweet Protection
!["Sweet]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/11/Sweet-Protection-knee-pads-01-3b19a67.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Sweet")
- Price: £90 / $100 / €100 as tested
- Protection: SAS-TEC knee cup
- Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
- Colour: Black
The Sweet Protection knee pads have quickly become our favourite pads out on the trails, thanks to their great comfort, secure fit and coverage.
The pads sat just right on our tester’s legs. The stretchy sleeve has thick neoprene panels that help the pads hold their shape, even with bent knees.
At the bottom and top is a fabric with a rubbery backing. Paired with a single Velcro strap up top, the pads stay resolutely in place.
There is a thin stretchy panel and perforated fabric behind the knee to stop things from getting too sweaty. The pads warm up quickly but they do dry pretty fast, so wearing them for a multi-day trip shouldn’t be an issue.
For protection, the pads use SAS-TEC knee cups, which harden on impact, a bit like D30. While there might not be enough protection for downhill riding, these are some of the best trail pads available.
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7iDP Project
!["7iDP]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/7iDP-Project-Knee-Pads-01-35090c0.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"7iDP")
- Price: £110 / $120 / AU$220 as tested
- Protection: Extra protection around the outside of the knee
- Sizes: S, M, L, XL
- Colour: Black
While expensive, the 7iDP Project knee pads are feature-packed, justifying the price.
The pad itself, which is protected by an exterior skid plate, is extensively shaped around the knee, so feels odd when you’re putting it on, but great once there. It encases the sides of your knee, so while these pads don’t have the most protection real-estate on test, the padding is exactly where it needs to be.
The sleeve is made from a compressive knit material that’s exceptionally comfortable on all-day rides, and a rear cut-out boosts comfort further.
These are rock-solid in use, with upper and lower silicone strips, and a unique double Velcro strap system. We’ve found the core material stiffens in the cold, softening once some body warmth gets in. For pads with plenty of front protection, a bit extra at the sides wouldn’t go amiss.
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Endura MT500 Hard Shell
!["Endura]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/09/Endura-MT500-Hard-Shell-knee-pads-01-6906e16.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Endura")
- Price: £80 / $115 as tested
- Protection: Plastic shells and D30 insert
- Sizes: S/M, M/L, L/XL
- Colour: Black
While they might not be the lightest pads, there’s no getting away from how protective and comfortable the Endura MT500 Hard Shell knee pads are.
The pads use a combination of D30 inserts behind hard plastic shells. This padding is attached to a sleeve that extends above the knee for plenty of coverage. There is also some PU foam padding to protect the side of the knee.
To stay in place, the pads have silicone grippers and broad Velcro straps at the top of the sleeves. There is a second strap around the top of your calf muscle, which enables you to tailor the fit of the pads further. We found this means the pads didn’t slip down or bunch behind your knee and remained comfy even on long rides.
The pads do get a bit warm, but that’s no surprise given the protection on offer.
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Fox Enduro D3O
!["Fox]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/Fox-Enduro-D3O-Knee-Guards-01-4fa8095.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Fox")
- Price: £75 / $85 / AU$140 / €85 as tested
- Protection: D30 insert
- Sizes: S, M, L, XL
- Colour: Black, Grey Vintage
Despite the ‘Enduro’ tag, we feel these are slightly more trail-bike orientated because with a relatively simple D3O pad, they don’t offer as much protection as some other knee pads. However, they’ve won favour with a number of our testers thanks to their exceptional comfort and relatively keen pricing.
While the pad isn’t the most pre-shaped, the sleeve onto which it’s built hugs your leg closely, pulling the pad in and keeping it securely in place. With a snug fit and minimal rubbing, we’ve been happy keeping these on during all-day epics.
To help keep the air flowing, the rear section of the pad is perforated. The sock extends high up the thigh, where a silicone gripper holds it in place. At the bottom, the elasticated hem is tight enough to boost security without causing discomfort.
The pad itself is fairly long, extending low enough to stop most debris flipped up by the front tyre from leaving a mark on your shin.
The Enduros are lightweight, knee-warmer-style pads, so we wouldn’t take them on the chunkiest of enduro rides, but for riders looking for all-day comfort with plenty of protection and ventilation, these come out top dog.
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Troy Lee Designs Raid
!["Troy]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/knee-pads-best-of-06-1496917017120-h92an3vj771v-4fc4426.jpg?quality=90&crop=83px%2C0px%2C1351px%2C900px&resize=620%2C413" "\"knee-pads-best-of-06-1496917017120-h92an3vj771v-4fc4426\"")
- Price: £110 / $115 / AU$220 as tested
- Weight: 423g
The Troy Lee Designs Raid pads are some of the most protective pads here. Substantial D30 padding covers a large part of the knee area and extends reassuringly far down the shin.
Foam pads add protection along both sides of the knee, as well as just above the kneecap, making them feel very safe on dicey terrain.
Despite this, the fit is extremely comfortable, whether standing up straight or pedalling for long rides, and this feedback is echoed by several testers.
They stay up exceptionally well thanks to a pre-curved knee cup and a strap that sits above (not below) the thickest part of the calf. The Velcro strap above the knee allows the tightness to be tailored to the rider and stops it from moving around.
They’re not light, and they’re a bit warm, but given the level of protection on offer, we think this is easy to forgive. They’re comfortable enough for long rides and protective enough for gnarly bike park laps on the black run.
If you’re after big-terrain security without the comfort penalty, they have the versatility to justify the price tag.
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Bliss ARG Minimalist
!["Bliss]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/Bliss-ARG-Minimalist-Knee-Pad-01-a8b0a57.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Bliss")
- Price: £70 / AU$90 as tested
- Protection: Super Shock Absorbing ARG
- Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
- Colour: Black/Blue
The ARG Minimalists feature some of the longest pads we’ve seen. With the top of the sleeve extending well under some liner shorts, these stay in place nicely and feel unrestrictive.
The thin, stretchy sleeve is topped and bottomed by elasticated hems with a dotted silicone strip. It has a thin, leg-warmer-style construction, with a slightly more perforated material behind the knee, which we didn’t find bunched during riding.
The big blue pad is pre-formed to fit the shape of the knee, and while there’s plenty of space inside, we didn’t find it flared out or lacked security. We’ve witnessed some big crashes with these pads, where they’ve done their job well.
The Lycra sleeve means the fit is snug, but it extends a long way down the leg, so we needed to pull the pads up high to prevent the lower hem from being loose around the calf.
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G-Form Pro Rugged
!["G-Form]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/G-Form-Pro-Rugged-Knee-Guard-01-f435b62.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"G-Form")
- Price: £100 / $80 as tested
- Protection: Impact-absorbing SmartFlex pads
- Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
- Colour: Black
G-Form’s pads use a D3O-like material that hardens on impact to offer plenty of protection, along with comfort-giving flexibility.
The pads’ contoured shape shows through the hardwearing outer material, while the inner sleeve is medium-thickness Lycra, which is very soft against the skin.
For lighter-weight pads, the Pro Ruggeds wrap fairly far around the knee, as well as higher and lower than some. They stay in place well, with silicone dimpling around the lower hem and a strip up top too, backed by a Velcro strap. This attaches at the rear of the leg, which isn’t as intuitive as securing at the front.
The thicker material at the front of the sleeve adds warmth over similar-looking pads, but it’s not hot enough to cause issues on longer rides.
While pricey, the quality makes them feel worth it.
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iXS Carve Evo+
!["iXS]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2021/06/iXS-Carve-Evo-knee-guard-01-849f514.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"iXS")
- Price: £90 / $115 / €100 as tested
- Protection: Xmatter protection foam
- Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
- Colour: Camel, Grey
These are some of the bulkiest pads we’ve tested, with plenty of protection and a secure fit making them feel very safe. The flipside is that there’s noticeable bunching behind the knee.
You can remove the pad itself for washing, and it’s shaped nicely to fit the knee and flexible enough to prevent any digging in. There’s extra padding above and to the side too. The iXS pads are held securely in place by straps at the top and bottom, which have plenty of adjustment.
While the sleeve isn’t the tallest, a thin silicone strip holds it in place. It’s largely made from a thick yet stretchy material that’s warm, but there’s perforated fabric at the back for ventilation. These pads are hot, but that’s acceptable given the protection offered, even if it does make them best suited to shorter sessions.
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Leatt 3DF 6.0
!["Leatt]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/Leatt-3DF-6.0-Knee-Guards-01-61ee009.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Leatt")
- Price: £87 / $100 / AU$154 / €100 as tested
- Protection: 3DF
- Sizes: S, M, L, XL
- Colour: Fuel/Black, White/Black, Black
The 3DF pads surprised us because, despite their bulky protection, they remained comfortable on all but the longest of rides (where a sleeve-style lighter pad always wins out).
A one-piece main pad is backed up by a pair of harder, yet still flexible, outer skid panels, as well as impact-foam side protection that extends up to the lower thigh. The sleeve extends fairly far up the leg and has both a silicone strip and a Velcro strap to keep it in place. Lower down, there’s a simple elasticated hem to hold things up.
The interior material feels good against the skin, and the medium-sized cutaway at the back means there’s no bunching and minimal flaring to contend with.
They’re fairly big, so are warm, but we found they worked better for longer rides than some more protective pads.
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Pearl Izumi Elevate
!["Pearl]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2020/09/Pearl-Izumi-Elevate-Knee-Guard-01-1d01544.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Pearl")
- Price: £120 / $125 / AU$230 as tested
- Protection: D3O viscoelastic LP1 pads
- Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
- Colour: Black
The Pearl Izumi Elevate Knee Guards combine fairly high levels of protection with a lightweight-feeling design that’s very comfy in use, but at a high price.
The D3O pad is quite long, and extends far around the knee, with the outermost section backed up by further high-density foam on top. It’s visible through the mesh front, and ventilation is as good as you’d expect from looking at it. This is enhanced by mesh fabric at the rear and a large cut-out behind the knee.
The rest of the sleeve is very light, and extends high up and low down the leg, with a silicone gripper for security. There’s a touch of excess material at the top of the knee, and you need to pull them up high to get the best fit.
Our only real complaint, price aside, is that the open sleeve through which the D3O insert can be removed can catch on your feet as you put the pads on.
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Also consider…
The following mountain bike knee pads scored fewer than four out of five stars in testing, but they might tick the right boxes for you.
Alpinestars Paragon Pro
!["Alpinestars]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2021/06/Alpinestars-Paragon-Pro-Knee-Protector-01-4412c91.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Alpinestars")
- Price: £75 / $85 as tested
- Protection: Protector pads
- Sizes: XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
- Colour: Black
Lightweight but with a large pad, the Paragon Pros look promising. The padding is fairly flat and wide, so in the early stages of a ride it flares out while pedalling. However, we’ve found that as they warm up, the pad starts to conform better to your knee’s shape. They’re slimline enough to fit under riding trousers too.
The low weight means comfort levels are okay, although we found them pressing a little on our kneecap, especially when first put on, and towards the bottom of the shin too.
The sleeve is thin, well vented and long, so we didn’t have any issues with them staying in place, partly also thanks to the silicone at the top. A large cut-out at the rear prevents bunching. However, we’ve found that the super-thin sleeve material is fragile and we’ve torn older ones in the past (but these have been fine).
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Scott Soldier 2
!["Scott]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/knee-pads-best-of-05-1496917017117-8bo80zaj8m8p-b702cc4.jpg?quality=90&crop=34px%2C0px%2C1351px%2C900px&resize=620%2C413" "\"knee-pads-best-of-05-1496917017117-8bo80zaj8m8p-b702cc4\"")
- Price: £55 / $70 as tested
- Weight: 345g
The Soldier 2 is Scott’s all-mountain and enduro knee pad, aimed at the gentler end of the spectrum than the much-loved Grenade. The D3O pad feels remarkably supple and unobtrusive, yet the material hardens on impact to offer an impressive level of protection in a crash.
They come pretty far round the sides, and there’s a little tab on the inside of the knee to stave off those top-tube taps. As with the Alpinestars Paragon, our tester found the upper elastic cuff on the size large fitted too loosely on their thighs, even though the lower cuff was spot-on and Scott’s sizing guide suggests it would be too small. This caused the cuff to fall down easily, and the knee pad to move around a little at the top of the pad during pedalling, which caused a little chafing.
The gently pre-curved pad held it up okay though, and other testers with big thighs found the fit spot-on, so consider downsizing.
They’re well ventilated and comfy otherwise, with a particularly unobtrusive pedalling feel, so if you get the sizing right they’re definitely worth considering.
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Troy Lee Designs Stage
!["Troy]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2021/06/Troy-Lee-Designs-Stage-knee-guards-01-c6a2282.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Troy")
- Price: £85 / $79 / AU$190 / €95 as tested
- Protection: D30 impact pad
- Sizes: XS/S, M/L, XL/XXL
- Colour: Black
Another set of pads to use D3O, the padding here is nicely shaped around the knee, with enough extension down the shin to boost protection, without it being so long as to dig in. It’s also backed by a soft fabric that feels great on the skin.
The sleeve extends reasonably far up the thigh and has a silicone strip that offers plenty of grip. Combined with a tight, but not restrictive, lower elasticated hem, this keeps the pads in place well. Ventilation is good; the back of the sleeve is a fine mesh, while the front is relatively thin too.
Behind the knee runs a rubber strip, which rubbed our tester’s skin. It wasn’t an issue when first worn, but they found they needed to wash the pads regularly for it not to cause discomfort on medium-to-long rides. Without this, the Stages would have been at the sharp end of the test.
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SixSixOne Recon
!["661]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/knee-pads-best-of-03-1496917017110-1j9pqcm8y4tvx-444ba81.jpg?quality=90&crop=81px%2C0px%2C1351px%2C900px&resize=620%2C413" "\"knee-pads-best-of-03-1496917017110-1j9pqcm8y4tvx-444ba81\"")
- Price: £52 / $60 as tested
- Weight: 146g
With minimal padding, these pads are lightweight but aren’t the most protective. They don’t pass the benchmark EN standard for impact absorption, but do have a decent coverage from just above the top of the kneecap to well below it. The padding is thin, though, and provides little protection in a serious crash. It does offer peace of mind against scrapes and scratches, though.
The lightweight, breathable construction makes them well suited to long, hot rides where the chances of injury are low. However, the upper cuff is very short, meaning the thigh gripper sits around the tapered part of the thigh just above the knee. This caused the upper cuff to slip down, despite it feeling tighter than its peers.
Some testers also found they chafe a little around the thigh gripper as it slips down.
They’re cool, light and unrestrictive when pedalling, but if you’re after something with minimal protection and good comfort, we think there are better options. Specifically, the Bliss Minimalist offers similar levels of protection with better fit and less discomfort.
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Dainese Trail Skins Pro
!["Dainese]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2021/04/Dianese-Trail-Skins-Pro-Knee-Guards-17-9e88235.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Dainese")
- Price: £84.95 / $94.95 / €84.95 as tested
- Protection: Pro-Shape 2.0 pads
- Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
- Colour: Black
The Dainese Trail Skins Pro knee guards are exceptionally comfortable and are airy and light to wear.
The pads have a CE Level 1 protection certification, with Dainese claiming the protective pad will become thicker when force is applied. Hollow sections in the protective pad also allow air to pass through and keep legs cooler, which is a real win.
While they have a tight-fitting style, they are more flexible than other pads, which means they can get away with being snug.
Unfortunately, the Velcro tab design on the lower section of these pads lets them down. The Velcro hooks are sewn onto flimsy material, which becomes dog-eared quickly. As a result, the hooks end up facing outwards and catching on short or trouser material. Although this isn’t a deal-breaker, it does make these otherwise great pads frustrating to wear.