These minimal, pedalling-friendly Leatt 3DF AirFlex knee pads are aimed squarely at those who want a bit of extra protection without the bulk of normal knee pads.
The stretchy Lycra mesh sleeve is incredibly comfortable. They are held in place by two silicone gripper strips around the upper opening, which makes them very light – the lack of straps or Velcro closures really helps with this.
A big circular cutout at the back of the pads helps prevent overheating or chafing during extended periods in the saddle. Add to that the pre-shaped, easily mouldable, CE-certified, 6mm thick Armorgel padding and you should be on to a winner right?
The problem here, sadly, is the sizing.
Our tester, who normally wears medium knee pads, opted for the small/medium AirFlexes, but found them a touch too baggy – not ideal when they rely on a tight-fitting sleeve to hold them in place – and there’s no smaller size available.
Though the cuffs at the top and bottom were tight once on, the sleeve itself wasn’t particularly snug, so careful readjustment was required to keep the padding sitting where it needed to be. That said, if you normally wear large pads, drop a size and you’ll have a set of super-comfortable, mile-munching-friendly pads on your hands – or should that be legs?!
